I love how they play together! B always looks forward to hanging out with Mara and Wes.

How cute are his little glasses 😍 And the “wild one” shirt perfectly describes him lol.

OBSESSED with all her little pom pom socks and the size variation with the sweatshirt.

Are your girls obsessed with stuffed animals 🙂 Still her favorite thing to buy 🙂

I want her sweatshirt in a grown up size! (40% off right now)

| MARA | : POM POM SWEATSHIRT (ON SALE 40% OFF) | TULLE SKIRT | SNEAKERS |  POLKA DOT SOCKS | BACKPACK | SCRUNCHIE | STUFFED HIPPO |

| WES | : GRAPHIC TEE | JEANS (40% OFF!) | CAMO SNEAKERS (UNDER $20!)| BACKPACK 

| BECKAM | : PATCHED SWEATSHIRT | JEANS (40% OFF!) | SNEAKERS 

I can’t believe summer break has come to an end! It’s bittersweet because I love having the kids home from school and getting to spend so much time together, but the excitement of back to school shopping softens the string a little. 🙂 I always looked forward to back to school shopping when I was a kid and it’s been just as much fun as a parent now! Here are 4 back-to-school style pieces that every kid needs for the year ahead.

1. Something fun! You will never regret investing in a statement piece that your kids get excited to wear. Sure they might try to wear it 3 days in a row, but there are worse things, right? 😉 Mara loved this pom-pom sweatshirt and tulle skirt. It’s a fun outfit to throw into their school clothes rotation and every kid needs an outfit they feel extra special in and I love this one! It’s so fun to see the kids’ personality and style develop as they get older every year.
2. Staples they can mix and match. This is one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in buying kids clothes. The more versatile and mixable the pieces you buy, the more use you’ll get out of them. Think solids, layers, and classic patterns like stripes or camo. Gymboree’s latest campaign has lots of options to mix and match so just a few new pieces can go a long way and create multiple outfits.
3. Graphics. There’s a happy middle ground between busy prints and basic solids and it’s call graphics! They are a great way to let the kids’ personality show through and can help break up the patterned and solid pieces they own. I love the fun patches on this graphic pullover and it’s also pretty accurate. 😉
4. Everything comfortable. If it’s not comfy, my kids won’t wear it. (Actually, I’m the same way with my clothes haha!) So the biggest things to look for are comfort and quality – pieces that can handle whatever kids throw at them. That’s especially true of denim, which probably gets the brunt of a fun day. Love the jeans we found for Wes and B which are really soft and still durable. Gymboree is dialing up the comfort and softness of their line, so it’s a great destination for quality pieces.

What are some of the things you guys look for when back to school shopping? Do you love it as much as I do? If you haven’t checked out Gymboree’s Made-You-Smile campaign this season, let me know what you think!

XX, Christine

*In collaboration with Gymboree.