School-Aged Children
Abinormal
member
Basic wardrobe for an 8 year old and 10 year old girl...
Abinormal
member
Hi ladies! DH and I've recently been given temporary custody of our nieces (DH's sister's girls) and they should up at my house with roughly 3-4 days worth of clothing and some of that is pretty worn and too short/small on the girls. I'm trying to figure out what I need for two girls this age, but I'm so used to buying for a baby and a toddler that I'm not sure how much school aged girls need. How many shirts, bottoms, pjs, etc. makes up a complete wardrobe for a school aged kiddo? They'll be attending school 5 days a week, and the school doesn't have a required uniform.
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Re: Basic wardrobe for an 8 year old and 10 year old girl...
You should plan on getting at least 10 complete outfits, 1 or 2 dressier things for church or nice functions. 14 pairs of undies, you can never have too many socks, 3-4 pjs each.
Plan on the fact that they will be wearing clothes everyday.
It really depends on how much you want to do laundry and how often you want to replace clothing... Also keep in mind- if they are coming from a situation with too little/too much/ not healthy food they may do some growing after you start feeding them better/more/differently.
school clothes- I'd have 2 weeks worth at least- mix and match-able. maybe slightly more tops than bottoms- like 12 tops and 10 bottoms that you can mix/match. You might also want to have 1-2 nice/church outfits.
play clothes- I have my kids change clothes when they get home from school, this is also what they wear on the weekends when we are just hanging out at home. If they are only wearing it for a couple of hours and it doesn't get dirty we re-wear (My son can wear the same shorts for several days, but has to get a new shirt each day cause he spills.) I would look at thrift stores and garage sales- also if you know anyone to might be able to get you hand-me-downs- for play clothes.
pjs- at least 2 pair unless you want to wash, dry and put away all in one day.
don't forget things like tights/leggings to wear under skirts.
good luck!
My DD is 11. For the past few years her school year wardrobe has consisted of:
4 or 5 jeans or other long pants (figure you can wear each pair 2x unless you have a spill)
A few leggings for wearing with tunic-length tops or under dresses
10 -12 tops, including a few sweaters and sweatshirts
2 or 3 dresses
3 or 4 pajamas (maybe 2 for warm weather and 2 for cooler weather)
lots of socks
A few weeks worth of undies
Sneakers, flip flops, one pair of "good" shoes
Kid clothes tend to have a lot of patterns. You can get more "mix/match" out of solids, but you have to look for them. Target is a good place to get a bunch of basics on the cheap!
ditto Target for basics like long sleeve t's and leggings.
one word of caution, I wouldn't go too crazy buying unless they're with you to give input. my dds have VERY specific opinions of what they like/don't like. Granted, they're a little younger than 8 and 10, but I imagine it's the same at any age for some kids. dd2 refuses to wear jeans, for example. sure they're practical and I'd LOVE her to wear them, but she just won't. It's not worth wasting my money on something that will maybe be worn once.
also, I had lots of luck at Osh Kosh for my 7 yo. they have lots of mix and match stuff that my dd loved.
For back to school shopping, my 7 and 10 year old got --
4 pairs of jeans,
a pair of yoga pants,
5 long sleeve shirts,
2 short sleeve shirts,
2-5 dresses with leggings,
2 hoodies or sweaters,
package of socks,
package of undies,
and a package of undershirt tanks and a couple training bras (if needed)
3 new jammies (they wear jammies twice before tossing them in the laundry)
We're in Michigan so soon we'll pick up warmer coats/boots/gloves/hats but their light jackets still fit so they didn't get new ones.
They also each got gym shoes, fall boots, and 2 pairs of ballet flats.
I shopped at Marshalls/TJ Maxx, Justice and Old Navy.
You already have some good suggestions. If you are in Texas, it is hot right now, right? Check with the school's dress code. For instance, our school allows tank shirts and strappy sundresses, but the straps must be the width of two fingers. Their shorts have to be long. If they wear skirts, they'll need the kind with built in shorts or wear something like gymnastics shorts underneath... so that their underwear are covered when they are swinging and flipping around on playground equipment.
Newlyweds since 2007
Yup, in Texas you should be able to find some sales going on summer clothes and they'll probably need those for another few weeks if not a few months. (It's supposed to be 105 again this week here. Ugh) I agree with someone else who posted to double check the school's dresscode. DD#1's elementary has some specific rules and it's all posted on the school's website.
My 10-year-old niece stayed with us for 2 weeks this summer (was supposed to stay for only one but it got extended). She brought two sets of pjs (camis and capri pj pants), 5-7 pairs of undies, three or four pairs of shorts and 5-7 tops and that was more than enough. I usually do laundry at least once a week so I would just wash her stuff and she could mix and match. A lot of her stuff is cute and was from Target and Old Navy and such. Don't forget bras if they need them. My 10-year-old niece wasn't, but I know some 10-year-olds are so maybe hunt around and check if you think the older one would want/need one. Anyway, maybe start with two weeks' worth of stuff (like 10 tops and 10 bottoms that can mix and match and a couple pairs of pjs). They'll probably want to pick out stuff that's more their style and tastes as they get more comfortable there. Good luck!!
If you have a Sears store with Lands End that would be a great place to shop. They carry plain but colorful clothing that is usually more on the conservative side but still stylish. I buy a lot for my 7 year old there. Every skirt I've bought there has built in shorts too.
Mainly I'd focus on getting things that can be mixed and matched. Jean skirts are great because they can be worn year round.
Ditto all this about Land's End, if you're willing to spend a little more money than you would at Target. The clothes are SUPER well made and durable, though.