Kids Clothes — by Guest Mom Rebecca Bingham

I was going to mix it up a bit, but I am going to stick with the clothing theme for one more day. Tomorrow I am going to move on to some other fun things, but today I am going to share my secret weapons in children’s clothes. No matter how you choose to dress your children, we all want a few of the same things; comfort, price and durability. It doesn’t matter if you have a hipster baby or a girly girl.

My quest started when my daughter Lulu was about three years old. She was very tall for her age and had already outgrown the baby sections at the usual mall stores. I just wanted her to have clothes that fit, but kept her looking like a little girl, not a Bratz doll. I started to spend a lot of time in Naartjie (pronounced Nar-CHEE). The clothes are cute and unique and I love the mix and match patterns. Lulu is a girly girl and pretty much only wears dresses. It was a challenge to find clothes that were appropriate for school and play but helped keep her modest as well. The big appeal for me was that she can wear pants under most of the dresses and skirts. It is kind of a mix and match / layering style, this held large appeal for her because she could choose her own clothes and they almost always worked. Naartjie is a South African company that is starting to break ground in the US. In the four years that I have been shopping here, it has been my experience that the winter collections are fine, but nothing spectacular. The spring and summer stuff make me spend my entire clothing budget in one trip. Every spring they have a version of this dress and it is my all time favorite. It is airy and light and it looks great with or without pants. The first time Lulu saw it she declared it “the perfect dress to dance in”. I think it is the perfect twirling dress. One year they didn’t have it and so many people complained they made it part of their basics. I pass on my kids clothes and the first season of Naartjie that I ever bought is currently on its 4th child and STILL looks great.


Lulu models her favorite dress from last spring. She said she wanted to look “strong”. We have these pants in every color and they go under everything. When she doesn’t feel like wearing pants, she wears her Monkey Bar Buddies.


I lucked into a clearance sale of these basics a few weeks ago. Nori now has a whole drawer full of pink, orange, blue and cream. This one is my favorite outfits because I think it looks so pretty against her dark skin and hair.

Pros: the clothes are super soft and can wash and wear. There is lots of attention to detail and sweet touches on the collars and cuffs. The mix and match colors stay the same from season to season, so you can match clothes from one year to the next — this makes them ideal for hand-me-downs. Their “basics” are always 2 for 20$, you can get a lot of clothes for your money. They have GREAT sales, often clothes are marked down to 4.99$ or 6.99$.

Cons: the boy stuff is well made and looks good, but not too different than what you will find other places. The biggest con is that these clothes look MUCH better on than in the pictures. Also, in the stores and on the website the models usually have about 3 more layers than I would put on my kids. So, mentally take away a few layers and picture it on a body. I PROMISE you won’t be disappointed (check out their gallery for proof). Another con is the lack of stores. They are growing, but they are mostly in the West (but you East Coasters have H&M Kids so it evens out). The order process from the website is a little long, but worth it.

My sister Cyndi’s boys always looked so comfy and put together as babies. You won’t find a dump truck or dinosaur in her closets. It is fauxhawks and hipster gear all the way. Her secret weapon for babies is Zutano. These are clothes that are soft enough to sleep in, but look great for the day time too. You pick a color palate that you like and the website will show you all the patterns and colors that match it. Then, choose your body style and you are set. I loved that they have especially cute things for boys. It seems that with boys, you can have the option of cutesy stuff or t-shirts and cargos. This is a great middle ground.


My nephew Thomas was wearing this Zutano outfit today. I made him stop eating grass long enough for me to take a picture. How cute is this?

What are you secret weapons? I want to hear especially from the mamma’s of well dressed boys. I am not sure what to do for bigger kids since Zutano really is geared for babies and young toddlers. My two year old son Jacob lives in t shirts and cords. I am this close to buying a shirt with Elmo on it just to shake things up a bit.

P.S. Check out Mini Boden if you didn’t yesterday. I have a few of the things from the kids section and have been really happy. Their summer stuff is cute, but it is the winter/fall stuff that is extra special. Several commenters said they have kids stuff and are also pleased. Order the catalogue because there is much more stuff in there than on the website. This applies to the adult stuff and the kids stuff. The swimsuits for everyone are awesome!!!