There is two ways to look at how you buy clothes for twin girls that largely depends on how you feel about your twins. In the beginning, it doesn’t really matter how you dress them – just that you do. Yet, most moms of twins are so overcome with flirty excitement about having their very own Bopsy Twins to dress up and show off, that they dress them alike. For all intensive purposes – dressing twin girls alike, all the time can take a major toll on your pocketbook. And if you must know – there will come a time when your daughters will look back at pictures and resent you for doing it. If you must – then at least try to choose outfits in a different color.
Twins come born in with the characteristic of constantly trying to prove their individuality; and are often stymied in their attempts to be their own person by parents who think that since they were born together, they are the same. Lets be frank, there is nothing more disgusting than a mother of twin girls who sends them out in public in the same outfits all the time. Yet, in every elementary school across the United States – there is likely one set of twins whose mom is capitalizing on the attention that being a twin draws. This not only makes it hard for your girls to blossom, but makes it hard for peers to see the sisters as something besides a package deal. Since this article is about buying clothes for twin girls – we will divide the tips into sections based on age with the purpose of supporting both individuality and being economical.
The First Year of Life
During this year, it is okay to dress them the same. Sure, it’s cute and fun and looks good in pictures. However, in order to get the most for your money – you should buy clothes that are practical. Instead of shopping for each girl – go out and buy 4 sleepers, 10 long sleeve onesies with different designs, 12 pairs of socks and enough gowns or pajamas to get you through several days. You should definitely spend the bulk of your clothing allowance on clothes that are both durable and that wash well, because you will be doing a lot of laundry. Resist clothes like jeans, lacey dresses, and ruffled frocks that will cause them to be irritable. Instead, find just a few outfits for special occasions. Whether you want them just alike or not is up to you. But remember that the general public will not be able to tell your twins apart, regardless of what they wear and despite the fact that they are fraternal twins. The nature of the beast when it comes to twins is that even with different color eyes and hair; people assume they are mirrors of one another.
The majority of twins are born small. Yet like any other advice when it comes to buying clothes for infant, you will do a lot better buying clothes big. Savvy moms know that newborn outfits are simply a wasted expense because few babies fit into them for more than a week or two. Some never do. Instead, choose outfits in the 3-6 month range which will give them some longevity in the closet. If one twin is bigger than the other is – that the smaller twin will be fine receiving the hand me downs. Just make sure to filter the pictures you put in the album so that they don’t give you a hard time when they are teenagers.
Pre-School
By this point, your twin girls have an opinion. Even a two year old knows what color they like and will try and pick out clothes for themselves. Yet, many twins in the pre-school age group are still dressed alike like dolls. If this is what your girls want, than go ahead and indulge it. However – if they seem to be developing different tastes and want different things, you owe it to yourself to let them be different. Another tip is to find clothes that aren’t too expensive. Toddlers and pre-school children are notorious for ruining clothes! Mix and match outfits made out of cotton knits are perfect on the pocket book, adorable and can double your twin wardrobe. By this point, if you haven’t already – you should give your twin girls a space all their own. Even if they share a room or closet, start dividing it to give each of the girls some ownership and individuality. Some clothes, especially if they picked them out themselves, should be worn exclusively by the twin who chose it. If you forget, certainly your girls will remind you.
When buying clothes for twin girls, instead of buying two of everything, which is common in the twin world, buy clothes in different colors. Having enough pairs of colored pants, jeans, jumpers and dressers can help you build a twin wardrobe without a lot of money. And of course, every set of twin girls needs some adorable shirt that they can wear with a cliché twin saying on it. You might as well do that type of stuff now, because when they get a little older – they may not allow you to do it.
No matter if you dress your children alike or let them pick out their own clothes, you should make sure each twin has their own pairs of shoes that they don’t share. Pediatricians recommend children don’t share shoes because it can be bad for their feet, especially if your twins are different sizes or weights.
Elementary and Beyond
Buying clothes for twin girls, as they get older is easier, but nonetheless expensive. When they are old enough to shop with you, let them have some say so in their clothes. At some point, they may appreciate the fact that since there is two of them; they can double their wardrobe options by sharing. Please, for your girls sake – get out of the routine of dressings your twins like twins. Many twin girls grow up this way and don’t realize that the rest of the school is laughing at them. There comes a time, when it is important to realize their individuality through clothing and let go of the clone wars that twin moms often have with themselves. You had two children at once, not one child who divided into two.
