8 Ways Moms Can Coordinate Outfits with Their Kids

Love matching outfits with your kids? Mommy-and-me outfits look great whether you are taking formal family photos or just stopping by the playground. If you are wondering exactly how to match outfits with your kids, then check out these eight tips for coordinating cute children’s clothes.

• Buy matching outfits.

This is the easiest way to coordinate outfits with your kids, and it’s with good reason. It’s super easy, it requires no planning and it looks awesome in photos. Matching holiday pajamas are the most popular way to coordinate outfits with your kids, and they’re also the most widely available parent/child outfits (though there are other options out there). However, perfectly matching outfits aren’t always an option, and some people don’t like to look quite so coordinated. If you are looking for other ways to match outfits with your kids, then read on for more tips!

• Coordinate your color scheme.

Choosing outfits that fit into a color scheme is another tried-and-true way to match outfits with your kids. Of course, you can select outfits from the same color — for instance, all of you can wear similar shades of red garments. Choosing shades from hues adjacent on the color wheel will also give your outfits a visually unified look without them being all one color. For example, blue, purple and green are all very close to each other on the color wheel, so if you all wear shades in that family, then your outfits will look like they go together.

• Put your basics to work.

If you want to match, but don’t want to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe that you’ll only wear once, then this tip is one you should definitely follow. This is also a great fallback plan if you need to quickly put together some matching outfits on a deadline. Both parents and kids usually have some of the same basics: white shirts, blue jeans, black pants, etc. If you each wear these basics — for example, a black shirt with blue jeans — then your outfits will look like they match, even if you bought all the clothing from different stores at different times.

• Choose complementary patterns.

Colors aren’t the only way that you can coordinate your outfits. Patterns are a highly underrated way to make your outfits match without them being too similar. For instance, you could each wear a different polka dot pattern in neutral colors for a visually unified theme. You can also mix together a couple of different patterns, such as if dad and son wear plaid and mom and daughter wear chevrons. Just make sure that if you do decide to mix different patterns, you choose garments that are made of very similar colors so as to avoid too many clashing visual elements.

• Accessorize your outfits.

Accessories really do make the outfit, and this is true for both kids and adults. If you are big on accessories, then don’t leave your kids out of the fun. Hats, scarves, jewelry, little kids’ shoes and other additional items can really pull an outfit together and make them subtly coordinate. Some kids do struggle to keep their accessories in place (especially hats and other items come off easily), so if you have younger children then you can coordinate the adults’ accessories to their outfits instead of the other way around. For instance, you could wear a scarf with a pop of red that matches your daughter’s outfit. Even if you’re not wearing anything else that is red, this accessory will still tie your outfits together.

• Separate clothing sets.

If your kids wear similar sizes, then this trick is a great idea for making them look put together without being completely matchy-matchy. Whenever you buy a matching set — say, a top and pants made of the same material — put one separate on one child and the other garment on a sibling. This will really make their outfits look visually united without them having to wear the exact same outfit. Even if your kids can’t wear the same size, you can still get two sets in different sizes and swap out which child wears which garment. Obviously, sets are designed to look great together, but you’ll get more mileage from them if you mix them up with other clothing.

• Get mommy-and-me t-shirts.

Speaking of sets, if you love to add some humor into your wardrobe, then you should consider mommy-and-me t-shirt sets. The t-shirts are printed with matching slogans or graphics that aren’t identical but do go together. In addition to pretty clothes for girls, these t-shirts are great for a more casual photoshoot or even just running around town if you want to match that day. There are also daddy-and-me sets if you want to get the whole family involved, as well as sets for multiple siblings.

• Consider your surroundings.

Many parents are looking to coordinate outfits with their kids for family photoshoots. In these situations, you need to consider not only the outfits themselves but also what setting you plan to take pictures in and what props you want to use. For instance, if you want to do a shoot in the fall, when all the trees are red and gold, then wearing neon colors won’t really go with those surroundings. Similarly, if you have certain props that you want to use — such as toys or sentimental items — then you can look to their colors and patterns for outfit inspiration. A little bit of extra planning will make everything look put together, not just your outfits.

Follow these eight tips to match outfits with your kids and make your next family photos look amazing. Whether you love perfectly matching outfits or just want to subtly color coordinate, there are plenty of ways to match outfits with your kids.