Keeping it Simple! Your Baby’s Wardrobe
Avoid clutter and keep things simple. Discover what you really need for your new little one’s wardrobe and what you don’t.
Next to toys, buying your new little one’s wardrobe is probably the most fun! And the most frustrating when you realize you’ll be doing it every 6-8 weeks (if you’re lucky!) while they go from newborn to crazy toddler.
I’ve had a lot of friends and family over the years who found themselves packing up clothes for their child that still had the tags attached because they never got around to wearing them so that had us thinking about how to handle our son’s wardrobe pretty early on.
In this post, I’ll go over the few things that are truly necessary, especially for the first year. Keep in mind that these recommendations are for if you do laundry twice a week like I do. If you only want to do laundry once a week, you may need to up the quantity of the daily necessities.
Clothing Necessities
- Onesies
- Shorts/Pants
- Pajamas/Sleep Sacks
- Socks/Booties
- Coats
Onesies
These are the staple that you will find yourself going back to time and again no matter what cute dresses, top and pant sets, or other assorted outfits you have.
For the day-to-day, onesies with short or long sleeves are the way to go. They can’t be pulled up the way shirts can and are easy to undo for quick diaper changes. They come in everything from plain white to having cute sayings on them or even button-up collars to match Daddy’s polo. At any given time, we keep about 8-10 on hand in the current size (Hudson Baby brand are some of our favorites) and try to have a couple ready for when he moves up in size.
These are popular for baby shower gifts so make sure to register for some in different sizes so you don’t end up with 25 newborn outfits!
Shorts and Pants
Onesies cover the top but what if it’s cool or cold out? This is where shorts and pants come in. Shorts are a quick way to turn a onesie into an adorable outfit while pants can do that and keep your little one’s legs warm during spring, fall, and winter.
If you’re like me and you want to keep things coordinated, be sure that the onesies you have follow a color scheme. This makes it easier to buy coordinating bottoms. For example, his 18-month onesies all have white, grey, or black involved so the shorts we bought were light grey, dark grey, and black. Now that it’s getting colder, we’ve opted for dark-wash jeans that go great with anything! The Jumping Beans brand at Kohls makes this easy and inexpensive as long as you use their sales and coupons.
Pajamas and Sleep Sacks
For nighttime, shorts and pants aren’t quite as practical. Instead, opt for one-piece pajamas. They come with built-in feet (or footless if your nursery runs warm) and can also help your child understand that it’s nighttime and time to sleep if you make it part of your schedule.
These come in cotton and polyester for summertime or fleece for the colder months. For figuring out how many you need, plan on 1-2 a night depending on whether or not your baby wets through. Since we do laundry twice a week, we tend to keep 4 on hand.
When Dom was little, sometimes we’d leave him in his basic onesie and just put him in a sleep sack for nighttime. These can either have long sleeves or no sleeves and come in a couple different weights. Many of the ones made for newborns have flaps of fabric with velcro so you can swaddle them to help them sleep (the Halo Sleep Sacks are amazing for this!) better without having to worry about a blanket coming loose in their crib in the middle of the night. These also work well if you travel somewhere and wherever you stay overnight is cooler than what your baby is used to. Since it’s a piece of clothing, it’s a safe and effective way to add a second layer.
Socks and Booties
Unless it’s cool or cold, socks and booties are optional. However, during the cooler months (which are 9 months of the year for us!) they are truly a necessity.
With our son being born in December, we needed something to help keep his feet warm from day one. Thankfully one of our baby shower gifts was a pair of polar fleece booties that velcroed around his ankles. That made it much easier to keep them on and allowed them to grow with him.
Now that he’s older, we’ve opted for socks. To keep it simple, we get a pack that has white, grey, and black. This way, if you lose one to the dryer or on a walk, you aren’t left with a mismatch. If your baby is starting to walk, be sure to get the type with grippers on the bottom to avoid any unnecessary slips and falls.
Coats
Similar to socks and booties, this is only necessary if you live in an area that gets cool. You’ll want a light jacket for spring and fall, a heavier one for winter, and possibly a vest for in between.
If possible, shop a few months ahead to get the best prices. By then, you should have a pretty good idea about the size you’ll need. If you’re really brave, you can even buy the year before while they are on clearance and save quite a bit. For instance, the cute knit jacket that my son is wearing this fall was purchased on clearance months ago. Originally, it was $36. I found it on sale for under $10! It’s grey and goes with everything. His winter coat, which was purchased a while back as well, is also grey with classic styling so it can go with anything.
Conclusion:
It’s easy to get carried away and end up with so many clothes that your baby doesn’t even get to wear them all before they outgrow them. Since clothing is also popular as a baby gift, don’t forget to register for some in different sizes to avoid having too much of a single size.
Do you have any tips or favorites when it comes to your baby’s wardrobe? If so, please leave it in the comments below!
Kate Nagorny
I’m Kate Nagorny – introvert, writer, photographer, and mom. My life can get a little crazy but through it all, I always look for the good in every situation.
Live light, travel light, spread the light, be the light!
