Best Shopping for Little Dudes

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a mother in possession of a daughter must have more fun shopping for baby clothes than a mother in possession of a son.

I beg to differ.

I’ve had countless conversations with friends and acquaintances and random pregnant people in Target about how shopping opportunities for boy attire are scant, but there’s a whole world of stripes, overalls, bow-ties and screen-printed animal tops out there, just waiting for parents of boys to hit “add to cart.” With a little ingenuity, a lot of time-suckage, and an accessible credit card, shopping for boy stuff can be a joyous, joyous exercise in largely pointless money expenditure.

Don’t get me wrong here. Girl stuff is the bomb. I almost hyperventilated when Wren was born and it was revealed she was a girl. The phrases, “Holy shit! I’m gonna buy so much flowery shit! So much girly, flowery shit!” definitely left my mouth in those first flushed few minutes of Wren’s life.

And I did buy a lot of flowery shit immediately thereafter. And I will continue to do so for as long as possible.

BUT, there are a million great options for boy clothes. Totally fun, funky, funny, adorable, sweet, graphic, cool options.

Here’s a totally random list of some of my fave destinations for delightful boy attire. I troll them daily looking for sales, much to the detriment of my best intentions to be a productive human being.

BODEN

Boden’s onesies are my absolute favorite in terms of durability, softness, and ridiculously adorable (yet English-countryside-chic) patterns. Classic stripes abound. And please admire the HEDGEHOGS on these suckers. HEDGEHOGS.

Boden’s socks are my favorite for boys AND girls. You get a medley of colorful, non-boring options in each cutesy little box (which make great junk drawer dividers by the by). Lots of dinos, stars, and again, stripes. Learn to embrace stripes if you want to get down with the best boy clothes. For me, Boden boy stuff starts to get pretty lame once you hit the age 4 and up category, but their baby boy/toddler stuff is glorious.

WILSON AND FRENCHY

Ok, I discovered this Australian brand late in the game, and it’s one of the biggest regrets in my life that I wasn’t able to adorn Charlie in these leggings or this ridiculous sweater. Their patterns are breathtakingly beautiful and original, and their wording makes me cry on the regular. I always, always, always come back to Wilson and Frenchy for newborn gifts. Just can’t be beat. Their packaging is also phenomenal. Sweet muslin bags and gilt letterpress all over the place. Stop with the perfection.

HANNA ANDERSSON

This ludicrous creation is legitimately called the LITTLE GUY BLAZER. Reason enough to hang it on a tiny hanger in your home as soon as possible. And obviously Hanna jammies are legendary, but now that Charlie is potty-trained (can I stop knocking on wood now?), I’m pretty obsessed with their comfy undies (adorably called unders). No tags, no icky elastic band, all cotton, all cozy. Oh, and here’s a bathing suit with boats on it.

ZARA

Another late-in-the-game discovery. Had no clue Zara sold kids’ clothes until Charlie was two, but once I made the realization, I swiftly spent several dollars on herringbone trousers and a shirt with tiny pine trees on it. Every toddler needs a pair of herringbone trousers. Zara really dominates when it comes to absurd boy leggings – in fact, I would go so far to say that I actually prefer Zara’s boy stuff to their girl stuff. Yeah, I said it. And I mean it.

Charlie has a pair of ochre leggings with wolves on them that are out of line. There’s text too – “howl.” H O W L. He also has some mustard colored leggings with graphic arrows that spice up a typical striped shirt in a really happy way. I can tell he feels jauntier when his outfit is as edgy as his personality. These cat leggings, these striped guys, and this cardigan (damn, I love me a baby in a cardigan) are also phenomenal. And if there’s one game boys are winning, it’s the shoe game. No sparkles or purple nonsense here. Check these bad boys out. Oh, and cactus suspenders.

ETSY

Probably the most addictive and fun of all the internet shopping possibilities for kids’ clothes. Please examine this hand-knit cardigan’s ELBOW PATCHES. And if you need some animals in your little guy’s life (and who ever has enough animal prints?), look no further. Dino tee, brave bear onesie, and these BISON (yes, mother*cking bison) moccasins. I really, really need to find a baby who needs these moccasins.

Cause it’s all for the babies, right?

PS: If you’re ever in Portland, Maine, and feel like imploding due to an overdose of utterly painful cute perfection, please, please, please go to Little, and do your very best not to completely obliterate your bank account.

Here’s a visual stroll down memory lane. Because cute clothes are fun to look at.