If your child goes to kindy or daycare, you'll know the brief: clothes that can handle absolutely anything, look okay in photos, and ideally not cost a fortune to replace when something catastrophic happens to them.

After three kids, here's what I've learned.

The kindy outfit formula

Soft waistband (no buttons at the front — they take forever), a top that comes over the waistband so tucks stay in, layers that are easy to get on and off independently. That's it. Our trackies + any of our tees covers this perfectly.

Darker colours for messy days

This sounds obvious but bear with me: on art days or cooking activities, reach for Rust or Moon Mist over white or Almond. The clothes will survive and you'll thank yourself.

The spare kit

Every bag needs one. I keep it minimal: one pair of trackies rolled tight, one long sleeve tee, undies, socks. That's all. It fits in a small zip bag inside the daycare bag and never needs to be thought about again... until you get that call.

Name labelling

Iron-on labels are more reliable than written labels for our fabric. If you haven't found a good label brand yet, ask your kindy. They usually have a recommendation because they spend a lot of time returning mystery clothes.

Washing after kindy

Cold wash, inside out, skip the dryer if you can. Our pieces hold up to high-rotation washing really well, but heat is still the enemy of longevity.

Shop the full range — everything is kindy-tested and parent-approved.