When our little ones begin to express their tastes and preferences, as mothers, we sometimes wonder if it's time to give them some freedom when it comes to choosing their clothes or toys. Several psychological studies show that supporting our little ones in their choices and letting them express their freedom through fashion is essential for developing good self-esteem and thus always feeling confident in their decisions.
From a very young age, when they begin to talk, if we pay attention to them, they'll already tell us which of their dresses, pants, or sweaters they like best, mainly because of the color or pattern. But at this point , should children choose their own clothes ?
At Doña Carmen, we advise you to take this step together and gradually, so that the children can also learn from the process and assimilate concepts that may be useful in other areas.
Tips:
1. Don't offer your entire wardrobe
As we mentioned before, the important thing in this learning process is to take it step by step. For this reason, we can start by offering our little one two sets of accessories, and let them decide between one or the other . A tip: you can offer them completely different sets to find out what their preferences are. If we're talking about a boy, you can offer them a set consisting of pants, a shirt, and a sweater, or a more casual set consisting of overalls and a sweatshirt. On our website, you can always find sets of all styles , perfect for every occasion .
2. Take time into account
As mothers, before offering our little ones a choice, we should make a pre-selection based on the time of year . If we ask our little one what she wants to wear, she might say she wants that pretty dress from last summer. At this point, it's also important to try to explain to children which fabrics and materials are suitable for cold weather and which for warm weather . If we show them the fabrics during this process so they can touch and feel them, they'll soon understand that in winter they need to dress in warmer, thicker fabrics than in summer.
3. The importance of colors and patterns
Little by little, we can also try to explain to our children which shades look best together , and which colors can never be combined, no matter how much they like them. This will also be useful in other aspects of their lives, as they can apply it to the drawings we love so much. A practical way to teach them how to combine colors can be through painting. On a piece of paper, we'll make two columns with the basic colors in our little ones' wardrobes. Later, we'll sit down with them so they can draw arrows between colors depending on how they think they look best together. During this process, we can simply explain to them what complementary colors are.
If we see that they understand how to combine colors , we can introduce the aspect of prints and try to explain that in certain cases, they can combine two garments with different prints (as we did in the Checkerboard look), but they have to take certain aspects into account so that the combination looks good and doesn't clash. For example, we can tell them that both garments should have the same colors and that they should use simple prints such as gingham or fine stripes, as in our look.
4 . Take into account their learning to give them more freedom
As we see that our little ones have understood all of the previous concepts, we can expand the range of possibilities . To do this, we can ask them questions like, "Which shoe do you think would look best with this?" or "Do you want to find the jacket to go with this skirt?" This way, we'll foster our little one's self-esteem and put their imagination and creativity to work.
Another option for them is to know that we respect their decisions when going shopping with them and letting them choose an item. Before entering the store, we can specify what they need, and once inside, let them find the item we've requested.
5. Respect their decisions
We can consider this to be the fundamental point in the process. Respecting the choices our little ones make regarding their outfits is key to developing self-confidence. Even if we might have made other choices, we must understand that we must help children find their style that matches their personality. For this reason, at Doña Carmen, we encourage you to gradually, following the steps we mentioned above, begin to let your children experiment with their clothes, always trying to explain the conditions and "color rules" so that they can dress as beautifully as possible within their own style.
Did you find these tips on choosing clothes for children helpful? We hope we've helped resolve your concerns. We encourage you to go through this process with your little ones. You'll be surprised by the wealth of things you'll discover about them and the special bond you can create.