To dress young daughters the same

[Theorangeorange]

I have two young daughters (2 & 4) and I love dressing them in matching clothes - for reference they both love it too and get excited when they have the same on. I would stop when they don't enjoy it of course.

It's not every day, but for occasions they'll usually have the same on, perhaps in a different colour but matching.

I haven't ever given it a second thought until someone asked me whether I was concerned about them "not developing their own individuality" I wasn't!! Though I'm interested to hear thoughts......

[amusedbush]

I think it's really naff, to be honest. It's none of my business though, so I'll just file it away with gender reveal parties, cake smashes and giant bow headbands on babies.

[Orangepear]

I match my DDs occasionally, and when we went on holiday I dressed them matching every day as it was really useful to be able to keep an eye on them easily.

[sunshineandshowers21]

there’s a year between me and my sister and we used to love being dressed the same! i think little girls dressed the same look sweet.

[Geminijes]

I hated being dressed the same as my sister. I remember when I was 4. I was wearing the same outfit as my sister and I deliberately scagged the shorts in defiance of being dressed the same.

[SpacePenguin]

My kids love to dress the same. (My boy included - we have had matching pj's for all 3, at their request.) My daughters hate if I buy something for one and not the other. But they decide if they're going to wear matching outfits for a particular occasion or not - sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. I don't mind either way.

And far from being upset at wearing the same outfit for years, the younger one gets upset when she grows out of the 2nd set of favourite clothes - or when they get so worn they have to go. They also love hand-me-downs. I think there is less stigma about hand-me-downs these days.

Different strokes for different folks

[poglets]

No. I wouldn't do it but it's up to you. Not the end of the world.

[Mummyoflittledragon]

I think it’s really cute but only fine as long as both children are happy and either one should get a veto on dressing the same.

[Notso]

I think it's naff but there was a period when my younger two (16 months apart) did wear matching clothes a lot because they were annoying and wouldn't want to be left out of anything. One would change his mind if he saw the other picked out something different, and frankly there were bigger battles to be had so I couldn't be arsed arguing.
I still find it cringy though, we had a few days away just before Christmas and most of the kids where whisked off just before dinner and brought back down in matching outfits for dinner and entertainment. There were also whole families co-ordinating their outfits and swimwear, it was twee AF.

[HellsBellsAndBatteredBananas]

Mum did this to us, my sister and I . There is 3 1/2 years between us and we hated going anywhere as kids as we always looked like tweedle dee and tweedle dum. People would fuss over us and simper and the simple reality is that our mother lacked the desire to choose outfits to suit our differing personalities. My little sister was constantly climbing trees and stripping off naked as she hated being constrained and I was all into horse riding and a proper tomboy. I even cut my own waist length hair off at age 8 in a desperate bid to reclaim some sort of identity away from the fussy horrible twee dresses we were forced into. I was in first year senior when she last got me into knee socks and dress with a pinafore. All because she had an idea of what the perfect daughter would be and she tried desperately to make us into that weird distorted image that couldn't be further from what we are REALLY like. To this day she has not got a clue about who we are or what we like despite her seeing us several times a week.

We were props in this stage production of her perfect idea of family life. It was all for show and meant absolutely nothing. And I hate her for it tbh. I have never felt good enough.

So yes it's a crappy thing to do to your kids. Surely you can take a few seconds to think about how they differ as people and put together an outfit that says you see them as individuals and recognise their uniqueness?

[MachineBee]

My DDs were less than two years apart so until the eldest was about 7 I would dress them the same when we visited crowded places, such as fairgrounds, airports etc. It was so that if I lost one, I could show her sister to the search party

[PeapodBurgundy]

I have a 2 year old DS and a 6 month old DD. I sometimes pair their clothes. For example, they have 'Big Mr to a Little sister' and 'Little Sister to a Big Mister' tops, then a pair of trousers each in the same cloud print fabric but different colours, and also DS had dungarees and DD has a pinafore dress in the same Beano and Dandy fabric. If they objected I wouldn't do it, but I think they look smart together.

[Kedgeree]

I'm not getting why it's tacky? I understand that not everyone would want to do it, but not because it's "tacky" ?

[ThreeAnkleBiters]

I do think it looks a bit naff, but that's just personal taste. If they like it and you're not forcing them I really don't think it's a problem. I imagine they will soon want some say in what she wears and you won't have the chance much longer anyway.

[Purplecatshopaholic]

I have 2 friends both with twin girls. One dresses them exactly the same all the time (less than a year old), the other doesn't (a bit older) - the kids themselves will let you know if they dont like it

[moofolk]

Depends on if you and they are happy about it. I had twins and a kid of a similar age and didn't / don't usually dress them the same but mainly because I CBA.

However, out in busy places or maybe at a wedding I'd often dress them the same or similarly. Weddings for cuteness but in busy places for practicality. 'Have you seen a lost child? Dressed like this one.'

Or just so a could keep an eye on them. One, two, three stripey boys.

Or I have three t-shirts in a really similar but unusual colour (a certain shade of green or fluorescent peach) which makes them easy to spot and count.

[TheNoodlesIncident]

If they like it, then fair play.

My mum would rant about this and made sure she dressed DSis and I differently. She hated seeing twins dressed the same, and told us so.

She also made dresses for us (which was shaming in the end, as everyone else had shop bought, fashionable clothes) which were exactly the same pattern, just a different colour. And we were given identical items as presents - just in a different colour. All.The.Time.

So deeply, deeply annoying, the hypocrisy as much as anything else. HOW is that so different from "dressing kids the same"???

But if OP likes it, and her kids like it, why not. They can always destroy the photos in future if they grow up to loathe it

[Seline]

I usually do mine on a theme. So they look the same style but not the same clothes.

[NK1cf53daaX127805d4fd5]

My sister does it with her 8 and 5yr old. I think it looks ridiculous at this age but each to their own! Age 2 and 4 is cute

There are 18 months between my son and daughter and when they were very young the odd time I'd put them in similar colours/cons. They are 7 and 8 now and pick out their own clothes.

[KNain]

I don't get the identities and personalities arguments. Unless the 2 and 4-year olds buy their own clothes, it is still your taste that they are reflecting, not their own individuality.

This.
My 2 DS are 2 years apart. Shopping with little ones is a right faff. If I see something I like it's easier to just pick up 2 and not have to look for another jumper or whatever.
Same with choosing what they're going to wear - it's easier to choose one appropriate outfit than two!

[flowersaremyfave]

I have two daughters 4&2 I dress them the same. Older ones at school now so I only get to at weekend or in the holidays. I love to see siblings dressed the same it looks so cute 😍 my two eldest are boy and girl with 10 months between them and even they were dressed the same (he had the boys version obviously) I see nothing wrong with it at all and obviously when they don't want to do it anymore I'll stop. So while their still babies I'll crack on 👍🏼

[Helpel]

My girls are 2 and 3 and I do this occasionally. Before I had children (and specifically before I had 2 children the same gender with a close age gap!) I though it was naff/twee/whatever, but then I had them and now I do it. Because 1. it's easier when you are buying clothes to pick up 2 of the same, especially when you are 'bulk buying' for holidays or similar 2. they argue less because from previous experience I know that if I get them different things they always want what the other has 3. they like being dressed the same and go round shouting 'we are twins!' and yes goddamit sometimes it makes them look super cute. So kill me! I can't imagine doing it past about age 5-6 but by then their clothing choices will be entirely their own.

[hiddeneverything]

I'm surprised at the number of people not liking matching outfits. I think it's lovely

[PennyMordauntsLadyBrain]

I’m a twin and my mum dressed us in matching outfits for as long as she could get away with- I think we were 11 or 12 when we finally refused the wear the same clothes.

I really hated it- I think mum liked people knowing we were twins, but it just looks so twee and unimaginative.

[yikesanotherbooboo]

The 'losing their individuality' is a complete red herring imo.
I wouldn't do it ( because I am a bit of a snob) and because DC 2 would be wearing castoffs from DC1 and there wouldn't be many opportunities where I would be buying new for both children at the same time however if you and they like it I can't think what harm it might cause. When I was little my sister and I sometimes wore the same as a granny would have made dresses or knitted jumpers for us from the same pattern. I liked being identified with her .

[AnxietyDream]

I wouldn't make my kids wear anything they didnt want to so the 'hating' scenario wouldn't come up. But I think similar outfits (I e. Same fabric in two different designs) looks cute on toddlers/babies for occasional photo ops (and if my kids want to do it older I'm not going to stop them, even if it's naff!).

My toddler can pick their own clothes, but they would pick four pairs of socks and nothing else (for example) if I wasn't there 'suggesting' what they wear, so effectively I choose at this age, and I have no idea how to pick clothes based on their personality or what that even means.