When you have children at three different schools, the last thing you want to worry about in the morning is dressing them. The Brown family is a busy bunch with a preschooler, a kindergartener and a fourth grader, so they need a wardrobe that is easy to style for any school function. Between growth spurts and messy art classes, affordable and quality pieces that encourage a confident kid are key. Waco has several clothing stores such as Cottontail Jones and Smarty Pants that cater to younger children and pride themselves on pre-loved items.
I’m one of four kids, so I have very fond memories of shopping at Smarty Pants. I can’t even remember the price of my clothes, because it doesn’t matter! For this year’s school clothes, reach for the resale; it’s good for your wallet and the environment and you’ll find unique items that will make your kid’s style stand out.
Dressing a preteen boy using local shops can be a hard task. Most boutiques are catered towards women and girls, but Smarty Pants provides both. They have a wide selection of boys clothing, carrying sizes for infants up to size 20. For our model Noah, we found a nice pair of denim jeans that are easy to style. Light wash is my preferred tone because it looks great with both light and dark-colored shirts, bringing an easy versatility. For the shirt, we selected a sage green polo, a lightweight fabric with a structured fit. A school presentation, picture day, meet-the-teacher, you name it, a polo is a great option for those days that a t-shirt won’t do.
In addition to the perfect outfit, you’ll need a suitable backpack. We opted to highlight a clear backpack as most local districts require them on campus. But clear doesn’t mean boring. Leather accents bring color and
character, and keychains make for eye-catching accessories.
For the girls, we wanted to incorporate fun patterns and colors. The Finding Foxtail Flit & Flutter dress that Lylah dons is the dress of my dreams, and I wish Cottontail Jones carried one in my size. Pink and turquoise are a perfect pair and a dress with this many colors makes it easy to find a matching bow.
Amelia wore a pink, orange and white-striped dress with pockets from Cottontail’s pre-loved section: Discounted clothing items for infants up to size 6 for boys and girls. For Texas heat and a rushed morning, a dress will be your best friend. In my twenties, I’ve learned the pros of wearing a dress — they’re easy to style and they’re comfortable. Be sure to check your school’s dress code policy before shopping for your child’s back-to-school style.
For school necessities, it’s important to invest in quality pieces that will last throughout recess, bus rides and lunch. Lylah and Amelia carry a light pink leather backpack with floral straps and a mint-colored lunchbox from Morrison’s Gifts. And for our preschooler, we made sure to get her the cutest nap mat which is also available in green and red.
In school, it’s important to showcase your individuality so grab those bumble bee clips and reach for the moth-patterned dress. Keep your kid confident in how they present themselves with a mix of old and new.
Noah’s favorite subject in school is history and he’s looking forward to field trips and making new friends. He’s also very excited to get back to playing baseball with Midway Little League in the fall. Noah will be attending St. Paul’s Episcopal School.
Lylah is so excited to start kindergarten this year! She’s looking forward to art class and making new friends and visiting the school library. She’ll be attending the Midway school district.
Amelia is looking forward to doing the daily calendar in preschool this year and seeing her old friends. She loves art class and snack time and picking jobs with the teacher. She’ll be attending Woodway Christian School
this year.
Special thanks to Cottontail Jones, Morrison’s Gifts and Smarty Pants for providing our back-to-school outfit needs. Thank you to Hewitt Public Library for the perfect backdrop to our photoshoot.
