What would your 'child's(toddler) capsule wardrobe' be for autumn/winter?

[Somethingwicked]

I just googled 'child's capsule wardrobe' and found nothing. Surely this cannot be right...

I am aspiring to be more organised than I have been now that I have 3 pre school children to clothe. My boy has been wearing girl's clothes with no pink in (hand me downs from sister) so far and as he nearly one I think he deserves better!

I need a list to sort him out for a busy winter of outdoor romping and a not very warm house.

Suggestions please!

Mothercare do 2-3 popper vests too - I use them a lot under pinafores / dungarees when it;s not quite cold enough for two layers.

mrsbadger i found long sleeved 2-3 vests in Mothercare (when i wanted short sleeves) and borntofolk i have only ever seen short sleeved in tesco. I clearly go to the wrong branches]grin].

This is all really helpful, I am going to compile my master list and will post it when I have.

KristinaM- very interested in all in one waterproofs. I had seen the Hippy...something ones which looked good too but really quite expensive. Can't remember what they are now.

Hippychick.

Also, fatlip, sorry you went on a spending spree, I probably would have too if I hadn't been diverted by wails from upstairs!

What brands or shops would people recommend as the most long lasting, good quality, mostly natural materials (hate polyester unless its a raincoat) unisex-ish clothes for active children with a fairly equal mix of outdoor and indoor life? Not too expensive but won't fall apart either...

I love greenbaby clothes but can only afford them in a big sale.

Frugi - same kind of price3 as Green Baby though
otherwise I have found Gap lasts very well, paeticularly the denim and tshirts
Joules for sweatshirts
Osh Kosh for dungarees

I just looked in the sale on the Landsend site, they have some good reductions on jackets that would do for winter.

Mrs Badger- where do you get osh kosh? I can't seem to find it online in the uk anywhere, am I being daft?

come to think of it I have either got people to get them in the US, got them on ebay or had them handed down.
Boutiquey places?

TK Maxx sell Osh Kosh, as do some Boots.

MrsBadger - totally agree re the long-sleeved dresses for girls. Esp when in the throes / beginning of potty training for 2-3 year olds. That way you can normally get away with just changing tights & pants if there is an accident.

I have seen some in Boden and JoJo this year, but wondered whether anyone else has spotted any good quality l/s t-shirt dresses...?

I have my eye on Vertbaudet too

Obsessively looking at long sleeved dresses now (and there are hardly any nice ones!)...
Second gap even 2nd hand, boden (tshirts still look good on 3rd dc wearing them) but have found that a lot of the TU stuff has worn well too. And I really love H&M, which is where I head to a lot of the time.
Put the dts (22 mo) in all in one waterproofs yesterday and what a faff, this is why I don't like them although they do do the business. Although strangely enough I loved the JoJoMamanBebe polartec suits (twins have had 3 sets so far and considering 2-3 for this winter) but maybe they're easier to put on? Obviously not good for wet weather but I do think they're fab esp for plonking dcs in and out of car seats/buggies.
Trying to remember what was useful for me last year Somethingwicked as I had same age range as you (11mo twins & nearly 3yo). I found l/s vests v.good and bought them in white so would do for either twin (I have b/g ones) then stuck a fleece over top easy peasy. Bought a pack for dd today (£2.50 for 3!). Fleece trousers were a great buy too, easy to put on, comfy & warm (got mine from TU for dd).

Such a helpful thread.

Am feeling smug as I bought LadyintheRadiator's recommended jacket for DS off ebay a couple of months ago. Lovely orange one, much nicer than this year's colours.

Last autumn, winter and spring DS lived in those fantastic H&M organic cotton l/s tops. I put them over white short or long sleeved popper bodies depending on temp. Personally I found Mothercare ones to wear better than John Lewis or M&S ones of these.

As DS is now 17mo, I am gutted that H&M tops only go up to 12-18mo. Does anybody know of anywhere that makes anything similar in terms of choice of colour and price? I particularly like the poppers rather than buttons which seem to be the norm at John Lewis.

Good on you for the coat IsItMe. I still have to find one for ds2 so I'm looking on ebay for one of those anoraks.
I have several of the older size H&M tops (I know they're not organic but still v.nice) in the plain and stripes they're fab & a great price.

V.excited as just bought 2 long sleeved dresses on ebay for dd. Gorgeous Toby Tiger one too, I have some already and they're fab.

Thanks accessorizequeen .

Do you mean that H&M make the same style in bigger sizes? The organic is not essential for me. Just love the easy fit, the colours and the poppers on the shoulders.

I don't know about the poppers (although I have one for dd that has double poppers) but definitely the colour & fit at H&M. The stripy ones with arm patches are particularly lovely! Boden are doing some l/s tshirts which are a great weight, I got the green stripe one for DS1 and am going to order more as they're perfect (£10 off £30 might be a bargain if you want a few).

Those are nice Boden tops, although says they're a new slimmer fit, so may not be quite as loose as I would like.

I've seen these at Jojo, which do have the poppers and the maroon looks good.

Does anybody know if you can get the buy 2 get £5 off in store as well as online?

I got some nice bits in M&S today for DT's (2) - chunky hooded cardigans, only £12 and will be great for autumnal days when a coat isn't needed and a lovely knitted dress. Then was in an independent shop and got both girls lovely knitted dresses (different colourways), longsleeved tops and tights - a brand called Name-it which I've got a few pieces from in the past - washes well, wears great and generous sizing. Have looked at Pumpkin Patch on-line and they also have some nice bits and bobs.

I love winter shopping for the children! DS's are my next project - slightly more challenging

Haven't made it into M&S, but they often have some nice things. I just bought a knitted dress for dd on ebay for £1.53 so quite pleased with myself (I just can't justify much new for her).
The boden t-shirt did seem a bit slimmer fit, but ds is v.slim so will work on him. JoJo ones v.nice. Saw some lovely stripy tops in H&M yesterday but such a pity the baby stuff stops at 12-18 as ds3 has grown out of it now.

warm trousers i like boden baggies or cords in winter easy to pull on/off.

dungarees again love boden ones so cosy

jojo polartec fleece is a must for any toddler under the age of 3, just gutted they don't do them bigger sizes! i love these as lightweight but sooo warm easy for toddlers to move in them can't recommend enough.

have three boys to dress (two preschoolers and pre-teen!) fave shops boden, next, JL, Toby tiger, ASOS

Ooh, which of the jojo polartec things did you find useful, and how did you use them?

This is the first winter that DS will be walking much outside, and I'm not quite sure what to go for yet!

oh get the all in one, they are £34 but a tip they normally go half price at xmas in sale so buy next size for the following year! they are so lightweight so perfect for toddling babies they aren't bundled up like michelin men! They sell well on ebay after you've done too and you can usually get a discount at jojo too.

That's helpful - what would you dress them in underneath though ?