28 Mar 2024

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How to Choose Clothes for Baby & Kid – 7 Awesome Tips
Fashion

How to Choose Clothes for Baby & Kid – 7 Awesome Tips 

Do you happen to have a baby girl or maybe a baby boy on the way? Like many new parents, you probably want the best of what life can offer them. However, buying clothes for a baby can be an overwhelming and frustrating task[1]. Not only do you need to pick clothes that will fit the baby, but you need to consider what is cute on the baby. Fortunately, though, with a little information and some time, you’ll be able to buy baby clothes in an efficient and effective manner.

7 Most Important Factors to Consider When Buying Baby Clothes

Fabric 

Imagine a cute little baby has joined your family. Your first reaction is to want to dress your precious baby girl or baby boy up in funky, trendy, bright, and sometimes expensive clothes to complement all the cuteness overload. However, there are times when those cute outfits come at a price other than money, some babies start to get rashes and other skin irritations.

Many times the fabric of the clothes is the culprit. Babies, especially newborns, have very sensitive skin. So, when buying baby clothes, most parents would defer to picking out pieces made from cotton. However, alternatives like soy-based fabrics are also sustainable (gentle on the environment) and silky smooth (gentle on babies), which is perfect for baby clothing.

So our recommendation would be to consider fabrics like cotton (especially organic cotton), and rayon from bamboo. These fabrics are from nature or derived from natural resources and have good properties to make them a good fit for baby clothes. Avoid bright colors as they may contain fluorescent agents.

Baby clothes made from materials like nylon and polyester may cause skin sensitivity and discomfort because of their inability to take up moisture and regulate babies’ body temperature so they should be avoided.

  • Check for tagless options.
  • Avoid wool.
  • Focus on high thread count cotton.
  • Consider synthetics like polyester.[2]

Safety

How to Choose Clothes for Baby and kids- 7 Tips

When buying baby clothes, safety is essential and sometimes overlooked by busy parents and families. Millions of baby clothes are recalled every year because of failure to meet safety standards[3]. Hence, it is vital to buy baby clothes that don’t raise safety concerns.

Do not buy any baby clothing with decorations like bows, buttons, flowers, and hooks because they can cause choking hazards. If a piece must contain decorations, it should be firmly attached. Also, avoid picking clothes with drawstrings and waistbands because they pose strangulation hazards.

When you are buying baby sleepwear, either pick the ones made from flame-resistant fabrics (chemically treated) or snug-fitting to safeguard babies from burns. This is particularly applicable to baby sleepwear sizes 9-14 months -babies are very mobile during this stage.

Size

Choosing the right-size baby clothes for your little one seems like it should be simple enough — in theory. Baby clothes are typically sized by age, so you’d think you would just buy pieces that correspond to your baby’s age and that would be it.

Unfortunately, that’s not always how it works. Like adults, infants come in all shapes and sizes. And different brands of baby clothes are not consistently sized the same way.

Most clothes have standard measurements [4]  to guide you if you are unsure of the size that will fit your baby well. However, keep in mind these are general guidelines and very often babies fall in between sizes (for example, their height is 3-6 months and weight is 6-9 months).

  • Ensure that baby clothes are easy to put on and take off.

If you can’t decide on sizes, we always recommend buying the bigger size to compensate for growth spurts. Also, ensure that baby clothes are easy to put on and take off. Between diaper changes, feeding, and burping, the last thing you want are onesies that require a lot of effort to change in and out of.

Choose clothes with snaps and/or zippers as opposed to buttons. Again, avoid fanciness and consider practicality. If you are in the stores, try out the snaps and zippers to make sure they are easy to snap on and off or zip on and off.

Style & Functionality

When buying baby clothes, you should consider their functionality. For newborns, they would spend most of their day sleeping, so definitely pick out something comfortable, like a kimono bodysuit, baby Set. Again, you want to pick styles that are easy to put on and take off.[5]

Also, consider the practicality of clothes. Resist the urge to buy adorable sailor outfits if the baby would benefit more from bodysuits. Similarly, do not spend too much on clothes that your baby will hardly ever wear such as fancy party wears. One or two sets for special occasions are enough. For newborns, limit the number of newborn-sized clothes because as we mentioned prior, babies grow fast.

Pick baby clothing that allows for easy diaper changes. Dressing babies in layers and two-pieces, rather than one-piece outfits without easy diaper access, are also preferable options.

If you are choosing not to find out about your baby’s gender until birth, keeping a gender-neutral palette would be ideal. Many brands have unisex baby clothing collections to choose from alongside pink for girls and blue for boys.

Lastly, choose clothes that will launder easily and last through many washes. Babies change through outfits several times a day. Usually after feeding or a diaper change. Therefore, buy clothes that don’t require extra TLC in their laundering process to help save time and effort on your end. Avoid knits and wool because they have special laundering conditions that may be overwhelming.

Cost 

How to Choose Clothes for Baby & Kid – 7 Awesome Tips

When buying baby clothes, don’t default to the lowest priced in the name of frugality.

1). Don’t refuse out-of-season clothes.

Save money by purchasing baby clothes at the end of the season for the following year. While it might take a lot of planning, because you’ll have to account for the age of the baby at a given time of the year, you’ll wind up saving a lot of money.

We spoke about how fast babies grow and how sensitive their skin can be, buying top quality and well-designed clothes will give you peace of mind as well as create a lot of oohs and aahs photographs of lasting memories. Choose quality over quantity. There are many parent-designed, thoughtfully made, and affordable baby clothes, both online and offline.

2). Keep an eye on the sale

A great way to save money when buying baby clothes is to watch for when department stores and other retailers have sales. Sales will provide a great opportunity to stretch your dollar and buy baby clothes.

  • Subscribe to popular couponing websites, like Groupon, so you can get alerts when coupons or sales are available at your favorite retailer.
  • If you have a favorite store for your baby’s clothes, see if you can become a club member there so that you’ll get e-alerts about sales.
  • Check your local Sunday paper for sales in your area. Browse the websites of large online retailers regularly.
  • Buy clothes as you need them.

3). Buy small amount clothes for baby

Whenever buying clothes for a baby, always buy small amounts. This is because babies grow fast. You didn’t want to stock up on clothes only to have the baby outgrow them. Good planning and control will wind up saving you a lot of money.

  • Buy clothes as you need them.
  • Consider buying clothes every other weekend or even once a month. Plan for several weeks at a time, rather than for several months or a whole year.
  • When buying larger-sized clothes for the future, don’t buy too much at one time either. If you see a great deal, buy a little bit, not a lot.

Season

How to Choose Clothes for Baby & Kid – 7 Tips

When buying baby clothes, factor in the season and the geographical climate you are in. Buy season-appropriate clothing and think ahead. If you are making a purchase in January, you might want to consider choosing something suitable for spring as you would only get 2-3 months out of winter clothes.

Also, consider your geographic location (especially when buying a baby gift). What one wears in Southern California will be different from New York. If you are buying online, look for product descriptions carefully as it often will tell you if the fabric is light or heavyweight.

When this is overlooked, you may end up making pre-purchases on clothes that your baby will not get to wear. Millions of clothes are tossed out annually and a lot of them are unworn. It is a big contributing factor to the waste of our natural resources. Simply plan ahead, choose thoughtfully, and get the most usage out of the baby clothes you have your eyes set on.

  • Warm clothes are necessary for the wintertime. Make sure to consider warm onesies, socks, booties, and head coverings.
  • Make sure the baby is not too warm in the fall, spring, or summer. Don’t weigh them down with winter gear just because it looks cute.[6]

Color

In the choice of color, the best choice of light series, bright colors of clothes, may remain some chemical dyes, easy to hurt the baby’s skin. There are some white clothes, may also be added fluorescent agent, pay attention to the purchase, it is best to choose a primary color or light color clothing.

Here are neutral colors[7] that work well for babes:

  • white
  • black
  • gray
  • silver
  • cream
  • tan
  • navy

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After considering all the factors above, we hope some of the tips and reminders will be helpful for choosing the ideal outfit for this joy of bundle in your life. If you want to live minimally with the most thoughtfully created pieces, Akidstar’s New arrivals will bring you much delight.

Reference

1.https://www.billybibs.com/neutrals-best-colors-baby-clothing

2. http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-to-buy-baby-clothes_10370611.bc

3.https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Alberta/Pages/clothing-safety-for-children.aspx

4.https://www.whattoexpect.com/first-year/baby-clothes-sizes/

5.https://www.thebump.com/a/how-to-buy-baby-clothes

6.https://www.parents.com/baby/clothes/dressing-your-baby-for-winter/

7.https://www.billybibs.com/neutrals-best-colors-baby-clothing