Choosing Clothes For Infants
When you purchase baby clothes, its recommended to stick to one color scheme. Bright colors are the best, since they arent easily soiled like pastels, more easily seen, and are unisex. They’re a really good idea for outerwear, since it’s a lot easier to see a child wearing a bright red jacket in a busy supermarket than one wearing light pink.
Be practical. Babies aren’t neat, so getting machine-washable clothing will be invaluable. Fancy clothes aren’t practical at all. They often interfere with movement and aren’t usually comfortable. Clothes made of cotton and other natural fabrics are more comfortable, especially in hot weather.
Obviously, the climate where you live and the season in which your child is born determine your initial layette needs. If youre not sure what you need, get some ideas by talking to other parents, or you can also observe how the other babies are dressed. Newborn-sizes are only good for most infants until around 2 to 3 weeks. It is important not to overdress your baby, particularly when the temperature is hot. If you want a guide, just put as many layers of clothing on your baby as you are wearing. Also remember that if you’re warm, your baby probably is, too.
If you need more ideas about putting together your initial layette, here are some suggestions:
Underwear Buy four to six undershirts in the three- to six-month-old size. These are usually made of cotton and can shrink to some degree. Undershirts with side snaps are easy to put on babies, so theyre popular with parents. Undershirts typically come in white, prints, and solid colors.
Socks and Booties You’ll probably want four to six pairs of socks. Make sure they fit the infant’s feet snugly. Cuffed booties and socks made of stretchy material seem to work best, since they dont get kicked off your babys feet as easily as other styles.
Sleeping Wear You will need around 6 to 10 sleeping outfits initially. Stretchy, footed, or gowns all work great. Blanket sleepers, which are heavier than stretch garments, are good for colder climates. The advantage of gowns is that they allow for easier diaper changing, and they also allow an older infant more freedom of movement. If you select sleepwear with feet, forget about putting socks on your baby. Doing so will make the babys feet become too warm, and this may cause a condition called sweaty sock dermatitis.
Hats and Caps Two hats or caps should suffice. Baby hats and caps come in all sorts of styles and made out of a variety of fabrics, from lightweight cotton stretchable caps to heavy cotton or acrylic hats. The type you choose depends upon the climate. Make sure hats and caps are small enough to stay on your babys head and allow you to position them away from the infants face, so he can’t turn his head and suffocate in them.