Alternatives to Baby Girl Clothing

Tulle and pink and sparkle oh my!
Anybody that knows me knows that you are not likely to see me in anything sparkly, pink, or generally very girly. I tend to gravitate towards a more neutral boring style of clothing.

If sweatshirts and jeans constitute a "style." This isn't a bashing of all those adorable girls that are dressed very girly, but rather just giving my experience with dressing my daughter and some tips if you are the same way. 
I had made the decision early on in my pregnancy that I wanted to dress Inga as my little hipster baby and try to stay away from the Disney characters and overtly girly items. Being as tall as I am, I can't always dress in the styles that I would prefer to wear, simply because they don't fit. I wanted her to look like a little adult or have clothes that could span different outfits and styles. This came as a surprise to many and was answered with scoffs and eye rolls. "But she is a girl! She has to wear pink!" Who says.....?
Some would just choose to ignore me and would instead buy me something super girly and pink just because they thought it was cute. 
"Muhaha now she has to wear pink and sparkles!" 
*sigh* Don't get me wrong. If somebody is going to GIVE me clothing for free from their baby, I will more than likely have her wear it, but why would you buy something for me that is what I already said I don't really want her to wear? Would you buy a clothing item for a friend that you knew they didn't like, but YOU liked to see them in it? Not if you expect them to ever wear it....
I just find black ballet flats with cuffed jeans to be more adorable on a baby/toddler than pink ruffle butt leggings, a tulle skirt, and pink sparkle boots. To each their own. 

I don't see why a baby can't be stylish and cute but not look like a sparkle monster threw up on them. 
Here are some tips if you have the same idea as me regarding dressing your baby.


1. Don't ignore the boys section. For some super girly moms, this may be hard. There are some great neutral finds in the boys section that could look great on your daughter. I have gotten quite a few different  items that are technically boy clothes. Who says that blue, grey, and black are only for boys. I personally love seeing Inga in grey. That is kind of my go-to color for her. It looks great and you are able to give her a pop of another color with fun socks or head band. Here are some great boy finds I recently got. You could get a button shirt that is way too big for her and have her wear it as a shirt dress with some leggings. Just tie a ribbon or head band around the waist for a belt. ADORABLE!


2. Clearance! I have recently discovered the awesomeness of buying clearance for next year. I bought her an adorable pea-coat for $13 for next winter as well as some other sweaters that I just was not willing to pay more than $7 for. I am super cheap in general and will never buy clothing at full price. The nice thing about wanting to dress Inga differently is that most don't share my opinion so a lot of it ends up on clearance. Buying in clearance also ties into my next idea of buying for multiple outfits or repurposing. 

3. Buy for multiple outfits/Repurposing. The button shirt from the boys section is a great example of repurposing. Toddler sized shirts can be adorable dresses for younger babies. The key is to get pieces that can be used in multiple outfits. Most times, baby clothes come in a full outfit with pants and top. And usually they just go with each other. I don't think Disney character ruffle pants go with a plain yellow cardigan. It just leaves you limited. Try to buy simple items and you will see how you are able to use them in many different outfits. I bought solid color leggings and jeggings that she can wear with practically any top no matter the color or design. I bought lots of sweatshirts for her to wear instead of constantly living in footie pajamas because sweatshirts can be dressed up with a pair of jeggings and little fur boots. Footies can't. This is also a great way to save money and keep the wardrobe smaller since you are able to have pieces span multiple outfits. 

4. Pink can be cute and stylish. I know, I know, I said I don't like pink. Let me be a bit more specific. I don't like pink that is accompanied with flowers, hearts, glitter, butterflies galore. Using pink as the focal color can be really adorable, but when it is pink with glitter purple flowers, with a phrase about princesses and lace bottom leggings, it just takes away from how gorgeous your baby is. Everybody should be staring at your daughter's beautiful face, not her spastic outfit. Try a cute pink cardigan with a white onesie and black leggings or jeggings. Maybe a grey sweatshirt and jeans with pink socks. 

5. Headbands can make the outfit. Some of the outfits I have put together for Inga could make it difficult for some to know that she is a girl. Head bands can solve that issue but for crying out loud, she doesn't have to have a head band that makes it look like she has a weird growth on the side of her head. It goes back to what I said before. Everybody should be looking at your gorgeous daughter's face and not the sparkly flower the size of a basketball on her dome. Head wraps are absolutely adorable and beyond stylish. You can pick a cute pattern and have that be the accent in her outfit. She could wear a cute light pink polka dot head wrap with a simple solid colored sweater or cardigan and pants. Here are a couple Etsy sites that have head wraps and bows that I absolutely LOVE! 

Go to Little Winter Shop on Etsy to get head wraps just like the one on this little adorable nugget here! Oh gosh I can't stand it!

Go to AndySachs4 on Etsy for more head wraps. I bought some from here and they are really nice quality!




6. Holidays don't have to mean dresses. If you live in a cold weather state like me in Minnesota, you wonder why people would ever subject their baby to having to wear a dress in the cold. We tried doing a dress on Inga and that damn tutu was all up in her business constantly. I changed her into a cute grey sweater with white stars on it. Perfection. Why spend $20+ on a dress that she will only be able to wear once, and instead get her cute pieces that she can wear all winter? Saves you money and also gives her wardrobe some legs.

What are some of your tips and opinions on dressing little girls? Leave some comments.