Gender neutral clothing is “in” for a number of reasons. Whether you’re a new (grand)parent-t0-be, or planning for your second or third or beyond, gender neutral clothing is practical and popular.
It’s not just gray and white. (Mixed with pale yellow and mint green.) Gender-free clothing comes in trendy earth tones and bright colorful palettes. And gender-free silhouettes and styles are “in” for a number of other reasons, too.
The Thrill of Waiting Until Birth to “Find Out”
While I know I couldn’t contain my curiosity for 9 long months, it seems that some parents can. They enjoy the thrill of anticipation. But you still need to shop for baby layette, clothing, and nursery gear in the meantime.
Kids Claiming Their Own Gender Pronouns
Just because a baby is born male doesn’t mean he’ll choose to remain so. More and more people, especially kids and teens, are claiming their gender pronouns. These pronouns don’t always align with their sex at birth.
For some parents, gender neutral baby clothing means they’re not imposing a gender on their child. It can start at birth with opting to designate an “X” on the birth certificate (instead of Male or Female) and bringing home baby in unisex baby clothes.
No Drama Hand-me-downs for Younger Siblings
While quite literally, any child can wear any cut, print, or color, kids can pick up very definite ideas. There are boys who refuse “girls” clothes and girls who refuse “boys” clothes. (And boys who refuse “boy” clothes and girls who refuse “girl” clothes too.) By keeping things gender neutral, it’ll be easier to pass hand-me-downs to younger sibling. There’ll be less pushback and fighting.
Instead of buying a separate wardrobe for a girl, and then a boy, you’ll only need to buy a wardrobe once when you use unisex baby clothing. (Although you may need to replace the odd garment here and there.)
While you may love the fun of buying cute baby clothes, nothing looks as cute as graduating from college debt-free. You can tuck away those extra funds in a college savings plan. Even a few dollars a month can make a huge difference.
Gender Neutral Clothing Has Better Resale Value
Buying used clothing is a thing. Adults, teens, and kids love thrifting and buying secondhand. I’ve admired numerous garments of friends and coworkers, only to be proudly told that it was a $3 find from Goodwill or an online resale group. And selling used clothes is trendier than ever. Even clothes bought in used condition can be re-sold again (and again). Many higher-quality kids’ brands hold their re-sale value quite well. And used gender neutral clothing re-sells better than gender specific clothing.
Gender Neutral Clothing is “In”
And as alluded to above, minimalist clothing is having a moment. Clean, modern lines and earth toned colors are “in” in a big way. Even uber-colorful brands like Hanna Andersson and Carter’s have added nature-based hues into their juvenile color palettes. Hip, fashion-lovers are embracing gender-neutral clothing because they love the sleek lines and modern feel of this trend.
It’s not all gray and white, or muted shades of green and yellow. You can find gender neutral in vibrant Mediterranean colors and in muted earth-tone hues.
10 Gender Neutral Baby Clothes and Children’s Clothes Brands to Know
The prices of these brands vary greatly, even within a brand. With Bobo Choses, for example, you can shop clearance items (there are always markdowns) for $15, or pants for $58. The price spreads are bananas.
Here’s a rough key to price labels:
- $: Most items are $5 to $14
- $$: Most items are $15 – $49
- $$$: Most items are $50 – $99
1 | L’ovedbaby | Price Range: $$
L’ovedbaby is a California-based brand that makes soft, gorgeous clothing made from 100% pure organic cotton. L’ovedbaby sells gowns, caps, onesies, pajamas, tops, bottoms, and other separates. The brand is committed to ethical and safe garment production. All L’ovedbaby garments are heirloom quality, so they’re tough enough to survive loads of washes and be based down to younger siblings. Shop the label at Lovedbaby.com or on buybuy BABY.
2 | Carter’s | Price Range: $
The name Carter’s is pretty much synonymous with baby clothes. Carter’s sells quite a lot of gender neutral newborn clothes (and larger sizes too). The styles aren’t cutting edge, but with promo codes and coupons you can always find a good deal. Plus Carter’s is sold at every mass retailer that sells baby clothes. You can find the label everywhere. You can shop Carter’s on Carters.com, Macy’s, Kohl’s, JCPenney, Target, or Walmart.
3 | Mini Rodini | Price Range: $$-$$$
Mini Rodini is a higher-end designer label that sells ethical and sustainable kids and bay clothes. All of their garments are organic or made from recycled textiles. The prints are modern, playful, quirky – and a little bit cheeky. And Mini Rodini retains its resale value like mad. It’s possible to buy a $68 footed sleeper (yikes!), dress three kids in it, and then resell it for $40 or more. You can shop seasonal sales and end-of-season clearances to find pieces for $10 to $25. You can shop Mini Rodini on MiniRodini.com or in higher end boutiques.
4 | Bobo Choses | Price Range: $$ – $$$
Bobo Choses is a fun, playful Spanish children’s designer brand. The cuts, colors, and styles are all designed to be unisex. The prints are playful and whimsical, and you can see the Mediterranean influence in the colors and design. Like the last brand, Bobo Choses is spendy upfront. But the quality is impeccable and it can stand up to kids, and washing machines, who play rough. You can shop Bobo Choses on BoboChoses.com or in higher end boutiques.
5 | Goumi Kids | Price Range: $$
Many people know of Goumi Kids because it was featured on Shark Tank. As a mom, I can assure you their zipper down pajamas are genius. They are the softest, thickest fabric I’ve found anywhere for zippies. They have reinforced knees and attached fold over mittens and booties that are thick and cozy. Shop Goumi Kids on GoumiKids.com, or find a limited selection of merchandise sold on Target.com.
6 | Baby Mori | Price Range: $$
Babu Mori sells ultra-soft, high-quality organic children’s clothing. Sleep sacks, onesies, and rompers are among their bestsellers. You can get 10% off your first order when you sign up for emails, and earn cash back rebates on your Mori purchase.
7 | Colored Organics | Price Range: $$
Colored Organics is an organic line of clothing for babies and toddlers. Their unisex baby clothes are soft as butter and come in colors and prints based on nature. Spendier upfront (Colored Organics is a more boutique brand), the clothing holds up incredibly well and sales and promotions are frequent. Shop the label on ColoredOrganics.com, or there’s a more limited selection available on buybuy BABY.
8 | Burt’s Bees Baby | Price Range: $-$$
Burt’s Bees sells soft, organic gender neutral baby clothes at budget friendly prices. In addition to unisex baby clothes, you can shop pajamas, loungewear, and separates for toddlers, older kids, and adults. In fact, many families turn to Burt’s Bees as an affordable retailer to shop for matching family pajamas. Shop the label at BurtsBeesBaby.com, buybuy BABY, or Target.
9 | Tenth and Pine | Price Range: $$
Tenth and Pine sells sustainable and certified organic onesies, gowns, swaddles, tees, rompers, bonnets, top knots, and nursery layette for babies and toddlers. Their bodysuits and tees with fun prints, quotes, and typography, are especially popular. They’re pricier ($30 for a long-sleeve bodysuit, anyone?) but again, sales are frequent. Also, the brand re-sells well on online consignment sites like Mercari and Kidizen. Shop Tenth and Pine on Nordstrom or on TenthandPine.com.
10 | Monica + Andy | Price Range: $ – $$
Monica and Andy sells super-soft organic cotton clothing and baby gear in solids and popular prints and designs. They sell bodysuits, rompers, one-pieces, pants, tops, shorts, leggings, sweaters, pajamas, and anything else you could need for your baby’s wardrobe. And nursery: they sell a ton of baby gear and gift sets too. Shop Monica + Andy on MonicaandAndy.com.
Final Thoughts on Gender Neutral Baby Clothes
For some of the brands, you may get a bit of sticker shock looking at the labels. But there’s value in buying at least 1 or 2 really high-quality, gender neutral baby garments. And you can always add them to your baby registry so you’re asking other family to splurge at your baby shower or a birthday.
Not only is gender neutral super on-trend for toddler clothes now, it’s practical look that stands the test of time.
And even though you’re buying gender neutral now for your new baby or toddler, you can change things up later when your son clamors for a frilly, pink skirt or your daughter asks for cool boy clothes. Or vice versa.
Related: You’re planning baby’s cute wardrobe, plan for baby’s cute future too. Nothing looks as cute as graduating from college debt-free. Start saving for college now with a 529 plan. It’s free to open many 529 plans, and when you link it to the free Upromise rewards portal you can get $30.29 free for your child’s college.