Being a first-time parent is tricky and eventful. Don’t let one of those trials be baby clothes when your little package finally arrives.
When it comes to shopping for babies, new parents are left in the dark. When you have never had to care for a tiny human before, it is difficult to know where to turn for information. The internet is a great resource but makes no mistake: you are about to encounter problems you never thought of before. You will have to deal with situations that are not in any baby manuals. You will have to wing it and hope in most cases. One area where you can prepare yourself in advance is what to dress them in.
You might think babies are small, delicate, and can’t walk yet – they don’t need fashionable clothing. Just wait until you are at that parent and baby group, and the other parents have kitted their kid out in designer baby grows and tiny trainers. OK, so we don’t advise you to splurge, but you really ought to have the basics in place before your bundle of stressful joy makes an appearance.
Considerations when shopping for a newborn baby
Generally, relatives will send you clothing as part of your baby shower or knit it before the baby arrives. Nevertheless, you are about to welcome a creature that never stops growing into your life. What fits one week won’t fit the next. Added to the problem of sizing, you also have the issue of colour to decide over.
Get together with your partner and have a frank discussion about gender norms. Do you know the sex of your baby in advance? If so, do you really want to go down the standard route of blue=boy, pink=girl? The world isn’t like that anymore. Nevertheless, this is something you have to think about before you start making wardrobe decisions. Our advice is to stick with neutral colours altogether, then let your baby decide which colours they like best when they are old enough to communicate and show you.
What colour of baby clothes to buy?
Whether you are shopping for infant sleepers or buying new baby grows, we recommend that you stick to that neutral palette. These colours are good colours for baby:
- Yellow or lemon
- Light green or mint
- Purple or violet
- White in all shades
Whether you decide to breastfeed or bottle feed, whether your baby is early arrival or shows up late, you will need to carefully consider what you want to do with the colours. Colour has a dramatic impact on your baby, so choose wisely. This page gives helpful information on how colour can influence what your baby experiences and feels. Otherwise, let us move on to the items you ought to have in your baby’s cupboard by the time they make an appearance.
What clothing do babies wear?
When you are expecting a new child for the first time, you panic about buying the right clothes in preparation for their arrival. Here are the clothing items you ought to buy in advance of when the baby is born:
- All in one stretchy suit – or baby grows. These are stretchy fabric suits which button up the front and come as a single piece. Baby lies inside the grow, and you put their arms and legs into the relevant parts of the outfit
- Cardigans for your baby, trendy babies wear hoodies
- Vests, which are usually plain, form the underlayer to keep your baby warm
- Shawls, blankets, or soft sheets for swaddling
- Hats, gloves, and bootees in winter
- Sun hats if it is spring or summer
Tips for Dressing your Newborn
There are two priorities in dressing your newborn. You want them to be clean, and you want them to be warm. Dressing in layers is a good idea, hence the vests and cardigans. This way, you can add or remove layers if you feel the child is too hot or cold. Don’t worry so much about a diverse wardrobe as covering the basics before the baby shows up. Buy the rest once you have accurate sizing. Some newborns use clothes for a ten-month-old straight out of the womb. You never know what you are going to get.
The Newborn Baby Clothing Checklist
If you are bringing a new baby home from the hospital any time soon, make sure you have these items. Buying these pieces of baby clothing in advance prevents your panic when the little one comes home from the hospital for the first time. Make sure you stock up on these pieces of clothing to get a good head start:
- 6 x baby grows/infant sleepers/stretch suits
- 2 wool or cotton sweaters or cardigans
- 4 x vests for under their baby grow
- One Swaddling shawl
- Seasonal accessories such as the sun hat or bootees
If you have this minimum checklist, you should find you have enough clothing for the baby when they arrive.
What about fabric?
As well as colour choice and the clothing items themselves, you must consider which fabrics are best for babies. Newborn skin is soft and tender, which is why they are prone to rashes. Using the right type of fabric on this delicate skin will really help prevent discomfort.
One of the best fabric choices for babies is cotton. This is because it is lightweight, breathable, and soft against their skin. Next, we have wool, which you may find relatives inundate you with if you have knitters in the family. When choosing wool, opt for a soft one, not a scratchy one. Merino wool is widely considered the softest choice.
Bamboo fabric is having a moment due to the sustainability aspect. Bamboo fibres can be pulverised until they are soft. Do not dismiss this option outright if you can afford it.
Finally, be wary of tough wools, Hessians, hemp fabrics, or fabric which contains plastic particles. All of these could upset a newborn with sensitive skin and potentially trigger allergies.
And finally…
You just grew a whole baby. Finding clothes is nothing. You got this.
