Going shopping with a tween can be extremely difficult. However, with these 8 Tips for Updating Your Tween’s Wardrobe the task may be a little easier.
As nice as it would be for our little ones to stay little forever, they actually get bigger every day. Around the change of the seasons, it is quite common for your children to have “sprouted” and outgrown a lot of their clothes from last year. While younger siblings might be able to benefit from hand me downs, the older children are not so lucky. Not to mention the fact that their style is changing and they often want to choose their own clothes.
If you’ve ever tried to go shopping for a tween, then you know exactly how hard it can be. You may have been used to running to the show and picking out whatever outfit you thought was adorable, but there comes a time when your choice in fashion won’t mesh well with your child’s. So, the best way to shop for your older children would be to shop WITH them. Here are some things to keep in mind as you begin purchasing clothing for the warmer weather:
- Set Your Budget
Before you talk to your kid about picking out some new clothes, it’s best you have a ballpark idea of what you want to spend. You can get so wrapped up in all the cute outfits that are out there that you’ll spend more than expected. Setting a budget will also help you in determining which store(s) is best to shop in.
- Choose a Few Stores
It’s probably not a good idea to give your kid too many options when looking for clothes to buy. This can make their choice a lot harder and can easily get frustrating. You want the shopping experience to be fun, so give them two or three options. As you search for a store, check for coupons and discounts so that you can get the best value.
- Create a List of Staple Items
While you’re going to allow your child to have some input on their wardrobe, there are some things that are pretty commonplace. Create a list of all the staple items you’ll need to purchase for the warmer weather. This can include various colored no seam socks, underwear, hats, jackets, shorts, and shirts.
- Ask About Their Favorite Colors
Now it’s time to get some input from your kids. Start by finding out what types of colors they enjoy wearing. There is no sense in wasting money on something they won’t feel good about putting on (those outfits somehow find their way to the back of a closet with the tags still on).
- Search the Web for Ideas
Even if you plan to purchase most of your kids’ clothes in a brick-and-mortar location, searching for style ideas online is a good way to allow your children to find fashions they really like. By viewing different selections, they can create a style that is unique to their growing personality and interests. Allow them the space to choose things on their own (as long as they’re age appropriate) as you don’t want them to feel bad for liking a certain article of clothing.
- Check Their Wardrobe
Before you actually make a purchase, be sure that you take a look at their existing wardrobe. This is a great time to do some spring cleaning and purge some things and get rid of items that no longer fit. It will also allow you to see what they have already so that they can select items that complement the clothes presently in their closet.
- Select Transitional Pieces
As you’re shopping, if you want to save additional money, try to purchase clothes that can transition through a few seasons. For instance, leggings and cardigans can be worn year round. They can act as a layer during the cooler months while also providing warmth in the cool air conditioned rooms in the spring and summer.
- Get Creative
If you’re really on a tight budget but still need to update your child’s wardrobe, there are other options. You could easily create your own clothes by recycling some of your old clothes and altering them to fit your child. The cost of sewing clothes for your children is often way less than heading to a shopping mall. It can also be a great life skill to teach your kids.
Shopping for your tween does not have to be a battle. Use these tips and make a nice shopping experience with just you and your children. You guys will have so much fun learning about each other’s style interests. You will also learn a lot about your child and their personality as you help them choose items that make them feel and look great.
Comments & Reviews
Great tips! My daughter is 10 and I just bought her 5 new outfits, but I know she is going to need more and summer clothes.
I love all your tips and you can also recycle clothes from thrift shops as long as you get the kids to help you redesign them.
We also do some of our shopping online for the discounts and deals. Makes it so easy to save a little bit more
I agree with #2. I never used to set a limit on what stores to go to. We would be out all day hitting up multiple stores. It ended up making it very stressful constantly running around.
Some really great tips, thanks so much for sharing the info.
Great tips definitely will be useing these thanks for sharing this
Not sure when they are considered a “tween” but I’ll use these tips for my 7 year old!
These are really great ideas. I don’t have a tween yet, but my niece is a tween and my sister would really appreciate this blog post!
Thank you for the great ideas!
Hmm, I guess I never thought they needed a spring update, lol, but perhaps that’s cause I have boys
these are very good tips, i must pass this on to my daughter for the grand-daughters
Thank you for the great shopping tips! My oldest daughter is only 7 but already a huge fashion fanatic! 🙂
These are great tips esp with spring right around the corner!!
These are all such great ideas. I am always on a budget so this helps. Thank you for sharing
I like the way that you set some parameters before setting out to get clothes. I think that helps to keep focus and avoid issues.
Good advice!
These are great tips no matter what age your daughter is – it seems as though girls are fashion conscious a lot younger these days!
Thanks for the tips. The budget is a definite must…especially with a girl!
These are great tips for shopping even for myself, I tend to like trendy stuff but it’s better to have more staples than that so I can use the clothes longer.
Great ideas!! Checking their wardrobe is a key thing for me!! I find so many cute things, but ultimately I have to think about how much she will actually wear the items and limit myself! lol!! Its nice having 2 little girls because the younger one wants to be like big sister and wear her stuff… so she is excited about hand-me-downs (right now). lol!!
These are some great ideas I will have to keep in mind for the future!
I like to shop resale and second hand for a lot of things too!! Really saves money and so many items have tons of life left after people are sick of them!
I lve the ideas
Nice ideas
Kind of dreading the day my girls decide they need to pick their own clothes!! It’s so much fun picking them out right now 🙂
I love these ideas especially the one about “recycling” the clothes they already have.