Spring/Summer Capsule Wardrobe For Boys

Ahhh... Kids. If only they didn't grow so fast! To help not spend exorbitant amount of money on kids’ clothes, to try and declutter, and lessen our consumption of fast fashion, I have been leaning more and more towards the concept of capsule wardrobes. In The Fall, I shared my Back To School Capsule Wardrobe, so now I wanted to share my Spring/Summer one.

Basic Pieces:

- 5 T-shirts (stripes are great, one overall pattern is okay. We also have a couple superhero shirts... thanks grandma, lol.)

- 2 tank tops

- 1 polo

- 1 short-sleeved dress shirt

- 1 long-sleeved shirt

- 1 long-sleeved dress shirt

- 1 pair of pants (whatever still fits from Fall)

- 3-4 pairs of shorts

- Swim trunks (We have an extra pair for "water day" at school.)

Here are some combinations:

Not pictured:

- 3 soft cotton shorts

- 1 pair of Crocs (they can be used as sandals and water shoes)

- 1 pair of rain boots

- 1 pair of tennis shoes

- 1 raincoat (or some other kind of transitional jacket. We got a raincoat, because we walk to school pretty regularly, but if you drive mostly, a leather jacket is also fun.)

- 3-4 pairs of pajamas

- underwear and socks
- sunglasses
- baseball hat

Here is the raincoat.

Tips:

- If your kid likes to slide on his knees like mine, and his sweatpants have holes in them, cut the legs off right above the knee - ta-da!! Easy shorts! I also did this for his pajama pants, and paired them with a complimenting colored plain T-shirt he already had.

- For both of my kids, I have a drawer in their closet that is their "transition" drawer. One half has clothes for them to grow into (things I've bought ahead of time when they were on sale) which I have labelled according to size. The other half are clothes that are from the previous season. So, when Spring/Summer is about to begin, I get out Aidan's clothes from last Spring/Summer to see what still fits him. Whatever doesn't fit gets donated, and of course we keep what fits. This way I'm only buying new things he needs. This year for example, I managed to only buy one pair of new shorts and a couple shirts.

- My son loves superheroes, so of course we have some "outlying" graphic tees. I try really hard to not get too hung up on them, and those are what he wears to school or camp, especially on "fun" days.

Places We Like To Shop:
- H&M - Mainly, we get basics here, such as underwear, pajamas, soft cotton shorts and shirts. They have a "Conscious" line, which we try to buy when we can. The quality can be lacking, but if you stain-stick, and don't tumble dry the T-shirts, you can get quite a lot of wear. Also, you won't feel so bad about cutting them.

- Petit Bateau - This store can be a little pricey, but they have very good sales. We usually shop here when their clothes are on sale, and even buy ahead for the next season. They have an overall nautical theme, which really fits our style.

- Zara Kids - I love their aesthetic and style. Again, they have a "Join Life" line, which is more eco friendly, sustainable and fair-trade. We try our best to buy those things.

- Okaidi - Aidan is tall and slim, and it can be hard to find him pants that fit well.  I really like this brand's pants, especially since they all have an inner adjustable band. Score!

Have you given capsule wardrobes a try? It can be difficult with kids. Have you found any tips or tricks that work for your family? Join the conversation!

IKEA Hack LEGO Table

Our family dynamics have changed a lot this past year.  Aidan is of course getting older, and getting into "big kid" toys, which are super fun!!

On the other hand, we have this new little peanut of a girl, who is going to be mobile sooner than you know it!  As much as Jocelyn adores her big brother, I know she's gonna want to get into everything of his - and I think it's important to protect his stuff, and avoid possible frustrations.  Aidan can't get enough of his baby sister, but I also know that that could change drastically if she were to constantly mess up his creations.  

Up until now, we've had a LEGO table set up in the living room/family room.  However, whenever Aidan and Dan built something, it would need to get put away, which inevitably meant it had to get broken down, rendering it unable to be played with.

SO, we wanted to move the LEGOs into Aidan's room, where we could shut the door to his room, and keep the baby out.  But we also wanted it to be cool, and mobile.  So, Dan, being the incredible  dad that he is, got to building one!

Here were the criteria we had:
- on wheels to make it mobile
- LEGO base for building onto 
- storage
- ability to set it up a couple different ways, since we will probably not live in this exact space forever.

If you would like to create one of your own, this is what you'll need:
- 2 IKEA KALLAX 77x42
- 2 sets of RILL wheels
- 4 DRONA bins in denim (the denim was new, and I am so thankful for it!  We were going to settle for gray, but the denim looks great in his room!)
- 4 LEGO Gray Baseplates
- Drill with a phillips bit
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Directions:

1. Build the KALLAX shelves according to the directions.

2. Attach 4 wheels to each shelf, in the corners, on one of the long sides.

3. Using a hot glue gun, adhere the baseplates to the top of your "table" - 2 on each.  They're not quite an exact fit, the table is about a 2 cm wider than the baseplates, so just make sure you line it up the way you want it before you glue it down.

4. Slide in bins, and you're done!

Here are a couple extra thoughts:
- we made some mini figure displays, instructions to come later.

- we bought a little wall-mount shelf at IKEA too, to add another dimension - in this case a "mountain" for the ski lodge.

- Eventually we plan on gluing baseplates in the cubbies as well, so that the bins can be slid out, and the space can be used to play on.
- We bought some smaller storage elements, and organized the remaining pieces by type - Ninjago in one, Batman and friends in the other, LEGO City in another... you get the picture. :)

- initially we had it in an "L" shape, but prefer it all against the same wall.  But I love that if we ever WANT it set up differently, we can change it!

Anyway, it was a HUGE hit!  

Dan and Aidan have spent every afternoon in there building, and playing with the sets.  I love that there is the ability to keep the built pieces out, and if needed later on, it is easy to make another addition.  I also love that it is mobile, and that we aren't "exiling" Aidan to his room.

Yay for LEGOs!!