Gender neutral children's clothing

[alp30]

I am interested in what parents think about gender neutral clothing for their children to wear?

What sort of themes and colours would you consider be best for both genders?

I am really interesting in hearing everyone's thoughts and views on this. :)

When it comes to children's clothes, "gender neutral" and "boys" are synonymous. With very few exceptions.

Go on instagram and there are thousands of small businesses making gender neutral leggings, harems, t-shirts and hoodys. Look at cissy wears as an example, the shop stocks lots of monochrome and interesting prints. If you look at those brands and follow it'll link you to hundreds more. Plenty of people are alreaday doing this very well. I buy from a lady on instagram called Marmalade_sky and we have trousers in amazing prints like tigers. Also have lots of braveling tights for ds2.

I have a boy 4 and a girl 2 and I think the only way to achieve gender neutral is to say all clothes are for boys or girls - just call them clothes and let everyone get on with it.

Everyone in our house wears pink and pastel colours as well as the full spectrum from cutsy to mini-man. My son loves sparkly shit - what 4 year old doesn't? My daughter loves diggers and as a few favourite digger t-shirts plus a full range of dresses etc. Both of them have a special skirt they like to wear for parties. Today my son is wearing denim leggings with roses, my daughter is wearing frilly brightly patterned leggings and a robot T-shirt. My son looks particularly ace in frilly blouses but I was around in the 80s so appreciate a man with a bit of frill on his shirt. He just this week got his first DM boots in patent leather.

The thing that makes this all a bit easier for us is that we don't send them to nursery/ school - as far as I can tell it's really this environment where they start to become self-conscious/ self-policing.

So if I was you OP I'd make a range of non-speciffic children's clothing possibly using the new romantic scene from the 80s as my inspiration. And I'd get a catalogue made up with boys and girls styling the full range and send it to nurseries and primary schools with some sort of voucher scheme for the school, where you buy them musical instruments or something.

Second a lot of what has already been written here. I have boy-girl twins and I have found a few things really marked:

• Practicality. It's always challenging to get DD clothes and shoes that are as practical as DS's. Coats aren't as warm or waterproof, are too long to bike ride in, or made of pale colours. I have a standing order on Boden fleece lined hoodies as both as they are equally snug but also more interesting and fun prints than a plain fleece. Don't even get me started on shoes.

• Gender division of motifs - lots of posters have linked to the Boden girls' space top, that's really rare. They did a pink dino top but it sold out before I could get one. Animal prints are divided according to gender - bunny/owl/lamb/cat versus shark/dinosaur/lion. DD would love a top with dinosaurs or killer whales just as much as a rabbit. Or a stunt plane, or a sailing boat.

• Colours. Pretty obvious, but it's so limiting for boys. DS has a great pair of Navy/red/orange star print trousers (Boden again) but they were a rare find.

My DD (5) likes the typical girls clothes like dresses and skirts but in a variety of colours.
I think for babies bright colours on a white or light grey background are good. Patterns such as animals, stripes and stars are good.
For small kids again bright colours with stripes or animal prints. Not keen on tops with slogans for kids.
Colours which are good are reds, blues, yellow, greens, purple and orange.
Styles of trousers need to be slim but not skinny.

Not read a lot of this so may be repeating - red, white, navy worked for both mine. Avoid buttons and bows, scalloped edges, appliqués. Stars good for both. Hate printed slogans, neutral or not.

I would love that. Bright colours definitely, with bold designs. Anything really - animals, machines, even just designs.

Re age: mine is only 2.5 so doesn't care what she wears yet. I imagine when she's a bit older, she'll make her own decisions.

I also have a 2mo lb and I'm finding it really hard to get colourful clothes for him. Everything is blue / navy. Even the colourful stuff is usually red. I'd love things for him that are more varied :)

Shoes are my big bug bear at the moment. I keep trying to buy DD shoes in Clarkes (Clarkes, because they're properly measured, do widths and half sizes. And because when I was little that's where all my shoes came from I guess!)

But the girls range is totally impractical.

DD is a toddler, she loves puddles, jumping and climbing. I don't want bloody open topped shoes in winter! Also I want her shoes to be as study as DS's, why shouldn't they be, she's just as active.

And I want shoes that aren't pink (because I'm so sick of effing pink!!!) or that are obviously marketed to boys.

There is nothing. I've been several times, hopefully, and just walked out of Clarkes as they have nothing that doesn't scream "boy" that's not pink, not open-topped, and robust.

It's OK in the summer, they do Doodles which are effectively unisex.

Is there anywhere you can get properly fitted gender neutral shoes?

*sturdy not study!

These clarks ones look fairly unisex:

www.johnlewis.com/clarks-soft-lee-leather-shoes-grey-mint/p2081365

or these from Geox are probably boys but they are fairly plain:

www.johnlewis.com/geox-hi-top-ankle-boots-dark-navy/p2111691

www.johnlewis.com/geox-flick-rip-tape-trainers-navy-red/p2111692

but in general if you go to an independant store and buy some of the european brands e.g. Ricosta etc. they tend to be excellent quality and nicer styles.

Start Rite do a fabulous range of leather riptape sneaker style [[http://www.startriteshoes.com/boys-shoes/flexy-soft-milan-navy-blue-leather-boys-riptape-first-walking-shoes shoes]], in several colours. DD has had red, blue and purple. DS had red, navy and blue with red straps. I am very sad that my giant children's feet are now too big for them.

DS had some lovely gender neutral baby grows from Boots. They were like green, yellow, red, stripes and stars, Apple and pears prints. Really loved them! I love plain trousers that fit like leggings, closer to the leg. A bit like skinny jeans. I like Ds in red, navy, white, cream, lime green!

SparklyTinselTits
"I went shopping recently in Cambridge and there was a Swedish children's clothing store in the Grand Arcade"
Where?! I haven't seen it and would love to go. Do you remember if it was on the ground or first floor?

I've done a lot of baby present shopping lately and am a bit sick of the usual options. I hate all the blue v pink, boys v girls, and boring white or sickly cute unisex stuff. My best find was a fabulous pair of Wonder Woman vests in Mothercare I also like Mothercare's Little Bird range (it's colourful, different and less obviously gendered) but didn't like much else in there.

JoJo Maman Bébé have some lovely unisex babgros. (The clothes for toddlers and children look more gendered though.) And John Lewis have a few bright-coloured baby clothes that could be for boys or girls.

I agree with the PPs who said the supermarkets are the worst culprits. Terrible gendered kids' clothes that I wouldn't touch with a barge pole.

Hi

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Anotheremma I think it's on the first floor, opposite the library if I remember rightly

SparklyTinselTits Thank you! (Great name btw! )

All of my DCs looked awful in white/cream/pastels because of their colouring. DH is turkish and the pale colours made them look yellow, especially in photographs. If I see a bold colour I am much more likely to buy. I love rainbow, star, spot, nature prints. My dc's were perfectly happy to be dressed in unisex clothing until the age of 4/5 then they seemed to want to adopt the more stereotypical clothes for their sex. Maybe this coincided with the start of school? Funnily enough I am pregnant again. My living children are 6,8 and 10 years old. When the children have seen things they'd like for the new baby (a boy) they have all had very clear ideas about what they would like him to be dressed in. The things the children have liked have been various shades of blue with transport, robot, space type patterns.

Next, Mothercare, John Lewis, Gap and H&M - all do a pretty decent amount of clothing in 'good' colours/patterns that would do both genders. My daughter wears some cool stuff with dinosaurs, aliens, animals etc on, which were probably 'meant' for boys. She also wears pink and flowery stuff too though, but I like the stronger colours rather than pastel stuff (for washing purposes - pastel stuff doesn't hide the grub as well).

Just came back to say I've found out dc2 is a boy and I was looking for a few things yesterday and thought the choice was hideous. Regarding what a pp said about colouring too, dd has white blonde hair and very light blue eyes and ds likely to be the same so all the muddy colours that are around at the moment are no good for them. So far Boden, John Lewis and the continental brands have it right for us. Don't really have a Boden budget though but will be getting some of the applique tshirts from the clearance section.

I second what's been said about the supermarkets. I looked at Asda and tesco yesterday and didn't see one item on either website that I like and when people talk about gender stereotypes I think the boys ranges can be just as bad. I don't know why I am not a fan but one of the ones I looked at was full of tweed and bibs with mock shirts and ties that's not to my taste either. And I also hate slogans.

OP you might find this thread useful:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/2510505-disappointed-at-the-lack-of-baby-boys-clothes
Some good recommendations on there.

Last post was to mrsnec (sorry thought you were the OP but realised you're not!)

I have twin boys. When they were very little they had a shorts and t-shirt combo in lime and mandarin with white stripes. It was then I realised how great they look in orange.
Our basics are yellow, orange, red, navy fuchsia, bright green (think apples or astro turf), purple and turquoise.

They wear jeans, chinos and cords a lot. They both have a great red and royal blue pair they wear.

I tried not to buy anything with characters on when they were 5ish but they have now discovered Marvel heroes and star wars lego. I prefer patterns to characters.

Thanks for the link there were lots of suggestions on there I hadn't considered.

mrsnec you're welcome

sparklytinseltits The shop in the Grand Arcade (Cambridge) is Polarn O Pyret. I went today and it has some nice things but my it's expensive!! I'll look out for the sales!