Kids levush | Imamother

Seraph

Tue, Jul 03 2007, 1:47 am

For those of you that plan on having your kids (boys) dress in a certain levush, whether it be black and white, or chassidishe levush, at what age do you start making changes in how they dress?
Meaning, would you let them wear jeans and teeshirts and little kids, or would you never allow that? And if you allow that as a little kid, at what age do you start "upping" their "level" of dress?
Meaning, at a certain age, do you start your boys wearing only shirts with collars and at least a few bottons (polos)? If so, at what age?
And at what age do you "upgrade" them to wearing button down shirts, in any color?
And at what age into the official levush (whether chassidish or litvish)?

Please don't turn this into a debate on whether someone should wear a levush or not... I just want to know how you go about implementing it?

HooRYou

Tue, Jul 03 2007, 2:18 am

I generally find that each community has its own unwritten rules about when children take on which kinds of clothes so the best thing is to talk to someone who is on a derech like yourrs or whose family you admire.

Personally, this has been a bit hard for me since I didn't really want DC to wear things like denim, red clothes, trendy looks etc. since beign the only grandchild on both sides I rarely buy the clothes my self. Sometimes I can telll them general klalli rules (like no denim) sometimes they ask me about things they are unsure of, but sometimes I wind up with clothes given as gifts either from extened family or family friends that I either return or give away since it is not really the look I want for my child. As time has passed the rules ahve chnaged a little as a 6 month old and a 4 year old do not look the same in overalls, for example.

Mishie

Tue, Jul 03 2007, 2:28 am

So far my kids are still very young.

When they have vacation, they can basically wear whatever they want, meaning: (boys: also shorts and t-shirts) (girl: skirts and sleeved shirts).

But, at school, the boys have to wear button-down shirts and from second grade - long pants and no shorts.
and, the girls have a uniform at school.

Marion

Tue, Jul 03 2007, 4:01 am

I'm not planning anything except "tidy and well kept". For me that means clean clothes, no holes, and relatively plain. I HATE the "everything has to have a pattern or picture" look that seems to be so common! Why can't I buy a plain blue t-shirt for an 18 month old???? (Sorry, pet peeve.)

We do have some pretty damaged (like, DH spilled the bleach...) shirts still in DS's drawer...I keep them for him to use as PJs in this heat.

Tue, Jul 03 2007, 4:19 am

my son is still young (2) and when he's older he is going to hve to dress a certain way because of where we live (even if I don't like it that much).

but in the meantime I'm enjoying the fun and dress him in jeans and t-shirts and whatever other fun things my family sends me from abroad. I don't really think the "bummy" things they wear at such a young age will affect them in any way when they are older, so why not have fun with it?!

suomynona

Tue, Jul 03 2007, 4:20 am

I would do whatever is the norm in the community I'm living in at that time. The same way the black and white look is community based, I'm sure each community also has its standards of when it's not acceptable to wear other things. I have no idea exactly what age that is.