Between feeding, changing, burping, and soothing, the last thing you want to worry about is baby clothes that take too much effort, rub your baby the wrong way, or are otherwise not worth their space in the nursery. But once you know a few simple rules for shopping, even the most harried diaper change will go more smoothly and your little one will enjoy his new world in comfort and style.
1. Safety first: no buttons, bows, or ties.
When buying baby clothes, safety is essential and sometimes overlooked by busy parents and families. Every year, millions of baby clothes are recalled because of failure to meet safety standards. Hence, it is vital to buy baby clothes that don’t raise safety concerns.
Do not buy any baby clothing with decorations like bows, buttons, flowers, and hooks because they can cause choking hazards. If a piece must contain decorations, they should be firmly attached. Also, avoid picking clothes with drawstrings and waistbands because they pose strangulation hazards.
2. Look for soft fabrics.
New babies have sensitive skin. Some experts recommend all cotton, although soft cotton blends also work for many babies. Bear in mind that “Tagless” clothing, where size and washing information are printed on the back of the neck, sometimes causes skin irritation. If you notice your baby has redness in the area, switch to clothing with tags—you can always cut them out.
3. Consider how easy a garment is to put on and take off.
When buying baby clothes, you should consider their functionality. For newborns, they would spend most of their day sleeping, so definitely pick out something comfortable, like short-sleeves romper, side-snap romper, or bodysuits. Again, you want to pick styles that are easy to put on and take off.
Consider the practicality of clothes:
- Wide necks or snaps at the neck make dressing easier. (If you pick clothes that pull over the head, do it quickly because babies panic when their breathing is blocked or when they can't see you.)
- Snaps and zippers in the front are easier to put on and take off than those on the back.
- Loose sleeves pull on and off easier than tight ones.
- Snaps or other easy openings at the crotch make it quicker and easier to change diapers – you don’t have to take off all your baby's clothes
4. Make sure it’s simple to change a diaper, too.
Most baby bodysuits and sleepers have snaps at the crotch. Baby bodysuits with envelope folds at the neckline can be gently pulled down over your baby’s body and removed if there’s a diaper blowout disaster (you don’t want to pull them over the head).
5. Go for stretchy elastic on pants.
It may be tempting to get your little one a pair of blue jeans just like yours, complete with button fly. But unless they have a stretchy elastic waistband, it won’t be fun getting them on your baby.
We hope some of the tips and reminders will be helpful for choosing the ideal outfit for this joy of bundle in your life. If you want to live minimally with the most thoughtfully created pieces, FLYBYFLY's clothes and accessories will bring you much delight.
Dressing babies and gifting a new parent has never been easier with these tips!