What Did Children Wear in the 1940s?
Boys in the 1940s commonly wore trousers or shorts with long socks and blazers, while young girls wore short dresses. Babies during the 1940s wore gowns, vests, bonnets and booties. Toddlers would wear overalls, jersey suits and buster suits.
Until boys reached the age of 12 or 13, they wore long socks paired with trousers or shorts. They also sported blazers and jackets, often finished off with a tie.
Girls in the 1940s wore dresses almost exclusively, though overalls were acceptable when they were still young. By the time these girls reached the age of 16 or 17, they started dressing like older women, although both the cuts of the dresses were simpler and the colors were pastel. School age children usually wore uniforms.
During the 1940s, most of the clothing for children was knitted and handmade due to rationing because of World War II. It was especially more economical to make baby clothes. According to the website Northern 40s, toddlers typically wore dungarees, which are similar to overalls. They also wore jersey suits, which were matching shirts and shorts, and buster suits, which consisted of a shirt and short attached via buttons.
For footwear, sandals and ankle bars were popular because the rubber needed in lace up shoes was hard to get.
