This post is sponsored by Nike
When my boys were little, I loved dressing them as sweetly as possible. Fisherman sweaters with those adorable elbow patches, mini flannel shirts, corduroy pants and lace-up leather shoes.
Then they got older and all those sweaters were replaced with hoodies, pants were traded in for year-round basketball shorts and running shoes were much preferred to leather lace-ups.
At first it bothered me. What happened to my preppy boys?!
But babies grow up and don’t let their mama dress them anymore and that’s okay. They still look very cute in their sporty outfits.
I embrace their love of comfortable, movable, sporty clothes for their day to day – mostly sticking to solid colors and graphic-free items – and keep a few nicer things in their closets for times when athletic clothes are not appropriate (like the Nutcracker ballet, for example. How handsome do they all look in their fancy suits and bowties?!)
My oldest son, who is in eighth grade, has nearly grown out of the basketball-shorts-everyday look, but the two younger boys (ages 12 and 10) still very much prefer athletic wear.
When Nike reached out to me to work together on a blog post, I couldn’t resist. My two younger boys basically wear Nike everyday so it felt like a natural fit.
And then when I told the boys I needed to take pictures of them in a few new Nike faves, they felt absolutely famous. They even told their friends at school that they were ‘modeling for Nike’. I mean, I guess you could kind of say that’s true :)
I’m all about being budget-conscious when I buy clothes for the kids, but I also really believe in buying quality pieces that will hold up against the constant use, hard wear, and regular washing. My boys are HARD on their clothes so anytime I find things that don’t snag, pill or wear out, I’m a happy mama. And I just love when I can pass things down from boy to boy.
The Nike swoosh is cool and all, but the quality is what makes me a fan.
On the boys’ Christmas lists – among the legos and remote control cars, books and airsoft stuff – are jogger pants, athletic tights, hooded sweatshirts and athletic shirts. We’ve checked off a few of those wishes and I can’t wait to watch the boys open their presents on Christmas morning.
sweatshirt | pants | shoes
If you have boys to buy for who are about my kids’ ages (and you want to go for something slightly more practical than another lego set) here are our top picks from Nike:
1 tech fleece sweatshirt | 2 tech fleece pants | 3 running shoes | 4 basketball shorts | 5 beanie | 6 dri-fit tee | 7 futura tee | 8 training tights | 9 socks | 10 gloves | 11 backpack | 12 hoodie
Thanks, Nike, for making great clothes. And also for letting my boys feel famous for a minute :)
Check out Nike for more great gift ideas for men, women, girls and if you have a baby to buy for, this is adorable.
This is totally my 5 yr old! He’s very opinionated about what HE wants to wear vs. what I want him to wear. Sniff!
Dear Emily I have followed your”blog” for two years. I have greatly appreciated your tips,as I have read your book list and now love Emily P Freeman. I am part of the Grove family. However, I was very disappointed that you have bought into Nike as one of your sponsors. I teach High School and my class and I have been looking at Nike’s oversea factories “sweatshops”. I think you need to do your own research on their factories and decide for yourself if you want to be associated with this kind of company. This is a good place to start I watched this with my students .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uViyDgxR3ow
I’m with you on non graphic, nice looking athletic wear donned with a smallish logo. Probably why we steer clear of a lot of UA gear bc it often has the entire Under Armour name on it and then you just can’t mix brands or it makes my eyes crazy. If you could pass on the need for shoes that last more than 3 months that would be awesome. I often wonder if they have the ear of any moms because we all talk about how awesome it would be if they would reinforce the toe area and fabric that so easily gets holes in them. Gets expensive when you’re outfitting 5 and depending on quality. Please use your voice, dear one, and keep up the pretty work!
So handsome!! I have a 13 yr old that wears this type outfit daily!! I too remember fondly the days of “john-john” outfits and cute sweaters with elbow patches. No more! Now, I’m lucky if the colors match – and by colors I mean neon green and yellow athletic wear. Thanks for the shopping tips. Have a great Christmas season.
This is great! My 7 year old refuses anything but athletic wear. I guess I have a few years to go before he might be interested in other types of clothing.
My youngest son is a freshman in college and still wearing basketball shorts everyday … even in the winter!
This sounds so much like my two grandsons. Both are 9 and they prefer sweat pants over jeans anytime.
My Georgia boy would love that Seahawks hat. He’s a diehard fan!
Love this post, thanks! I have 4 boys and my 14 year old in particular is obsessed with the Nike joggers. He will certainly have some under our Christmas tree this year!
Ha! As another mother of three boys, and one, sweet, sweet girl, I feel your pain. I have more hoodies and legos (our pool table hasn’t seen a cue ball in years) than anyone could count. Thanks for the recommendations. I definitely can second your advice! Nike does make a solid product.
As for the girl, at least you still get to dress yours. Mine, 16, takes my clothes, leaving me to navigate through every remnant on her floor to find what she’s lifted!! Happy holidays, Michelle
Oh my gosh they are so handsome! Even in their athleisure.
Thank you! I think so too :)
the basketball shorts year round trend is so puzzling to me. when i worked in the elementary school last year, it seemed like every single boy showed up in the dead of winter with basketball shorts and high socks. i still don’t get it!