March 28, 2013

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Ever since Taylor was born I have been a fan of Tea Collection clothing for little ones. I remember shopping for her as a new mom almost 8 years ago at the only store that carries Tea Collection locally. I would stop in once a month and pick up an item here and there and even though the prices were a bit higher than your average baby clothes, the quality warranted the cost and her clothes would last longer than she would fit into them. I continued the tradition when Syd was born, and loved their take on traditional baby boy clothes, with interesting kimono wrap styles, lots of bold yet age appropriate prints and patterns, and oh the softness.

Tea Collection asked me to pack a (virtual) suitcase filled some of my favorite items for Spring Break. I figured it would be good practice for outfit styling being that we will in fact soon be going away to Los Olivos for a few days. I chose 7 items for each child based off my strategy to always try and stick with 7 clothing items (excluding pj’s) per child when packing for a trip. We never seem to go on vacation for longer than 3-4 days so 7 clothing items seems to be the magic number that gets us through the trip and keeps us packing light. Any more than that and it just ends up being extra baggage we have to carry, pack and unpack. Here’s what we would be packing for each of our kiddos on our trip to the Central Coast of California. Beginnng with Hayden I focused on simple one piece rompers for easy quick changes, and a couple of pant and top sets.  We have a few Tea layette items that we received as gifts when Hayden was born and I love how generous the fit is so they last him a long time.  He’s still very easily fitting into his 3-6 month clothes.  Shown: 1. Ubuntu Striped Romper 2-3. Kimono Baby Outfit 4-5. Reed Frog Baby Outfit 6. Soweto Kimono Romper 7. Vilakazi Stipe Footie Syd is a tough customer to shop for. He is very particular in what he’ll wear so I have to always give a lot more thought to his packing and outfit planning. He will only wear soft collared shirts so polos, not dress shirts, and he really prefers colarless, and no hoods.  He likes his printed tees to have animals that are “nice” looking, and nothing too graphic or “scary” looking like skulls and crossbones.  Actually now that I type that out loud, it sounds like his tastes are very much in line for what a 5 year old boy should have 😉  Shown: 1. Tutu Print Polo 2. Purity Tee for layering when it gets cold because he hates wearing jackets 3. Sharp Sharp Beach Shorts 4. Elephant Sunrise Tee 5. Vilakazi Stripe Purity Tee 6. Sharp Sharp Chinos 7. Vans Old School velcro shoe because he refuses to learn to tie his own shoes just yet 😉 Taylor is fun and easy to pack for because she’s pretty easy going and she’s out of the “only wears pink” phase.  She loves trying different colors and styles and will wear just about anything.  It was really fun packing this virtual suitcase for her, and my favorite piece is the pop of neon of course! Shown: 1. Lychee Twirl Dress 2. Leggings (I have to say that I love that Tea coordinates all their dresses with leggings.  I think it is such a sweet, age appropriate look for girls.  It keeps my 7 year old looking like a 7 year old:) 3. Brush Flower Tab Shoulder Tee 4. Paperbag Shorts 5. Happy Hoodie 6. Skinny French Terry Cargo 7. Saltwater Sandals (we acutally own these in Silver and they’re the only sandal I’ll buy for her each summer now.  They last so long and go with everything, and she is comfortable in them, which is so important when they’re running non stop!)

So there you have it!  That was fun.  What are some essentials you pack for trips with the kids, and how much do you usually let them bring along?  We allow them their small suitcase with clothes, pj’s and shoes, and then there backpack is fair game.  Whatever amount of toys they can fit in it and still carry and close, they’re allowed to bring is our rule.

Would you like to pack yourself up a real suitcase of Tea Collection items for your little one?  Enter below for a chance to win a $75 shop credit to Tea Collection! And there’s a second opportunity to win another $75 shop credit on Instagram! Follow me over there @fourflights to enter!
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