Tips For Dressing Kids in the Summer Months ♥

This summer has brought usually high temperatures to this part of Ireland and Europe, but I'm not complaining, there hasn't been a summer this hot since the 1970's and I don't know when there will be one again so I'm fully embracing it and getting the boys and I as much time outdoors as I possibly can.

I love children's fashion and photographing the outfits my boys wear and summer is a great time for me as I love dressing my boys in the sweetest and summery little outfits I can find. Beau has a wardrobe full of beautiful vintage and Spanish children's wear outfits and Tyler's is full of stripy sets and cool little denim dungarees and shorts.

However, the heat can get extremely uncomfortable for kids and it's really important for parents to keep their little ones feeling comfy in what they're wearing, but making sure to protect their skin from the sunshine too.

Here are my tips for dressing little ones for these warm and balmy summer days.

Keep it minimal
Despite our natural instinct of covering our children in layers of clothing (I'm an Irish mammy, we're all about layers and jumpers!), you should resist the temptation as hot weather calls for light clothing.

Sleeveless dresses - there are some nice brands of girls designer clothes, and t-shirts are great on the warmest of days and easy pull-on shorts and soft jersey fabrics are ideal for keeping kids cool but comfy on hot days. Remember, they will be running and playing most of the day and their bodies need to be as cool as possible, so dress them as comfortably as you possibly can.

Fun sunglasses
It's true that kids can get bored really easily of wearing accessories that limit their capacity of moving, or that may fall off constantly (case in point Beau...), nevertheless, if they look up to their parents (and most of them do) and see them wearing sunglasses, they might want to try and emulate you.

I love the funky yellow glasses Beau has - you can see them in the above picture. They're from Suneez and they're perfectly kid-proof and fabulous for keeping the sun out of his eyes. Plus they make him look like a right dude!

Cotton clothes
These summer days we are all at risk of overheating and this is something we have to be especially aware of when it comes to dressing the kids. A good way of keeping cool is dressing in cottoned fabric clothes. Cotton lets the air reach the body and allows sweat to evaporate. It's the best fabric to dress your kids in during warm summer days.

Hats
As I mentioned before, it can be difficult to make the kids keep their accessories on (my two year old refuses to keep his sunhat on, but has no problem with a bonnet in the winter - why?!). It's so important for kids to wear a hat though, especially during scorching weather and it will protect their scalps and face from getting burnt but the harsh sun.

You may appeal to the fact of how fabulous they look with that hat in order to keep it on theirs heads or you can also get them a funny or character themed one, as they may be more interested in keeping a hat on if it's emblazoned with their favourite characters or themes.

Sandals
As obvious as it might seem, we sometimes forget how hot kids feet can get in the summer - after all, they do run around a lot! Sweaty feet can easily prevent this by getting them a really nice and resistant pair of sandals. It will also spare you the annoying tapping on their shoes to get all the sand out after a trip to the beach! Good ole' jelly sandals are perfect for paddling in the water as well as running around on the beach too.

What's your favourite thing to dress your little ones in in the summer months? I have to admit, I do love a vintage romper on my toddler and stripy t-shirts on my older boy.