Becoming a new parent for the first time is exciting. You want so much to provide the very best for your baby. Sometimes that means investigating things you never thought about before, specifically newborn clothes and the rules for dressing a newborn. Even after your baby gets past the first couple of months, you still need to know how dressing an infant can affect your baby's mood and sleep patterns. There's so much to learn about baby clothes, which is why we're going to dive right in here and share everything we know with you!
Dressing a Newborn
Newborns, as well as babies and toddlers, do not have the ability to regulate their own body temperature. Think about it; they spent nine months growing inside you, where it was perfectly warm and cozy all the time. They are born, and they suddenly enter a world that is too cold or too hot, and they can't adjust because their bodies aren't developed enough to do that. That is why it is so important to how to dress a newborn and what kind of newborn clothes you should dress your baby in.
The truth is, the fibers of the clothes need to be very soft and quite natural. These are the softest baby clothes and the most breathable baby clothes. They will not cause your baby any discomfort, be too scratchy on sensitive baby skin, or too hot and stifling when your baby is already warm. It is also important to know how to dress your baby for times of day and the weather if you are going to take your baby outside. This involves knowing how many layers of clothes your baby needs, and no, it's not the same number of layers you use to keep yourself warm!
What Should I Dress My Newborn In?
You would think that this is an easy question to answer. Most new moms just buy whatever is "cute", without taking into account much else. However, you have different newborn clothes for different occasions and times of the day. For example, you need to know how to dress baby for sleep and that dressing baby for bedtime is very different from dressing baby for daytime or dressing up baby for photos or holiday gatherings. We will show you how to dress your baby for any time of day or occasion, and exactly how many layers of clothes for newborn babies are really necessary.
Dressing Baby For Daytime
If you are going to be home most of the day with your baby, you don't really need to dress him or her in lots of layers unless you have your air conditioning set to a very low temperature. Usually a onesie t-shirt and/or a sleeper is enough. Sleepers are newborn pajamas that button up or zip up the front, although there are some two-piece styles of baby pajamas that allow your baby to keep the top half on and make it easier to remove the bottom half for diaper changes. A newborn gown set is another popular option, since the "gown" doubles as both a blanket and baby pajamas. Some infant gowns are open on the bottom, in which case you may want to put socks or booties on your baby's cute little feet to keep those darling toes from getting too cold.
If you are going to take baby out of the house, you might be wondering, "
What do babies wear during the day?" as well as how to dress a baby for outdoor time. Depending on the weather, you may just have baby dressed in newborn pajamas with a onesie underneath. If you want to dress baby up a little, there are lots of cute, easy newborn clothes like rompers, baby coveralls, baby footies, and newborn pajamas that don't necessarily look like pajamas. While babies don't really need shoes, you might be wondering "Do babies need socks?". The answer is that babies most definitely need socks, regardless of the time of year because they can't warm their own toes easily.
Of course, these simple layers of clothing are only for much warmer days. Infant winter clothes should be applied in layers and removed gradually if baby gets too warm. For this reason, you should invest in easy to put on baby clothes and breathable baby clothes that allow your baby's skin to breathe and not become too sweaty.
Newborn winter clothes should still be warm and cozy, but you don't have to give up cute and soft to keep your baby warm. Baby clothing companies like Free Birdees make baby bamboo clothes from bamboo fibers that are as comfortable and soft as they are cute. This includes a winter line of rompers, baby coveralls, newborn footies, and even a winter newborn gown set. Baby bamboo clothes are eco-friendly and they will never bother your baby's delicate skin because the clothes are made from the natural fibers of bamboo.
Finally, if your baby is a preemie, he or she will need extra help with staying warm. An extra layer may be needed for a preemie, as preemies have an exceptionally difficult time regulating body heat. This is especially true if your baby is a preemie born in mid to late fall or early winter.
How to Dress Baby for Sleep
Some babies love to be swaddled. Others want to kick and move around. Until your baby enters this world, it will be anyone's guess what your baby prefers. For that reason, invest in a lot of onesies (because you can use these for layering anyway), a few swaddling blankets or baby gowns, and several footed or footless baby pajamas in size newborn all the way up to twelve months. Your baby will grow very fast, and if your baby is already a big baby at birth, you may find that the Newborn sizes are outgrown much sooner than you expected! As a baby grows and becomes more comfortable with sleeping in his or her own crib, you can adapt to dressing baby for bedtime according to how well he or she sleeps in various easy to put on baby clothes.
Remember: You can always remove extra clothes if your baby seems uncomfortable or wants to move around in the crib more. Keep loose blankets away from your baby's sleeping area to prevent suffocation.
See also: Halloween sleepers for babies
What Should I Dress My Newborn in for Special Occasions?
Various holidays where relatives want to see your baby requires a different sort of approach to dressing him or her. Depending on the holiday, you can find baby footies and other cute patterned newborn wear and older baby clothes. There are also unique dressy items like a baby twirling dress and dressy overalls. Bigger babies and toddlers on the move love to twirl in the baby twirling dress, but it depends on the baby. Sometimes you can just dress up everyday easy newborn clothes for holidays by adding some holiday-themed accessories, or find matching big kid and adult clothing items that go with the newborn footies. Just make sure your holiday newborn wear remains a little loose and comfortable for your baby.
See also: matching christmas pajamas
What Should Newborns Wear to Daycare?
You can dress your baby up a little to go to daycare, if you want, but really newborn footies pajamas are sufficient since daycares keep the nurseries warm and cozy. Footies and other pajamas are the best newborn wear for younger babies, since they are still adapting to wearing clothes and they need to learn how to move their bodies and heads. Various styles of soft baby PJs allow babies to move with ease when they have outgrown the newborn stage in a few short months. Ergo, as far as what should newborns wear, keep it simple, easy to remove for diaper changes, soft, comfortable, and easy.
What Should I Pack in the Diaper Bag?
Babies will spit up and babies will have diaper leaks and accidents. That is just part of having a baby. For that reason, it is very smart to pack at least four changes of clothing if you are going anywhere with your baby for longer than just a couple of hours. If you are traveling with your baby, pack
doublethe amount of baby clothes you think you will need to make sure you have enough.
What About Other Baby Accessories?
There are lots of cute hats, skull caps, mittens and booties out there, but should your baby be wearing all of it? That really depends on the weather and a few other factors. For example, a baby might regularly scratch his or her own face with those sharp little fingernails. Regardless of the weather, then, you might want to put mittens on your baby's hands. Hats and skull caps are important when temperatures begin to dip in the fall, or when your baby's head feels a little chilly indoors. Booties and/or socks are almost always a must because babies generally don't need shoes. However, they do need something to keep their little toes warm.
The Best Newborn Wear on the Market
You could buy baby clothes from literally anywhere, any store, but you want the best for your baby, right? That is why you should be buying baby bamboo clothes from Free Birdees. We provide you with a wide selection of clothes made from the natural bamboo fibers. Our clothes are the softest baby clothes on the market. Our competitors have tried to duplicate our process for bamboo clothing and haven't even come close to the level of softness our clothing has. What is more, we make clothes for all ages and stages, so your newborn can grow up with the same product line you have dressed him or her in since the moment he or she was born! (Check out all of the matching family ensembles while you are at it if you hope to create that perfect family holiday card this year.)
Also, if you are at a loss for what do babies wear during the day, you only have to check out our clothing lines and our helpful blog posts. We can answer your questions and help you pick out the right outfits, sleepers, and accessories to keep your baby feeling comfy-cozy and absolutely adorable all year long.