2T or Not 2T

When I was a child, the changing of the season signaled the day in which I would have to try on every item in my closet and parade them in front of my mother. My mother would inspect each piece of clothing making sure it fit and was in good shape. She would pull out the hand-me-downs I'd received from my sister, cousin, and neighbors and have me try on all of those clothes as well. After the pile had been sorted through my mother would go back through the clothes and evaluate what was left. She would draw up a list of items that I needed. The list would look something like this: 1 blue turtleneck, a red sweater, 1 pair blue jeans, brown corduroys, green long sleeved shirt and socks.

I never thought anything of this process that we would endure twice a year at the change of the season, except that I dreaded it. At the end of the process and a few shopping trips, I would have a complete wardrobe that consisted of several outfits but that was also fully coordinated. I could wear any number of shirts with a particular skirt that also matched several pairs of pants. I grew up thinking that everyone did this.

By the time I reached high school I was evaluating my closet by myself. When I went to college I found out that not everyone evaluated their clothing this way. I was so surprised when my friend fell in love with a skirt and took it back to our apartment only to find she did not have something to wear with it! I had learned to review my closet choices in my head before making any purchase!

When it came time to purchase a work wardrobe, I developed color schemes that every piece I purchased would have to match. I had a red-black-grey and orange-green-brown, if I kept these color schemes in mind when purchasing, everything I bought would be interchangeable.

So now I am evaluating my daughter's fall wardrobe. This fall she will begin wearing one size and probably grow into another by the end of the season. Because she is 2 1/2, I know I will not be able to have her try on all of her 2T clothes to see what can be worn this fall. So I will have to put all of the clothes in her closet and learn by trial and error. Fortunately, I also have purchased some 3T clothing at the thrift store and have a few hand-me-downs. So I will use both sizes and just put things aside as I realize she has outgrown them.

I did however, analyze her clothing and put outfits together to see what she has for the season. I came up with my own list of items to pick up at the fall consignment sales: black turtleneck, red turtleneck, white turtleneck, red tights, light pink long sleeved shirt, and a black cardigan.

I know that with those few items she will have a complete fall wardrobe whether in 2T or 3T and that every skirt or pant choice has at least one matching top to go with it!