Dad Style, Shirts & Clothing – How To Dress Well With Children

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Once you become a father, your interest in clothing and style doesn’t change, however the demands of parenting require some creative adaption regarding your wardrobe. If you’re a father of young children, your little one’s needs take priority over a new blazer, a pair of oxfords or a signet ring, but that doesn’t mean you have to switch to sweats until your kids are in junior high.

In today’s guide we show you how you can dress well as a dad and what items to incorporate into your wardrobe.

We all know that eBay is an excellent place to find great deals on clothing that would otherwise be ridiculously expensive for the average gentleman. Between eBay, Craigslist, flea markets and thrift stores, there is no shortage of apparel for the sartorially-savvy man. So what differentiates the average man on a low budget from a father? The short answer is boogers.

The average toddler gets around seven colds a year, and they last an average of three weeks. You do the math. That means that on any given day, a parent is dealing with the side effects of an illness in addition to mealtime messes, diaper duty, the occasional discovery of a jar of shaving cream.

There is no stylish way to carry a baby carrier - just suck it up and deal with it
There is no stylish way to carry a baby carrier – just suck it up and deal with it

So how can you maintain a wardrobe on a budget with kids and avoid ruining clothes that not even a dry cleaner will touch? From one father to another, here are some tips and tricks.

Budget Finds

By now, most of you know the key ways to find a wardrobe for less. Where to buy clothes, how to find good deals and what to look for from a quality perspective. Instead, in this article, we’re going to focus on what items to buy, how to keep them clean and how to change a diaper in a bow tie.

Me playing with my daugther wearing a suit and bow tie
Sven Raphael playing with his daughter wearing a suit and bow tie.

The Essentials

In most cases, when we refer to essentials we’re talking the gray suit, the navy blazer, the black captoe oxfords. When it comes to the dad’s wardrobe, it’s more about the material than anything. A father is nothing short of a jungle gym. If you’re anything like me, you have clothes you wear in the house and ones you wear outside. The house clothes are just a down-sized version of the full outfit. Assuming you enjoy wearing business attire, here’s how you can keep your wardrobe intact and clean.

1. Be keenly aware of what can and cannot be easily cleaned in your wardrobe.

Let’s face it; you don’t have a lot of time to spend ironing and steaming your shirts or treat your cashmere sweaters the way they deserve it.

You also don’t want to spend your time at the dry cleaners. Hence chose items that are easily washable like cotton over wool or cashmere. Of course, you can still wear your wool suits and dress clothes, but expect to get drooled on. So maybe don’t wear your favorite items around the kids all the time.

You will get dirty with kids, guaranteed - choose clothes that you can easily machine wash at home
You will get dirty with kids, guaranteed – choose clothes that you can easily machine wash at home

2. Don’t wear clothes you’re not willing to get dirty around your kids & Get Cotton Cloths

The best way to avoid getting your clothes dirty is to change your work clothes as soon as you get home. Maybe you have a mudroom where you can do that or you have to get a little more creative, but a house wardrobe is your friend. Maybe you can enlist your partner’s help if need be or maybe it is possible for you to change at the office or the gym.

When you have little ones, it pays to have have a burp cloths handy so you can wipe noses and clean up quickly or prevent clothes from getting stained in the first place. In our opinion, cotton diaper cloths are best, as they are effective, inexpensive and easy to wash. Of course, they are also gentle and soft on your babies’ skin. You can never have too many of them. In the beginning, I wondered we needed 20 of them, now I think 20 is the minimum.

3. Keep a Second Set of Clothes Handy

If you’ve seen the movie The Transporter, you probably remember the scene where he opens the trunk of his car and has a second identical suit in it. Copy that. At some point in your career as a parent, you will inevitably end up going out in public without realizing you’re wearing a special gift.

A second outfit in the car or at the office can be a lifesaver. Or both. Stick with staple outfits that can be used in various scenarios and paired with clean items you’re already wearing.

The navy blazer, a gray suit, a red tie, and a white dress shirt. It may be a little boring, but it’s clean.

4. Adjust your everyday wardrobe to better suit your family lifestyle

You never want to not play with your kids because your clothes are too precious. So, the best course of action is to add more easily washable clothes to your everyday rotation. 

That means

  • Cotton khakis and corduroys
  • Cotton Polo shirts
  • Cotton cardigans and sweaters and vests
Cotton Cardigans and sweaters are your friend when you have little ones
Cotton Cardigans and sweaters are your friends when you have little ones

Buy Multiples

Sweaters are easy to layer over a dress shirt and a tie. They make you still look put together but they also protect the layer underneath. If you like certain items, consider buying multiples of them, as they may get ruined. So, found a great pair of pants you love? Buy 2 or 3 pairs

Bow Ties Not Neck Ties

Keep in mind, bow ties are a lot more practical than neckties with kids as they are smaller and won’t get stained as easily. Of course, anything that hangs from your neck will get touched but bow ties have less surface area to get a hold off.

The classic Eton Red Ribbon shirt in white
The classic Eton Red Ribbon shirt in white

Wrinkle-Resistant Dress Shirts & Ironing

Personally, we have never been a fan of run-of-the-mill wrinkle-resistant or non-iron dress shirts. Why? Most are treated with formaldehyde which makes the shirt feel plasticky and it loses the wrinkle resistance after a few dozen washes. That aside it is not good for your skin.

The best one we have found comes from ETON. has a process that gives you an eco-friendly wrinkle-resistant shirt without formaldehyde or other toxins. Unfortunately, at close to $300 off the rack it is more expensive than most custom shirts. 

So at the end of the day, you may just opt for shirt fabrics that still look presentable even if they are not ironed. Typically, those are Super 80s or Super 60s yarns. Stay clear of superfine fabrics in the Super 180s or Super 240s as they wrinkle very easily. The higher the super number the easier it wrinkles. 

To minimize wrinkles, you can wash your shirts, shake out some wrinkles when it comes out of the laundry and when it is still wet. Then let them dry on a hanger and wear them without having to iron them. Of course, ironing is always better and to see how you can iron a shirt like a pro at home in our series here.

medium brown penny loafers
medium brown penny loafers

Stock Up On Slip-On Shoes

You won’t always have two hands to tie shoelaces with kids around, so loafers, boat shoes and slip-ons, in general, are your friend. In the winter Chelsea boots are a good option.

5. Become a master of home stain removal for washable garments

If you encounter a stain, it’s best to treat stains as soon as possible because the longer they sit the harder they are to remove.

Always start by blotting as much of the stain out of the fabric as possible. For fats and liquids, use a paper towel to draw out as much as you can then quickly research the stain online to find the best course of action or stay tuned for a series on clothes maintenance on our website.

In our experience, it pays to keep a shout wipe or tide stick in your wallet and a bigger stash in the diaper bag.

Kids may also ruin your hair but they will have a blast
Kids may also ruin your hair but they will have a blast

6. Find A Reliable Dry Cleaner With Pick-Up and Delivery Service

Dry cleaning is always an option that should be utilized as little as possible as it generally deteriorates your clothing due to the chemicals involved. Nevertheless, maintaining a close relationship with a good dry cleaner means special treatment when you need it the most. 

Tipping well and show your appreciation can mean staying open late or taking a second stab at a stain just for you. Some dry cleaners offer pickup and delivery for a marginal upcharge. That can be a huge plus as it saves a lot of time and hassle. So do your homework, not all dry cleaners are alike.

A chefs jacket keeps you clean during dinner and still looks good
A chefs jacket keeps you clean during dinner and still looks good [Image Credit: Pinterest]

7. Cover Up at Meal Times

Anytime children eat, you will get dirty. It doesn’t matter what you serve. You can give them plain crackers and water, and somehow you’ll end up pulling caked soggy crackers out of their neck wrinkles. An apron is handy, but it just doesn’t cover enough surface area. Instead, hop online and buy yourself a chef’s jacket. They’re just as inexpensive as aprons, but they cover your entire upper body and arms. They also have a more masculine appeal, so you might even find yourself wearing it when dinner guests show up or when barbecuing for a crowd. The chef’s jacket will fit over your dress shirts and ties and prevent you from getting ketchup on the Charvet you just bought. It’s also white, so it can be bleached.

If you feel self-conscious buying yourself a chef’s jacket when you’re not a professional chef, get creative and suggest it as a father’s day present so you can shrug it off and tell people it was a gift from the kids. It’ll make you feel like super dad, and you look a lot cooler than you would in an apron.

Three little chefs enjoying in the kitchen making big mess. Litt
Three little chefs enjoying in the kitchen making a big mess. Little girls making bread in the kitchen [Image Credit: Amazon]

8. Expect That Things Will Get Ruined

Last but not least, it is a wise idea to prepare yourself mentally that some clothes will inevitably get ruined. It is guaranteed to happen and the sooner you accept that, the better off you will be.

This isn't real. No family wears this much white.
This isn’t real. No family wears this much white. [Image Credit: Pinterest]

Conclusion

Hopefully, this primer on how to be a well-dressed dad gave you a little more insight and helped offer some unique suggestions. For many of us, it’s a matter of trial and error. The biggest thing is to maintain a barrier between your children and your clothing, but that doesn’t mean having to keep them at a distance. What are your parenting tips for dressing well?

Outfit Rundown

A typical outfit that Sven wears when he is with his kid.
A typical outfit that Sven wears when he is with his kid.
Mid Brown and Green Shadow Stripe Ribbed Socks Fil d'Ecosse Cotton

Fort Belvedere

Mid Brown and Green Shadow Stripe Ribbed Socks Fil d'Ecosse Cotton

 I’m wearing a typical dad outfit which consists of a polo shirt that’s easily washable because made out of cotton. The same thing with my pants which are seersucker which is very wrinkle resistant naturally but can also be easily washed so it is a great combination for my shoes of a pair of tassel loafers which is easy to get in and out of, I paired them with some over the calf socks in brown and green to pick up the color of the shoe just to create a little bit of contrast.

This article was originally written by J.A. Shapira and Sven Raphael Schneider

Reader Comments

  1. Truly delightful article and certainly some wonderful helpful tips that remaining fashionable while handling children thanks!

  2. When the weather allows- TWEED! And not the dainty stuff you find nowadays. I am talking about the five pound, vintage sports coat. My 19 month old seems to unwittingly enjoy spattering me with foodstuffs anytime I want to dress well, going back to his infancy when it would sometimes be nothing more than a bit of “spit-up” as we dropped him off at grandma’s for a night out. Nothing else in the closet stood has been as valuable. There will always be times when something really just needs a trip to the cleaners; however, when accidents happened with many an old, heavyweight tweed jacket, I could sit down with an old toothbrush and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and gently remove the “problem” (a tip I learned researching ways to clean the wool rug in the nursery). There’s a reason this stuff was once used for outdoor pursuits and sports

  3. It’s a truly relevant article for many of us and enjoyed reading the article. Great read as always.

  4. I’m a consultant, so bow ties are out. A tie bar clipped low near my navel keeps the necktie away from little hands, especially while I’m kneeling and bending down. Kids also make you realize the value of old clothes. I keep things for much longer now. Getting thread bare, permanently stained, or slightly too small nowadays? No problem! Worn out oxford shirts, moth eaten sweaters, and threadbare slacks make great roll-on-the-floor clothes, and still look better than a t-shirt and jeans, IMO.

  5. I’m certainly a fan of using sweaters anytime I think my shirt or tie may be in danger of getting messy. To me, it’s much easier to get ahold of a cheap sweater that looks nice to cover my good shirt and tie, as opposed to finding a cheap, disposable dress shirt that looks nice. Thanks for sharing.

  6. I daresay, till 5 minutes ago I had not thought about buying a chef’s jacket, let alone wearing it – although I concede it is quite handy and looks smart too. But then again, thank goodness I have no small children hellbent on ruining my wardrobe. But wait, our son intimated lately that he had met a female at his office whom he described as “a jolly good sport”. Now, that sounds pretty serious, doesn’t it? So I’ll keep the chef’s jacket in mind…

  7. Great article! Quite enjoyable, love the of the “real” Sven. I did not notice one blemish on your clothes. You must a lot of fast muscle fibers! Love the pics.
    Regards

  8. Great article!

    I find cotton cords and ocbds with sweaters make perfect fall and winter apparel.

  9. Dear Raphael ,
    A totally delightful article including a beautiful child .
    when my offspring were babies and growing I always carried a spare shirt when out for a day just in case . Babies have the wonderful knack of being able to splash you aromatically from any direction.
    I have one bug bare in regard to calling children kids . Goats have kids , Cattle have calves and humans raise children.

  10. OK, he wrote this article, because he wanted to show his beautiful child. I don’t blame him. I know this feeling.

  11. I think congratulations to our author and new dad are in order, given the implications of this article.

    1. Absolutely! Congratulations to dad and mum, now we want more articles on how to dress dapper children!

  12. Thank you for the adorable and practical article, just a couple of points for your consideration – re the aforementioned items in cotton, replace cotton with hemp fibre. The feel and durability is incomparably superior and therefore the economic value is as well. Also, double monkstrap shoes with elasticized buckles for a bit of variety from the penny loafer

  13. Don’t underestimate, forget or ignore the value of taking your wife out on the town, out to dinner and a movie or just on a hike or outdoor adventure (away from the children and home). Any activity she would enjoy and have to dress appropriately for that is different from her day to day combat zone attire. It will do a lot for your attitude and mind set also. Sometimes just a reason to dress up counteracts the doldrums that can set in; even during the busiest and best years and times of your life.

  14. IN RE: Necktie spots. I have never once had luck with a dry cleaner, nor commercial solvents, but a judicious spotting with 91% isopropyl has proven successful nearly every time. Chef’s jacket–brilliant.

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