The Best Girls’ Dress Up Clothes

Buying Guide

At one time, playing pretend meant fashioning sheets and towels into costumes. But today’s children can have more sophisticated costumes that they switch out on a daily basis. With just a quick change, your child can become someone else entirely.

Whether you’re looking for dress-up clothes for your daughter, niece, granddaughter or child of a friend, you’ll find there are quite a few options. Playtime could mean dressing up like a doctor or fireman, but it could also mean becoming a princess or a unicorn.

The best thing about dress-up clothes today is that they’re typically sold with all the accessories your little one will need. Your girl will be able to put on whatever clothing evokes her favorite identity, and will also get to use jewelry, hats, and even badges to add authenticity to career-based costumes.

Those accessories may limit the age ranges, though. Your younger children may find that costumes aren’t recommended for them simply because the smaller accessories become choking hazards. You’ll also have to pay attention to sizes. Many dress-up sets are designed to be “one size fits most,” which means you may have a harder time finding costumes that fits children outside of a specified age range.

• Washability is a consideration when you’re buying something that children will be wearing. Some dress-up pieces are machine washable, although you probably will want to hang them to dry, especially if they have decorative elements.
• Costumes that are sold in sets can come in handy since they’ll let your child change up playtime. Some tops and bottoms and even accessories are made to mix and match, which makes the costumes more versatile.
• You’ll need somewhere to store the costumes and accessories between uses. If your costume doesn’t come in a trunk, set some space aside for this storage. Consider how accessible you want the dress-up pieces to be to your child.
• Often the trunks that come with costume sets aren’t quite as sturdy as they look in pictures. They’re great for gifting, but if you buy costumes for your children to keep for years, you might need to purchase a box or trunk for it.
• Some children get attached to their dress-up clothes, even wanting to wear them for movie night or a birthday party or even to bed. Check the material to make sure it won’t irritate your child’s skin if worn for more than a few hours.
• Sizing can be tricky with dress-up clothes. While some are designed to fit a range of sizes and ages, that means the items will be larger on younger children. If you want a snugger fit, look for a costume that lets you buy by the size.