Why do some parents dress their kids identically?

[Posey]

Anyone know? Anyone do it? Just curious.

[SoupDragon]

The only time I do it is when we're out at, say, a farm. I'll dress them in the same colour shorts and a really bright T shirts so I can spot them. And don't have to remember what I dressed each of them in in case I lose them and have to describe them

[Gobbledigook]

Erm, I don't dress them identically but they might have the same t-shirt in a different colour. It can be tricky to buy clothes when you only like certain things but you have 3 boys!!! Even if they do have the same t-shirt in a different colour, I usually don't put them in them on the same day if I can help it.

I like SD's idea for being out and about though - I'll do that!

[astonished]

I do it, and did it today at the farm!! Dress my twins identically alot mainly because they argue if clothes are different over who wears what. My ds's often wear the same tops but different trousers, don't know why I like it, just do!!

[TinyGang]

I don't do it regularly, not at all, but sometimes my dd's (age 6 and 3) both ask for the same top, little sundress or whatever if they're feeling particularly sisterly towards each other (we've only got 2 or 3 duplicate things for these occasions).

They sometimes take a liking to the same thing and don't mind both having it on for fun. I don't go out of my way to get them the same things though - I and they prefer individual clothes on a regular basis. The 'sisterly' feeling comes and goes it seems

Once in a while is ok, but I think it's a bit spooky to regularly dress children the same.

[giraffeski]

Message withdrawn

[JanH]

I know a Very Nice Family (no sarcasm intended, they really are lovely people) who have 2 boys - 4 years apart - and dressed them identically, coats and everything, mostly from M & S, until the older boy was at least 14

When my DDs (3 years apart) were little my MIL used to make them identical dresses but they never wore them at the same time if I had anything to do with it.

[onlyjoking9329]

i have twin girls and hubby is a twin, he hated being dressed the same as his twin brother and even now he doesn't know which one his him when looking at photos, so we have never dressed our twins the same, they may have similar things but nothing the same, they have different hairstyles too, i hate it when people refer to them as the twins, they are very different personalities voices and levels of understanding they are almost eleven and have autism they have difficulties with their sense of self and don't need it complicating by having someone else dressed the same as them

[whymummy]

i recently bought ds (7) and dd (almost 5) a pair of red troussers and white t-shirt,i wouldn't do it all the time,dd is a tomboy and loves to wear what her brother wears but i refuse to buy them both the same clothes

[Kayleigh]

I do this occasionally, mailnly for dressing up occasions such as weddings. Last year we went to a cousins wedding, and ds1 and ds2 wore identical navy long shorts with the same shirt but shirt was in different colours. This year we have a wedding and they are wearing identical shirts (with a fine blue and tan stripe. One will wear navy trousers and one will wear tan trousers.

So the same, but not identical IYKWIM. I think they look very cute.

[Bozza]

Never really occurred to me to dress my two the same but that's probably because I've got a 4yo boy and a baby girl!

I know some twins and I've never seen them dressed anything but identically - down to shoes, hair bobbles, socks etc. They are not identical btw although both have similar colouring - ie blonde and blue eyes. I have often wondered what happens if one spills her blackcurrant all down herself - does the mother change both of them? She must, I suppose.

[Yorkiegirl]

Message withdrawn

[Weatherwax]

If its a nice dress I will buy them the same (dd1 7 and dd2 4 ) because they both like it and you can't just buy it for one. It tends to be their choice if they wear the same dress at a particular time. DD1 might choose the same as her sister if we go out for the day to a busy place, as she says if one of them gets lost we can point to the one we have and say "she is wearing this only bigger/smaller" We said this at a stage when we were out and one of them liked playing hide and seek with us and she remembers it all the time!

[Eowyn]

well, dd is an only child but I have been known to do our hair the same...hey there's only 31 years between us, I look cute in plaits donchya know. so how sad am I?

[bosscat]

I have 2 boys very near in age and very occasionally I'll see a really lovely thing in wherever and I want them both to have it. Sometimes (usually when there is photo opp like a wedding) I'll put the same thing on them, I don't really know why, I think they just look cute ... sometimes

[Tommy]

Ditto Bosscat - I think it looks smart and cute at a wedding or something but if I tried it everyday one of them would end up needing a change of clothes at some point so it owuldn't really work

[astonished]

I have to admit to changing both their clothes!!

[elastamum]

We used to travel a lot as kids and my mother had us all in the same bright stripy t shirts so they could spot us easily in crowded streets or markets. I was the only girl but it never bothered me to be dressed the same as my brothers.

[paolosgirl]

Have to say I'd never be allowed to as they would object too much - ds is 7 and dd is 5! (Whispering) I think it looks a bit Posh 'n' Becks IYKWIM

[astonished]

off to find a big pair of scissors to chop up all identical clothes, Posh and becks, please no!!

[juniperdewdrop]

I just bought my 2 boys a few matching hawaiian shirts for our hols I often buy them matching tops. They don't look alike and rarely wear them at the same time though tbh.

[BadgerBadger]

It hasn't occured to me to dress DD1 (3) and DD2 (8 months) the same or similarly. Sometimes I do buy the same top (for example) in different colours, but would intentionally not match them. I don't dress them in the same top at the same time even if they are different colours!

Got no particular problem with it at all, just not my thing . OTOH, if they choose to in the future, I wouldn't stop them.

[Chandra]

Pure laziness in my case, rather than spend twice as much time chosing mood , colours, textures, etc to go with each other, you only do it once. However I don't do it in purpose, it's just that sometimes I get DS and myself dressed and once out I realise we are wearing the same combination of colours .

I think that the idea of dressing children identical may come form the time when mums attended sewing classes and do some of the family clothes, the sense of it would be that you only need to buy one patters, you can do several dresses by recycling excedents of the previous dress. I guess.

[Tommy]

Good point Chandra - my Mum used to make a lot of our clothes. I remember a particularly fetching flowery trousers suit that both my sisters had and I (few years younger) had a dress in the same material

[psychomum5]

I dress mine the same occasionally.
I never set out to, but when I had my second daughter 22mths after my first, several people turned up at the hospital with matching outfits for them both which thrilled Megs, and I admit I thought they looked adorable. I wasn't done regularly, simply beacuse I had many hand-downs, but for family do's, parties, photo sittings etc I did. And when I had my third daughter.....
I sometimes do the same for my boys too, but not as often as they both suit different colours.

I have always planned to stop as each of them got older, as I assumed they would complain, but only esterday I took the eldest two girls out shopping with their birthday money, only for them both to buy the exact same outfit, right down to the same earings.......At least it proves to me that as much as they bicker at times, they obviously love being sisters and being the same.

I have even found tho, that when Megan goes out shopping with her best friend, they buy the same outfit too........Proof to me that girls love to be the same!

[tallulah]

This is one thing I really can't stand

My mum used to dress me & my brother (2 years younger) in identical shorts & t shirts/jumpers/ swimming trunks when we were little. She says we liked it- I don't remember it quite the same way!! I particularly dislike seeing families of 3 or 4 girls (or boys) with identical hairstyles & outfits- down to shoes. To me it's as if they are being treated as a group & not individuals (as my mum always treated me & my brother). Also there always seems to be one who is far too old for the style, or else the colour doesn't suit.

We only ever had one set of matching outfits for our 3 boys & that was because they were in the sale at Asda & only came in the one colour. I tried to make sure they wore them on different days. It helped that all 4 of mine have completely different colouring and don't suit the same colour.