How My Toddler’s Fashion Choices Helped Me Rediscover My Own Sense of Style

If I could conjure up the perfect image of confidence and freedom, it would be this: a toddler, clambering through a playground in a poofy princess dress with chunky, grubby sneakers and a hoodie—probably with animal ears on the hood. Toddlers love their clothes, and they see no need to compromise between comfort and style. They can be frilly and freewheeling, the fairy princess of their dreams and a star athlete all at once. 

Then there’s us adults. With our ill-fitting jeans, punishing footwear and drab colors… and for what? To feel half as good about ourselves as our kids in their joyful attire?

After having a baby, my personal style went out the window. Along with it, my enjoyment of getting dressed. For a year, I lived in cheap nursing tops and the same threadbare sweats. Eventually, I upgraded, but just barely—to plain T-shirts and some polyester “joggers” (aka, sweatpants in disguise). No one cared that I’d succumbed to this permanently grubby status. In fact, it makes perfect sense for my lifestyle. I work from home and spend my off time chasing a toddler around dirty parks and playgrounds. (It’s likely my husband found it a tad bit sad, but he knows better than to comment 😉).

Still, at some point, I realized that it was in fact making someone else sad: me. When my day clothes so closely resemble my night clothes, it blurred any demarcation between my home and work life. Every day bled into the next, like one long, never-ending Sunday afternoon. Perfectly practical, yes, but also subtly demoralizing. Yet when I tried to work back some pre-baby clothes into my rotation, they just felt awkward and wrong. My jeans were too tight. Nice blouses felt ridiculous when I’d only spill juice on them within an hour. 

Finding My Sense of Style Again After Baby

When I tried to think about what types of clothes made me actually feel good, I realized they fell into several, totally incohesive categories. Something like:

• Basic playground mom (my primary identity; sweatshirts, sneakers, forgiving pants)
• Outdoorsy Pacific Northwest (fleeces, anoraks)
• Quirky art teacher (semi-rare; patterns and color)
• Fancy lady (very rare; basically, the dresses I’ve worn once that take up way more room in my closet than they should)

Meanwhile, I ask my toddler what she wants to wear. And every day, the answer is the same: the “party dress.” A rainbow, sequined number obtained from the M&M store in New York, paired with sneakers and leggings. 

After two years of feeling bleh, I started to realize my toddler was onto something. Maybe I could merge the various styles I was attracted to, because who cares if they didn’t go together? I also came to terms with the fact that my toddler’s lifestyle is my life lifestyle. Why shouldn’t we dress the same? We need to be comfy and active, but we were also creative and playful. I wanted clothes that reflected that.

Of course, toddlers have their own tastes, just like adults. But if I had to broadly define what I’ve observed as “toddler style” it would be: comfort, color, and fun prints.

Source: Annie Atherton

“My style today may not be as conventionally stylish as it used to be, but it makes me happy. For now, that’s more important.”

Source: Annie Atherton

Source: Annie Atherton

Source: Annie Atherton

How My Toddler Is Inspiring My Style

After making the slightly painful decision to donate a huge bag of business casual stuff I hadn’t worn in years, I started obsessively browsing online for things that “sparked joy”. I found myself craving matching sweatsuits in colors like bubblegum pink, and bought a sage green sweatsuit and lavender hoodie. An Instagram ad for a jumpsuit with an extremely loud pattern, consisting of orange and hot pink flowers, stopped my scroll. Then splurged on it. I figured I’d wear it a ton to make up for the cost. Another good lesson from toddlers: Wear the same thing every day, who cares! I dug out some things I hadn’t been wearing in a long time, like a rainbow top from the junior’s section at Nordstrom. Then I thrifted a raincoat the color of a rubber ducky and got a pale pink baseball cap from a local ice cream shop. 

I don’t buy everything I like, or I’d be broke, but even getting a few new things and putting other items on an inspiration list has helped me find the fun in getting dressed again. After getting a virtual color analysis, I wanted to branch out from my usual black and white. 

My style today may not be as conventionally stylish as it used to be, but it makes me happy. For now, that’s more important.

Embrace Toddler Style with These Fashion Picks

Toddler-Inspired Clothing

mixed by nasrin

I love this and have never gotten more compliments on a single item. However, I did have to get it tailored on the sides to fit well. They have some other fun patterns too.

sizes XS – XXXL

Anthropologie | Maeve

4 patterns available
sizes 00 – 16

Gap

10+ colors available
sizes XXS – XXL

Gap

10+ colors available
sizes XXS – XXL

Free People

10 colors available
sizes XS – XL

Boden

8 patterns available
sizes 0 – 20/22

Free People

6 colors available
sizes XS – XL

Nordstrom | BP.

7 colors available
sizes XS – XXL

Nordstrom | BP.

7 colors available
sizes XS – XL

Old Navy

3 colors available
sizes 00 – 30

Free People

10+ colors available
sizes XS – XL

Free People

2 colors available
sizes XS – XL

Boden

7 patterns available
sizes 2 – 20/22

Toddler-Inspired Shoes & Accessories

Why You Can Count on Us

The Everygirl Media Group has brought valuable content to our readers for 12+ years. In 2018, The Everymom set out to ensure that all moms know they’re not alone. If you find yourself seeking advice on how to style the latest fashion trend or searching for the best kid-friendly coffee table, we have the answers. And if you’re wondering what’s actually worth it from a sale or looking for a review of the hottest new kids’ product, we’ve got that covered too. From our annual Registry Awards and beloved holiday gift guides to the shopping round-ups you find on our site every day, The Everymom commerce team is well-versed in sifting through thousands of products to curate a digestible list for you. We combine our own experience with in-depth research to bring you a selection that meets our high standards for both fashion and function.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Annie Atherton, Contributing Writer

Annie is a mom and writer covering parenting, culture, women, and work. In addition to The Everymom, her writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, the BBC, Insider, Seattle Magazine, The Seattle Times, Travel+Leisure, Romper, and Scary Mommy. She’s particularly interested in questions of how people can design their lives and traditions in accordance with their values.