Product Spotlight: Baby Apparel

mdfarmchick · October 2020

Coming home outfits? Recommended brands? How do you shop? Name brand or sales? Share your baby clothing tips and tricks here.

moguippy · October 2020

Last time, my SIL made a coming home onesie with DS’s monogram. She had to go to the store and buy iron on letters and do it really quick since he was almost 3 weeks early. So anything we would have ordered probably would have been late unless we did it really early and we never pick a name early lol. I think the matching outfits for mom and daughter are cute but I’m having a boy so I’ll probably skip that.

Just for general apparel, pretty much 0-9months they grow through sooooo fast so I would suggest hand me downs or cheaper stuff and then splurge for special occasions like holidays etc. Once they get into 12-18 months I feel like they stay in each size a little longer so investing in better clothes is worth it in my opinion. Also, sizing varies so much between different brands and it will be a giant pain in the butt for years.

Also, don’t go crazy with shoes. Babies don’t need them even through they are sooo stinkin cute.

birdiejo · October 2020

My baby will be primarily living in zip up footies for the first three months at least. I am a zip up fan because snaps are hard MOTN. I find target stuff to be perfectly cute and acceptable for most occasions. I like H&M for cheap and a bit more my style.

Some more expensive brands that I’m interested in trying/have on my list for some good gender neutral tones...Kyte baby , Lou Lou & company, lemon & loom... full disclosure: I came across all of these on Instagram from their targeted marketing based on what I look at.

Carters always has sales!

Agreed with @moguippy about shoes. I am getting some goumi baby and zutano booties for any going outside time though!

kkfishy9 · October 2020

One question I have on the 12-18 month clothes...does it make sense to wait on buying that stuff? I browse a lot (can't help it!) but then I wonder about seasons, and if the 12 month clothes I buy will align to the right time of year? Am I overthinking it?

hannahbananas11 · October 2020

@birdiejo Kyte baby is awesome! It's so super soft.

@kkfishy9 if you've got true seasons (hot summers, cold winters), then I wouldn't buy too much in the bigger sizes yet. Different brands fit so differently from each other, and kids by that point can be all over the place on sizing. DS is 20 months old, and he's already into 2T things rather than the 18-24 month stuff, because he's tall. Another kid in my BMB from DS's birth month is still in 12-18 month stuff. I'd wait a bit and just buy up through 6-9 months right now. Then you can keep an eye out for great sales, and you'll have a good sense of what brands you like most and fit your kid best.

My favorite brand for everyday stuff is Hanna Andersson. The long johns are DS's favorite for sleep, and their basic clothes stay in great condition through tons of washes. They run true to size. Their Amazon line, Moon and Back by Hanna Andersson, runs slightly smaller than the main line, I've found.
For nicer things, like family photos, I like Boden's baby line. They run true to size.
For cold weather things, I love Patagonia. They're expensive, but ethical and SO WARM. We live in Alaska and we don't play around with winter gear here. Their Baby Down Sweater is the perfect winter coat for carseat wear. It compacts nicely against the baby and is carseat safe (most winter coats are not carseat safe since they add too much padding between the baby and the carseat straps). Their puffier down bunting is really good for snowy adventures with infants (but IS NOT carseat safe, so we changed DS into it once we got to the trailhead or wherever. DS wore it during his first winter when we'd go snowshoeing with him in the carrier, and it worked great to keep him warm and dry. Patagonia runs slightly large.
If you feel like splurging on a few really cozy soft onesies, Kyte Baby is really super soft and nice. Their stuff if made out of bamboo. I usually get their long-sleeve onesies (and now that DS is bigger, their long johns) to layer under other clothings when we go out, since they're thinner and fitted. They run true to size and are very stretchy.

hannahbananas11 · October 2020

Oh, and only buy a couple of things in newborn size (or don't buy anything in newborn size at all). I made the mistake of buying a really cute coming home outfit in newborn size rather than 0-3 month. DS was 9lbs 6oz when he was born, and there was not a single minute that he could have fit into newborn things. LOL This time, I've got a couple of cheap onesies in newborn size in case this kid is smaller (fingers crossed she is!) and am not buying anything else in that size. If she's small, I can roll up the sleeves/pantlegs of the 0-3 months clothes until she grows into them fully.

moguippy · October 2020

@kkfishy9 I would probably wait for the bigger sizes unless you see an unbelievable deal. A lot of times I would browse clearance after a season and grab a few items that were super inexpensive (because no one wants a sweater in May here, and if it ended up not fitting I was only out like $3, but even still, I can just donate or try to resell). If you live somewhere where weather is pretty consistent then you will probably be ok. Here we have 80-90 degree summers all the way to 0 degree winters with snow. So a tshirt will not work in winter lol.

As for @hannahbananas11 advice of not buying newborn, I generally agree. Newborn is usually “up to 8lbs”. Most kids come out that size or bigger. However... have a few pieces in newborn just in case! My mom hammered the point that newborn sizes are useless and our family has huge babies anyway and then my DS was a peanut and I literally had to wash the same pair of pajamas everyday bc it was the only thing that fit.

@birdiejo I grabbed a pair of Zutanos too! (But I think I should have gotten the bigger size 🤦‍♀️)

dlbello23 · October 2020

I’ve bought a few things at a local consignment sale already. Mostly a few pjs, cozy stuff in newborn size. When my son was born we had hardly any newborn clothes and I had to make DH go out and buy some. He was small. They grow so fast though, so I don’t like spending tons of money. We also shop at Carter’s, target, nothing super fancy. I will buy some cute things I see on boutique sites, and splurge a little.

jumpy57 · October 2020

I do try and buy cotton clothing as it holds up better in the wash and stays soft. I've had a few things that were synthetic materials get pilled/faded/scratchy with a lot of washing

birdiejo · October 2020

@moguippy what size did you order?

moguippy · October 2020

The smallest size. It says 0-3 months but I took out my DS’s footprints from the hospital and I think they would have been a tight squeeze on him. He had (and still has) massive feet. Most of my family does. I’m a women’s size 11.

WildMagelet · October 2020

@dlbello23 - I've had a lot of fun shopping our local consignment stores for baby clothes. One of them that's run by a local church has baby items for $.50 ea, and the "nicer" one sells Maternity for $4 and has a lot of basic onesies and sleepers for $.99 ea.

PinkKathryn12 · October 2020

I'm all about one piece outfits when they are little like sleepers and such. It is so much easier. I also like to have a lot of just simple onesies for spit up and under sleepers.
I find carters runs a little small, but usually works.
DS was huge (11 lbs 1 oz born) and so I got him this adorable outfit and he barely fit it. haha. This time I'm looking at those cute gowns that tie at the bottom from etsy or something in floral print because I figure they will fit even if she is big or little.

I also don't recommend buying clothes too far out because DS, like @hannahbananas11 is 20 months old and is in 3T clothes already. At least things that are seasonal. Onesies and stuff they can wear anytime it doesn't really matter.

I have been shopping at once upon a child and looking at cheaper things like that, but having a girl this time is hard because EVERYTHING IS SO CUTE. haha

lovemesomemonster · October 2020

I had no idea what I was having so we just stayed with basic white onesies and gray jammies. I second all the comments on zippers! Snaps are terrible on the jammies especially as they get older and can roll when you are dressing them. I had the opposite problem of lots of people, for seasonal I am glad I didn’t buy ahead because my kiddo was right on size wise for a while and is now 16 months and still in 12 month clothes.

shoes are pointless until they can walk, I had a very early walker and finding shoes even when he could walk with an actual sole was hard. Most of the clothes he has are hand me downs from family and friends or I find good deals on carters at Burlington. I have splurged on shoes and find that when I buy brands like Sperry and Sorel they are good quality and easy to get on and when I get cheap shoes they are harder to get on.

as a newborn you change diapers so often I didn’t bother with cute outfits, mostly one piece items.

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