Product Spotlight: Baby Clothing and Accessories

jvk2012 · October 2019

This week’s product spotlight will be: Baby Clothing and Accessories
( Most questions borrowed from March 2020)

What do you think are staples in every baby's wardrobe?
How many of each type of thing should baby have?
What are the best online/brick & mortar stores for baby clothes? Which are good for affordable prices?
What range of sizes should be bought ahead of time?
What accessories are necessary... and which are just fun to have?
Tips for cold weather babies?

jvk2012 · October 2019

What do you think are staples in every baby's wardrobe?
Easy on, easy off! Cute outfits with things like buttons in the back suck. Imagine yourself trying to get the outfit off of baby when they have pooped all the way up the back. If you can't see how that is possible without getting poop everywhere, then you don't need to own that outfit! Zip one piece "sleep n play" outfits are life. Zips are way easier than snaps. The only downside is that baby gets cold if you unzip the whole thing for a diaper change. Target sells ones that zip from the bottom to prevent this, they're made by "Cloud Island". I plan to get some this time around.

How many of each type of thing should baby have?
DD lived in onesies and shorts/pants for like 9 months. Never enough onesies and bottoms in my mind. Maybe a few cute outfits but mostly practical at the newborn phase.

What are the best online/brick & mortar stores for baby clothes? Which are good for affordable prices?
Carter's has quality clothes for a decent price especially if you get stuff on sale. Nearly all of DD's under 12 month wardrobe was Carter's. They just happened to fit her really well. As she got older the shirts were too short and now most of her clothes come from Target (Cat & Jack) or Kohl's (Jumping Bean).

What range of sizes should be bought ahead of time?
Definitely buy some newborn stuff but not a ton since you don't know how long baby will fit in it but most newborns are in the newborn size at some point. Until you know how your kid grows I wouldn't try to get clothing past 6 months. With DD she always wore a certain size until she was that age (ex: 3 months until she was 3 months, 6 months until she was 6 months, etc) but it took some time to figure out and you'd hate to have tons of the wrong season stuff in a certain size.

What accessories are necessary... and which are just fun to have?
We never used newborn hats with DD but she was a June baby so I may get some hats this time around. Baby socks are cute but do not stay on and when they are in the footed pajamas they don't need socks. Zutano baby booties were life for us once the weather got cold until she was walking. I plan to get some this time around too.

Tips for cold weather babies?
I need all the tips for cold weather newborns!

doodleoodle · October 2019

What do you think are staples in every baby's wardrobe? Sleeping gowns! They’re amazing. No zips or snaps! I second onesies and pants. Three piece outfits are a total waste at first. You’re not taking a tiny baby anywhere but the doctor and as soon as you get there they’re going to want baby’s clothes off.
How many of each type of thing should baby have? A thousand onesies/pants and pajamas. Maybe 7 or so gowns.
What are the best online/brick & mortar stores for baby clothes? Which are good for affordable prices? If you have a brick and mortar The Children’s Place around you should skip it and shop them online. The prices and selection are much better. Costco also always has a great selection of Carter’s pajamas for good prices. My go to is pretty much Amazon, though you do have to be careful you’re not buying some weird cheap brand.
What range of sizes should be bought ahead of time? The first 6-12 months are such a blur that I found it helpful to have those on hand. It’s awful to one day realize your kid has no clothes that fit. But maybe that’s only happened to me because I’m a hot mess.
What accessories are necessary... and which are just fun to have? It was mentioned that baby socks don’t stay on... Hanes baby socks do! I haven’t had much luck with baby hats staying on though.
Tips for cold weather babies? DD1 was born at the end of October and she lived in fleece pajamas. It’s also helpful to always have a warm baby blanket in pretty much every room of the house.

leksiL · October 2019

What do you think are staples in every baby's wardrobe? Team Zip Sleeper here for all day! Also onsies and pants.
How many of each type of thing should baby have? I have like 50 onsies of every size which is way too many. I would say newborn and 0/3 mo get long sleeved onsies if you are in a cold-weather place. Also some sweaters and fleece, hats for sure. My baby's fleeces were so long (she was small) that they fit over her hands so we didn't need gloves or anything.
What are the best online/brick & mortar stores for baby clothes? Which are good for affordable prices? Online is carters like others' said. Kohl's and Target are good for brick and mortar. I also love Baby Gap and have gotten some cute different stuff from H&M. Gymboree sadly went out of business. There are also some facebook groups for buying/selling some of the more expensive brands like Baby Boden and Hannaa Andersson. I like Baby Boden but the H.A. stuff (IMHO) is terribly ugly but people are obsessed.
What range of sizes should be bought ahead of time? After that as PP said you don't know how your kid will grow yet so I'd stay away from getting any special weather clothes in bigger sizes. My daughter was given 12 mo. cold things for instance (Dec baby) but didn't really fit into 12 mo clothes until April, total waste. It stinks because you want to shop end of summer sales, etc., but just don't. Of course you can wear short sleeved shirts and leggings year round. Also, you can buy cotton sleeper pajamas for years if you find good deals. It's nice to have them hanging in the closet and when they get bigger to already have it.
What accessories are necessary... and which are just fun to have? HAT although be warned they don't fit long! Socks for sure - they have big packs of socks on Amazon which I recommend because they are economical and somehow they all get eaten by the dryer.
Tips for cold weather babies? This - https://www.target.com/p/skip-hop-stroll-38-go-car-seat-cover-gray-feather/-/A-75558205?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tgtao&CPNG=PLA_Baby_Priority%2BShopping&adgroup=Baby_Priority+TCINs&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=1014743&ds_rl=1241788&ds_rl=1246978&ds_rl=1242884&gclid=CjwKCAjwo9rtBRAdEiwA_WXcFrwDKnV4yps7FRkBDVAY-4zMGFRcaaEFsY5iEEK2JunoFtG0G3hfQxoCj5EQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Babies can NOT wear coats in their car seats because it renders the straps ineffective. So having a warm blanket plus this contraption in their infant seat is key for the cold. It's also helpful when it's raining or snowing, sure you could throw a blanket over it but then you are battling the blanket in the wind, and it's just not worth it, the $30-40 you spend on these things is well worth it. DD1 was a Dec baby and it was like 10 degrees when she was born but we never got her any of those buntings or anything. The reason was we used the infant seat with the blanket and the cover, and did not have any reason to take her out of the infant seat outside. They are adorable, but it's not like you are taking your newborn sledding.

Swiftlet · October 2019

Questions as a FTM:

- I see the recommendations for fleece, and I have some on my registry. How bad is the static electricity though? I swear I must be super conductive or something but I zap myself on EVERYTHING and fleece seems to be a bad fabric for that. I literally have those anti-static spray cans 😂

- Hooded versus not? I’ve heard a lot about avoiding hoods because they’re annoying but also choke/strangulation risk. But there is SO little non-hooded stuff out there that isn’t pull-over (which I’ve heard is also a pain). Just stick with layers and a hat?

- Do you moisturize their skin regularly in the really cold months? Do we need a humidifier in their room?

doodleoodle · October 2019

@Swiftlet I’ve seen very few hooded fleece pajamas. I wouldn’t bother too much with actual clothes until the baby is older because they sleep basically all day. As for static, I’ve never had an issue with that. And, I only moisturize after bath time, and they really only need a bath twice a week or so.

brookert615 · October 2019

@Swiftlet When talking to the pediatrician he said a cool air humidifier is highly recommended in baby's room.

rikiteacup · October 2019

Thank you for this post!! Figuring out what kind of clothing and how many this baby needs has been my biggest worry so far.

Swiftlet · October 2019

@doodleoodle The vast majority of my registry is just various onesies/pants or the sleep-n-plays

But just overall re: hooded stuff for little guys in general?

@brookert615 Thanks!

@rikiteacup Same. I found a couple of things (the Bump and a couple other websites) with lists that were helpful to me.

doodleoodle · October 2019

@jvk2012 I looked up Zutano baby booties on Amazon because I remembered Hanes smallest sized sock is 0-6. And, while looking at those adorable little slippers it full on hit me that I’m actually going to be having another baby. So, thanks for the bootie recommendation and the tears! 😭😂

And Thanks for doing these product spotlights! It is incredibly easy to forget little essentials and problems that you ran up against with previous LOs.

craftywitch · October 2019

What do you think are staples in every baby's wardrobe? I agree with @doodleoodle that sleeping gowns are the BEST! Even with the zippered sleepers you have to get baby naked to do a MOTN change which makes them cold- cue crying. The gowns are awesome because you can leave them on during a diaper change. I also think plain onesies are a staple- good for layering in cold and just hanging out in when it's hot.
How many of each type of thing should baby have? I do minimal like all of our wardrobes so about a week's worth of stuff. Half a dozen onesies, half a dozen little pants, a couple sleep gowns, a couple zipper sleepers, half a dozen socks, a couple different kinds of hats, a couple cute outfits for fun/ dress up (I really liked to dress DS up in 3 piece outfits with suspenders and hats and shoes for going out honestly).
What are the best online/brick & mortar stores for baby clothes? Which are good for affordable prices? I love Burt's Bees and Cat & Jack organics both of which they carry at Target pretty cheaply (and used to have at BRU...) Whole Foods also usually has organic baby clothes, but it's less affordable.
What range of sizes should be bought ahead of time? I personally liked having at least a half dozen staples for every size up until 1 ahead of time. I'm not much of a shopper so after DS was born I only purchased something if I really had to, and I was ALL ABOUT hand-me-downs which people often offered us right when DS was hitting a size.
What accessories are necessary... and which are just fun to have? Here in Colorado hats and socks were necessary and honestly I felt better with DS having jackets and sweaters and not just blankets for cold/snow. I also love baby shoes and have a handful for NB-1 year that I plan to put this baby in.
Tips for cold weather babies? I'm a fan of hats! Rule of hats: you must hat train your baby if you expect them to wear hats. Put your baby in a hat every day starting the day they're born if you expect them to wear sun/snow hats ever. DS wore slouchy hipster hats in spring and fall, sun hats every day during the summer, and knit hats every day during winter. If you only sometimes try to put a hat on your kid, they will likely hate hats and pull them off- every single day from birth for success!

burr1371 · October 2019

I went to a Just Between Friends sale this weekend and got some good sleepers/onesies to start with. I was stressing about what to dress my baby in, so this thread has been helpful! Thanks ladies

@craftywitch - I never thought about hat training -- Definitely something to think about!

doodleoodle · October 2019

Swiftlet said:

@doodleoodle The vast majority of my registry is just various onesies/pants or the sleep-n-plays But just overall re: hooded stuff for little guys in general?
@brookert615 Thanks!
@rikiteacup Same. I found a couple of things (the Bump and a couple other websites) with lists that were helpful to me.

I think hooded stuff is fine, but I wouldn’t lay them down to sleep in a hooded outfit until 12 months or so. But that may be overly cautious.

jvk2012 · October 2019

@Swiftlet, DD sleeps in fleece pajamas in the winter and has since she was born. Sometimes there is static but not bad. We have a huge cool air humidifier for our whole house which helps a lot with the static. As for hoods, I hate how hard it is to find things without hoods. As she got older I was able to find pull over sweatshirts at Kohl's that don't have hoods. She is almost 2 1/2 and sleeps in a sweatshirt for naps so I had to find one without a hood. In my opinion, hoods are annoying and a pain.

Also wanted to mention sleep sacks. Some kids love them and some kids hate them. I'd have some swaddles and maybe a sleep sack on hand but don't go crazy buying them because some kids (like DD) will never ever sleep in one.

As for hat training, maybe I was lucky but DD always wears a winter hat and summer hat without fuss and we never did hats as a baby. For her though the rule is she can't go outside in summer/winter without one and she loves being outside so much that she made that connection pretty early on.

jvk2012 · October 2019

@doodleoodle, sorry to make you cry but that's a cute story

I'm glad people find these spotlights helpful. They help me remember what it was like in the early days the first time around too.

ibabyloveb87 · October 2019

Zips > snaps. That is all. 😁

zseirecarg · October 2019

Cat & Jack has footie pajamas that zip from the foot up which is a game changer for keeping baby warm during MOTN changes.

Snaps in the MOTN are not fun.

Pants with built in feet are amazing.

Halo Sleep Sacks are a must.

I agree to try not to buy too many sizes ahead of time. My 1st child has blown throw all the sizes at the wrong season. She’s 2yr 4mo and in 5T 😬.

daffodil_shoe · October 2019

daffodil_shoe · October 2019

What do you think are staples in every baby's wardrobe? Onesies and sleepers (zippers only, see above).
How many of each type of thing should baby have? After raising one kid, I have no idea 🤷🏼‍♀️
What are the best online/brick & mortar stores for baby clothes? Which are good for affordable prices? I love Target.
What range of sizes should be bought ahead of time? That’s so hard to say, especially if you live in a varying climate. Depends on how fast your kid grows!
What accessories are necessary... and which are just fun to have? I’m a huge fan of bandana bibs. They are super cute and you can match them with onesies, and they catch drool so you only have to change the bib instead of the onesie.
Tips for cold weather babies? Never ever put them in a winter jacket or anything bulky in a car seat. You are not helping them stay warm, you are just increasing odds of injury/death in the event of an accident since their straps won’t be tight enough. Put them in warm clothes, tuck a blanket around their buckled body, use a car seat cover, and warm your car before you need to leave.

leksiL · October 2019

zseirecarg thanks for reminding me about the footed pants. Those things are life because somehow babies' socks always fall off! For some reason they are really expensive so if you can find them second hand grab them.

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