Naturally Healthy Parenting The parent's guide to a healthy family
As kids get older, they will want to start expressing their personality through their clothing choices. This is a natural progression and should be encouraged. It’s hard to step back and let your child experiment; you may feel that others are judging you for the interesting choice of garments your son or daughter is wearing. You may find it difficult to let go of the reins and hand over clothing choices completely, but here are a few tips for finding the perfect balance; so that both of you are happy to be stepping out of the front door together.
Is it appropriate?
You should encourage creative freedom, but there should also be some boundaries laid out so that your child knows what is, and isn’t appropriate. It’s good to have a conversation about what you are happy for them to be wearing. Try to focus on positives, rather than negatives, as this will make them real better about their choices and encourage self-confidence.
If you set parameters before going shopping for clothes, you will both have a much nicer time choosing things together. Clothing is a personal choice and your child may have very different taste to yourself. Try to keep in mind that they don’t have to be a smaller version of you, they may make eccentric and quirky choices, but as long as it’s safe, and won’t cause anyone harm, (just embarrassment) it’s fine.
Self-empowerment
Praising your child for their interesting colour choices or accessory combinations, will give them a sense of accomplishment. Try to let them get as involved as possible with choosing outfits. Planning ahead will help you with this. Why not get your child to lay out their choice of outfit the night before; this will make sure that there’s no last minute changes, and it also encourages them to be more independent by getting themselves dressed.
Talk about fashion
Take the time to discuss how colours and textures work together. Encourage them to think about what items from their own wardrobe work together. Researching fashion trends can be a great way of learning together and discovering your child’s sense of style.
Encourage creativity
Why not make a fashion mood board with your child? You can cut out colours and textures from old magazines and glue them onto a cut out card outfit. This will encourage your child to think about colour combinations and different textures, it’s also a lot of fun!
A dressing up box is a great way to let your child experiment with outfit combinations. When I was young we had an amazing selection of dress up clothes that entertained us for hours. It was a fantastic way of learning about the way that clothing and image go hand in hand.
Style
You will find that your son or daughter finds their own sense of style from a surprisingly early age. They may choose to wear things that make them stand out, or blend into the crowd. Being aware of fashion trends, and what other children of the same age are wearing, will help your child to feel more comfortable around their friends.
If you’re looking for fashionable kids clothing then there’s a bigger choice than ever. If you’re not keen on trawling the shops to find what you’re looking for, there’s also a growing number of quality online stores selling brands such as Beau Loves, a kids clothing brand emphasising speckled motifs.
