When you are going to become a parent, everything seems so exciting. You start shopping for baby bodysuits, cute baby girl outfits, all the newborn baby clothes you can see, and you don’t know where to stop. A baby bodysuit is a favorite for every parent, but what else should you buy?
This article will help you guide your way to buy the right newborn baby outfits, so your baby stays happy and comfy. Let’s start with the factors you need to understand before starting your shopping.
Factors to keep in mind
Even before you start buying newborn baby clothes, you need to keep a few things in mind. First of all, you should know that a newborn changes their clothes and diapers at least 10-12 times a day.
Yes, if you’re a new parent, this might come as a shock to you, but this is normal. After a few months, let’s say 5 months, the baby still needs a diaper change 8-20 times a day.
Therefore, no matter what baby bodysuits, t-shirts, or pajamas you buy, you need to be thinking of the baby’s changing routine and the amount of laundry you’ll have to do.
Keeping this in mind, let’s explore the other factors a parent needs to take care of before buying newborn baby clothes.
- Your laundry frequency: Since you’ll have to wash your baby’s multiple clothes many times a day, you need to take a look at your laundry cycle. If you do your laundry frequently or plan to do so, you can manage with fewer clothes. But if your laundry cycles are far apart, you’ll need more clothes, especially if you’re opting for cloth diapers.
- The weather of a place: It is essential to note the weather in the area you live in. If you experience every weather, you’ll want to have breezy as well as warmer clothes. Moreover, you need to have clothes for the season your baby is going to be born. If your baby’s born in summers, a short-sleeved baby bodysuit would be great, and in winter, layers are suggested.
- Going out: Keep in mind how often you’ll be going out. Note the occasions you’ll need to go to and any anticipated celebrations. This will help you buy clothes to go out for the newborn baby.
- Your clothing preferences: Give a thought about your day to day routine. If you are a person who likes to dress up, you’d want your child to dress up too. If you feel comfortable going out in pajamas, you’ll want your child to dress up like that too. Although it is a preference, you’d want to think about what type and number of clothes you’d be happy with.
How can you buy the right clothes?
From your baby girl outfits to cute baby bodysuits, you want your newborn baby to feel comfortable and look cute. You might want to buy everything, but here are a few things to understand why you need to be prepared for your baby’s arrival. Here are things to ask yourself before you buy something.
- Nappy leaks: No matter if you choose a disposable diaper or a cloth one, your baby will face a diaper leak at least once a day. Is the outfit you’re going to buy easy to clean, and will it sustain constant washing?
- Burp and vomit: Newborn babies throw up and spit a little after feeding. This is completely normal, but you have to think if you’ll be comfortable with washing the clothes or buying a bib to protect them?
- Diapering: When you have to get up at 3 am and change the baby’s diaper, button-ups and overalls won’t be your best friend. Think of the outfits that will be easy to change?
By no means these suggestions mean that you shouldn’t buy cute outfits for your baby. Go ahead and dress up your baby in pretty clothes but give a second to think about the outfits’ practical aspects.
Essential Baby Clothes
- Baby Bodysuits
Baby bodysuits are one of the best clothes you can buy for your baby. These are like short baby onesies with stretchable material; they are comfortable and easy to wear.
These baby bodysuits have an opening below as well, so when you need to change the baby’s diapers, you’ll be good to go. You can also choose long-sleeved baby bodysuits for colder weather. If you take my advice, you should go with a bigger size if the bodysuit runs small or shrinks after washing.
- T-shirts
One of the most convenient baby outfits are some good baby t-shirts. They can be paired with shorts or cute pajamas, and they are comfortable.
Newborn babies should be free to move, which can be a difficulty in overalls. T-shirts aid the baby’s movement and they are breezy.
Another reason why you would like t-shirts is that they are super cute. They come in a variety of sizes, designs, and materials that it’s difficult to go wrong with them.
- Bibs
As mentioned above, new parents may or may not know that babies throw up or spit anytime. They have to be patted on their back after meals and milk to get them to burp. You often have to change the baby’s clothes after and that’s what burping clothes are for.
To avoid cleaning up your baby’s clothes every time the baby spits, experienced parents would always recommend you buy a baby bib. It serves as a drool bib and also saves clothes from stains while eating. You’ll just have to change the bib instead of the whole outfit every time.
- Pajamas
Baby pajamas are one of the most comfortable clothing items you can buy for your baby. But since a newborn baby moves a lot, pajamas need to be carefully selected, and you should keep the pajamas for winter only in the first few months.
Here are some tips you’d like to know for choosing the right pajamas:
- Get pajamas for warmer and colder weather. For summers, get cotton pajamas and for winters, you can get fleece ones.
- If the baby is constantly troubled by wearing socks, you can get footed pajamas. As the baby won’t be walking on their feet anytime soon, you don’t have to worry about shoes or the pajamas getting dirty.
- Zipper pajamas are a great choice if you want to keep your baby warm. You can also avoid the uncomfortable button snaps, tight elastics, and multiple clothes to deal with. You can get the zipper pajamas and keep the baby warm.
Tip: If your baby has sensitive skin, make sure the clothes you buy are made of 100% organic cotton.
- Sweater and jackets
If you want your baby to be warm, you need to get warm sweaters and jackets. Even if it’s not cold outside, you might have the AC on or go somewhere that’s a little chilly than usual. You can also keep them in a diaper bag you’ve prepared, in case you decide to go to a mall after a walk.
It’s also a good idea to get warm yet light jackets instead of really thick ones. The thicker jackets can be extra warm and may hinder the baby’s movements due to their stiffness.
On the other hand. you can layer a light jacket or put it on the baby on its own.
Tip: Try to find a jacket with a zip guard to protect your baby’s chin or neck to get pinched. The guard will protect their delicate skin.
- Socks
If you’re not planning on buying footed pajamas, socks should definitely be on your list. They protect your baby’s feet and keep them warm. Keeping your kid’s feet warm are a good way to regulate the baby’s temperature.
While buying socks for your newborn, you need to take care of the socks’ grip or elastic. Sometimes it can be a little too tight and it can be uncomfortable for the little one.
- Swaddler Blanket
When you wrap your baby tightly in a blanket to keep them warm and cozy that is swaddling. The first thing the nurses do after your baby is delivered is they swaddle the newborn in a blanket.
Swaddling mimics the environment of the womb for the baby, and this helps the baby feel comfortable. A swaddle blanket will keep your baby warm, and it will be really helpful for the baby, especially during the first few months.
A swaddle blanket helps the baby stay calm and fall asleep better. That means more sleep for you too! These blankets also helps with other things, it serves as a:
- sleeping blanket
- cover for nursing
- burping cloth
- changing area cover
- stroller cover
Swaddle blankets are a great option and are very versatile. You’ll have to take care of washing them properly and they’ll be your best friend day and night.
- Beanie hats
One of the very first things a nurse puts on a baby is a swaddle blanket and a cover for the baby’s head. No matter the weather, you need a beanie hat for your baby as they are prone to get cold. A warm beanie hat is one of the simplest ways you can regulate your baby’s temperature.
It should be in your diapering bag. It’ll keep your baby comfortable. Moreover, it’ll be a nice touch to your newborn baby’s outfit.
- Shorts and Bloomers
Pants for babies can be a hassle. First of all, they are stiff and the second thing is they get dirty easily.
In that case you should go for bloomers and shorts. They come in handy to cover the diapers and give the freedom of movement your baby needs.
Moreover, they are multipurpose. You can pair them with a t-shirt, kimono top, a skirt, and on its own too. If you are looking for clothes that are easy to wash, comfortable, and can be styled with multiple clothes, shorts and bloomers are the way to go.
What size clothes should you buy for a newborn?
The size of clothes for your baby depends from one child to another. It’s not a one size fits all.
It all boils down to your baby’s weight at birth. So my advice is to buy basic clothes with complementary sizes for 0-3 months old babies.
There may be a chance the baby will barely fill the baby bodysuit or there’s a chance that the cute custom baby onesie you bought is too small for the baby. The best option is you buy the basic stuff that is a little stretchable and not too small.
No matter what you buy, your baby will grow out of it very soon.
When should you start buying clothes?
Many people buy maximum baby clothes before the baby comes home. It’s good to keep at least 70% of the clothes handy so that when the baby arrives, you have a good amount of clothes for the baby to change into. This also helps you in setting up the baby’s room, and you can organize the space.
You should prepare most of the things before your due date because after the baby comes home, your little one will take up all your time.
What baby clothes not to buy?
It is easy to buy too many baby clothes because they are so cute. But as the baby grows up really fast, so you need to buy the right clothes that you can get the most use out of.
You may have different preferences, and that’s fine. This section of a guide to baby clothes just wants to give you an idea about what clothes you might not want to buy right now.
- Baby overalls: Baby overalls are cute, but they are not very easy to put on or get off. They have many buttons, which means they take time to get off in case of a poop or diaper leak emergency. Instead of an overall, you can get a cute baby onesie or a baby bodysuit.
- Baby vests: If you decide to buy a baby vest without buttons, don’t. It’s easy to lose and there are better options, like sweaters and light jackets.
- Clothes specifically meant for the umbilical cord: There has been a trend going around that you need side-snap clothes until the baby’s umbilical cord separates. But that’s not necessary. Instead you can spend your money on bodysuits that aren’t too tight and the right fitting clothes will be fine.
- Corduroy pants or jeans: As I’ve mentioned above, babies like to be free. Any stiff clothing can be uncomfortable for them. If you’re looking for pants for your babies, street clear from denim or corduroy material. They are a trouble to wear and take off too.
- Holiday outfits: You want to increase the baby’s outfits’ wearability as the little one is going to grow up fast. But buying a Christmas outfit or a Halloween costume beforehand won’t be helpful. If you want to buy an outfit, buy it during the season or after the baby is born. This way, the outfit will fit and you can use it.
- Snowsuit: Your newborn isn’t going to play in the snow until they are at least a year old. But right now, there won’t be any use for a snowsuit. Go shopping for snowsuits after your baby starts steady walking.
Here are some more tips that will help you choose the right clothes for your baby:
Choose good fabrics
In warmer weather, choose airy and breathable fabrics, like cotton, for your baby. When the temperature drops, you can go for fleece. These fabrics are comfortable and soft.
You can remove the tags from the clothes as they can be scratchy.
Pick the right fasteners
Look for clothes with fasteners that you can close easily. Zippers are a good option, but they should come with a guard at the end so they don’t pinch. It’s advised you don’t go for metal fasteners as they can be allergens and are rough to use.
Get the right sleepwear
Make sure your baby’s sleepwear is comfortable, easy to change, and soft. Please don’t use any fragrant fabric conditioner as it can cause allergies.
When you buy a newborn baby’s outfit with buttons or attached details, make sure you tug on them a little. If your baby can easily pull them off, it’ll end up in the baby’s mouth.
Avoid anything like that altogether, but if you want to buy them, make sure the buttons are tightly placed every time you change your baby into it.
Tip: Maintain a newborn baby checklist for shopping. This way you won’t miss a thing!
Summary
Let’s go through a checklist of everything you need so you don’t miss a thing!
What factors to take care of?
- Frequency of laundry: The more laundry you do, the less extra clothes you need.
- Weather: The weather and season should always be kept in mind.
- Outings: Keep in mind how much you go out and what’s in your calendar.
- Diapering & Burping: Always have an extra pair because you’ll need it.
- Personal preference: Don’t forget to have fun!
What baby’s clothing essentials you need?
- Baby bodysuits
- Baby t-shirts
- Bibs
- Pajamas
- Sweaters and jackets
- Socks
- Swaddle blanket
- Shorts and bloomers
Which baby clothes not to buy for a newborn?
- Baby overalls
- Baby vests
- Clothes specifically meant for the umbilical cord
- Corduroy pants or jeans
- Holiday outfits
- Snowsuit
Now that you have an idea of everything you need for your newborn baby, it’s time you get shopping. Take care of the factors you need to consider before buying newborn baby outfits, get the basics on time, and know what not to buy right now. Hope this article helps you with your parenthood journey.
If you liked this article, check out some tips to take care of the baby during the first year, baby cues for new parents, and what to pack in a diaper bag.
Baby Needs: What Does a Newborn Need at the Very Beginning?
Choosing Baby’s First Blankets: How to Select the Perfect Blankie.
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