Choosing Baby Clothes

If you're expecting a baby and are making all the necessary preparations for the arrival of your newest family member, buying baby clothes will one of your top priorities.  Looks are not everything where baby clothes are concerned. Of more importance are the comfort levels of those clothes.  Is the fabric comfortable to wear?  Is there any part of the dress that irritates or scratches baby skin? A Baby's skin is soft and delicate and fancy frills and layers of rough dress material only irritates baby. A simple cotton frock or an onesie is what a baby would most prefer to wear if given a choice!

There's much more than "blue for a boy, pink for a girl", please.  When it comes time to select clothes for your new baby think more than just pink and blue.  To avoid the potential pitfalls that ensnare many new parents there are a few things to keep in mind to help make the process as seamless as possible.

Check For Comfort Over Cuteness

At the risk of repeating myself I have to again and again point out this fact to new parents. Too many parents get all gushy and sentimental when shopping for baby clothes.  It's very easy to look at that little blue sailor suit or little pink petticoat and think to oneself "how cute their little baby is going to look in this!"  Consider however that your newborn's skin is very tender and quite sensitive.  That cute little outfit could cause quite a bit of discomfort if it's made of the wrong materials, doesn't breathe easily, or is too constrictive.  Clothes for a newborn should be soft, absorbent, and made of natural fibers.  Think cotton.  For the time being, choose baby clothes - outfits that put the baby's comfort over all else.

Accessibility

One point that some parents seem to forget when selecting baby clothes is that they will need to be changed… often. They learn soon enough! But initially if they go overboard and buy too many of those fancy stuff with plenty of buttons or straps then they are in for it.  Infant wear with too many buttons, straps, and fasteners can quickly become troublesome as the item needs to be undone and redone again and again to allow access for diaper changing or removing and replacing the entire outfit due to soiling of some kind.  Remember that babies are messy little people and that you and your partner are going to be the ones cleaning up those messes, in one way or another, for the next eighteen to twenty years.  Make it easy on yourselves now while the child and the messes are still small.

Ease of Care

A very important consideration in baby clothes is ease of care.  Always look at the care labels while you're still in the store and make sure that the item is machine washable and doesn't have any special restrictions regarding detergents, bleaches, or fabric softeners.  You're not likely to come across any baby clothing that requires dry cleaning, but you always want to be sure.  Cotton is definitely the fabric of choice for baby clothing for the reasons mentioned above, but cotton does have a nasty tendency to shrink when washed in hot water.  Your baby will outgrow her clothes quickly enough, so items that contain a blend of cotton and other, non-shrinking, fibers may be acceptable.  Make sure that the cotton to poly ratio is weighted in cotton's favor and you should still be all right in terms of comfort while ensuring that little Paris will be able to get into her duds for as long as possible.