It’s back to school season! That includes the hustle and bustle of buying school supplies and figuring out a new school year wardrobe for your little one.

We’re here to help sort through the endless kids clothing decisions for what you should really focus on!

1. Clothing that can handle wear and tear

While style and pattern is important for back to school kids, the biggest factor should be how long the clothing can last. This is especially important with the wear and tear clothes go through when your toddler goes outside to play. Find clothing that can not only hold up through multiple washings and dryings, but also put up through your toddler’s rough playing.

2. Comfiness

Comfiness and softness is a definite must when buying your toddler’s clothes. This is because unlike adults’ skin, a toddler’s skin is just as delicate and sensitive as a baby’s. Due to this, they can easily get rashes or irritated skin. Since clothing covers the majority of their body, it can potentially be the biggest irritant. Try to avoid any scratchy material, including designs and tags, and opt for clothing that is made of cotton. 

3. Moveable 

The movability of clothing goes into the idea of comfiness. Look for clothing that is stretchy enough and not too restricting so it allows your kid to move around as they please. Nothing is more of an annoyance than clothing that restricts your movement! Cotton clothing is a great choice for your kid’s clothes. Not only is cotton clothing soft, but is also stretchy and breathable so it’s the perfect type of material for kids apparel.  

4. Organic Clothing

Now I know organic clothing may not be the first thing you think of when buying school clothes for your kids, but trust us when we say it is quality clothing and can also be affordable. Organic certified kids clothes, such as those from WithOrganic, is a great option for your children because since the cotton isn’t treated with strong and artificial chemicals, it results in durable clothing with strong fibers, and won’t be an irritant to toddlers with sensitive skin. Cotton itself is great in terms of comfiness and moveability, but organic cotton clothing has all those strengths without all the chemicals used in regular cotton.

5. Let your toddler exercise their creativity

While you may be used to picking and putting your child’s outfit together everyday, your toddler may soon start expressing their opinions on their outfits. Rather than brushing away their clothing choices, let them choose a few new items that go into their school wardrobe and even let them pick their outfits in the morning (or the night before). While the clothing they choose may be out there and not match perfectly, that’s the charm of giving your child creative freedom and it’ll be a phase of their childhood that you’ll never forget!

6. Opt for independence-friendly kids clothing

Along with your child asserting independence when choosing their outfits, they may also want to start learning to dress themselves. Due to this, it is important to find clothing that will help them when they are dressing themselves. This includes going for bottoms with elastic waistbands rather than buttons and tops with a large enough neck hole for them to put their heads through. These little things will help your toddler while they are still learning how to navigate the complexity of dressing themselves. 

7. Layer on light layers

With the start of the school year also comes with the end of summer and the transition to fall..aka colder weathers. When the weather starts to cool down, rather than going for a single thick clothing item, try to layer on light layer for your toddler instead. The layers will not only help hold in body heat better than one thick layer, but will also help with the aspect of moveability. With one thick layer, such as a bulky sweater, it can restrict movement but with having stretchy thinner layer, it’ll be a lot easier for your toddler to move in.

8. Sun protection 

Just because fall is around the corner doesn’t mean you can skip out on sun protection! A toddler’s skin is more sensitive than an adult’s so it is important to prevent potential sun irritation. One option, if the weather is still warm where you live, is hats! It not only blocks the sun from the face, but can also keep the head warm in cooler weather. Another important part of sun protection is sunscreen! It keeps the skin protected from the sun’s UV rays and will help your toddler’s skin in the long run. 

9. Make sure it fits

The way clothes fit is essential to the kids apparel you choose to buy. Be sure to check clothing sizes for your toddler in terms of both their height and weight! Ill fitting clothing either too small or too big can be uncomfortable for your children, especially since they tend to move around a lot more than adults and have the tendency to keep outfit adjustments here and there throughout the day.

10. Slip on shoes

When thinking of clothing, most people think about tops and bottoms, but tend to forget about shoes. While certain shoes might be cute on your toddler, it is also good to note if they are easy to wear and put on. With wanting to dress themselves includes putting on their own shoes. Try looking for slip on shoes with either velcro or elastics on the sides rather than shoes with laces. This will not only allow them more independence, but also help them learn how to put on their own shoes before going for the harder lessons of shoe laces.

If you still don’t know where to start, WithOrganic is a great option to all your children’s clothing needs! WithOrganic is an organic-certified kid clothing brand with all our clothing made of 100% organic cotton and is essential to your toddler’s wardrobe all year round. With your children getting ready to start school again, we hope these ten clothing tips made it easier for you to choose your toddler’s new wardrobe!