Product Spotlight: 1/29 Baby Apparel

SmashJam

This is a place for FTMs to ask questions and S+TMs to share the wealth of knowledge they've accumulated on baby products. Each week we'll spotlight a new category of product to help streamline and make it easier to refer back. This week it's.... baby apparel! We’ll have specific threads later on to talk about specific seasons, but this time just feel free to share favorite brands, shops, categories, etc.

Please use the prompts below to try to share as much relevant info as you can in a format that is easy for those reading to absorb/respond to. If you'd like to recommend/ask questions about more than one product, please copy/paste the prompts as needed.  

For S+TMs: 

• Climate (multi-season, mostly hot, mostly cold, etc):
• Favorite [baby apparel]:
• Link/picture:
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.):
• What you like about it:
• What you don't like about it, if anything:
• Is there a [baby apparel] you don't have but are considering? Why?:
• Is there a [baby apparel] you've tried that you absolutely hate? Why?: 
• Additional thoughts on [baby apparel]?:

For FTMs

• [baby apparel] you're interested in:
• Link/picture:
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.):
• Any questions about it/them for S+TMs?:

Our link is here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nhSR3UAwJx8UitC9b2hRx57c4hHkK6BU679FjqXMeHQ/edit?usp=sharing

devilcat139

FTM here-not specific apparel I am considering per se but I am so confused as to what pieces I should buy (onesies, pants, bodysuits, sleepers, etc) and in what quantities at different sizes (newborn, 0-3M, 3-6M). I’m not having a shower so will likely buy most myself. Any guidelines? Having twins so expecting they will spend some time in newborn sizes

mamamecha

@devilcat139 I'm a FTM too but a friend recently recommended loading up on the sleeper gowns with the open bottoms because they're MUCH easier to navigate at night and your sleepy eyes and brain will thank you. Especially with twins!

I don't have anything specific I'm looking for either, just wondering where to find reasonably priced outfits for girls. I love the little rompers or dresses with the matching diaper covers but can't seem to find them anywhere!

stlmegs

@devilcat139 my son was born in November, so he spent most of his first few months in sleepers, with the occasional cute outfit thrown in there for show.  

With this baby coming in Summer, I am planning on mostly onsies and light sleepers for bed time.  A few rompers/cute dresses for summer and I have bought a few cute things for Fall. I am not sure about with twins, but lots of babies (in my experience with nieces, nephews, and my son) don't spend a ton of time in newborn size.  I would say buy a few newborn and some more 0-3 to start out with, and then you can supplement as you learn about how quickly they will grow.  Every baby is different, so it's hard to say how long they will hang out in each size.  My son was in 3-6 month FOREVER and then spent almost no time in 6-9 months.  

Also, while I'm on this thread I'll give my two cents about brands/etc.  For my son I LOVED Children's Place and Carters. Their clothes are durable and have lasted him through however long they fit him for. Which, for him, is impressive (he is a wild, rough and tumble boy!).  Children's Place zip up Stretchie Sleepers were my FAVORITE sleepers when he was a baby and I am planning on stocking up on them for this little lady as well.  You can also get great deals if you watch for their sales/clearance items and participate in their rewards programs.  I have also had great luck with the Carter's brands that you can find at Target and Walmart (Just One Year and Child of Mine).  They last, are cheap (especially if you are a clearance vulture like I am), and are super cute.  Target's Cat and Jack line is also super cute and affordable.  Baby Gap is really cute for the occassional splurge item (and great if you can snag it second hand!), but I could never bring myself to pay that much for clothing I knew he wouldn't wear very long. 

comealongponds

@devilcat139 my twins lived in footie sleepers for like the first three months of their lives. I hated snaps, I’m all about zippers! I they’d wear one for a day, change and repeat so I probably had like 12 in each size? I had to send my husband out the day we got home for more preemie size stuff because they were just over 5lb each and swimming in newborn stuff. 

Like @stlmegs we really like Carters stuff! I also have a toooon of GAP stuff I got on clearance. 

stlmegs

@comealongponds zippers for lyfe!!

I just got a bunch of Baby Gap stuff off a B/S/T site for my little girl and I am super excited about it. It's so soft and adorable!

wildtot

No specific brand but yes to zippers! My 21 month still lives in footie pjs sometimes lol he was a Cali summer baby so mostly just onesies during the day, eventually i like white ones because they were cheaper to replace and easier to clean with all the spit up and blow outs (if i didn’t throw them away). Some babies grow out pretty quickly so don’t stock up too much on the newborn or even 0-3. I really liked that we were gifted with bigger sizes to keep us going uninterrupted as he grew up. Still doing the same right now when i see things on sale. I never used the mittens or shoes at that age. 

zande2016

Babies/kids grow FAST. Don't bother spending a ton of money on fancy brands, Carter's is perfectly fine quality and you won't feel bad when they only wear it for a couple weeks and then grow out of it. People kept telling me newborn size might not fit and to get a lot of 0-3, but my son wore newborn for quite a while. He was 7 pounds 10 ounces when he was born and most newborn clothes were huge on him at first. You just never know. If it's your first, buy both sizes and bring one of each to the hospital. 

noideawhatshesdoing

Any STM have experience with both sleep sacks and sleep gowns? I don't mean just for newborns, but for the months down the road as well. Gowns seem to make a lot of sense for diaper changes in the middle of the night, but I know both my nieces just kicked their way mostly out of those when they were little (they were both summer babies too) so I'm wondering if my LO would do the same, but the sacks seem like they could be too warm unless they are a really light material.

devilcat139

Thanks for the advice all, really appreciate it! Any brand recommendations would be great too-have been looking mostly at Ralph Lauren and Petit Bateau so anything similar to that would be helpful just for more selection.

SmashJam

@noideawhatshesdoing I used halo sleep sacks in a super light fabric for DS and he was a late June baby. If it was really warm outside I would put them on him without anything underneath. We used the swaddle sleep sacks during the younger months before we had to stop swaddling and then went to the non swaddle ones after. 

acunamatada

@noideawhatshesdoing I used sacks, but he was a summer baby and it was winter/fall by the time he was out of a swaddle so I didn’t mind the extra warmth. I actually only have them in fleece lol. 
I want to say nighttime diaper changes really cut down after the newborn poop after every feeding stage. But it’s been a while. 

zande2016

@noideawhatshesdoing we tried the gowns a couple times but were never a big fan. I guess because we swaddled, so we had to go through the unswaddling/reswaddling process regardless, the gowns just didn't add much convenience to me. Also, only change baby middle of the night if there's poop. Seriously, everyone will be a lot happier. We had a September baby and used footie sleepers under a swaddle (my favorite was the miracle blanket swaddler). Then we he got older we switched to halo sleep sack swaddles, and would just swaddle around the body with arms out. Since he was probably around 6ish months he's just been in regular halo sleep sacks, and still uses them to this day (16 months). 

elizabethrn87

My advice is get a little of things and then see. I hardly got any newborn sizes because people said don’t because they are not in it long and hen she came out needing premmie (not early either) so we scrambled to find clothes. 

noideawhatshesdoing

@SmashJam @acunamatada @zande2016 Thanks for the opinions/advice! I've been leaning toward the sacks, but mostly because the gowns didn't work for either of my nieces, and I asked my mom her thoughts on it and turns out I was a screamer as a baby if not swaddled so she didn't use gowns for me, I guess they were too "free" LoL. The more I hear about how I was as a baby, the more I really hope LO is more like his/her dad!

wildtot

We used the zip up sleep sacks and Merlin’s Magic Sleep Suit. DS hates being swaddled and there were way easier that folding or Velcroing a bunch of stuff. 

stillcozy

Okay I  have pretty set opinions on this because babies grow so fast, and clothes are crazy expensive!

For S+TMs: 

• Climate (multi-season, mostly hot, mostly cold, etc): I live in a multi season climate. our winters can go from mild to bitter cold and we have a giant range of temps we hit during the year
• Favorite [baby apparel]: for newborns: nightgowns!!! no buttons or snaps just pull it up to change diaper and they range from light cotten to warm fabrics it was a huge life saver at night!

• Link/picture: see picture
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.): I am a strong proponent for utilizing the parent kid swap groups on facebook! I was able to get an insane amount of clothes in the different sizes for about 25 dollars per size I am talking 15-40 items per size! 
• What you like about it: garage sale groups are amazing the clothes are new if not barely used due to babies growing so fast and this way I can save for the things that were more important to me such as a dedication outfit and gear
• What you don't like about it, if anything:  The only thing I worried about with the night gown was that she would get cold so I just put socks on her and ahe was fine her legs completely covered
• Is there a [baby apparel] you don't have but are considering? Why?: I think i have all types
• Is there a [baby apparel] you've tried that you absolutely hate? Why?: not really i like snap bottom pajamas vs zipper so i dont have to totally undress them
• Additional thoughts on [baby apparel]?:

stillcozy

zg49

STM(3TM) here, just my two cents!:

We also loved Carter's or anything you can find at Target. We did notice with both DS and DD the Gerber brand onesies are made smaller so when DD was is 9 month Carter, Gerber was more like 12-18 month. Zippered jammies/footies are the BEST for bedtime for the first few weeks when you are exhausted and trying to change the 5th diaper since midnight. Those darn buttons and snap jammies lasted one night.

We also preferred onesies and pants/shorts/skirts over separate outfits (like a separate shirt and pants) while baby was still unable to crawl/walk. Holding a baby all the time + a shirt that rides up constantly is so annoying, especially as it got colder outside. 

Instead of using mittens to keep baby from scratching themselves, we found socks worked better. Also, infant socks don't stay on, we liked the 6 month+ size socks so they actually stayed on the kids. And no shoes until they were crawling - waste of money and constantly falling off/getting lost.

It's hard to know how much of each size to get but a few in each size to start is a good idea. Our DD was able to fit some newborn for about 2 weeks and then 0-3month from there. Our DS went straight to 0-3month, and quickly to 3-6 months before he was 6 weeks old so each baby is different. 

I agree with what @zande2016 said about kids growing fast and not spending too much on clothes. I'd like to add that infants spit up, some more than others, and are known for diaper blowouts. Ruining a $3 onesie is much preferred than ruining a $20 onesie (IMHO). The next stage is table food - when most of it ends up on the kid instead of in the kid. After that is crawling, everywhere, on every surface. Goodbye clean clothes and hello pants with holes. We splurged on special occasion outfits and "Sunday Best" for church but otherwise cute and cheap get the job done. 

elizabethrn87

wildtot said:

We used the zip up sleep sacks and Merlin’s Magic Sleep Suit. DS hates being swaddled and there were way easier that folding or Velcroing a bunch of stuff. 

 We love the magic sleepsuit! 

zande2016

elizabethrn87 said:

wildtot said:

We used the zip up sleep sacks and Merlin’s Magic Sleep Suit. DS hates being swaddled and there were way easier that folding or Velcroing a bunch of stuff. 

 We love the magic sleepsuit! 

Oh yeah I almost forgot about that. We used the miracle swaddle, then we went to merlins magic sleepsuit to transition out of the swaddle, then we did the halo sleepsack just swaddled around his body so he still had that secureness, then plain old sleep sacks. Man the things we go to to get these kids to sleep. 

SmashJam

Ooo I almost forgot about the super absorbent drool bandana bibs we used for d's when he started teething. Saved so many outfits and all I had to do was change a crusty bib instead of a whole new outfit. Cuz once food happens, that drool is an outfit ruiner. Apologies if someone said this I just skimmed.

flockofmoosen3

We plan on doing plain onesies and pants almost exclusively. No need for fancy clothes, they're so floppy and messy at first that you can't appreciate cute outfits. 

I prefer sleep sacks.

I also prefer snap PJs because I can just unbutton the bottom for changes and not basically undress them.

No baby shoes. Even when they start walking it's better to learn barefoot.

michelle_bird

I agree with basically everything @zg49 said.  I'll throw in that I'm a HUGE fan of swaddles and we preferred the Summer Infant SwaddleMe brand until she got large enough to break out of them.  I do not recommend getting them 2nd hand because the Velcro wears out and kids stretch them.

My DD was born too big for newborn size.  I squeezed her in a couple things for a couple weeks but I doubt I'll make that mistake this time unless this baby is much smaller.

TalesOfASocialIntrovert

All items below LO lived in for the first 6 months. All were purchases through BRU, Target, or Amazon. We live in a 4 season climate and LO was born in late June.

Really liked the Halo SleepSack but LO spit up a LOT and it was too pricey to buy multiples to wash Every. Single. Day. Also, if your LO runs hot, the material is thick (even the cotton versions):

Really liked these for the price and weight of the fabric. They run a little small so be aware if you purchase. They were near impossible for LO to break out of (swaddle blankets were a joke for her and the velcro other swaddle sacks didn't hold up):

After LO was too big and mobile to keep swaddled (around 3.5 months), we put her into these sleepsacks with a onesie underneath:

These were put on under all sleepsacks for ease of diaper changes in the middle of the night. LOVED THEM and cannot recommend highly enough:

Despite being born in summer, LO lived in onesies like these below. I have so many outfits she never wore bc small babies spit up and poop on everything. IMO, it isn't worth the hassle to a) change and wash 1 million cute outfits and b) go through the time consuming process of undressing for every diaper change. LO spit up a lot and would easily go through 3 or 4 outfits a day until 4 or 5 months old. As mentioned above, GET THE ZIPPERS!!:

To help save outfits from drool and spit up, grab some bibs with FLEECE BACKING. The backing is important, it prevent strike through so the clothing beneath stays dry:

Lastly, LO never kept socks on - they would go missing in a matter of minutes. These stay put and are less than similar products. The fleece pills immediately but who cares, they're for sweaty baby feet:


Additional notes:

-Personally, I like the "Just One You" brand by Carter at Target. The fit is more slim, the cost is reasonable, and the fabric holds up well.

-Find a laundry soap you like with minimal fragrance and do NOT use fabric softener. You'd think it would help protect baby skin but it will actually make sensitive skin more prone to rashes and irritation.

morethanamama

I'll have to look at all this and take notes! Y'all are amazing, ladies!

Has anyone bought anything from Burt's Bees? A friend of mine is literally obsessed with their onesies but they are a bit $$. I'm also of the opinion that it's not worth splurging on too many nice clothes. I already have a bunch of gently used ones that I'll be glad to use with all the spit and the poop explosions!

hillbillywife

I didn’t think I’d have much to say about clothes but people bring up good points. 

@kissableviv I’ve had a couple outfit/sleepers from Burt’s bees and I really liked them! They’re so soft and cozy! Buy def pricy! I think you can find them at tjmaxx/Marshall’s sometimes and they’re on zulily every once in a while too. Other things are just as good though too. 


I’m in the minority and thought baby gowns were a real hassle and never used them. I used regular swaddle blankets and thought those works great. 

Target at least used to make a zipper pajama that zipped backwards that way you could get baby feet out without completely unzipping them. Those were amazing!

a tip for clothes gifted to you that you kinda hate- they’re great for in the diaper bag. You never know when you’re gonna need a newborn outfit. I never liked to put clothes inloved in the diaper bag because they didn’t get warm as frequently. So if you have clothes you don’t really like toss them in there! 

Both of my babies were 8lbs 2oz and they spent about a month in newborn clothes

zande2016

@kissableviv Burt's Bees footie sleepers are great. Pricier but very soft and organic cotton. I personally wouldn't buy Burt's Bees onesies, not worth it to me, but buying a few sleepers, especially if you can find on sale, is worth it in my opinion. At least for me, they live in sleepers in the early months. Also, watch out for Kohls baby sales...they carry Burt's Bees online and they do a big baby sale every so often. 

stlmegs

PSA Carter's has 50% off all their jammies today, and free shipping.  I am going to grab some of the lightweight zip up sleepers.  I think they will be perfect for a July baby. 

cseley321

I had an august baby. She lived in footed pajamas. I preferred the zipper ones. She would not sleep in the sleep sacks. My favorite brand was carter. It had a nice fit and was reasonably priced.

For newborn size, I think 5 to 7 onesies and 5 to 7 sleepers to start off with is a safe bet. If you need more, buy more. Do not buy a ton of NB stuff because your child may outgrow them in 2 weeks. Also even though it will be a July baby I would get one fleece sleeper (0-3 months) to have on hand. My kid would sometimes get cold at night and that worked out perfectly to help her sleep

Also all of the gimmicky sleep items, I would just buy 1 as a test. I bought sleep sacks, open bottom pajamas, she hated alllll of that.

There is a consignment shop called Once Upon a Child. I wish I found out about them sooner with my first. You can get great stuff there for fairly cheap, even baby gear.