How to Buy Baby Clothes

There's no denying that the cute factor goes along way towards selling baby clothes. Color and style are the first things we notice but savvy moms are beginning to wise up and have begun to use some additional criteria for choosing baby’s outfits. Here are five easy tips on how to buy quality clothing for your baby’s first months.

SIZE

Shopping for a new outfit for baby should be simple. The sizes are laid out for us according to the age of the child and once we get our feet wet, we know whether to move the guidelines back a notch or to move them forward if we have a bigger or smaller than average baby. Baby gowns are loose fitting and fall straight from the shoulders, so an excellent fit should not be a huge issue.

COLOR

Traditional colors of infant clothes are still various shades of pink and blue so there’s very little chance that you will make a poor color selection. Moms of boys prefer blue and it seems that baby girls will continue to be pretty in pink for the time being. Other colors that are popular backgrounds for bunnies, teddy bears and yellow ducks would be pale yellow, lavender and mint green. Any pastel color will work so long as you don’t mind the occasional mistake in determining your baby’s gender by well meaning strangers. There are hints that bolder colors are making some headway so stay tuned for further updates.

FIT

Baby gowns are loose fitting and fall straight from the shoulders, so a good fit should be difficult to get. For every preemie that is too tiny for standard newborn sizes there is a chubby little sweetheart that has difficulty squeezing in a sleeper meant for a three month old baby. Use the sizes on the package as guidelines, but trial and error may be necessary.

FABRIC

Soft cotton fabrics are the gold standard when it comes to baby clothes. Most parents look for comfortable cotton flannels and knits and many prefer organic. I am of the opinion that lightly used organic cotton baby clothes are better than brand new synthetics. Recycling baby clothes is an excellent way to clothe baby inexpensively and to help our environment. Shop online auctions, baby forums and garage sales and you may find some fabulous bargains.

CONSTRUCTION

An infant’s skin is much more sensitive and easy to irritate than that of adults or even that of older children. For that reason, I recommend parents inspect baby clothes before buying them by turning them wrong side out and taking a good look at the construction of the garment. Rough edges can make a raw spot very quickly and unfinished seams can give you some hints as to the overall quality of the piece.

These are just basic ideas but if you follow these guidelines, you should be able to find some baby clothes that will wear and wash well until your little one outgrows them. Once you are done with them, pass them forward to another new mother along with any other useable baby gear and decorative nursery items that have outlived their usefulness in your home. There is no better gift to give to our children than a clean and untainted environment so please recycle when you can.