Baby Clothes
Welcome to one of the most exciting purchases – Baby Clothes
You are going to need a ton of Baby Clothes. More so than you thought.
But, don’t go too overboard on price. They wear them for such a short period and they can get ruined very easily through common nappy changing or feeding mistakes.
I haven’t detailed t-shirts, shirts, shorts or pants as there are thousands on the market.
You’ll love picking these out and choosing what you want your little one to wear. There are a few general guidelines at the end of this post though so look out for those suggestions.
Extremely Important Research before buying Baby Clothes
There are two bits of research “admin” you will need to do first:
(i) What is the hospital climate like
Ask another mom who gave birth at the same hospital whether it was hot or cold in the hospital. Ask whether they found they needed more layers or fewer layers for their baby.
It sounds silly but the hospital I had my kids at was always chilly so I had to layer up whereas the hospital my friends’ had their babies at was always really warm so they didn’t need as may long sleeves or layers in the first few days they were in hospital.
(ii) What season will you baby be in through the various Baby Clothes stages
Work out which season your baby will be 3 months old and work out your seasons from there.
Even now I work out when my kids need summer clothes and when they need winter clothes and then buy on the sales the year before.
You will need a few warmer tops in summer and cooler pants in winter but those you can buy on a whim because that’s what mom’s do. We spot something from across the shop that will just look perfect on our child and we HAVE to buy it.
Babies can’t regulate their own body temperature
Babies when they are born are incapable of regulating their own body temp so you have to dress them up really warm to start with. So, even when they are born in summer, you still put on a vest and then a long sleeve, long leg onesie / babygro / playsuit / sleep suit.
The list of what you need
1. Onesies
The below picture is what I am referring to when I talk of a ‘onesie’ – an all in one baby outfit.
There are hundreds of onesies styles though and they do not all work. I have learnt this the hard way – think poop on the sleeves and legs.
You need to be able to get into the onesie easily enough in the middle of the night or when there is a poo nappy.
What we have found works is the ones that open all the way down the middle, in the front, and to the toes because otherwise you have to turn them over or fiddle with their feet which wakes them up.
2. Vests
Vests are great because they can be worn alone in summer or under shirts in the cooler months.
Vests come in three types, based on sleeves: short sleeves, no sleeves and long sleeves.
When to use the different vests
- My kids wear the no-sleeve vests in summer. But I always have two on hand per age in case they get sick and I have to bring their temperature down. Putting them in a vest will keep them cool but their chest covered.
- The short sleeve vests I used only when my kids were under 6 months old. I would use them just as an extra layer of clothing but these do double up as great PJs.
- The long sleeve vests are for winter only in our house. My kids wear them outdoors when I cannot get them to wear a thick jumper. They wear them under another shirt and a thinner jumper. They would also wear them as PJs in winter.
With vests you need to make sure that the fabric is good quality. If it is not it will make your little one sweat which will affect their skin and it won’t keep them warm or cool.
3. Socks and shoes
Socks
Little socks are a must, even when your little one isn’t walking.
One of our kids absolutely loathed socks but their feet can get so cold. You can get lovely little sock / shoes which stay on even they wriggle their feet. I would only look at this for as long as your little one is in pre-crawling crawling stage.
The minute your little one starts wanting to stand up you have to get socks that have ‘grips’ on the bottom. Even if it is just a little bit of embossed writing it will help them get the grip that they need to stand up without slipping. I have found some at Bonds and others from GAP but just keep a look out because they are hard to find.
In the very early days I loved the little socks from Woolworths South Africa which had little figure attached to them (the official name is novelty socks)
Shoes
Shoes only really need to make an appearance when your little one starts walking so you can wait to start buying these.
Initially you want to get something that is very soft and gentle on their feet so it doesn’t constrict movement.
My kids wore Shooshoos from South Africa in the early days but with my second child she had such tubby (fat) feet that she couldn’t get any shoe on other than a croc 🙁
GENERAL
When you are buying clothes for little ones be aware of the following
- Head sizes, some are really small and tight which causes huge fights and lots of tears.
- If its something that will sit directly on their skin, reverse the article of clothing and check if the buttons or prints are going to scratch them on the inside because sometimes the stitching comes through.
- Try and avoid buttons at the back, it makes it really uncomfortable for babies to lie, sit in their pram and car seat. Also, if you have a little girl you sometimes land up pulling their hair when undoing the buttons (guilty as charged).
- As cute as white clothes are they are often a no-no they get stained so easily even the bottoms.
- Fabric wise – go 100% cotton. it breathes the best, washes the best and doesn’t shrink too much in the wash.
- Just before baby arrives make sure you wash everything and pack it away for the arrival 🙂
Enjoy, this is such a fun part of the preparation.
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If you found this helpful, you must read the other posts in the series.
What you need for feeding (and pacifiers too)
Everything associated with sleeping
Age appropriate toys
What to buy in case baby gets sick
Baby Accessories – What on earth are those!?
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No Love To Dream??? 😉