How Much Clothing Do You Buy for a Summer Wardrobe?

My girls are a bit younger (1 and 3) but here's my list, I'd probably buy the same for boys. I would guess that I have too much, but I like a few extras in case we have an accident/get dirty and I can't get to the laundry as often as I like.

*short/shirt or capri/shirt sets (7) - I like to buy matching and have enough for a week
*sundresses (2)
*jeans (2)
*windbreaker (1)
*sweatshirt jacket or sweater (1) - leftover from winter
*sandals (1)
*crocs - walmart version (1)
*gym shoes (1)
*swim suit (2) - we have swimming lessons 2x a week, otherwise 1 suit would be sufficient

* underwear and socks (12 each) - from previous season

Edit: whoops forgot pajamas (7)

1 mom found this helpful

I only like to do laundry once a week, so that's why I bought my son the following wardrobe:

swimsuits 2
sandals/watershoes 1
tennis shoes 2
tshirt/short outfits 12-14
pants/jeans 3-5
sweatshirt/light jacket 2
pajamas 8-10

I also shop at resale shops and garage sales. I can usually find good deals at the clearance racks at Target too. I always buy complete outfits if I can. It makes it easier to take stock of what clothing he has. In the summer I buy tshirts and shorts that go together and in the winter I buy jeans or pants and long sleeve shirts or sweaters that go together. Hope this helps!

1 mom found this helpful

My daughter is 4 and I did just this before the last reasale I went to. I did an inventory of what I have to figure out where we should be. She's also a girly girl which you'll be able to tell by the clothing items :0)

7 pairs of capri pants
5 pair cotton pants (she hates jeans)
8 skorts
2 swimsuits (1 for home and 1 for daycare)
2 coverups (1 for home and 1 for daycare)
2 sundresses
10 tops to mix and match with all bottoms
5 tank tops
2 sunhats (1 for home and 1 for daycare)
6 short sleeve nightgowns
1 short sleeve/pant/short pj set
1 gym shoe
1 sandal
2 swimshoes/sandals that can get wet(1 for home and 1 for daycare)
2 light jackets/fleeces (1 to leave in the car just incase)

i don't like to leave myself strapped to do laundry more than once a week. Hope this helps!
Jenny

1 mom found this helpful

I'd have to say that Jennifer W's list is spot-on for what I'd go for my son. I figure I do laundry once or twice a week for my kids' stuff, so I want to have enough on hand that it's not an issue if I don't get to it, and so that I can add some variety. I figure that if I can clothe them for two weeks before I run out of clothes entirely - then I don't need more.

for my son:
14 pairs underwear
14 pairs socks (about 10 sport/4 "nice")
10-12 mixed t-shirts/tanks for summer
2 craft/paint shirt & short outfits or 1 decent smock
10-12 pairs shorts
2-4 nice shirts for family gatherings
2-4 nice pants/shorts for family gatherings
1 pair loafers
1 pair sneakers
1 pair sandals
1 pair aqua shoes or a second pair of sandals that will hold up for wet wear
1-2 swim suit/trunks(I got lucky and found two this year at a resale event and we have a sandy beach by us so I snagged 'em)
1 sun coverup - this can just be an extra t-shirt for a boy
1 light jacket or sweater for chilly nights
1 sunhat (still need to find this one)
1 raincoat & rainboots

I think that covers it. For my daughter, I'd do approximately the same, just sub in some dresses for some of the shirts, add some cute dressier shoes instead of loafers, and have some of the shorts be lightweight cotton ones that she can wear under the dresses, especially during play.

If you are in the habit of doing laundry every day, you might be able to cut some of those numbers down in half if you like. I've tried, but I've got too much going on to do laundry that often. :-)

And I LOVE the resales & hand-me-downs!

Let me say.... I know you don't want to hear it but..... in general, I love summer laundry better than any season because it is bathing suits and beach towels!!!! Can't wait!

Just had to say that!

Boys: At least 2 - 3 bathing suits (Three if your children swim a lot in summer)
Shorts: 6 - w/ one being a dressy/khaki pair; couple jean shorts,
couple athletic shorts or they will also wear their swim trunks a lot
Shirts: T-shirts: 7 - 10 (some sleeves, some sleeve-less, one or
two nice polo/collared one for events, church,
pool cover-up if you are vacationing.
Pants: 3 pants....(1 pair jeans, 1 pair khaki, 1 athletic)
Dress shirt/camp shirt w/ collar: 1 or 2
Hoodies, light jackets, sweatshirts: 2 - 3
Gym shoes: 1
Sandals: 1 or 2 (one is nice/casual/dressy)
Flip flops (cheap from old navy) : 1 or 2

Girl: At least 2 - 3 bathing suits (Three if your children swim a lot in summer)
Bathing suit cover-up: 1
Shorts: 5 - 7 (one or two pairs being a nice pair)
Capris: 2
Pants: 1 or 2 summer pants or jeans
T-Shirts: 5 - 7
Cute shirts/dressier: 2
Summer dresses: 1 or 2 (or more depending on your events)
Light jackets/hoodies: 2 - 3
Gym shoes: 1
Sandals: 2 (one dressy; one casual)
Flip flops: 2 - 3

Beach towels: 10

I know my kids have less clothes than their friends. So a bit more than this is certainly acceptable. If it's too much over the top, it could be a bit excessive. Good luck.

My boys are 9 & 6, so since I already have clothes I've learned start with what you have. Then as I see what they really need the clothes are on sale/on clearance and many times I can get new clothes that they can pass down for the same or less than resale.

Also, at the end of the season I stock up for the next year at 75% off where I can - at least for my oldest since it will get passed down.

DO NOT WAIT ON SANDALS though like with winter boots, it can be hard to find sizes.

If your really want to quantify, pretend you are going on vacation for a week and think what you would pack for it. If you think about it, the kids tend to play favorites and despite the dozens for Tshirts may only wear the baseball or princess ones or the shorts with stripes or ties... you get my drift. So those $1 bright green shorts at the garage sale may not be such a bargain if they never wear them.

M. G.

2 swimsuits - one can be wet and the other being worn while the wet one dries

short sleeve shirts - 8 is plenty and that allows you to go a whole week without washing

shorts - again, 8
if it's a girl you can substitute one dress per shirt/short

one nice outfit just in case

one sweat shirt
One pair of long pants

one pair sandals/flip flops/crocs
one pair tennis shoes

I tend to overbuy too, plus my kids don't GROW (really!) and so they still have shirts from 4 yrs ago. Even only buying ONE new shirt a year that ends up being a LOT of shirts!

I have two girls (6 and 4)

One big pack of panties about 7 to 10 pair
Two swim suits if I can afford them...so they always have a dry clean one
Three pair of pants...two jeans, one nice pair of pants, maybe a pair of sweat pants
A zip up jacket for cooler nights
A nice button up sweater
Three to four nice dresses for church
I like skorts instead of shorts...so three or four of those
Five or so nice t-shirts or play shirts
One pair of sneakers
A pair of crocs to play in (they are great cause you can throw them in the wash so easily)
Nice pair of black or white dress shoes for church
A pair of sandals
A pack of socks to wear outside and a pack to wear with dresses (frilly socks...their so cute) for church.
Two pair of tights in white, black, creme, pink....I don't use the creme much though.

Well, as for me, I'm probably the wrong person to ask :) I tend to over buy on clothes as well.

As a guideline, for summer, I would think 10 t-shirts would be good (7 is not enough because you'd be doing crazy amounts of laundry), 8 pair of shorts, and maybe two pair of long, lightweight pants/capris (for cooler evenings). Two swim suits/ trunks should be enough. You might also want to add in a few tank tops (3-4) and sundresses (3-4) depending on places you might go (ie: church, parties, etc) and if your child would wear them. Don't forget a pair of sandals as well :)

Hi T.,

I would think a lot depends on what your kids are in to and how active they are. I think a good rule of thumb would be one pair of shorts/jeans/pants for each day of the week and 5 to 10 shirts. If you stick with neutral colors for the bottoms, it will be much easier to mix and match the tops to make different outfits. If your kids swim or play in the sprinklers a lot, I would say at least 2 swim suits each.
Hope that helps!

We have stuff left over from each season prior, like t-shirts, jeans, panties and swim wear (we swim at the YMCA year-round).

So, for summer, I just buy shorts (usually 2 new pairs each year to add to a collection of hand-me-downs, but 2 that are clean and actually fit!), one summer dress for girl, and a couple of t-shirts each. A sweatshirt, if they don't have one from winter that still fits. They typically have two bathing suits that fit at all times. 1-2 pairs of jeans. 1 pair gym shoes. 1 pair of sandals. 2 pajamas each.

Mostly, they just live in shorts, t-shirts and sandals. Everything "matches" since nothing really does, but they look clean and cute. We do laundry a couple times a week.

Hope that helps!

This was the perfect amount for us to get through the summer! I shop in twos :)

2 Swimsuits
2 Pairs of jean shorts
2 Jean skirts
2 Fun skorts with matching tops
2 Black knit shorts (don't show dirt)
2 Pairs of summer pants (lightweight summer material)
2 Sundresses
4 Pairs of knit shorts in assorted colors
6 Tee shirts that match the knit shorts and also match the jean shorts and black shorts
2 tank tops
2 Zip-up hoodies
1 pair of sandals
1 pair of gym shoes
2 pairs of flip-flops

We didn't have a laundry problem and she liked to mix and match the tops and shorts. I couldn't afford more than that for summer (I shop resale and also Once Upon A Child) and we were fine! The bonus is they were all slightly big last year so I don't have as much to buy for this year!

We get hand-me-downs from friends, so I often don't buy clothes at all, but my general rule of thumb is that neither child needs more than 5 of anything. In their drawer for summer, they would each have 5 t-shirts, 3-5 tank tops, 2-3 long-sleeved tops (in case it's cool), 5 shorts or skorts, and 3-5 pairs of capris/lightweight pants. One of my girls loves dresses and has a few play dresses and a couple of nice ones hanging in the closet; the other generally doesn't wear dresses, but she has a couple of party dresses just in case.

For summer shoes, I like to have one pair each of sneakers, sandals, crocs and flip-flops (for hiking, parties/excursions, outdoor play, and the beach, respectively). Maybe that's overkill since they always just want to run barefoot anyway!

Maybe the overbuying thing comes from trying to buy a wardrobe all at once. Maybe in order to save money you could buy things as you need. Sorry this isn't a list. I think you are on target with the swim apparel, perhaps two jeans, one nice pair pants and one slop around like running pants. Oh, it's turning into a list. Anyway, I was always more concerned about having plenty of shirts. You can mix and match. And didn't have daughters, so what we do about that I don't know. Just enjoy your summer! How about going to Once Upon a Child or somewhere with gently used clothes, then if you get the shopping bug you can buy but cheaper.