Matching outfits for baby, toddler, siblings, and family – the complete guide

Looking for coordinated or matching outfits for baby, toddler, siblings, and family? Look no further, help has arrived! I’m sharing all of our matching resources that we use for our matching girls features, where we get all of our family outfits, pro tips for how to match multiple ages, and which stores have matching resources that you can use to find the perfect outfits for all of your matching needs. 

About me and my matching girls

My girls match every day, all day, no matter what. For 5+ years now {yes, that’s YEARS} they have coordinated clothing from head to toe. It’s a rare day that you will run into them and they won’t look just like each other, as that only happens for extra curricular activities or when my oldest is required to wear something for an activity or sport my youngest doesn’t participate in. Most people assume that this was my choice, but I actually resisted a bit in the beginning when my oldest announced they were “matching girls”, especially the thought of completely starting over with their wardrobes. But, eventually I learned to just embrace it.

Now, I absolutely love their commitment to matching and am positively dreading that day when one of them decides they are done… and not just because almost every single clothing item they own is coordinated so it would require a whole lot of shopping. 

Matching sisters is just who they are, and I adore it. Everywhere they go, everyone they meet is so incredibly excited to see them dressed like each other, and you can see on my daughters’ faces how happy that makes them. Sometimes, my son will even decide he wants in on the fun and asks to match his sisters, too. So, each season I shop coordinating clothes so he can have a few items of clothing in his closet that he can wear to match them as well. 

Leanne, the expert on all things matching

As you can imagine, in the past 5+ years I have become an expert on matching and coordinating clothing. As I have been designated the authority on the subject, people stop me everywhere and ask where our clothing is from. Friends, neighbors, and even people I don’t even know, reach out to me a few times a week wondering where on Earth I find all these matching outfits for my family.

Until now, I’ve been messaging them all and sharing my favorite stores. But, because matching outfits is clearly such a sought-after commodity, I thought I would throw together a post sharing my favorite matching brands for the different ages. The following are the stores that are best for hunting for matching outfits, and includes tips on how to shop the store for the easiest matching experience, which may have affiliate links included when applicable.

PRO TIP for shopping for matching outfits for baby, toddler, siblings, and family:

If you are buying for a baby and an older kid, keep in mind that the baby will grow *so much faster* than the older child during the first few years. If you really, really love a matching style, buy two sizes for the younger child so you can enjoy matching for a much longer time. Trust me when I say that it’s a sad day when the little one grows out of a beloved piece of clothing that the older child still very much fits into and adores.

We learned this lesson the hard way and I started buying at least two different sized outfits for the little one whenever possible to keep up our matching outfits for baby, toddler, sibling, and family.

 

Matching baby to kid outfits

Most stores have different styles and patterns for their baby clothes {typically 0-24 months} and toddler clothes {typically 2T to 4T}, which are also different than their kids clothing {typically 4T and up}. This age-specific clothing distinction makes finding matching newborn and older kid clothing somewhat of a rare unicorn. Especially frustrating is when stores do similar styles, but are cut different or even have clashing colors up close or look nothing alike. Why, stores, whyyyy?

As hard as matching clothing for baby to child might be, there are some awesome matching options from some really great kids retailers, and they are listed below in our complete guide to matching outfits for baby, toddler, siblings, and family:

Peek Clothing –

Peek is one of my favorite stores for my girls’ clothing because the styles match exactly. Same patterns, same cut, just made for different sized kids. There are only a few styles that aren’t made in both baby and kid sizes, like their newborn line and a few accessories. But, for the most part you can shop in one size and then just pick up the corresponding size for the other child, which makes for an awesome shopping experience.

Shop their sale and load up when you find that perfect style because their clothing is some of the best made we’ve ever bought. My girls have literally worn certain Peek styles once per week for my little one’s entire life and they still look brand new, which makes them worth the investment.

Oshkosh B’Gosh –

We found the Oshkosh outlet at just the right time for my little matching girls and it has been responsible for a good portion of their matching wardrobe. Not every style matches for baby and kid, so you are going to be walking from size to size trying to memorize patterns in order to match, but it makes it much more exciting when you do find that matching print and pattern.

I would recommend shopping the baby section first and specifically avoiding the whole back wall of baby basics – those aren’t available in the older kids’ sizes. When shopping the baby section first, I try to look for more mature prints and have had a good success rate at guessing which ones will also be found in the older girls’ section. Be sure to shop clearance, too, because we’ve found the clearance section to be the best place to score a huge bag of matching clothing at great deals.

Carter’s –

For baby to kid, you just can’t beat Carter’s for selection. If the older child you are matching wears anything under size 8, matching is fairly simple and straightforward. While they do carry some clothing up to 12, it is much more limited, especially in certain stores. Like Oshkosh, not every style matches for baby and kid, so you are going to be walking back and forth from baby to child clothing in order to match.

Unlike like Oshkosh, I would recommend shopping the kids’ section first since the bigger sizes have less to choose from and then move to the baby section next. Be sure to shop clearance, too!

Gymboree –

We love the quality and the cuteness of Gymboree, except the fact that not every pattern comes in both baby and child sizes. The whole back wall of layette or baby necessities aren’t offered in older sizes, which can be maddening if you have an infant. One of our pet peeves: as you shop you will see that sometimes the styles will be slightly different for baby and child. Typically, they will be in the same fabric pattern, or they will coordinate but not match exactly. This drives my girls crazy as they don’t like semi-matching, but we do have a few sets that we couldn’t pass up.

Hanna Andersson –

Similar to Gymboree, you will find that not every style in the Hanna Andersson collection comes in both baby and child. But, you can often find slightly modified styles for both sizes if you get lucky. If you are set on matching exactly, just stick to the basics and you can usually find some great styles. Note: their sizing is a bit weird to grasp since it uses European sizes {80cm – 160cm} and most of us have no idea where our kids fall in this range. But, once you get the hang of the Hanna Andersson sizing, it’s super easy to shop their sizes.

Matching toddler to kid outfits

This is admittedly easier than baby to child, but most stores still have different styles and patterns for toddler and older kids. Unfortunately, it’s still more difficult than you might think to get the exact match. To help you out, I’ve included my favorite stores for matching styles for really young toddlers and the older group:

Peek Clothing –

Peek is still one of the easiest to match different sizes since their styles are pretty consistent from toddler to child. While their selection doesn’t usually include lots of dressier and special occasion outfits, Peek Kids rocks the everyday look.  I personally love how much style and flair their pieces have.

Oshkosh B’gosh –

As your child moves from baby to toddler at Oshkosh, matching becomes super easy. Their basics all coordinate from toddler on up and they always have a few styles each season that are matching. There are still some styles that don’t cross the age ranges, but many do and are ideal for every day play clothes.

LuLaRoe –

Once your child hits 2T {S/M}, you can start the #LuLaLove and shop their child sizes that go up through 12/14 {L/XL}, and beyond. With leggings, dresses, or shirts, you could create a whole wardrobe. The one catch: only 2500 pieces are made out of each pattern. Because of this you have to be willing to be flexible, or hope that you’re lucky enough to find matching or coordinating LuLaRoe prints.

Gymboree –

Matching clothing at Gymboree gets exponentially easier the older your baby gets. Once they hit 2T, most styles color coordinate nicely with other older sizes up to 12. There are still many styles that are only available from 4T on up, but if you ask for help the employees can assist you in finding the best coordinating and matching sets. From my experience, you can usually find a few awesome matching/coordinating pieces each season. 

Hanna Andersson –

Now that you’ve gotten the hang of the Hanna Andersson European sizing, it’s actually one of the easiest to shop. It’s simple to find matching, or at least coordinating, styles from toddler {18mo} to child. Their basics are especially easy to match, but my girls prefer their dressier outfits. Now that my little one is getting into toddler sizes, we’ve just discovered the joy that is the Hanna dress. So fun and girly, but still super comfortable.

The Disney Store –

While their baby section is pretty baby-ish since they focus on the layette styles and only go up to 24 months, their 2T+ {or XXS} clothing typically coordinates. You can find 2T or XXS outfits easily that match really well all the way up to size 12 {or L}. The exceptions to this are clothing items from shows and movies that are geared toward the younger crowd or aimed at tweens that don’t have a lot of fan overlap between the ages.

Stick with the basics, the Animators collection, and the movies and shows with mass appeal to find matching toddler and older child sets fairly easily.

Tea Collection –

Once your younger child hits 2T sizes, you can shop their Everyday Play Sets and separates that coordinate up to size 12. I love Tea clothing because it is extremely well made, which is a big plus for me.

Matching 4T to 12 Outfits

Congrats, you’ve reached the pinnacle of matching! This is the point at which matching outfits is as easy as finding a style you like and picking up the sizes that fit your children. The world is your {matching} oyster! Add things to your cart with abandon and enjoy the joy that is matching outfits without all the hassle… at least until one of your children moves to the juniors sizes.

Matching boys and girls sibling outfits

Matching between the genders is tricky no matter what the age, but these are a few of my favorite go-to stores for finding coordinating or matching items:

Gymboree –

Hands down, Gymboree is my favorite place to go for boy and girl coordinating holiday outfits, special occasion and more. The patterns aren’t typically identical, but they coordinate nicely and look great for family pictures. We’ve been shopping matching/coordinating clothing for my older two for years and now it’s great for finding clothing for all three to coordinate.

I’m so excited that Gymboree made a comeback after they went out of business last year and cannot wait to visit one of their stores again and get my Gymboree fix. 

Peek Clothing –

While their girls and boys lines don’t usually match {there are a few exceptions, of course}, Peek does have the same themes in boys and girls each season. From shirts about punctuation, national parks, and history, they always have shirts that coordinate from boy to girl.

Hanna Andersson –

Shop their signature stripes collection and you will find that just about everything matches, or at least coordinates. This is true from boy to girl, baby to adult. I especially love their super-thick and comfortable pajamas that typically coordinate really well across the genders. 

LuLaRoe –

Did you know LuLaRoe has boy’s stuff, too? I know of boys who only wear LuLaRoe because of how soft their fabrics are, which makes sense. If you can get your kiddos to agree on a print or a style, then matching {or, at the very least, coordinating}, is a good possibility. Isn’t this picture from my friend Mariah over at The Simple Parent of these siblings in coordinating LuLaRoe adorable?

The Children’s Place –

I love The Children’s Place for dressier clothing that coordinates. Around the holidays especially they have coordinating clothing for boys and girls that’s picture perfect and ready for parties. While we don’t buy many basics here, I do love their leggings and tanks as well for all-season wear. 

The Disney Store –

While they don’t have many actual matching outfits, The Disney Store does have coordinating t-shirts for boys and girls. We scored some Original Mousketeers shirts for the kiddos and their cousins {red for girls, grey for boys} for our Disney World trip. We even got one for grandma, which was a big hit, both in the park and at home.

Matching Mommy & Me outfits

Matching Mommy and Me outfits have been one of the most frustrating things I have ever tried to find. It seems like every family I know finds matching outfits for family pictures. But, whenever you ask where they found those awesome matching mommy and me items, they have some story. It seems like it’s always a fluke that they found them or one is from the thrift store or hand-me-down from a cousin. But, actually finding matching items in-store? Almost unheard of.

Here are some places to start searching online for matching clothes for you and your mini-me:

Hanna Andersson –

Did you know that Hanna Andersson has grown-up clothes, too? Me, either! In one of our many shopping trips to Hanna over the past few months, I happened upon a rack of women’s clothes in the clearance. It just about blew my mind but the clerks said their selection was all online. If you are wanting to match your little one, you can search their super awesome Matching Family page where you can shop right from their current collections in multiple sizes. How awesome is that?

Old Navy –

While they are definitely not matching, I do appreciate the mommy & me outfits tab on OldNavy.com. You can find styles done with the same print in some cases or similar styles in different patterns which would be adorable for family pictures.

See the picture above with my whole family in Old Navy? The kids section had the dresses my girls are wearing, but in women’s the same pattern was only available in a shirt. Our sweaters are also slightly different colors, but we thought they looked matchy enough. The boys/mens styles, however, matched exactly. Go figure. 

Keep in mind that when shopping in store, you will be traipsing back and forth from the adult section to the kids’ section over and over again. This makes it kind of a paint trying to find styles that match or coordinate, but I’ve done it successfully numerous times. If you don’t have the patience for that, visit their Mommy and Me clothing tab first. That way you can at least have a good starting point when shopping in person.

LuLaRoe –

Although I still haven’t tried LuLaRoe, the matching mommy and me looks are the biggest pull for me. Seeing the moms with the leggings that match their little ones makes me almost think I could pull off leggings. Rumor has it that they often have coordinating pieces for mommy and me like shirts and dresses. Mariah told me that for Mother’s Day they usually have actual matching pieces, which I love. This is me setting my calendar with a reminder to visit LuLaRoe by Carey and Mariah before May.

Zulily –

It may be a deal of the day site that changes constantly, but they almost always have mommy and me styles to choose from. The bummer is that you can’t try on anything and it would be hard to return a 2pc {or, in my case, 3pc} set if one person ended up not loving it. But, if you stick with classic styles you hopefully won’t have to do much returning.  If you’re lucky you will find an awesome set of matching outfits for baby, toddler, siblings, and family.

Etsy –

Oh, how I love Etsy. Whenever I’m searching for something I can’t seem to find anywhere, Etsy always has it. If you are looking for a specific mommy and me look, just have someone on Etsy make you a custom set!

Sports team apparel – 

Still struggling to find matching clothing for your crew? Try going coordinating with clothing from your favorite sports team. I love this picture of all of us in our Seahawks jerseys, and it’s one of my favorites from fall. 

J Crew –

While it might take you a while to shop J Crew for matching mommy-and-me styles, they do exist. When you find them in your sizes and styles, you have to scoop them up right away. I found these awesome shirts for me and my girls this year and while they don’t match exactly, they are as close as we’ve ever found, anywhere.

Go with white and jean –

When all else fails, go with the tried and true white and blue jean matching motif. Just about every retailer makes white clothing and jeans in every age and size. This is one of the easiest ways to get coordinating outfits for pictures and why it’s so popular in extended family shots. Try H&M, The GAP, Old Navy, or a big department store like Macy’s, JC Penney, or Kohl’s.

Good luck and happy shopping for coordinating and matching outfits for baby, toddler, siblings, and family!

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Is there somewhere you recommend that I didn’t mention for matching outfits for baby, toddler, siblings, and family?

Feel free to comment with your favorite matching clothing source!