Expecting a newborn baby is quite an exciting journey that involves shopping for newborn baby clothes. You want to find the best outfits for your little one that will show off both your baby's loveliness and your coolness as a parent.
But as a new parent, this could be a daunting experience for you as you might not know what to consider when buying newborn baby clothes. And having a wide selection of brands, fabrics, and styles to choose from in the market on top of the varying advice from well-wishers can further confuse you.
You may, therefore, be susceptible to buying clothes that the baby may actually never wear. Or even end up buying anything and everything that looks cute and adorable without factoring in the comfort, safety, the essentials, and practicality of the clothes.
In order to avoid wasting your time and money on garments that may end up harming your baby or never get used, there are certain things you should keep in mind while shopping for newborn baby clothes. To simplify this process of creating the first wardrobe for your baby and make it an enjoyable experience rather than a hair-pulling one, we've come up with the newborn baby essentialsyou should keep in mind while shopping.
1. Safety of your bundle of joy
Look at safety first when buying babywear. Certain newborn baby clothes have an appeal to them since they're cute and can make your newborn baby look more adorable, but unfortunately, they're a no-no for babies.
Steer clear of clothes with buttons, bows, and ties, and drawstrings because they are a suffocation risk and tight-fit clothes around the neck, sleeves, waist, and legs because they're unsafe. And when it comes to sleepwear, ensure that it’s flame-resistant and also do follow the laundry instructions provided on how to keep it retardant.
2. Quality of the fabric
Because newborn babies have sensitive skin, they need comfortable, soft, and high-quality clothes that won't irritate their skins. Cotton and silk fabrics are the go-to clothes in this case, whereas nylon and polyester are a no-go since they can’t soak up moisture and, therefore, regulate the baby’s body temp, which can lead to skin sensitivity.
Keep in mind that having a comfortable baby can translate to you having peace of mind since comfort will help your baby sleep for longer hours and give you time to look after yourself. More so, ensure that the apparel you buy is free of irritating chemicals or dyes that factories usually add during manufacturing. It might be hard for you to tell, so the best thing is to always prewash the new clothes before making your baby wear them.
3. Size matters
Imagine buying a cute one-piece with all its attractive patterns and color only to find out it doesn't fit your toddler when you want to dress them up. It isn't enjoyable!
Therefore, to ensure that you buy fitting clothes, it’s best to buy newborn baby clothes for 0-3 months size since babies grow fast and can quickly outgrow the newborn size. Also, when shopping after the baby is born, consider your baby's weight, not age. Because baby clothes brands tend to size clothes differently and what is labeled as suitable for your baby’s age might end up being too big or too small.
Check for the weight descriptions along with age. When unsure of the size, though, go for a slightly bigger size so that if they don’t fit, you can either fold the sleeves and trousers just a little bit on the tot or wait for the baby’s rapid growth spout to pull them out.
4. What the newborn born essentials are
When shopping for newborn baby clothes, you need to know the essentials so that you don't skip them in favor of the non-essentials that may seem deceptively necessary, yet they're actually not. A newborn baby’s wardrobe needs a few essentials like bodysuits, pants, tops, sleepers or pajamas, long pants, gowns, and socks.
Keep their numbers low between 6-8 attires because within a short while; you'll be buying new ones (remember babies have a fast growth rate). Forget about swimsuits, party outfits, and playing clothes at the moment because those will become essential later on when the baby grows and can go out. There's no need to waste money on clothes that the baby doesn't have an immediate use for.
5. Keep practicality in mind.
It's not an easy feat to dress a wiggling baby, and hence, don’t make it even worse with unpractical clothes. Choose clothes that are easy to put on and off like clothes with zippers or snaps at the front, wide necks, and loose sleeves and pants. They should also have snaps at the crotch to make it easy for you to change a diaper without having first to take off all the clothes.
6. Choose washable newborn baby clothes.
Always check labels to see that the clothes are machine washable before buying. In order to avoid the hassle of hand washing clothes on top of the other chores like cooking and cleaning that you'll have to do after the baby is born because not all clothes are machine washable.
These clothes should also be durable to withstand the frequent washing the baby clothes go through since babies need changing several times a day. For example, 100% cotton garments are ideal since they not only wash well but are also comfortable and durable.
7. Colors do tell a story.
Some parents don’t care about the colors that their babies wear as long as they look adorable in them. But if you’re one of those parents that prefer a gender color theme for your baby or want unisex babywear colors, then you need to know what these colors are.
Popularly, pink is for girls and blue is for boys. While yellow, white, orange, green, and brown are the neutral colors, but with yellow and green taking the top spot amongst unisex color lovers. All in all, have fun with the colors.
8. Remember to factor in the season.
Since babies outgrow clothes at a mind-blowing rate, it’s best to buy clothes that will fit the season in which the baby is born. This is better than purchasing baby clothing for all the four seasons, and the baby ends up not even wearing them because, by that time the suitable season comes around, the clothes are too small for them.
However, it's prudent to buy both light and heavyweight outfits for parents who face just the tropical wet and dry seasons. This is because, at times, the weather may be unpredictable with it raining or shining bright in a season it isn’t supposed to. Though stick to buying more of the clothes suitable for the baby’s first season.
9. The price of the clothes
With so many things to budget and prepare for, the price of the clothes does matter. However, it doesn't matter so much that you should compromise on the quality of the clothes because, as we earlier stated, the comfort and safety of your baby are paramount.
Thus, both the quality and affordability of the attires should go hand in hand. This is easy to attain with the many online baby stores that offer quality products at affordable prices that can even go lower, with all the sales and discounts they offer.
10. Your convenience and safety while shopping
In these trying times of the coronavirus pandemic ranging on everywhere (no matter the decreasing number of the cases and the easing of lockdowns), it's risky for you and your baby to go roaming the streets from store to store shopping for baby clothes.
Online shopping ensures that you can make as many purchases as you like in the comfort of your home while sipping on a cup of tea or even in bed. Moreover, at any given time, without having to worry about the stores closing before you drag your heavy self to them since online stores operate 24/7. This is actually the new normal in this COVID-19 period.
As you shop online, however, you need to consider the seller's or store's reputation before buying from them to ascertain whether they're genuine. You can do this by reading several reviews of past customers.
If most of them have positive things to say about the seller, that means they offer quality service, and you can make purchases from them. But if their reputation is bad, move on to the next. Also, you should read the terms and conditions of the sellers to know their return policy so that you return clothes if they don't fit or have other issues.
With all those considerations in mind, buying clothes for your newborn baby will be a thrilling experience instead of an overwhelming one with you second-guessing yourself at all moments. And to get you prepared for the joyous journey of motherhood, check out our online baby store for cute, colorful, and high-quality clothes that will get you cooing in delight.
