I love kitting out my little brood. There isn’t a week goes by that something hasn’t caught my eye for one of them. It can be quite expensive though so I’m always on the look out for a cheeky discount code, that is if I can resist it for longer than 5 minutes before I pop it into my on-line basket anyway.

Elliott & Joseph

My boys have really grown up in the last year and know exactly what they want to wear, so gone are the days when I can just pick something out for them and don’t even get me started on hand me downs, because that has been non existent since they were 5 & 6!

More and more brands are sneaking into their wardrobe and less and less colour. They are not adverse to a pattern or print of some description though, so there is some variation, but I do put my foot down at some of the slogan t-shirts.

We recently went on a shopping trip which is actually unheard of unless it involved Toys r Us and they both loved it. I was so surprised. They genuinely wanted to mootch around all the children’s clothing departments looking through the rails for things they liked.

River Island

Both of the boys were massive fans of River Island threads this season and we bought several t-shirts, shirts, shorts, jeans and jackets in there. I’ve bought clothes for them from there before and they wash really well, so well lots of the clothes they’ve grown out of still have lots of wear in them. My only bug bear is that RI’s boys range only goes up to age 12. And whilst Elliott is only 11, he’s actually quite tall for his age so I’m thinking this will probably be the last year he’ll be able to wear their clothes. They do a teenager range, but from what I can see it’s a duplication of the mens department and whilst I know they are keen to grow up, I’d still like to keep them as young boys for a while longer. So please, please RI extend your boys range to 14 at least.

Next

Next’s boys range goes up to age 16 which is fabulous and is quite extensive with some lovely items that wash really well. I love that their trousers and shorts have adjustable waists as Joseph has quite a petite frame. The boys also like all their longer length t-shirts that seem to be popular at the moment, including this tropical print t-shirt and zig zag stripe t-shirt. I have also been know to pick up some of their branded T-shirts in their sale.

JD

The following shop we visited was JD where I seemed to part with a small fortune. I say I, but it was in actual fact money the boys had received and saved from their birthdays. So a pair of Nike Air Max trainers, Hype T-shirt, Adidas Hoody and Nike snapback cap later and the boys wanted to go to the toilets so they could change into their new threads. Of course I obliged as I remember all too well being excited to wear your new clothes. I have to say I’m still not convinced by their sudden love of a baseball cap, but at least they are being safe in the sun.

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Anabelle

Anabelle’s wardrobe is a different story, I get to literally go to town and put her in all the clothes I’d secretly like to wear myself! Plus the amount of choice seems to be ten fold compared to that of the boys ranges. I have had to adjust her style slightly as we’re currently potty training. So lots of elasticated waists, skirts, shorts, leggings and dresses but none of my favourite playsuits 🙁

Blue

I seem to have developed quite an obsession with blue for Anabelle this summer. Blue stripes, blue pattern and blue chambray, you name it, I seem to home in on it.
The first blue dress I bought for Anabelle was this two layer linen dress from H&M which has now sold out. Boo. But they have got plenty of this cotton summer dress which is equally as adorable and will be making its way into my online basket soon.

I also adore these dresses from Boden. How sweet is the butterly pattern and frilly neck on the ruffle dress and equally sweet the clover print on the tired summer dress. And at £7.50 I couldn’t resist this bargainous light denim wash dress from Next.

The obsession also stems to shorts and tops. How cute are these denim scalloped edge shorts? And the eyelet detail on these chambray shorts make my heart flutter. It comes with a matching top too, so yep you’ve guessed it, I added that to my basket as well. But if blue isn’t your colour they also come in neon pink and zingy yellow.

Grey

I also got a little excited with the grey clothing that’s appearing in Next, starting with this linen blend romper. It’s nice and baggy so Anabelle isn’t restricted whilst she plays and has poppers to help with those trips to the toilet. Being quite a lightweight fabric and our ever changing weather I thought it best to purchase a cardigan to go with it, so opted for this ribbed one. But as they’d strategically placed the stripe cami and white embellished blouse next to it I couldn’t resist maximising her outfits options. Creating a mini capsule wardrobe if you will. Editor Lauren at Rock My Style would be so proud.

Colour

I have also come across some gorgeous colourful items for Anabelles summer wardrobe. These jersey tropical print shorts and tassel t-shirt from H&M are not only super fun but also perfect for hot days at the childminders. Only costing a few pounds so it doesn’t matter if they get paint on. Another bargainous find for the childminders was this colourful stripe jersey dress. Hiding a multitude of sins whilst she happily plays.

The queen of colour and print has to be Jools Oliver’s Little Bird range at Mothercare. At the moment we’ve only bought this ditsy floral blouse, but I know I’ll be back for more. This floral skirt for a start.

I have also just noticed that Zara have launched their kids summer collection and oh my do I want everything. Probably first to make it into my online basket will be this cute coral and mint embroidered blouse. I’d also like to add this playsuit and romper but know they won’t be practical at the moment.

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What will your children be wearing this summer? Any tips for potty training friendly clothes? And do your older children have their own style and want to choose their own clothes now?

Image by Little Beanies