Dressing babies is complicated? Or at least it is for my husband.  

When Piper was a week old we went over to the neighbors for a little get together.  I hadn’t yet learned to pack an extra outfit or two in Piper’s diaper bag so naturally as soon as we got there she spit up everywhere and shit her pants.  Perfect.  

So I sent Tyler home for a new outfit.  “Go get me a pair of jammies” I said.  

“What are jammies?” He replied? 

“Seriously? You know fleecy things with the feet in them that snap from the feet to the neck? Get me one of those.” 

So off he went through the backyards in the FREEZING cold to get Piper some new clothes.  

Apparently I wasn’t clear enough about what I wanted because this what he brought back.  

“Are you f’ing kidding me I asked?” 

This was by far my hardest day of being a parent.  I was exhausted and overwhelmed and now my husband couldn’t even figured out what pajamas were? Did I have to do everything?? 

Now in his defense the white and purple ones do snap from the feet to the neck, but they were WAY to big and honestly they look like something you’d wear to church.  Not bed.  

So I sent him home again.  Get me something comfy for her to wear, pick something you’d want to wear to bed if you were her I said.” That would have to help him pick something out right? 

Wrong

He brought back a bunny outfit.  

WHAT. THE FUCK. TYLER.  

That’s what you’d want to wear to bed if you were her? 

I was so irritated at this point.  Amused yes, but also irritated.  Plus the baby had pooped 2 more times while he was running back and forth so I just put her in the damn bunny outfit and called it a night.  

Once I got over being mad I realized a post MUST be written for rookie moms and new dads explaining newborn fashion because it is kind of confusing.  How will you know what the difference between jammies and a Sunday best outfit are unless someone tells you? Plus you wouldn’t know what the difference between a onesie and a romper was if you had never been around kids before (though I still think I’d be able to figure it out, but that’s another story). 

So lets’s get educated.  
Onesies/Bodysuits

Kind of like how it sounds, just one piece.  It snaps at the crotch and can have no sleeves, short sleeves, or long sleeves.  It does not have legs.  Onesies are great to go under outfits or to put on them before putting them in a swaddle.  You can also throw a pair of leggings on over them and its an outfit.  Onesies are amazing and you’re going to want to have a few on hand.  My favorite onesie is from a brand called Kickee Pants.  They are SUPER soft and stretchy which makes it way easier to dress your newborn (remember its awkward changing their clothes at first so the stretchier the better).  Yes they are more expensive, but they are worth it.  Plus since they are so stretchy they last for a lot longer.  Piper currently wears size 3-6 months in most things, but she can still wear her newborn and 0-3 month kickee pant onesies.

Footie Pajamas aka Jammies

If your wife sends you home for jammies, this is what she is talking about.  Footie pajamas are a MUST for all infants.  First of all they won’t be just pajamas, your kid will probably wear them during the day as well.  This is all Piper wore for basically the first 2 months (she was a winter baby).  In fact, she never even wore these to bed at the beginning because she was swaddled to sleep and having these on would have made her too hot.

Every store on earth will carry these.  Target, Walmart, Carters, and higher end boutiques.  I bought a few of the Kickee Pants brand in this as well, but honestly I probably wouldn’t do that again.  Because they grow so fast at the beginning they will not be wearing these for long before it will be time for a new size.  Hit up the Carters store and get a few pairs for $8 each.  Fleece ones are great for winter and lightweight ones will be better for summer.

Layette Gowns

Sorry, no good pictures of Piper in a gown, but we used them ALOT.  These were great in the beginning when we were changing her diaper all the time in the middle of the night.  They were lightweight so I could swaddle her in them and then I didn’t have to mess around with snaps or pants in the middle of the night when I (actually Tyler) needed to change her.  You just lift it up and go.  The best part about these gowns is that they are usually sized 0-12 months so you can just buy a couple of them and they will last you forever.

Swaddler

In my opinion a good swaddler is the single most important thing you will need as a parent of a newborn (well sleep is probably most important, but you aren’t going to get that).  Babies are scared of their arms.  They have been in such cramped quarters for so long and once they are out in the real world they have no idea what to do with their arms.  What happens is that they startle themselves, the arms go flying, they hit themselves in the face waking themselves up and then? Wahhhhhhhhhhh.  You want a good sleeper? Swaddle them? They might not like it at first (they probably will hate it when you are doing it).  But stick with it and add some extra comfort measures in there and they will be happy in no time.  For more information on swaddling check out the Happiest Baby on the Block.    This was instrumental in our success in calming Piper down from the beginning.

Now you might be thinking to yourself that you don’t need a swaddler because you have swaddle blankets and you are a swaddle ninja so you’ll be fine.  Tyler was a total swaddle ninja.

See how good of a job he could do? And guess what? She could have an arm out of that swaddle in 10 minutes or less.  EVERY TIME.  Save yourself the hassle and buy a good swaddler.  Different babies like different ones, but this, this, this, and this are worth checking out.  The Woombie is what worked best for us.

Crap you probably won’t need (but you might think you do)

Hats like this:

Piper wore a hat the first few days she was born.  Other than that she didn’t wear a hat unless we were leaving the house and the ones she did wear were the warmer winter type hats.  You’ll probably get 27 of these at your baby shower so you should be set, don’t by any yourself.

Baby Skinny Jeans

Just no.

Big Poofy Dresses

Newborns don’t really wear dresses (someone tell my mom).  Unless you have a very special occasion they will be getting all dolled up for I would skip this.

Where to shop?

There are so many options when it comes to shopping.  My best advice is get yourself a Zulily account.  You can get really really cute brands like Kickee Pants, Mudpie, and more at a discount.  Plus they often sell things like nightgowns, Halo swaddlers, and crap like that.  Its good to keep an eye on what goes on a sale on a daily basis.

Outside of Zulily? I recommend Target and Carters.  Cute stuff and affordable prices.  When Piper was first born I didn’t want her to wear a lot of Carters stuff because all the other babies had the same stuff and I wanted her to be unique.  Then I remember that SHE IS A BABY and she shits on her clothes.  Plus it isn’t a fashion contest.

If you want some cute higher end stuff and you are local to the Des Moines area then you have to check out Lincoln and Lexi.  Their stuff is ADORABLE.

Now I want to hear from you!

What was your favorite piece of clothing for a newborn? Tell me in the comments below and share some links if you can!