A Guide to Shopping for Moms of Girls

Keeping your daughter in cute, comfortable clothing for every season is just one of your many responsibilities as a parent. But finding girls' clothing can also become a good bonding experience. Whether you both enjoy a long day of shopping at the mall or prefer cozying up to a computer to browse online, you get to learn about your daughter’s likes and dislikes.

Listen to What She Wants

As a mom, it’s easy to always think that “mother knows best.” While you do in many, many ways, it’s important to listen when your daughter tells you about her fashion needs. While you may think she looks darling in overalls, your daughter may want to wear something completely different, like girls’ flannel shirts. Part of fostering independence and confidence is encouraging your children to express their style and personality. Much is expressed through girls' clothing, so listen to her as she speaks.

What are her favorite colors? Does she prefer wearing girls' jeans or skirts? As long as her clothing choices are not harmful or breaking school rules, let her take the lead in picking her outfits. If you’re in the mall, let her guide you to her favorite stores and show you what pieces she resonates with. This will give you a good idea of her style so that you can also buy a few pieces when she’s not around. In this way, clothes you buy off the cuff become nice gifts that she won’t need to hide in the back of her closet.

Get Useful Basics

Special occasion items like fancy dresses are worn a few times during the year, but your daughter needs a healthy rotation of basics like jeans, camisoles, t-shirts, girls' hoodies, and leggings to get her through the majority of the days. These are the basic building blocks of a great outfit that your girl can embellish as she pleases with cute pinafore dresses, skirts, stockings, accessories, and more.

Having a healthy stock of basic shirts of different lengths and colors allows her to layer clothing for maximum comfort and styling options. These items are the foundation of a great outfit and can become easy answers to times when it’s difficult to find the right things to wear. After all, it’s hard to go wrong with a plain white T-shirt and jeans!

Cardigans for Girls

Girls' cardigans allow your girl to expand her seasonal wardrobe. These can be a favorite short sleeve shirt into a fall or winter top. They are also excellent for schools that turn the air conditioner down low. Get a few made out of thin and thicker materials like jersey, knits, and wool so that she can enjoy different levels of warming. These are useful even in the summer for indoor activities with air conditioning like going to the arcade, movies, or mall. Bags are also a popular item that many girls want in their closet. Let her keep her essentials in a cute backpack or purse that suits her personality.

Stock up on Shoes

When your girl wants to look good head to toe, she needs footwear that can last through a rigorous school day. Make sure that she has different types of shoes to match all the outfits that she typically wears. Sneakers are essential for staying active and attending P.E. class, while ballet flats for girls, slip-ons, boots, and sandals also serve vital roles. Get a variety of shoes that serve different social settings so that she can be as dressy or casual as she wants to be.

Stick to a Budget & Refresh Periodically

What fits this month may look different on her in the spring, depending on how fast she grows. While she will get good use out of many of her clothes, the truth is that the current rotation she has is finite, especially when she’s going through a growth spurt. However, you can keep your daughter fashionable by setting a budget every season for a wardrobe refresh.

Assess her closet to see what she still wears and what should be donated. An easy way to see what clothes she still wears is to turn all her hangers in one direction and have her re-hang worn clothes in the opposite direction. At the end of the season, you can see what she likes to wear and what has not been touched or outgrown. After knowing where the needs are, you can go shopping to replace or enhance the current wardrobe.