*Image above via Petits Vilains featuring their adorable ringer tees.
This may be my most niche post yet, but I’m always surprised by how many mamas are going through exactly what I am at any given moment, so here goes: my daughter just started basketball and we are in the midst of enrolling her in a bunch of camps (some of which are athletic) for the summer, so I have been scrambling to find proper fitness wear for her. She is five but tall and usually wears a size 7 (sometimes 8) these days. I’ve more or less never purchased her athletic/athleisure-wear, but — the time has come. I spent a good chunk of my weekend hunting around for non-hideous options. I feel as though I’m staring down a timer as to when my children start begging me for Under Armour since (especially for boys) it seems like that is what a lot of the older children wear, but for now, I can still exert a tiny bit of aesthetic control…
I started with tops as I had absolutely nothing serviceable beyond an old Hanes t-shirt from her Montessori. I bought her these dry-fit tees, which come in great colors, a Nike tee (on sale for $12 and also in good color combos — plus, love the simplicity of the classic swoosh), and these J. Crew cropped long-sleeved tees in white and pink. I’m so tempted by these adorable ringer tees from Petits Vilains, but am holding off for now…
I then turned to bottoms. I’ve always wanted to buy her a Sol Angeles sweatsuit (no idea why but I love this brand — never purchased from them but always thought the waves iconography was so fun and distinctive), and I found a little trove of pieces by the brand on super sale at Saks Off Fifth, but of course in none of the size/color combos I wanted. I couldn’t believe my luck when I found the perfect pair of pastel pink joggers and matching hoodie from them on sale on the actual Sol Angeles site! (I might go back for this pastel blue hoodie and these shorts or these ones from the Saks sale, though.) I also have seen girls wearing these cute Funtasia Too athletic shorts so knew I wanted a pair for her. Though I loved (!) the florals, I bought her this pair for only $15 from Frilly Frog! (They also have a red gingham pair on sale.) Couldn’t resist the price. I also ordered her a pack of these inexpensive pastel ones from Amazon.
Last but not least, I bought her some of these J. Crew joggers and sweatshirts (mainly to wear over shorts while it’s cold outside and she’s going to/from basketball), which come in great colors and are currently on sale, too.
All the fruits of my research labor below…
01. DRY-FIT TEES
02. ATHLETIC SHORTS
03. PUFFER VEST
05. FUNTASIA TOO GINGHAM SHORTS
06. FUNTASIA TOO FLORAL SHORTS
07. NIKE MULTI OMNI-COURT SHOES
11. GAP CREW SOCKS
13. NIKE TEE
15. J. CREW JOGGERS
17. JO AND CO EMBROIDERED POUCHES
18. OLD NAVY SHORTS (UNDER $5)
19. PETITS VILAINS PINK RINGER TEE
20. PETITS VILAINS SAGE RINGER TEE
21. CAMP SOCKS
22. NIKE COURT SHOES
P.S. Cute snow gear for littles.
P.P.S. Time to zhush up the front doorstoop.
P.P.P.S. Great kitchen finds for the new year.
Such adorable finds, Jen! Have you had to field any special requests from your mini on specific things that may not be your preferred look? My daughter is a bit younger than yours, and she’s been asking for graphic tees and Disney light-up shoes… saying that a lot of her friends at school have light-up shoes. Aaahhh! For the most part I’ve shopped for her online so she hasn’t really been a huge part of the shopping experience, but she’s definitely making her clothing desires known now! I’m learning to let go of some of my preferences — I’ve usually leaned towards basics in solids, stripes, or Liberty-style florals, Hanna Andersson prints — thankfully she still likes some of them, but she hasn’t been going for some of the items I’ve chosen for her. I figured “let kids be kids” in this area, it’s not a battle worth choosing at the moment, and it’s a relatively small thing to me but a big deal to them when they feel they have autonomy in the matter. However, I’m curious to know if you’ve dealt with this!
Hi Mia! I am lucky in that Emory has always been “game” when it comes to outfits. She generally prefers leggings and sweaters/sweatshirts/tops but will accommodate fancy dresses for occasions, as she understands those are “the rules.” I’ve been pretty clear about that for her entire life, distinguishing between casual / dressy / sportswear and when she can wear each. I also like outfits that sort of accommodate both of our preferences, like those peter pan collar cotton dresses I like that she can wear over leggings, which she likes. I do not care for graphic tees but she has a handful given to her by friends / accumulated from camps / etc and we just make a clear rule that she can wear them when at home but not if guests will be over. She accommodates…and wears LIBERALLY when she has her druthers. I guess just finding zones/times/occasions where they can wear what they want and have freedom of choice helps?
I have not yet had her ask for anything specific from school that I don’t want to get her, but she has been asking a lot about getting her ears pierced because a classmate of hers is getting them done for her sixth birthday. This necessitated a whole conversation about how “just because someone else is doing/wearing something doesn’t mean it’s right for us/you.” (But I think we are going to have them pierced when she gets into first grade, e.g., “wow, you’re old enough now to be in grade school, so…”)
A long and rambly way of saying I think we’ve figured out ways to sort of “cordon off” times/places when she can wear what she wants. We have clear rules that she understands. Sometimes I even tell her, “Wear this dress to Church, and then you can switch into leggings and a t-shirt at home after.”
xx