Product Spotlight: Baby clothes

mamakeeg

Tell me all your secrets! 

Edit: to change product spotlight to something we haven’t done yet. 

mamakeeg

I love cat & jack at target! I always get my daughters new season wardrobe in there like $5 section. And then splurge on some cute items. Old navy is awesome too but the pants fit weird on my daughter. Any good places for boy clothes? Also, I want a cute swaddle/hat for the hospital and a cute robe for me, any recommendations? 

Edit: to make my answer relevant to the topic 

meggyme

@mamakeeg we did a sleep one already. You might find some answers already there.

https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/12733312/product-spotlight-places-to-sleep

lovesclimbing

I'm a proponent of whatever's cheapest, particularly since they're not wearing it long anyway. 

I shop mostly second hand. I go to big consignment sales when I can. That typically has the best deals. Also, I religiously run through the clothing section every time I'm at the store and check the sales and clearance. I can score some good deals that way, especially on bundles of basics like 4 or 5 packs of onesies. 

One brand I specifically don't like is Gerber. The material isn't as soft as something like Carter's. I also find that the "tail" shape on onesies is kind of weird. Also, they seem like they're a bit narrow. If you do buy them, size up. They consistently run a size larger than most other brands. In my box of baby clothes, I actually bundle them that way. All the 6 month size of every other brand is in the same bag with 9 month Gerber. 

Also, here's a tip. Some brands size their baby clothing with one number, e.g. 9 months. Other brands size theirs with two numbers, e.g. 9-12 months. In my experience, the single number-sized clothing corresponds with the larger number in two number-sized clothing. So a 9 month onesie in one brand will fit about the same way as a 6-9 month onesie in another brand. 

mamakeeg

Oh woops! I didn’t see that and I thought I searched. I apologize!

meggyme

@mamakeeg no worries.

lovesclimbing

Whoops, I forgot too when I posted!

Maybe you could switch the title and post to something else, @mamakeeg? And then you and I can just delete and change our responses?

Here's a list of ideas so far: https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/12734460/future-product-spotlights

mamakeeg

@meggyme @lovesclimbing  the search function sucks on mobile, so I was trying to go through all the threads. Is there a baby clothes one? I looked though and didn’t see one, but I can definitely change the name and edit my comment, just wanna make sure it hasn’t been done. Looking at that list it looks like it hasn’t. Sorry for missing it again!

lovesclimbing

There isn't one on baby clothes yet, no.

Are you on the app? I exclusively use the mobile site, not the app, and I feel like the search function is actually pretty decent, but that's me. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

mamakeeg

@lovesclimbing yeah I’m on the app. A lot of stuff sucks on the app lol but it’s convenient!

meggyme

I second Cat and Jack at Target. I buy a lot of their boys clothes for my daughter because they fit her stocky little frame, they are thicker and they’re not too girly. I can usually get their stuff for a good price by looking in the clearance. I bought a lot of boys clothes for my daughter, who has regularly been in the 90% for weight. They seem to be better proportioned for her.

For dresses though there’s a specific style I love from Old a Navy for its wearability. My baby always had a potbelly, so anything without an elastic waist was a no go. Even if it stretched, often it just didn’t stretch enough, so now I look for swing dresses or empire waist style. They can be extended though seasons by adding a long sleeve shirt under and even worn with pants or shorts when they get too short.
https://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=1102591&pcid=47926&vid=1&pid=218513002 I have this style in 2 sizes, 2t and 4t and she can still fit both right now. One as a shirt and the other as a dress.

I also recommend trying to find someone that is looking to unload their kid’s clothes a year or so before you need that size. I have a few friends with kids a year or so older than mine and it’s great getting an entire wardrobe for free. Hand-me-downs are awesome!

ashley14598

We always buy a season in advance so right now my son is in 12-18 months and next summer he should be in 24 months so we are getting quite a few cheap things in those sizes on clearance. However he is usually right at the correct size for his age (I realize not all kids are that way). 

My biggest tip: Make sure you get newborn clothes especially sleepers with attached mitts. In my experience we didn’t have nearly enough of that size. DS wore them for the first 2 months and blew out/was a huge spitter so we went through multiple outfits/day. So many people told me we wouldn’t need NB size but then I ended up having to call my mom asking her to pick up more when we got home from the hospital. And whatever anyone says in our experience 0-3 months was not the same as NB (another thing many people told us). 

thedaint87

@ashley14598 Agreed on needing the NB size. DS was 8lbs at birth and stayed in NB size for about a month.  We definitely got a lot of use out of all those clothes!

For the first few months DS lived in sleep & plays.  Putting on onesies and pants was too many steps. We also really appreciated the ones that zipped rather than snapped up. Trying to do all those snaps during a MOTN change was torture.

Our closest thrift store has a really meh selection. Carter's is always running a sale so I have bought a lot there. I also had some friends who were able to give us their old clothes which was a huge help.

mamakate1616

I love baby gap clothes. The quality is so nice and they run a little big so they can wear them a little longer. I especially love the snap up sleepers because they have covered feet and convertible mittens, and I like being able to only undo the bottom portion for the MOTN changes. I bought 4 last week along with onesie / pant / hat sets. They are usually offering 40% off-ish sales so you can get a good deal on them but they are expensive full price. Gap factory has extremely similar/basically the same styles for a little cheaper. 

Carters is a favorite of many, for a reason. I’m surprised I’ve held off buying anything from them so far.

Cat and Jack didn’t quite exist when DD was a little baby but they and the genuine kids/osh kosh line at target make up probably 50% of her warddrobe now, with gap and carters being the other portions.

Mini boden has some of the most beautiful baby/kid clothes I’ve ever seen and the quality seemed very high (it should, their prices are more than I spend for my own clothes!!) but I returned almost everything I bought. I also have a stocky/pot bellied daughter and they just didn’t fit her torso right. 

I also agree on needing newborn sized clothes! DD was 7lbs 5oz and wore them for about 6 weeks. 

meggyme

@mamakate1616 I wish my kiddo fit the osh kosh overalls longer. They’re perfect for little walkers because they have a built in leash. But the toddler sizes don’t have the crotch snaps for diapers and by the time my DD was walking she was just about in 2T.

sejica

I'm obsessed with Primary.com for dds wardrobe. Really nice quality stuff, without all the characters and stupid sayings. They do run a tad big though, so she's in 9-12 there but 18mo in Carter's stuff. I did limit myself to only easy hand me down stuff from there because they are a little more $$ than other brands. I basically stayed away from skirts or dresses, and bought all.the.blues as h and I only make blue eyed babies, so the blue looks great on either sex.

mamakate1616

@mamakeeg milkmaid goods has been all over my Facebook feed and I plan to buy this set. It seems like they have a lot of different robe and swaddle/hat prints, and really positive reviews. 

lovesclimbing

@sejica, I've only had two things from Primary, but I've liked them both. It's great for solid stuff and finding leggings to match literally any dress color or pattern.

meggyme

@mamakate1616 that robe is so cute. In the hospital last time I hung out in the mesh undies, a nursing tank and a hospital gown turned backwards like a robe. That way if it got dirty I could just get a new one.

mamaoftwomonkeys

I also second the Target Cat and Jack line and having at least some newborn clothes on hand. My daughter was term but lost some weight initially and we were in newborn clothes for 2 months 

mamakeeg

@mamakate1616 they’re all over mine too! I was wondering if they were good. There stuff is so cute!

mamakate1616

@meggyme I seriously loved those mesh undies and plan to ask for a bunch more to take home. I would have happily worn them for another week after I ran out. I had basically the same hospital “outfit” but I don’t like my legs to touch so I also wore some super comfy leggings with the nursing tank and hospital gown. 
I don’t like how our hospital photos came out so I want something prettier for this one lol! 

lisee923

My favorite clothes for DD have been Old Navy, Gap, H&M, Cat&Jack, Gymboree, and OshKosh/Carters.

mayoduck

Haven't read this thread all the way through yet but all my experienced mom friends have touted zip-up (or even better, zip-down) sleepers or onesies for the early months so I am pretty sold on an early wardrobe almost exclusively of that. I don't plan on getting any cutie outfits as I expect family will have that more than covered. Lol.

mayoduck

Friends of ours and parents of a now 2-year-old got us this onesie. They said it's great for both mom and dad for those times at 4am when you're changing baby's outfit and and are too tired to function properly. Lol.

chocolatelemons

I love Hannah Anderson for pjs. Definitely overpriced, but sooo soft. I usually buy clearance or go to the outlet. Carters is fine, but I get sick of their stuff. I also like Gap and H&M.

For robes, I know pinkblush used to have them, but I’m not sure if they still do. I just brought a soft black robe from Target when I was in the hospital with DS. 

lovesclimbing

+1 to zip up sleepers. I have never used a zip down sleeper, but it doesn't really matter to me.  I don't change them unless they're awake, so I'm not concerned about waking them up with changes. And the few times I did try to do a sleepy change and keep the lights off and such, it didn't work. She was always fully awake before we were half done. 

chocolatelemons

@mayoduck I didn’t know zipdown pjs existed, but zippers are definitely the way to go. We also had some magnetic button ones that worked well too. I have no idea where those came from though, because they were a gift. I think the only zip down sleepwear we had were sleepsacks.

mayoduck

@chocolatelemons Yeah, one of my friends called out specifically the Cloud Island Sleep n Play from Target. They have 'inverted zippers' that zip from top to bottom. Supposedly it's easier than a normal zipper because you don't need to remove the outfit as much to change a diaper.

mamaoftwomonkeys

I may be the odd one out, but I hated zip up sleepers. My girl had long legs that she liked to keep froggy style, so they 1) didn’t fit her properly and 2) were a pain to put on her. We loved onesies and pants instead 

meggyme

@mamaoftwomonkeys I'll be the minority with you. I prefer onesies and pants for daytime and I actually preferred the snap PJ's for night. I find that they're easier to change night time diapers with and I didn't have to undo them as far to get her legs out so she stayed warmer during the change. I do like zip down sleep sacks, like the halo ones. I put a couple of the halo swaddle sleep sacks on her registry.

swanbrooner

JCP online is awesome for stocking up for each season. They routinely have crazy sales, like 60% off when you spend over $100. You can get Carter’s outfits cheaper than Carter’s best sales.

I know it’s sleepwear, but I loved the double zippered pajamas and gowns for newborns. No snaps or zippers at all to fuss with! 

lelkcot

I’ve had success finding cute, very reasonable second hand stuff via Facebook BST groups and ThreadUp.

kapowfal

I love Burt's Bees cotton clothes. So, so soft. They tend to be smaller than other brands and shrink a little in the wash. They also will stretch back out. I was in a different spot than most as DD had a rough time of gaining weight, so she lived in Burt's Bees. She was in newborn diapers until 3 months and newborn clothes until about 4 months. She's now 2 years old and in 24 month, 2T, and occasionally 18 month, haha. It's super easy to go overboard because baby clothes are so darn cute!!

Agreed with above - clearance racks are your friend. TJ Maxx will occasionally be cheaper than Carter's. Macy's is cheaper than Carter's right now. If you are a fan of online shopping, utilize Ebates and/or Honey for additional coupon codes and cash back.

chocolatelemons

@swanbrooner I’ve never even thought of JCP. They’re having a crazy sale now too. Time to stock up!

Lbloom

I agree with @swanbrooner - gowns for NBs are where it's at. My babes lived in gowns as NBs and beyond, when we didn't have to leave the house and when we did (with babylegs). F it to all zippers, snaps and buttons! Babylegs are a late-fall/winter CDing mama's friend since a lot of baby pants don't fit over fluffy bums (especially the god-forsaken skinny pants for baby girls, who thought that was a good idea??) They were also better fitting for my long-legged girls, so strechy!
Second-hand clothes can be great for tight budgets, consignment stores, garage sales, hand-me-downs from family/friends. I second clearance racks, too. 

Kenneylynn3

I'm reviving this thread because I seem to be able to find pants but none with feet. I've heard socks are pointless so I'm trying to find pants with feet for newborn size. Any ideas?

mihaelams1

@Kenneylynn3 How about baby pajamas? I think I only had 1 pair of pants with feet (and I got a ton of clothes in bulk at consignment sales and from Craigslist). And I disagree with socks being pointless. DS spent the whole first year in onesies + socks at home (he was a warm baby and would overheat in pajamas). The newborn socks are so teeny-tiny and cute! He seldom kicked them off. 

lelkcot

@Kenneylynn3 DS actually kept socks on pretty well (mittens were a completely different story), but really spent most of his time in pjs. Carters has some sweet sets with footed pants.

chocolatelemons

@Kenneylynn3 H&M has footie pants

ETA https://m2.hm.com/m/en_us/productpage.0642425003.html

meggyme

DD1 was a summer baby so we only had one pair of leggings like these, but I registered for a couple more. I don’t think these are the exact same as we had but look similar.

City Threads Unisex Baby Boy Girl Footed Pants Warm Cozy Soft SPD Sensory Sensitive Skins - Certified Organic Cotton for Newborn and Infants - Black, NB https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZY6QMV6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_l8ycCbXBBVAYC