I admit it – I’m a total sucker for sugar and spice baby girl clothing.
Give me lace and roses, hand-crocheted pinafores, add hand-smocked
bodices and I’m in heaven. I’ve raised two little girls and had a hand in
half a dozen nieces, and I’m here to warn you, ladies. If you love
dressing up your little girl in ribbons and lace, indulge yourself as much
as you can when she’s a baby – because it won’t be long before she’s
choosing her own clothes. And honestly, the frilly styles I love just
don’t suit the average active toddler. So — get it out of your system when
she’s a baby – and take lots and lots of pictures.

Just for mothers like me, here are five classic looks for smartly
dressed baby girls that will ensure that your little angel will never be
mistaken for a boy – till she starts dressing herself, at least.

Hand-Smocked Polly Flinders Dresses

There is nothing in this world that says ‘little girl’ quite like a
hand-smocked Polly Flinders dress. I was lucky enough when my youngest was
an infant to find an entire box full of vintage 1950s Polly Flinders
dresses, and buy them for a dollar apiece. If you’re not familiar with
hand-smocked clothing or Polly Flinders, let me give you an idea of what
a bargain this is: a search for Polly Flinders dresses this morning
turned up a few dozen dresses, including several vintage dresses from the
50s and 60s. The prices ranged from $45 to $175.

The Sailor Suit

What do you get when you cross red satin ribbons, navy blue pin-dots
and a white embroidered collar? Add a pint-size sailor’s cap embellished
with a satin ribbon and you have one of the most popular little girl
baby dresses ever made – a very feminine twist on a little boy’s sailor
suit. It was one of the classic styles of the 1940s, and never goes out
of style.

Ruffled Pinafores

It’s a classic Alice in Wonderland little girl pretty – a gingham
checked dress with puffed shoulders and a ruffled hem peeking out from
beneath a starched pinafore. Pinafores started out as ‘aprons’ to help save
the fancy dress beneath, but soon took on a style of their own. They
slip on from the front, and button or tie at the back, and are meant to
be worn over an under dress. Ruffled hems and shoulders and dainty
embroidery are just a few of the things that make this classic baby clothing
style special.

Ruffled Panties

Very little in this life is more adorable than rows of ruffled lace
peeking out from beneath the hem of a smocked baby dress. Ruffle-bottomed
diaper covers and fancy little embroidered bottoms that are meant to
peek out beneath a dress are another of those classic baby girl looks
that never age.

Velvet and Taffeta Roses

What’s the well-dressed baby girl wear on Christmas? Taffeta and
velvet, with lace and roses at the waist of course. Be traditional with a red
velvet bodice and ruffled plaid taffeta skirt, complete with a tiny
satin rose at the lace-trimmed collar – or let your bolder side out and
dress your little darling in black velvet and pink satin. My own favorite
of all time was a pearl gray velvet dress with a white taffeta skirt
accented with a full-blown satin bow in baby-soft pink.

[AffomaticEbay]Polly Flinders[/AffomaticEbay]

So, you’re expecting a baby and making all the necessary preparations for the arrival of your new family member. How do you go about choosing the clothes for your new little person? There’s much more than “blue for a boy…pink for a girl…twice as much for twins” when it comes time to select clothes for your new baby. To avoid the potential pitfalls that ensnare many new parents there are a few things to keep in mind to help make the process as seamless as possible.

Comfort Over Cuteness

Too many parents get all gushy and sentimental when shopping for baby clothes. It’s very easy to look at that little blue sailor suit or little pink petticoat and think to oneself “how cute will little Keanu or Britney look in this!” Consider however that your newborn’s skin is very tender and quite sensitive. That cute little outfit could cause quite a bit of discomfort if it’s made of the wrong materials, doesn’t breathe easily, or is too constrictive. Clothes for a newborn should be soft, absorbent, and made of natural fibers. Think cotton. There will be plenty of time to embarrass your child by forcing her to wear clothes she hates when she’s a teenager. For the time being, choose outfits that put the baby’s comfort over all else.

Accessibility

One point that some parents seem to forget when selecting baby clothes is that they will need to be changed… often. Infant wear with too many buttons, straps, and fasteners can quickly become troublesome as the item needs to be undone and redone again and again to allow access for diaper changing or removing and replacing the entire outfit due to soiling of some kind. Remember that babies are messy little people and that you and your partner are going to be the ones cleaning up those messes, in one way or another, for the next eighteen to twenty years. Make it easy on yourselves now while the child and the messes are still small.

Ease of Care

A very important consideration in baby clothing is ease of care. Always look at the care labels while you’re still in the store and make sure that the item is machine washable and doesn’t have any special restrictions regarding detergents, bleaches, or fabric softeners. You’re not likely to come across any baby clothing that requires dry cleaning, but you always want to be sure. Cotton is definitely the fabric of choice for baby clothing for the reasons mentioned above, but cotton does have a nasty tendency to shrink when washed in hot water. Your baby will outgrow her clothes quickly enough, so items that contain a blend of cotton and other, non-shrinking, fibers may be acceptable. Make sure that the cotton to poly ratio is weighted in cotton’s favor and you should still be all right in terms of comfort while ensuring that little Paris will be able to get into her duds for as long as possible.

[AffomaticEbay]baby cotton[/AffomaticEbay]

Do you remember the television commercials for the laundry detergent that claimed to remove the embarrassing “ring around the collar?” The husband and wife would be at some social gathering, perhaps dining on Lobster Thermador at the Rotary Club or some such thing, when one of the Gladys Kravitz-esque attendees would notice a stain on Mr. Commercial’s shirt collar and point it out loudly enough for everyone this side of Brooklyn to hear, “He’s got ring around the collar!” The singsong nasal chorus would repeat this as Mrs. Commercial turned several shades of crimson and Mr. Commercial went on merrily munching on his shellfish, oblivious to the goings-on. I, for one, always wondered why Mrs. Commercial was so embarrassed when clearly the problem would take care of itself if Mr. Commercial would just take the time to wash his neck.

I got to thinking about that commercial recently as I was trying to remove another stubborn stain, this one caused by my baby’s ample and artful methods of regurgitation rather than my husband’s poor upper vertebral hygiene. Babies’ garments are different from adults’ you see, and babies’ skin is far more sensitive, so there is no miracle stain remover that is both safe for baby and tough on the messes that they tend to make when they decide that they want to take one more look at that last bit of formula. There are, however, several ways to remove stubborn stains like these from baby clothes and accessories using common household items that contain no harmful chemicals.

For the traditional spit-up stain that parents of a young baby will see plenty of, the best method that I have found uses club soda and baking soda. What you’ll want to do is sprinkle a bit of baking soda on the stained area and then pour on a bit of club soda. Remember the paper mache volcanoes that the nerdier kids constructed for the eighth grade science fair? This is the same effect. The club soda and baking soda will bubble and foam a bit. Let that happen for a few seconds and then take an old toothbrush and gently scrub the area. The dried on bits of yuck should loosen and chip away in no time at all. Now wash the garment as usual. Voila! The stain should be gone. This same concoction will remove corrosion from the positive and negative posts of an automobile battery, by the way, so if you have that problem one day, tell your husband that you’ll take care of it for him while he goes into the bathroom and washes his neck.

[AffomaticEbay]baby stain[/AffomaticEbay]

Like your shirt, Junior? It used to belong to your sister!

Purchasing clothes for babies and older children can put a financial drain on families to the point that the parents often wonder where the money will come from each year to purchase new school clothes, special occasion wear, and other such items for their kids. For this reason, the tradition of using “hand-me-downs” became popular, with the younger child wearing the clothing that an older sibling wore previously. It’s an imperfect system (it doesn’t work well if one child is male and the other female, for example, or if one is tall and thin and the other short and chubby), but can save quite a bit of money for those families that are feeling the financial crunch associated with these aspects of child-raising.

Aside from the potential flaws mentioned above (differences in gender and relative size between siblings) there are some other problems that can make using hand-me-downs impractical. These mostly include wear and tear on the clothing itself. Kids can be very tough on their clothes and clothing that is too worn can not usually be handed down to a younger child. There is one situation where the system works rather well, however, and that is with baby clothes.

Baby clothes naturally avoid the pitfalls associated with wear and tear because few items are worn for very long at all. Babies grow very quickly, especially between infancy and two years, and don’t stay in one piece of clothing long enough to wear it out. Also until they start to crawl around quite a bit, babies are largely inactive. Their usual routine of eating, sleeping, eating, and sleeping again doesn’t do anything to the clothes that they wear in order for them to become worn.

The gender difference can be a little harder to overcome because parents love to dress their boys in cute little blue suits and their girls in adorable little pink dresses. This is a strong argument for the purchase of unisex or gender-indifferent baby clothing. When you can get three or four kids’ worth of wear from one baby outfit it makes sense to make sure that any future children you have will be able to wear the item. It’s much easier to accomplish this by choosing unisex clothing instead of trying to pre-select the sex of your child, which is a costly and unsure medical procedure. While many fathers would love the idea of producing only boys, mothers may take issue with it.

If you think that you’ll have additional children in the future, the best advice that one can give today is that you purchase unisex clothing whenever possible and so not throw away or donate your baby’s clothes once little Burt or Loni has outgrown them. This way you can start preparing for a hand-me-down chain early on and save yourself some money in the future.

[AffomaticEbay]baby unisex[/AffomaticEbay]

In the world of art, there is a movement called Postmodernism. If you’re not an art student, or an artist, or a professor of art, there’s
really only one thing you need to know about Postmodernism. It means that you can do whatever you want. Essentially, it is a melding of things that have come before, a new take on old things. What does this have to do with baby clothes? Anything you want it to.

Perhaps you’re a young mother who is sick of the basic options of pink and blue, ruffled or hemmed with ribbon. Perhaps you’re on your second
or third child and frustrated that the styles for your baby haven’t changed at and you’re tired of looking at the same thing over and over again. Perhaps you just don’t feel like shopping for baby
clothes once every two weeks as your infant grows into the next size that they will rapidly outgrow. In any case, there is a solution to your frustration.

There are lots of things that are not baby clothes, but could be. Like what you ask? How about bandanas? That’s right, your baby is tiny. If
teeny bopper club girls can wear bandanas as shirts, imagine how much baby can fit into one! Bandanas are great for summer time as a shirt or a diaper cover, and that can be accomplished without a bit of sewing! With a little bit of snipping and stitching, there is plenty of material for an infant sized dress or pair of pants.

Baby doll t-shirts that are made for young women are ideal as dresses for older infants or even toddlers. Sure, some of the writing on them
may not be so “babyish,” but some of the more neutral styles would be much more dressy than you can find for the same price in baby dresses.

Taking your own worn out clothes, or just clothes you’re sick of as material to make clothing for your baby is a great way to personalize
their style through your once loved clothing. It will save money and give you a little bit more space in your closet. Do you have a t-shirt that you once loved, but that now is stretched in an unflattering manner, or perhaps has wear spots in a specific area? If so, you’re not alone! Most of the material from the t-shirt can be salvaged and made into a whole outfit for your baby to play in with a simple pattern that can be purchased for less than two dollars.

There are lots of other household items that can be used to tend to your baby. A normal sized bath towel, for example, can, in a matter of
minutes be converted into a robe for your baby to wear at the beach or when just out of the bath. When the baby is an infant, just adding some
accents and a hood to the towel will make a cheaper alternative to designer robes, and is a one of a kind statement that you simply can’t buy at a department store. Let your creative mind wander before you throw out those never used scraps of material and old clothes. Your wallet and your baby will thank you.

[AffomaticEbay]babydoll t-shirt[/AffomaticEbay]

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• Wish Dallas

So you’ve been at home for a couple of months now, and you’re ready to take a trip. What kind of special considerations need to be made in order to make sure that you are prepared for parenthood on the road? Essentially, you want to make sure that you have everything you would need at home, but in a more compact form.

You want to make sure you have everything you need for feeding the baby, and you have to remember that you may not always have the convenience of a kitchen on hand. If you’re breast-feeding, you don’t need to worry about feeding supplies too much, since you keep them with you at all time. However, f you’re bottle-feeding, make sure you have everything you need already prepared, just in case. Pack sterilized bottles and nipples in zipper-close plastic bags to keep them clean.

Overestimate on everything. Bring at least as many diapers and wipes as you go through on a daily basis for each day you will be on your trip. Then bring an extra two days in case the baby gets diarrhea, or you unexpectedly take a little bit longer than planned. You also want to make sure that you have changing pads or something similar to keep the area that you use to change your baby, and your baby clean.

If you’re not sure about weather, bring a large variety of clothing. Bring a couple of extra outfits (hey, at least they’re small), preferably things you can layer or mix and match. Try to pack at least one spare outfit for each day of your trip, especially if you will not have laundry facilities. Remember, babies make messes. Be prepared for the worst.

It is vitally important to pack a small first aid kit, containing pain reliever/fever reducer, Band-Aids, teething medicine, and any other supplies your baby may need. Toys like teething rings should be taken into consideration, as well as baby cold medicine, and basic baby toiletries. Again, bear in mind that you should be preparing for the worst, just in case. You want to be prepared if you’re not in a place where medical supplies are on hand.

Make sure you bring a way to comfortably carry the baby, like a baby sling or a front-pack carrier, especially if you’re going to be outdoors. Also, a portable playpen with some toys will make the trip much more enjoyable for you and the baby. Packing some small activities for travel, as well as some other things that can be packed away and then brought out once you arrive at your destination is probably the best way to go.

If you are traveling on a plane or bus and plan to check your bags, make sure that any necessary baby supplies are in your carry-on. Not only do you want to make sure that you have everything you need while in transit, but there is always the worst case scenario that bags will be lost. You can go without an extra change of underwear, but baby may not be able to.

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New parents have heard the argument time and again from their own parents or grandparents. “You young people don’t know how good you have it with those disposable diapers for your babies! When you were a baby I had to use cloth diapers on you and they smelled terribly, I had tons of laundry to do, I stuck myself with pins, and I walked uphill in the snow both ways to get to the diaper service…” and so on. The fact is that, less than thirty years ago, disposable diapers were considered something of a luxury while today they are the norm and people using cloth diapers for their babies are considered to be strange. There are several reasons that modern parents may choose to utilize cloth diapers instead of disposables, however, and in some circles cloth diapers are making a bit of a comeback.

Affordability

The biggest personal reason that a parent may choose to clothe her baby’s bottom in cloth diapers as opposed to Pampers or Huggies is financial. Cloth diapers are simply cheaper than disposables, even if the parents are paying a diaper service to haul away the soiled nappies and bring fresh ones each week. In most cases the makers of disposables would win over a number of holdout customers if they could figure out a way to make their products cheaper.

Environmental Concerns

Disposable diapers are made primarily of plastic surrounding a pad of absorbent cotton. It is well known that plastic doesn’t biodegrade very well at all, which means that our landfills are stacked with diapers that are going to be with us for centuries to come. While many people believe that the convenience offered by disposable diapers outweighs this fact, environmentalists believe that by using cloth diapers they are just doing one more thing to “do their part” to protect and preserve the Earth for future generations.

Modern Developments

Those argumentative parents and grandparents may still have a thing or two to say to the modern parents who do choose to use cloth diapers because the cloth diapers of today are very different from the ones that they were using on their kids and grandkids way back when. Gone are the days of complicated folding methods and misplaced safety pins. Today’s cloth diapers are pre cut and shaped to cover baby’s nether regions quickly and easily. They also come with Velcro fasteners or snaps for ease in fastening. Best of all, many now have available a flushable, biodegradable paper lining that will catch solid waste, allowing it to be easily disposed of in the toilet so soiled and smelly diapers don’t sit around and there is no messy job of rinsing the solids away.

Cloth diapers are, in many ways, a thing of the past, but they are by no means gone forever. For the parent with financial or environmental concerns they are still a very viable option for clothing the bottoms of their babies.

[AffomaticEbay]cloth diapers[/AffomaticEbay]

Baby clothes are a necessity more than anything else, but there are a couple of special occasions that make the baby the center of attention. It is moments like this that the mother’s keen sense of fashion gets to shine. Here, the fact that the baby will undoubtedly grow out of the outfit quickly is of little to no concern, and style is of the utmost importance. In most cases, so is tradition.

Perhaps the most obvious of these occasions is baby’s homecoming. Almost any mother can tell you what they brought their baby home in. Depending on the time of year, this special outfit can range from a fruit print romper to a pair of footsie pajamas. In this case, it is the sentiment attached to the moment that makes the outfit so special. It is a good idea to save this outfit in a memory box for when your child has children of their own, or make it into a treasured stuffed animal. Any way that you think is fitting to preserve the memory works, but doing something to set this outfit aside is important.

The next big day is the baby’s introduction to family. What is your baby going to be wearing the first time they meet their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and close friends? If this is a small secular gathering, then something informal is an easy out. However, you may want to dress the new family member up for the multitude of pictures that will inevitably be taken. Of course, there is also the weather to take into account. If the baby is going to be in a hot crowded home, then keeping them cool is they key factor in choosing appropriate attire. A thin cotton dress for a girl, or a onesie works great. Think of the day as an excuse to let others change the diapers for a little while.

There is of course the more common baby coming out, either christenings or a bris. The traditional christening attire is, of course a white garment. This can take many forms, from a gown to a suit, and a whole host of materials. The important thing to remember is that the baby is going to be passed around a lot on a day like today, so make sure that he or she is comfortable no matter how angelic they look.

For a bris, the attire is clearly gender specific. Therefore, baby tuxedos and suits are a hot item. You would be surprised at the inexpensive prices at which you can find a tiny tux. For less than thirty dollars, your baby can be in his very own penguin suit. There are also more traditional items, which are very much like that of the Christian baptism ceremony. That is, long white gowns with blue trim. These are also modestly priced, and generally work for either ceremony (which could potentially be a big money saver for an interfaith marriage).

The special occasion that all mothers look forward to at the end of a stressful but joyous year is the baby’s first birthday. This outfit is much like the baby’s coming home outfit (except significantly larger), and can be a whole host of different styles or degrees of formality. The most important thing about this outfit is, of course, its resistance to cake stains.

[AffomaticEbay]Baby Tuxedo[/AffomaticEbay]

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New parents are full of concerns about what regular household activities may pose a threat or present problems for their newest family member. At some point the question about the best ways to wash baby clothing will arise. Parents typically ask whether there is a certain type off detergent that they should use, whether it is safe to wash baby clothes with the rest of the family’s clothing and what special steps should be taken with cloth diapers if they are being used.

Detergent

This is a valid concern. It is not atypical for certain detergents to irritate the skin of adults and older children, so it is certainly feasible that a baby’s tender and sensitive skin can be easily irritated by harsh detergents. There are several detergents on the market that are supposedly intended for baby’s clothing, but there is not much difference between them and other mild detergents. The best choice for parents to make in this area is to purchase mild detergent that is free from added colors and fragrances and wash the clothing in that. If the baby does develop a rash or seems to be experiencing skin discomfort of any kind, the first thing to do is consult the family pediatrician. The doctor may simply recommend that a different detergent be used, but will also be able to determine if there is a more serious problem.

Washing Baby Clothes with Family Clothes

Some parents feel that the baby’s clothing needs to be washed separately from that of the rest of the family. The rationale for this is that the other family members’ clothing could somehow taint or contaminate the baby’s. There is no reason to worry about this and it is perfectly safe to wash baby’s clothes and bedding along with everyone else’s. The exception to this rule is cloth diapers. If parents are using cloth diapers and washing them at home rather than using a diaper service, they must be washed apart from everything else.

Cloth Diapers

Cloth diapers are fading into memory, replaced by the more convenient disposable brands that are on the market. For families that choose to use these, however, there are some special considerations. The most sanitary way to utilize reusable cloth diapers is to contract a diaper service. This will take away the hassle of washing the diapers at home and ensure that the replacement diapers are sterile. For families that choose to wash at home, the previous paragraph details that they should be kept separate from all other laundry. Storing the diapers until wash time must be done as sanitarily as possible. This means rinsing the cloth diaper in the toilet to remove solid wastes, then storing it in a pail until it is time to be washed. The pail should be covered to prevent odor and lined with a disposable or washable liner. The pail, lid, and liner should be cleaned whenever the diapers are and the soiled diapers should be washed at least twice weekly.

[AffomaticEbay]baby detergent[/AffomaticEbay]

Dressing your little darling doesn’t have to cost a fortune

It is no secret that having and providing for a new baby is an expensive job. With the expense of those all-important early doctor’s visits, necessary items for the nursery, and the rising prices of formula, diapers, and various infant accessories, it seems a wonder that anyone can afford to reproduce anymore. While it’s difficult to argue in favor of cutting corners when it comes to your baby, there are a few ways that you can save money on some of your baby related purchases. Baby clothes and layette needs are fortunately one area where you can afford to save a few bucks without diminishing the level of comfort and care that your little Nick or Jessica receives.

Secondhand Baby Clothes

This is a sore spot for some parents and not without good reason. The thought of putting “used” clothing on your baby can come with numerous unspoken horrors and various levels of mental anguish. After all, how do you know where that used Onesie has been? Fortunately, concerned parents can rest their minds easily and put aside the fears associated with purchasing secondhand baby wear by following a few bits of common sense. Used infant attire should only be purchased from a reputable source. A thrift store like those run by the Salvation Army or a good secondhand store that specializes in baby goods (Other Mothers is a particularly good chain in the Western United States) can be considered safe sources since they make a point of sterilizing such items before offering them for resale. Avoid purchasing any items for a baby from a garage sale or “flea market” unless you know the seller personally and even then do so with caution. Any secondhand baby items you do obtain – even those given to you by friends or family members – should be washed thoroughly before you ever put them on your child.

Shopping Online

The internet has been doing wonders for people’s wallets for years. In almost every case items that you can purchase in a local store can be found online for less. Baby clothes are no exception and there are literally hundreds of e-commerce web sites that will be more than happy to sell you everything you need for your baby’s layette and wardrobe at a considerable savings compared to what you’ll pay at the local Babies ‘R’ Us store. In addition to baby clothing, almost every other conceivable baby need can be met online for less. In many cases you can get free shipping as well. The web won’t save you from the occasional midnight run to the local 24 hour grocer or Wal-Mart for emergency diapers or formula, but it’s a veritable hero in most other regards.

Other options for saving money on baby clothes and accessories do exist, and most are fairly common sense approaches. Buying infant wear from Kmart, Target or Wal-Mart is certainly going to cost you less than shopping at Dillards, JC Penney, or Sak’s, for example, as will choosing off brand or no-name items instead of Baby Dior and Weebok’s. Babies cost enough money as it is, there’s no reason not to put a little green back in your pocket now by saving on baby clothes when you know you’ll be shelling it out for braces and piano lessons later in life.

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