How to Make Kids’ Summer Clothes Winter-Ready

Winter has its charms for sure, but one of them is certainly not the annual agony of refreshing the kids’ wardrobes with a world of new winter garments they’ll of course grow out of by this time next year. The trouble is, given the way in which they inevitably carry more weight and material, winter clothes tend to be massively more expensive for kids than summer clothes and even autumn lines.

However, one of the most, perhaps the only positive thing that can be said about the weather in the UK is the way in which Brits are for the most part blessed with winters that are in comparative terms incredibly mild. The mercury rarely drops below freezing and snow is a rarity to say the least – this year of course having proved an exception, but generally speaking is really does hardly ever snow across most of the UK.

What this amounts to is a situation wherein it is usually unnecessary to stock up on the most expensive of Arctic-ready wares for kids, plus one that gives huge scope for making existing clothing items and wardrobe go much further than their specified seasons alone.

Consider the following ways and means of stretching out a summer wardrobe to cover much of the winter: 

Think Layers

For girls and boys alike, the end of the summer months usually means the shelving of their favourite summer tops, t-shirts, dresses, short-sleeves shirts and so on – many of which will of course be too small the next time summer rolls around. So, why not stretch out their life a little longer by thinking more along the lines of layering this year? Rather than covering them in massive coats and jackets, the same warmth can in many instances be created by layering up with long-sleeved t-shirts and thermals underneath.

Hooded Tops

A tip that requires forethought admittedly but good-quality hoodies are just as much use in the autumn and winter as they are in the summer. Go for those with fleece linings or thicker fabrics and chances are it will come in handy long into the coldest months.

Warm Legwear 

For girls that simply cannot bear to say goodbye to their favourite party dress this winter, it’s perfectly possible to make all the difference in the world simply by adding a pair of warm leggings –or a couple of pairs of thinner leggings. Leggings cost next to nothing and don’t come close to the expense of buying new winter clothes – a guaranteed time and hassle saver.

Beefed-Up Socks

Yes you’ll need to make sure they’re covered if and when the snow and rain falls, but when it comes to keeping them warm in the general cold of the winter months, thicker socks do exactly the same job as massively expensive insulated shoes for a fraction of the price. Chances are those three-figure trainers won’t fit come summer, so for the love of all that’s holy get as much use as possible out of them now!

Add Accessories

And finally, another excellent tip for stretching out the usable life of a kid’s summer wardrobe is to think more of accessorising than replacing. In other words, think of ways and means to keep them warm in terms of hats, gloves, scarfs, tights, earmuffs and so on, which can be picked up for next to nothing and put together to create some undeniably darling looks.


By Ella Stevens

Ella Stevens is a frustrated fashion and design addict currently working in administration for a local primary school. She likes nothing more than sharing her young fashion tips and insights with the world, regularly contributing to several leading fashion blogs.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored guest post, however I only post relevant information that I feel may benefit my readers such as this wonderful article.