If you're a Mother of boys then you'll probably share my struggle with shopping for boys' clothes on the high street. When I fell pregnant I just assumed it would be an equal split with plenty of gender-neutral options too but I couldn't have been more surprised. Walking into most high street retailers, you're usually met with a sea of pink to choose from but when it comes to shopping for boys you are lucky if you get a 4ft drop to choose from.
Why is that? I don't think we'll ever really know.
(Please note: I understand gendered clothing doesn't need to be a thing, there's no right or wrong way to dress children but we do personally dress Joshua as a boy so I really hope I don't offend anyone! Please do message if you feel I've used the wrong wording at any point).
We dress Joshua in a lot of neutral clothing as well as boy-specific clothing. All these baby clothes are perfect for any gender should we choose to add an extra member to the family and we've been sure to keep as much as possible. I'm forever thankful for not having a messy child as all his clothes are in such good condition.
As mentioned, the majority of his clothing is pretty neutral but we've found as he's got older he does love to have some sort of transport on his clothes, he just loves cars and buses and that seems to be more prominent in boys' clothing, although why girls can't wear the same I don't know. Character clothing is also a favourite, especially with anything Hey Duggee but we've found a lot of that is either pink or blue rather than neutral which seems silly because it should be equal for all genders!
As he's become older I find it more difficult to shop for him and I'm not a stranger to buying him leggings from the girl's sections because they're much more comfortable than the usual jeans or chinos seemingly catered to boys.
As much as I sound like I'm having a moan, I feel like as we're now two years down the line, I've definitely found my favourite shops to buy from for Joshua. Something I get asked a lot is where I buy Joshua's clothing from so I thought I'd do a little run down of where I head to for his clothes.
Tu Clothing at Sainsbury's
I get the majority of Joshua's clothing at Tu Clothing usually when they have their 25% off offer on. They do really great multipacks so for this summer I bought a five-pack of cotton shorts for £9, two different sets of five t-shirts which were £7 and £9 as well as his little chino shorts. The quality is really great, probably the best out of all the supermarkets we've tried and the clothes wear so well. The pyjama sets are great too and I'm waiting for their next 25% off to hit so I can kit him out for next season.
Zara
Some items in Zara for children can be a little bit pricier than most but for leggings and cute tops, this is where I go. Most of their leggings are around £7.99 but wear so well we'll be keeping everything if there's ever a next one. Zara does section into boys and girls but the majority of their clothing is really gender neutral so everything we've kept from Zara so far would be great for a girl too. The quality is really great, can withstand mud amazingly and the clothing sizes are spot on too.
Marks & Spencer
We bought most of Joshua's babygrows and vests from Marks & Spencer. The multipacks are great and a complete bargain during the sales which is when I used to stock up on them and they don't sag like Primark ones do. I bought a pack from Primark once and I never did it again, they were awful and just such a waste of money! Places like M&S, John Lewis and Next really do sell the best babygrows and vests but you just need to be savvy and shop the sales as it saves so much money. Again, they've all worn really well and we've kept almost everything.
Next
Next really is brilliant for boys' clothes, I buy some of Joshua's outerwear from Next such as coats, jackets and shoes as again, the quality is brilliant. They have a great range of things for boys that aren't just dinosaurs, monsters and trucks and the next-day delivery is always helpful! I love Next for shoes, I get Joshua sized regularly in Clarks and then just order from Next. I've just ordered the cutest pair of brown leather sandals to last him until the end of the summer for £14.
Just shopping in four shops doesn't seem much at all but I know when it comes to it, I can get Joshua completely kitted out for the next season in them in no time at all rather than traipsing from shop to shop with a bored toddler. The prices really vary in all of them but I'd rather pay out for wear and quality and get the absolute most out of everything than have to replace cheaper items more frequently. I never wanted to get in the cheap fast fashion trap with children's clothes as they grow out of them so quickly.
If you have any shops you'd recommend, please let me know so I can have a nosey!
