7 Wardrobe Must-Haves for Moms with Little Kids

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If you spend a lot of your days with busy little people and want to feel stylish and comfortable, these wardrobe must-haves are for you. We’ll discuss a few wardrobe tools and ideas to help feel pulled-together and ready to do the little kid hustle each day.

Recently on a warm Arizona September morning, my toddler and I went on our daily walk. I popped on a simple sundress and we set off.

Lately, Little Man has decided to kick his shoes off along stroller walks. As I bent down again to check that my shoe-kicking wonder hadn’t knocked off a shoe again, sweat trickled down my skin.

Suddenly, I imagined accidentally flashing someone

Immediately, I thought, “Thank goodness for bike shorts!”

With that totally unsexy thought, the idea for this post was born: wardrobe must-haves for moms of little kids.

You can live intentionally with passion and purpose as God’s beloved – even in your wardrobe!

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Why these Wardrobe Must-Haves were Chosen

Ideally, your wardrobe supports your lifestyle without moving you into frumpy territory.

Believe it or not, I believe it’s possible to be stylish and functional as a mother of a small person.

I don’t think you have to commit to spending the majority of your days in leggings and t-shirts, because “there’s nothing else to wear.”

(If you enjoy wearing leggings and t-shirts, rock on. I’m referring to the stereotype of the “hot mess mom” who can’t dress purposefully because of “moming.”)

These wardrobe must-haves were chosen because they enable you to

• Chase after your child
• Bend over frequently
• Play on the floor
• Be prepared for messy moments
• Be comfortable and stylish (as works for YOU!)

Head’s up! If you’re looking for breast-feeding friendly wardrobe guidance, I won’t be discussing that here. #limitedexperience Sorry!

In no particular order, here we go!

Clothing that is Friendly for Tugging, Floor Time and Chasing

Um… this is pretty obvious, right?

It should be, but sometimes it’s not.

Occasionally it requires adjusting your shirt for the fifth time in a row one day to realize, “This shirt isn’t going to work for kid time.”

Do you need to throw out all of your lower necklines, pencil skirts, etc.?

Heck no! If you can, set aside a special spot for the non-kid-friendly clothes to bust out for date night, kid coverage days, etc. Enjoy them!

Please take the 15 minutes (or less) to remove them from your day-to-day wardrobe. Doing this can help you in so many ways, including:

• Reduce that icky feeling of “I have nothing to wear!”
• Increase the odds of you not feeling unsettled all day from showcasing more of your bod than you want.
• Feel more ready to face the day like the rockstar you are.

Not sure what might serve you? Here’s some fantastic resources that discuss developing a wardrobe for your every day life:

• Everyday Style podcast: Ep 50 Office Hours Your Wardrobe Must Haves
• Everyday Style podcast: Ep 46 Office Hours How to have a “Wear Anywhere” Wardrobe
• How Does Your Lifestyle Influences Your Clothing Choices?
• Questions to Ask Yourself to find the Right Way to Cull Your Closet

Bike Shorts

Many women swear that maxi dresses and skirts are ridiculously comfortable and stylish. They may be excellent options for you!

As for me, I just feel like dumpy in them and prefer a shorter length for my skirts and dresses.

Enter the bike shorts.

To be clear, I’m talking about wearing bike shorts under dresses or skirts so you don’t flash others and have more freedom to move.

These come particularly in handy when…

• You’re on the floor to change the 8th diaper of the day (more or less).
• While at the park, you need to run to prevent your child from eating wood chips.
• Tickling your child.
• Preventing too much clingage when you’re hot and sweaty.
• Exercising. Seriously, don’t let a skirt stop you from getting in some healthy movement.
• Bonus: preventing an inner thigh rash if your thighs rub each other.

A few resources and options that help you are find such wardrobe must-haves are below:

How to Wear a Short Skirt Without Looking Overexposed

Bike shorts (Amazon) (my favorite so far)

Pieces with Pockets

Earlier in the not-sleeping-so-great days I found a utility vest that hit all the marks for me. It cinched in at the waist, was affordable, and had huge pockets.

This vest has served me well on not-painfully-hot days (i.e. unfortunately not during Arizona summers). Pockets come in handy for holding:

• Kleenexes – for you or your child’s sudden snot/drool/spit-up/what-have-you drippage
• Chapstick or lipstick – anyone else feel like you need this all the time?!
• Cell phone – podcasts, music, you know the drill…
• Headphones – Hello naptime! Listening in one earpod, the other dangling down…
• Teething toys
• Bottle/snacks – obviously, this depends on the size of your pockets
• Keys – less stuff to carry when out and about, please!
• Chokable hazards/gotta-hide-this-quick items you find in your house that your little would gravitate toward

This is probably one of the most obvious wardrobe must-haves on the list, but get yourself some pockets!

I’m learning to search for pockets specifically when I look for pants, shorts, skirts, dresses, and jackets.

A few resources and options that help you are find such wardrobe must-haves are below:

• How to Choose Flattering Jeans Pockets
• 4 Things You Need to Know Before You Buy a Winter Coat – discusses pocket placement on coats

Skin-Protecting Hat and UV Protection Sunglasses

With these items, I’m assuming that you’re spending a decent amount of time outdoors.

I’ve learned that taking your child outdoors is almost like magic – hot tempers cool down, curiosity wins for the day, and mamas can take a breather.

Science and the Sun

In fact, here’s some research about this topic. A few perks of going outside include:

• Sunshine boosts our mood and immune system
• Encourages active play
• Helps develop executive functions
• Space to take risks
• Learn how to work with others
• Appreciate nature

Way cool!

If you’re hustling over to a kid who looks suspiciously like they’r going to try eating rocks, you want tobe as hands’ free as possible.

Enter the skin-protecting hat and UV protection sunglasses.

These tools can reduce the negative effects of the sun’s harsh rays, including cancer risks, premature aging of the skin, developing cataracts, etc.

In addition to protecting your skin, they can help keep you cool with some shade and and help you role model how to take care of yourself in a simple, easy way.

By the way, experts also encourage using sun protection (like sunscreen, hats and sunglasses) for your kids, too!

And… if you happen to be successful with getting your kid to actually wear their hat and sunglasses, hit me up. Seriously. We do the hat dance every. single. day.

Back to Style…

If you’re “not a hat person,” I can’t guarantee that you’ll suddenly look spectacular in one. I do encourage you, though, to try on a bunch of hats (in store if you can! #covid-19-shopping-ain’t-pretty).

A few of the many options are sunhat (my favorite!), bucket hat, fedora, baseball cap, visor, etc.

By the way, I’ve learned that with sunhats you want a little extra weight to the hat to ensure it doesn’t blow of your head at the slightest breeze.

A few resources and options that help you are find such wardrobe must-haves are below:

• How to Choose a Hat to Flatter
• How to Choose the Perfect Sun Hat
• The Ultimate Guide to Hat Styles, Terms, and Materials
• My Style: Sunglasses and How to Choose Them

Teething Necklaces

If you like jewelry but don’t want to worry about poisoning your child, teething necklaces can be a great option.

Countless options are on the market. You can order one or even make on yourself! (Links below)

I chose my necklaces based on:

• Safety
• Texture
• My own style and color preference. Little Man doesn’t care if he’s gnawing on a hot pink bead!

Warning: your child will probably quickly realize what this is for, so you may get a chest full of drool, too.

And… you wouldn’t let your child play with window blind drawstrings, right? Don’t leave them with the necklace alone or put it on them. #hazardous

A few resources and options that help you are find such wardrobe must-haves are below:

• Best Necklaces for Moms of 2020
• Teething Necklaces and Beads: A Caution for Parents
• The Easiest DIY Teething Necklace Tutorial
• Bebe by Me ‘Harper’ Hard + Soft + Cushy Beads All-in-1 Teething Necklace for Nursing Moms – our favorite. Perhaps because we lost the other one…

Easy to Wash Clothing

Lastly, sometimes little kid life is messy. Those little hands are figuring out life and sometimes that means massive explosions of food, liquids and whatever else they can get their hands on. #thisisnormal

So, with that in mind, determine how much effort you’ll realistically put into taking care of your clothes.

Will you hand wash clothing? Take it to the dry cleaners? If this is something you will do regularly, awesome. If not, perhaps consider looking for low-maintenance clothing, per what that looks like for you.

Personally, I’m not a huge fan of “buy something that can get messed on and thrown away.”

A) What a waste of your time and money! Seriously, you’re going to spend your precious time and money for something you decide to use as trash?

B) How often do you ACTUALLY do this? Research shows LINK that once you buy something, it increases in personal value to you. Once it moves in to your house, it’s harder to let go of it.

I really do believe that you CAN buy things you really enjoy, that are easy to take care of, and still look stylish. This is not unreasonable.

A few resources and options that help you are find such wardrobe must-haves are below:

• How Long Will Your Clothes Last Before They Wear Out?
• Free Capsule Wardrobe Plan for Moms – A seriously great resource that’s approachable and real.
• Everyday Style podcast: Ep 44 Caring For Your Wardrobe

Recapping wardrobe must-haves for moms

As we’ve discussed, there are many wardrobe must-haves out there for moms of little kids. You’ll want to look for:

• Clothing that is Friendly for Tugging, Floor Time and Chasing
• Bike Shorts
• Pieces with Pockets
• Skin-Protecting Hat and UV Protection Sunglasses
• Teething Necklaces
• Easy to Wash Clothing

By maximizing any (or all!) of these options, you can have a wardrobe that helps you live your life in the season you’re in.

You can live intentionally with passion and purpose as God’s beloved – even with your wardrobe.

Now it’s your turn. What are your thoughts? What would you add to this list? Let me know in the comments!

P.S. Want some crazy simple steps to start living intentionally? Grab the Embrace Your Potential Playbook. It’ll help you zoom in on your God-gifted personality and give you practical tips to be more intentional, passionate, and purposeful as God’s beloved so you can become the best version of yourself.