5 Tips For Choosing Baby Clothes For The First Year

Finding out you are pregnant and preparing for your new baby is a very exciting time. You may want to shop now for baby clothes, especially when you see all the adorable clothing in stores. While buying baby clothes for the first year may seem like the simplest thing to do there are some things you should be aware of before you start your shopping spree.

What Baby Clothes Will You Need For The First Year?

Your baby is not going to be needing much in the way of clothing for the first few months and your baby is going to be growing very fast. You also need to take account how often you will be doing laundry.

From newborn until about 6 months old you can work on getting by with the following items:

• 7 full babygrows
• 7 vests
• 5 pants
• 2 beanies
• 7 pairs of socks
• 1 pair of mittens
• 10 bibs
• 1 sunhat
• 3 sweaters during cold months
• 2 booties during cold months
• 1 special occasion outfit

From the age of 6 months to a year you can start adding in more clothing items, such as dresses, t-shirts, jackets, swimming costumes, and more to your baby’s wardrobe since your baby will be a lot more active. Your baby will be hitting exciting milestones such as sitting, crawling and walking. Think about clothing items that will be useful too such as non-slip rubber sole socks and special kneepads for crawling.

Safety First

It is important to always consider safety when purchasing clothing for your baby. Stay away from things that can be a choking or strangling hazard such as buttons, bows, hooks, and drawstrings. It is best to stick to zips and poppers.

Choose clothing that fits snugly and is made from fabrics are flame resistant, particularly when your baby is active and on the move.

Fabric

Pay attention to the fabric of baby clothing. Your baby’s skin is going to be very sensitive and may be prone to irritation and discomfort. Buying cotton baby clothing is usually as safe bet when it comes to fabric. You can also consider azlon or rayon fabrics.

Avoid polyester and nylon fabrics as they may cause discomfort to your baby’s sensitive skin.

Functionality, Style & Size

While you may be drawn to fancy, cute clothing for your baby make sure to always put functionality and the comfort of your baby as the top priority. You are going to be changing your baby’s diaper often, as well as feeding and burping your baby. You want clothing that is easy to put on and take off. Your newborn baby is going to be spending most of his time sleeping and lying down, so comfort is key. You want the clothing to fit your baby snugly but still allow him comfort when moving.

You will be doing a lot of laundry as a new mom since babies often need to be changed multiple times a day. Make sure that the baby clothing you buy washes easily and will last a long time being washed often. Avoid clothing that has special washing instructions to keep your work load to a minimum when you are a new mom.

Season

Remember that your baby is going to be growing very fast so take into account the season when buying new clothing. If a season is coming to an end consider buying the new season’s clothing in a bigger size to accommodate your child’s growing needs. Plan ahead and always consider the clothing that your baby will get the most wear out of.