Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 ··· 16 17

Original poster

To think Dressing your kids identical a bit tacky?

407 replies

Joannearobbo · 09/08/2017 09:00

My friend has a 12 year old and 2 twin boys (not identical) who are 9 and every day dresses them exactly the same.
Everything is the same..tops/socks/jackets etc
I think it's a bit naff...but each to their own I guess.
What do you think?

OP posts:

Thread gallery

Shadow666 · 09/08/2017 10:16

my friend has 3 year old identical twins and has always dressed them the same. She says it's to actually give them a bit more individuality, as if they are dressed in different clothes people will just see them as 'x in the red top and y in the green top' and they just get seen as nothing more than their clothes. By dressing them the same people have to look at other aspects of them in order to differentiate, not just by what they are wearing. I had never thought of it that way before, but it does seem to work.

That's just bonkers!

On American Supernanny there was a mum with quads (I think!) and she insisted on dressing the 3 boys the same, so if one got dirty she'd change all 3 of them.

SomewhatIdiosyncratic · 09/08/2017 10:18

Mine often look similar but rarely identical. They are close in age and size (4 & 6) so DS2 tends to plunder DS1's share of the wardrobe. I've learned that they tend to want the same in a shop so it's easier to buy double of DS1's size to reduce the chance of future arguments. DS1 is particular and may change his mind in the face of the reality of looking in the wardrobe, but DS2 will wear it anyway. Many of the basics are the same like their shorts so it's fairly likely that they'll pick a similar combination and possibly a duplicate. DS2 is one shoe size behind DS1 so if DS1 has chosen a repeat of a shoe style they can repeat as the sizes will fit. Fortunately they'll tend to grab different socks and although their hair has a similar cut it behaves slightly differently and is different shades.

I haven't attempted to assert control over DS1's clothes for a long time since he got very particular at 2.5- it simply wasn't worth the prolonged tantrums. I go as far as a general dress code of you're doing x so you need a shirt and smart shorts. If there was a bigger gap in their size, they'd have less overlap in the clothes that fit and the seasons that they were bought in.

Ironically they'll look more different at school as DS2 will wear the trousers that DS1 refuses and the jumpers that had to be replaced with cardigans as they were too hard to force over DS1's head

I know a pair of children that regularly turn up in completely identical outfits to the point where I couldn't identify them without comparing their heights. The bigger the age gap, the more odd it looks and it must take more effort to deliberately match to that extent.

toofarfromcivilisation · 09/08/2017 10:19

I was guilty of this, big time. Especially Next stuff when my boys were about 12, 10 & 3.
As I handed the older one's clothes down it meant the youngest wore the same clothes in different sizes for years!!!

Lindy2 · 09/08/2017 10:20

I'm amazed the children let her choose their clothes. I thought you'd be talking about young children under 5 not 9 and 12 year olds.
It's not just tacky it's quite controlling really. The children should be able to express some preferences and individuality through their clothes.

Earthmoon · 09/08/2017 10:20

I think it is adorable.

MiaowTheCat · 09/08/2017 10:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

justforthisthread101 · 09/08/2017 10:21

Incy the snapping of the picture is a GENIUS plan. Will do that from now on.

Sleepingpenguin · 09/08/2017 10:22

I think it depends. I have 18months between my DDs and very very rarely dressed them in matching (although as PPs have said in a soft play etc matching makes it so much easier to find). However now they are 5 and 3 they love to be matching, when shopping they want to buy the same and will discuss what they are wearing with each other. There is no way either would be happy with my input and stopping this!

Bigbiscuits · 09/08/2017 10:24

I read in a twin book that for safety you should always have DIFFERENT outdoor clothes.

If you child is running into the road or something else dangerous, you need to shout out the correct name and not get them confused.

In a busy playground, you may spot the same red jumper twice and think you have spotted both kids, when in fact it was the same one spotted twice.

ParadiseCity · 09/08/2017 10:25

I put my 2 non twin DC in matching funky t shirts a couple of times when they were young and cute and more bribeable. They looked brill. The ungrateful pre teens won't play along now though but I'm hoping they end up at same high school so their uniforms match

SaraWeez13 · 09/08/2017 10:28

I hate this too.

bookwormnerd · 09/08/2017 10:29

I let my children choose as long as it is practical for what we are doing, i wouldent do matching clothes but know alot of people who do. Saying that my daughter wanted herself and my son to match today. She choose leggings the same colour as a pair of his trousers and wanted them to both wear dinosaur tops. If I am wearing a top that happens to have butterflies on or something she will want to get one with butterflies on to. Both have clothes with lots of characters and animals on as thats what they like. Growing up I matched alot with my sisters purely as we had dresses and jumpers made for us by my grandma so obviosly made more sence to use same material or wool. It never bothered me but then I think I never cared much what I was wearing as long as it was comfortable.

gazzalw · 09/08/2017 10:36

It used to be very much the thing in years gone by - it certainly saves on arguments about clothes, particularly with girls!

Don't think it's tacky although these days it is seen so rarely it looks strange.

Benedikte2 · 09/08/2017 10:38

Back in the day when I was young we just weren't given a choice or even consulted re clothes. Not being particularly interested in fashion it meant I've never developed a confident dress sense.
Sister and I were generally dressed alike but in different colours. I really didn't think much about how it looked.
I think more than a couple of children of different ages past the toddler stage look rather odd today -- like they are in uniform from an institution

TinyTear · 09/08/2017 10:40

mine are 2 and 5 and sometimes they wear matching dresses. they love to shout "match!!"

but it's their choice... i take them to the shops and if they choose the same thing, fine, if they choose different things, fine as well

Viviennemary · 09/08/2017 10:41

It's tacky. But sometimes it does look cute on small children.

HurryUpAndWait · 09/08/2017 10:46

@SerfTerf

You sound a bit unpleasant OP. We dress our children the same sometimes. They're brothers and like to wear the same clothes as each other and I think it looks cute on special occasions like a party or meal in a nice restaurant.

My boys don't really care what they wear. DS2 does like collared poloshirts 'like Daddy' but on the whole couldn't care less.

FindoGask · 09/08/2017 10:48

Not my thing but each to their own.

My 6 year old and 10 year old wear what they want! (sometimes, seasonally appropriate outer layers/shoes are enforced)

GavelRavel · 09/08/2017 10:49

aw its so cute when they're little though. In fairness I usually did same item, different colour. I can just about get away with it still with the younger ones but the oldest would refuse to leave the house in the same item as siblings from about 11. Also, he dresses like a slob and doesn't care what he looks like wheras the younger ones do. Saying that I got them the same shirts recently, different colours, I'll probably attempt to do oldest and youngest wearing it at the same time. Oldest will go apeshit if he spots it though - which he won't :)

blackberrypickinginaugust · 09/08/2017 10:53

It is tacky. I have 2 girls with less than 2 years between them. But the youngest has no hair despite being two so looks daft dressed the same as her sister!

It is a working class thing I believe as it is a way f showing you have enough money to buy two lots of clothes, no hand me downs in other words.

It looks silly as generally one child is bigger so it looks wrong.

WhooooAmI24601 · 09/08/2017 10:53

I'd never done it til this year when we went to a wedding. We went shopping to get them an outfit each and both fell in love with a navy suit with a bow tie. They're 11 and 6, so you can tell them apart a mile away but they looked lovely on the day. Though DH's standard wedding-guest-suit is also navy and I'd chosen a navy dress and heels so we did look a bit wanky when we all stood together.

Not something I'd choose to do often but it doesn't harm anyone when others do it.

SunnySkiesSleepsintheMorning · 09/08/2017 10:54

I'm with the "snarking about your so-called friends online is way tackier" bunch. Before you ask, no I don't dress mine the same. Occasionally, I was dressed the same as my sister and it didn't bother me particularly. I think people just like to find a way - any way - to look down on others but what else do you expect from some MNers?

CCK26 · 09/08/2017 10:56

I've got three boys under 6, and whilst I don't actively dress them the same, they all want to wear the same quite regularly. Tbh though, I couldn't give a shit what a child wears, as long as they are warm/cool enough and comfy.

monkeymamma · 09/08/2017 10:59

I think I it's cute on occasion (mine are 2 and 5) but I can never manage to get both sets clean dry and ironed at the same time! My kids love doing it though - I think on some psychological level it's a good way to forge family identity and give them pride in being brothers. I'd never ever make them do it when they didn't want to!
As a 12 year old me and my best friend had a few matching outfits which we loved to wear to school (no uniform). We'd also trick other classmates and tell them we were sisters!
The thing I really DON'T get - and it's a 'thing', cos retailers are tailoring towards it - is matching mother and daughter or particularly father and son outfits. I want my dh to look like a man not a little boy. Is it just me that finds this a bit weird?!

JuicyStrawberry · 09/08/2017 11:06

I used to do this when ds2 was born and it was a bit of a novelty being able to dress my children the same because I thought it was cute. Never do it now though!

The last time they were dressed the same was at my dad's wedding which is obviously different and they looked adorable

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 ··· 16 17