Dressing your multiples

ceechie

Sooo, I've been getting slack about dressing my girls in matching outfits. My mom loves to shop for the girls and sends two of the same outfits. I didn't really think much about it except "yay, free clothes!". But, other moms I see at preschool and around all comment on it. And they are not MoMs, just friends. Like, "oh you have them matching again." Maybe it bothers them bc then they can't tell them apart? But idk why they need to, the girls are usually just sitting in the stroller or hanging out on a blanket.
So, my question is, what do you guys do? Is it a big deal to match or coordinate? If mine aren't matching, I usually do same outfit in different colors. I rarely have outfits that don't go together somehow.
And my girls are tiny still. When they are old enough to dress themselves, I don't care what they choose. I think it's good for kids to pick it out themselves.

AJC&Maggie

I can't wait to buy matching outfits for my little ones!!!

jennylryan

My boys are about a pound different so sometimes wear different sizes. I do the same as you--same outfit or outfits that go together somehow. The only time they are in complete different things are when one of them has been changed 1+ times due to spit up or pee, etc.

carrotcake06

I'm anti-matching. They rarely match or coordinate.

The twins are boys and my older singleton is a boy so they wear his hand me downs which, obv, there are only one of.

24karat

I prefer coordinating to matching if we do it at all. Most times I just dress them in the first two outfits I can grab. They have a bunch of matching or coordinating outfits though, nearly all of them gifts. C usually wears a red or orange outfit with K wearing the same one in blue or green. They had some reflux early on so it just wasn't worth the effort of matching for the first few months.

TheDairyQueenx3

They either match or coordinate. A lot is hand me downs from DS1 but he had a lot of same but different cloths (outfit sets from Carter's and such) that typically it's easy to at least have them dressed similar. I'm OCD like that though.

ceechie

AJC&Maggie said:

I can't wait to buy matching outfits for my little ones!!!

You're so cute! I love this as the first response!

SV917

I do coordinating outfits for holidays and special events. We rarely go out anywhere because I'm too scared and it has been freezing cold since they were born (longest winter ever). If we do venture out, they stay bundled in a jacket & car seat cover, so no one can even see what they are wearing. I might do matching/coordinating more in the summer.

Before they were born I thought I would be into the matching thing all the time, but E was so small that she never wore newborn or 0-3 sizes at the same time H did, so all the cute coordinating sleepers I bought went to waste (not really wasted, they were all worn). Then there's the spit up, so even if they started out matching, chances are good that someone will need a change.

I think it's fine when they are small. It's one of the fun things about having twins. And if picking out coordinating outfits is what gets me through the two hours I'm up in the middle of the night feeding and pumping, then I'm going to put them in those cute outfits. If they objected, they would STTN, right?

Ylvelill

Non matchy matchy preference here. They are separate people and i want mine to wear separate things

MrsP419

Most of what I have purchased for my girls is co-ordinating (like two sleepers of similar style in different colors or two pink dresses that are slightly different in pattern/brand), but I have a few things that are identical (mostly because my best friend started giving me matching outfits).  I probably will trend more toward co-ordinating than matching overall, but I am certainly not opposed to it!  I am not convinced my two will look anything alike anyway :-).

MommyWannaB10

I was 100% against matching outfits when we found out we were having twins. Well, now I sometimes can't help myself. If I'm at Carter's, I tend to look for things that match exactly or are the same outfit different color. I just got a couple size 12 outfits on clearance and was super bummed they only has 1 skirt instead of 2! Most stuff I have bought at a second hand store or got as hand-me-downs from my SIL, so a lot will not match or coordinate.

chickaboo1974

I think you do what you want.  Now I only buy the same shirt or outfit if it is something I know they both like- an example both my boys LOVE Curious George, so for summer they both have the same Curious George t-shirt.  Of if it is something that I really like- I will buy two of them.  I do find two of the same shirts/outfits at times at my twin club's resale.

caden

I coordinated or matched my boys for 3.5 years - until they wanted to pick out their own stuff. Other people and their opinions can bite me. I loved coordinating my kids. Dress your kids however you want.

somewhereincali

I buy a lot of things in double, sometimes I match them sometimes not at 3 years, mostly they pick their clothes out and so sometimes they match and sometimes not.  I still think its cute when they do and its just a shirt, how we treat them in other ways is what will give them their sense of being individuals, not what color shirt they are wearing.

We do same jackets, boots, etc and anyone who wants to make negative comments about it can come dress my kids while they fight over who gets to wear the red jacket instead of the blue one because i dont have time for that.  

ceechie

MommyWannaB10 said:

I was 100% against matching outfits when we found out we were having twins. Well, now I sometimes can't help myself. If I'm at Carter's, I tend to look for things that match exactly or are the same outfit different color. I just got a couple size 12 outfits on clearance and was super bummed they only has 1 skirt instead of 2! Most stuff I have bought at a second hand store or got as hand-me-downs from my SIL, so a lot will not match or coordinate.

I always get pissed when I can't find two of something, like "don't they know I have twins?!?". I got into it with a lady at gap outlets about needing two coats and would she check the back for another. She kept saying, but you are holding a size 6mos". I even had the girls with me.

JTA2426

I dress exactly matching (mostly) or coordinating (less frequently) as well. It frustrates me when I can't find two of the same thing, also! Of course as soon as they tell me they don't want to dress alike I won't force them unless its a special occasion, but for now it just seems easier.

I haven't gotten tons of negative feedback on the identical clothes, but some people act like it irritates them. DH's granny hates it. Not their kids!

somewhereincali

it also surprised me but it is actually a lot easier to keep track of the two of them in the park or a slightly crowded place when i'm looking for two of the same shirts for some reason

Rynleigh

My guys are frats and still get dressed in coordinating or matching stuff half the time. Most of their stuff isn't identical clothing anymore, more like different colours of the same shirt (today Jamie is wearing a black and blue striped shirt, and Simon is wearing the same thing in green and blue - yesterday they both wore shorts and sleeveless tops, Jamie's was orange and camo, Simon's was red and blue sports). I haven't had any side eyes for matching them, so far. For me, it's wanting to give them things that are similar enough that they don't start competing over who gets to wear this shirt and who gets to wear that one. They've already started to identify which shirts they prefer when I set them out in the morning, so the last thing I want is Simon picking a shirt and James picking the same one and not being able to give them both the option lol 

seawater

Babies are cute no matter what they wear! I personally don't match mine, mostly because I'm cheap and buy most of my clothes second hand but also because I'm not nearly that organized.  I'm lucky if their socks match    

Odebdo

I think to each their own...

But I grew up with very good friends who were identical twins...and their Mom dressed them alike all the time...even as they got older...maybe they just did not stand up to their Mom, but they never had their own identities, and people could never tell them apart, even my Dad who was around them ALL the time, never knew which was which...and I think that bothered them.

I just never wanted that for my kids...I am having boy / girl twins, so it is not near as much of an issues...and while I said I would never dress them alike...well, sometime we just will have to because it is too cute NOT to...but it will not be an everyday happening in our house....

Wishing35

I have matching outfits that people buy and I will dress them in them. When I buy the girls clothes I usually get coordinating but not exactly matching. Like the same dress but different colors etc. I would dress them however you want! Its thier problem if they don't like it.

stjohnbride2003

Never ever have I dressed my boys the same.

bumpuser924057

I love putting my b/g twins in coordinating outfits, and it's even more fun if I can find something that works for DS too.  I did it a lot more in the first six months or so; since then, I've received a TON of girl hand-me-downs and haven't been able to justify buying a single thing for her because of it, so it doesn't happen as much.  But I try, and I save those coordinating pieces for days when we're going to leave the house, especially if we're planning to see people we know.  

PurpleIris30

Well, right now I'm the only one that sees their outfits since they're still on RSV/flu lockdown (and my husband sees them, too, of course, but he doesn't really pay attention to such things).

I prefer coordinating, but have some matching things.  Especially for pictures, I like it when things "go together."  Since they are identical, I probably won't do as much matching as they get older (unless they prefer it), just so it's easier for others to tell them apart. 

A twin mom did tell me that for some things it was a lot easier to have matching items so there wasn't as much fighting over who got the X item (red coat, blue cup, etc.)  I can see that, so I'll probably just see what they're like when they get older.

SandraPB1220

I think it's cute to have them match, or at least coordinate. But I have no intentions of doing so with any kind of regularity. Too much time, energy and money involved. I'm not spending the extra money to buy two of everything, and am not going to change both of their outfits if one gets dirty. I have a lot of doubles that we've bought or have been given, so I will do it every once in awhile for fun.

BabyCarryingVessel

I say, they're your children and you can do what you want! Add me the coordinating but not matchy list. Although I admit I love matchy twins!

amy1007

Dress them the same!! It's fun

meldoo2002

Mine used to coordinate a little… like they'd both be in jeans with a t-shirt, or khakis, etc. I wouldn't have one is sweats and one in nice pants., but we rarely rarely do matching except for some pictures.  I am not a huge fan of matching unless the kids actually choose to now.

macchiatto

My boys are fraternal and have always looked pretty different, though before their hair came in (different colors), people who didn't really try would say they couldn't tell them apart. 

That said, I did a lot more coordinating than matching when they were babies/toddlers (and 30-90% of the time--I went through phases--they didn't match or coordinate beyond being at about the same level of warmth and casual/dressiness). 

When they were about 2.5 they developed strong opinions about what they wore, favorite colors and characters, etc., so they haven't coordinated or matched much since then. But now at times they want to wear the same or coordinating shirts. They've had a few matching shirts at any given time (gifts or just i found something on sale and there was only one color left in their size). Their swim suits also match b/c the other ones we have just fall off of them so at 5 they are still wearing their matching 3T swim trunks from Old Navy. That confuses their swim teachers a little since they look more alike when their hair is wet and you can't tell as easily that one twin's is a lot darker.

macchiatto

And it's so true that you can't please everyone. I had some comments that I didn't match them often enough, and some comments regarding even coordinating outfits that "If I had twins, I would never do that to them." :eyeroll:

If I had identicals, I would make sure they never *completely* matched just so it's a little easier to tell them apart. With twins who look nothing alike, I don't think it's as big of a deal. In general, I like coordinating better though.