Few things seem more important at a baby shower than duckies, monkeys
and theme colors. Once you get the baby home though, the most
important thing about baby clothes is how well they protect your baby.
Depending on the time of year that your baby is born, and the type of
climate you live in, there are a variety of concerns to take into
consideration for your baby’s very sensitive nature.

For summer babies, or babies in warm climates, overheating is not the
only concern. A baby’s skin is incredibly sensitive to light,
especially with the increasingly less protective o-zone layer.
Sunscreen is not the only necessity for baby’s sensitive skin. Keeping
a towel or blanket over the baby’s carriage or bassinet during summer
play is a great way to keep the sun from harming your baby. Umbrellas
and pop up tents are also great for beach days. Make sure there is plenty of ventilation but little to no sun-that way your baby won’t get sunburned or have to squint at the bright sun rays.

For daily summer wear, onesies that are made of a lightweight cotton
are a great alternative to pants and shirts. In addition to being comfortable, they will easily fit in a small bag or purse that you can bring along in extra in case of a spill or accident. Another bonus of your baby being born in the summer is that it will keep shoe costs down, since a baby in a stroller in seventy five to eighty degree weather does not really need to wear shoes! Keeping a blanket in the stroller is important, especially if you’re in air conditioned buildings a lot, since babies are a lot more sensitive to the change in air temperature.

For winter wear, bundling babies in layers is a good way to combat the
difference between heated buildings and the outside. Avoiding long
stretches of being outside in colder temperatures is probably a good idea, but for short walks or trips between cars and buildings, warm bundling is vital. If you live in a climate that has a lot of snow, the danger of sun burn is even more prevalent than in the summer, since it attacks from all angles. Warm socks, mittens, and hats will do a good deal to keep most of the baby’s body heat in. Buntings that button down the front are a great way to let the baby escape from the heat a little bit when you are inside without too much effort for you or discomfort for the baby.

Layers work in almost every weather. As any New Englander will tell
you, the ability to put on a layer or take it off is the key to
combating shifting climates. This is particularly important for your baby, who is much more sensitive than you to slight changes in temperature or outside conditions. So keeping an extra sweater around, or putting an onesie underneath warmer clothing is a great way to prepare for anything that Mother Nature has in store. She likes to keep new mothers on their toes!

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Bib optional…

There is almost nothing that new parents enjoy more than taking advantage of the opportunity to get their babies all dressed up in the cutest and most endearing outfits that they can find and bring them out in public for the entire world to gaze upon and coo at. So, when a formal family event comes up while their infant is still in his or her infancy, the parents must jump at the chance to get little John or Christina dressed to the nines and out into public view to allow the cooing to commence.

Weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, Christenings, Baptisms, and Cousin Jane’s first Holy Communion are good examples of the type of events that will provide and excuse to get the baby all dolled up in a pint-sized tuxedo or evening gown. No matter what finery the parents may have adorned their baby in previously, nothing will compare to the sight of their little man in a tux or their precious little lady in a gown.

Tuxedos for baby boys and young children are available from a number of sources as the formal kiddie clothiers of the world must surely have worked overtime to assure the availability of these items. Some rental shops may carry them, but in many cases these are a must-buy item. Tux styles range from vest & pant sets to full on dinner jacket combos and the ever so cute “short” tuxedo. Prices to buy these classy items start at about $60.00 for infants’ sizes and go to $90.00 for a young man’s size 8 to 14.

For the precocious little ladies we can find all manner of delightful dresses and gowns that are designed to look just like their big-girl counterparts. Particularly adorable are the floral sleeveless dresses and gowns favored by flower girls and debutants the world over. The prices for these can vary wildly based upon the size, the material, the designer and other factors, but parents should be prepared to pay at least $60.00 for a dress like this in an infant size.

If the cost for infantile formal wear sounds steep to you, it probably is. $60.00 or more is a lot to spend on a garment that anyone is only going to wear once. If dressing up your babies in this sort of garb is not your cup of tea, there’s certainly no one forcing you to do so and there are plenty of lower priced options that can make your babies look incredibly cute and generate their fair share of cooing and fluttering hearts from family and friends. If you have the means and the opportunity, however many parents will tell you that the expense of the formal wear that their baby only wore one time was well worth it just for the reactions of those around them and the photographs that will last forever.

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Parents live vicariously through their children and play dress-up

One of the joys of being the parent of an infant comes in the form of choosing cute outfits for the baby to wear. Over the years, parents have narrowed this down to an art, finding and choosing the most adorable outfits that they can imagine and making it seem that every day is Halloween for their infants and toddlers. While scary and grotesque outfits rarely show up on a baby even during the actual Halloween holiday, there are plenty of parents that like to dress their sons as baseball players and their daughters as princesses. It’s almost as if the parents start to relive a second childhood through their infants and just want to play dress-up.

And that’s ok. It’s part of being a parent.

The Sailor

“We want you as a new recruit,” sang the Village People at the close of the 1970s in a song so popular that the US Navy thought of making it an official theme until someone finally advised the top brass what it implied. People love ships and sailors, though, and have been dressing their baby boys in naval inspired clothes for nearly a hundred years. The reasons aren’t very clear but it seems that every little boy or grown man comes across pictures of himself as an infant or toddler in a sailor’s suit at one time or another. If he could speak he might say, “Batten down the hatches and swab the poopdeck, matey! And, unless I get a little help bottom-side, poopdeck may take on a whole new meaning!”

The Baseball Player

Every father imagines his son standing atop the mound in Yankee Stadium, three pitches away from a perfect game in the last inning of the last game of the World Series. Even men who never excelled in sports themselves seem to have a burning desire to see their sons go on to be the next big thing in Major League Baseball. It’s the only feasible explanation for the popularity of baby boys’ baseball outfits. These are more common than the sailor suits and can be purchased in run of the mill stores like Wal-Mart, Kmart, and Target. Your boy may not be the next Nolan Ryan or even the next Bob Uecker, but you can dream that he is as you admire him in his little uniform. These come in versions licensed by real Major League ball clubs and generic versions that just share some team colors.

The Princess

Little baby girls don’t escape the dress-up play imposed by their parents, but are outfitted in more traditional items like frilly dresses, white tights, and little patent leather shoes. Their mothers may imagine them to be princesses, prom queens, or debutants, but mostly just do their best to make them beautiful. Since all babies are beautiful and the only thing more beautiful than the average baby is your baby, they don’t have to try too hard.

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Everything for today’s infant who goes places.

Every year the top designers unveil their latest fashion creations for the little people of the world. This doesn’t mean fashion designs for the Warwick Davises and Billy Bartys of the world, nor those who don’t make in a year what Paris Hilton leaves for a tip after lunch at Sardi’s. The little ones that the fashion gurus design for are infants and designer baby clothes, as bizarre as the concept seems, grow more popular each year. Despite the fact that the child will outgrow the garments in very little time, well to do parents love to ooh and aah over fashionable items designed by the likes of Christian Dior, Kimora Lee, and others. The top fashion houses produce body suits, bibs, booties, and bonnets that are soft to the touch, beautiful to behold, cost many times more than the typical Kmart baby outfit and are just waiting to be urpped on by a baby suffering from colic.

Baby Dior

Perhaps the best known line of designer wear for infants comes from Christian Dior. Dubbed Baby Dior, the line includes items like the sweet 100% cotton Dior baby body suit with pink or blue snaps, the Dior teddy bear logo on the chest, and a price tag of $55.00 from E Luxury dot com. The site is nice enough to point out that parents who find this item attractive may also like the $115.00 Baby Dior hooded towel.

Baby Phat

Leave it to Rap pioneer and Def Jam records founder Russell Simmons to innovate a way to bring a bit of bling into the nursery. To promote his Phat Farm line of men’s hip-hop styles, Simmons had a number of small tee shirts designed with the legend “Baby Phat” printed on them. The shirts were donned by female celebrities and models and garnered quite a bit of attention. The Baby Phat line was born and Simmons made his wife Kimora Lee the line’s creative director. Baby Phat produces clothes for young girls (sorry, make that “girlz”) from their teens all the way down to infancy. Baby Phat baby wear includes tees priced from $11.00 to $18.00 and matching outfits ranging in price from $34.00 to $42.00.

Anne Geddes

One of the latest names in baby clothes is that of famed photographer Anne Geddes. Apparently inspired by the popularity of her famous photos of babies dressed up as bumble bees, ladybugs, sunflowers, and rosebuds, Geddes has launched “annegeddesbaby,” a line of clothing for infants that will allow parents to dress their newborns as, well, bumble bees, ladybugs, sunflowers, and rosebuds. Included are pieces like the Ladybug Jacket ($39.50), the Bunny Suit, Hat and Booties Set ($69.50), and the Rosebud Quilt ($29.50).

Designer baby clothes may not be the easiest thing for the more frugal parent out there to comprehend, but they’re for real and they’re being purchased in droves. The one nice thing about the phenomena for all of the parents who can’t afford such infantile extravagancies (or who just won’t pay those kinds of prices) is that the babies wearing these labels today will outgrow them tomorrow and a lot of the items will grace the shelves of your local Salvation Army or Goodwill store sometime after that, bearing a pinned on price tag that reads $1.50.

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Finding special suits for baptisms, christenings, and other ceremonies

Religious ceremonies, celebrations, and occasions are a big part of a newborn baby’s life in many families. Naming ceremonies, christenings, baptisms, and dedications ceremonies carry a degree of importance in the lives of followers of many different religions and are generally considered to be special occasions of some importance. When planning one of these events there are many details that the parents of the child involved must consider, not the least of which is what the baby should wear to the event. Some religions require that a form of traditional garb be worn by the infant while others leave the choice up to the parents. In either case the occasion demands that the choice of the baby’s clothing be something special that represents the importance of the event.

Christening

Christenings and baptisms typically involve a christening gown for both boys and girls. The girls’ gowns may be smocked and are typically longer and more “dress-like” than those worn by boys. In both cases the gown is typically white, symbolizing innocence and the purity of the child’s spirit as his parents dedicate his or her life to God and promise to raise the child “in the word of God.” These ceremonies are typical of many Christian denominations, most notably the various forms of Catholicism.

Naming Ceremonies

Naming ceremonies appear in the practices of many religions and nationalities. The practice dates to ancient times when a new life was considered to be a gift from the gods. In most modern naming ceremonies there is no specific required outfit, with the appropriate attire for the child being a white or pale blue suit or gown of silk or some other fine fabric. Due to the delicacy, expense, and significance of these articles, they are seldom worn more than the one time.

Dedications

Some Christian denominations do not practice the baptism of their children, holding the baptismal rite as a personal decision that a person makes once he or she has reached the age of accountability. This is typical of many evangelical denominations. In place of the christening or baptismal ceremony for an infant, the parents and child participate in a dedication ceremony before the members of the church. In most of these churches there is no required finery or attire for the infant, nor any specific traditional style, color, or design. Parents will still usually “dress up” the baby in formal-looking clothing designed for a baby. The attractiveness of these suits (for boys) and dresses (for girls) often elicits comments from the congregation regarding how adorable the little one looks all dressed in his or her Sunday Best.

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If it was cool when you were a kid, it’s cool for your kids!

Baby clothing is quite a bit different today than it was when you were an infant. From the designer styles of Baby Dior and Baby Phat to the bizarre offerings of the alternative baby clothing market, there’s now something for every parent to adorn her children with in an effort to transfer a bit of her own personality onto her offspring. One of the latest trends in baby fashions is the “retro” look in baby wear.

Retro baby clothing indicates baby sized tees and “Onesies” that have been printed or screened with images of pop culture past. In many cases the pictures are of icons from before even the parents’ time, making it cool to be the most obscure. Interested parties are not likely to find these offerings at the local Wal-Mart but will instead have to order them online. Fortunately for those interested in giving their children a little piece of the past to wear on their chests, there is no shortage of those sites available.

The most complete and probably best known of these sites is The Retro Baby. Perusing the offerings of the site is like a walk down memory lane for anyone who is in their thirties or has a keen fix on the pop-culture of the 1980s. Designs available here include television references like The A Team, ALF, CHiPs, and Dallas (the Dallas print will be instantly familiar to anyone who remembers the summer that America was wondering who shot J.R.) as well as older images from shows that the parents of today watched in reruns while growing up: Barbara Eden in her silky outfit from I Dream of Jeanie and Clayton Moore in his blue Texas Ranger outfit complete with black mask from The Lone Ranger. Prices for these printed “Onesies” are a bit steep at $14.95 ($16.95 for toddler-sized tees) considering the baby will grow out of them completely in a few months’ time, but even the most stoic of thirty-somethings will have to admit that they are getting a certain dose of cool for their cash.

Retro doesn’t just mean pop culture references, however. Several clothiers are offering styles that are a clear throwback to those worn by kids in the fifties, sixties, and seventies.

One such company, Cakewalk Baby, offers flower print designs reminiscent of the post-hippie era of the late seventies; a time when PC meant petty cash, Elvis Presley was still with us, and no one knew what a video game or MTV was. A website called Milena Bee offers these designs and more and is definitely worth a look.

Whether you want to put stills of Bruce Lee from Enter the Dragon or flowery designs from an era gone by on your baby’s body, retro baby clothes may be just what you need to show the world that your baby is cooler than cool. Look hard enough and you may be able to find a tee shirt that says “I’m the Fonz” or “Frankie Say Relax.”

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Baby’s first Nike’s may be absolutely adorable, but are they necessary? According to most experts – and not just modern ones but for at least the last thirty years – babies don’t need shoes till they’re up and walking around. Even at that point, it’s good for the little tikes to get in lots of barefoot time so they get used to their balance and how their little toesies work.

Still, by the time they’re spending more time on their feet than on their knees, it’s time to get them into a pair of shoes, if for no other reason than to protect those feet from stubbed toes and other injuries. So, what sort of shoes should you wrap those precious feet in?

Certainly NOT the old-fashioned hard-soled leather lace-up shoes that were meant to ‘train’ baby feet to grow properly. Pediatricians recommend soft shoes that move with baby’s feet. The soles should be non-skid to prevent falls, but flexible enough that they bend as baby steps out on his own. Skip the high-tops, unless they’re flexible enough to bend with baby’s ankles and feet. Choose natural materials that breathe to keep feet from sweating and becoming uncomfortable.

The proper fit for baby’s first shoes is also important. They shouldn’t bind or chafe anywhere, so shop when you’ve got plenty of time to let the little one walk around the store wearing the shoes you’re thinking of buying. Slip a pinkie in at the heel while baby is standing – there should be enough room between the shoe and the munchkin’s heel to allow your pinkie or a pencil to slip in easily. Also tie and untie the shoes a couple of times – if you choose lace-up shoes – to make sure that the laces are long enough to tie easily. Laces aren’t a necessity, though. The experts are about evenly divided on whether tie shoes or Velcro are better, with no clear-cut ‘best’. Choose whichever you like best. Laced shoes are a lot more likely to be left on – but Velcro encourages independence because it’s so much easier to master.

Besides picking a time for your shopping trip when you have time to let your baby walk around a bit, time your visit to the shoe store for after a nap, when the little one is well-rested. Keep in mind, too, that baby’s feet swell a little in the late afternoon, just like yours do. Shop later in the day to make sure that you get shoes that will fit at all times of the day.

As your baby grows and gets more active, check the fit of his shoes at least once a month. You can plan on buying new shoes about every three-to-six months just due to average growth, but also be prepared to replace shoes if they’re worn, the soles are cracked or they have holes in them.

And if you have your heart set on Baby’s First Nikes? Shop around – you’re sure to find them.

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As any mother with a young child will tell you, babies grow very
quickly. So for new mothers, making the most out of baby clothes is of the utmost importance. So what do you do when those onesies just don’t quite snap anymore? How do you get an extra month out of those jeans that are a little too short for the winter months?

The great thing about onesies, is that they’re a very workable cotton
fabric, and there really isn’t any hemming necessary to turn a couple of onesies that fit at five months into a couple of shirts that fit at
eight months. Simply cut them off right at the leg holes, and gently pull the material around the edges so that it rolls a tiny bit. This way there are no exposed threads for baby to pull at or chew on. The same can apply to footsie pajamas. By simply snipping off the feet, you can easily get another month’s wear out of the sleepwear.

Adding extra buttons to overalls or snappy shirts makes them naturally
grow with your child. Perhaps one of the best investments a new mother
can make is in a mid-priced sewing machine. This makes alterations and
additions a breeze, and gives you a new hobby for when baby naps (Just
make sure there is enough wall between you and the crib so that the
whirring of the machine doesn’t make undue stress for you!)

Things like adding extra material to the bottom of a dress or skirt can
be done in just minutes, as can letting out the hem of a pair of jeans
or overalls. Buying clothes initially that are mid-priced and made of
a cotton material with a lot of elastic and snaps makes transitions that
much easier. Shoes are always going to be a problem, but buying a
canvas sneaker in the spring can convert into a mule for summer wear, as long as the baby is not walking yet. Socks without built in heels is key-that way the baby can grow a little bit longer in the socks. Also, even though socks with ducks and elephants are cute, sticking to a plain color can help extend the life of individual socks if one gets lost. In the summer a grey or white sock is less likely to irritate a sweaty baby’s sensitive skin because they don’t contain dyes.

Think of ways that you would extend the life of your own clothes.
T-shirts that come three to a pack can easily be downgraded to rags or dust cloths. Jeans and pants that have become worn or are too short can be cut and hemmed for summer shorts. Sweaters can become blankies. Things like first outfits and special occasion’s clothes can be put into a special chest to pass on to your child for when they have children of their own. For the most part, making baby clothes last, laundering aside, is about ingenuity and personality. Learn the basics of stitching and hemming and let the designer in you shine through!

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A lot of time and energy goes into clothing your baby during the first year. From the color debate, to the rapid speed at which most infants outgrow their clothing, new parents have their plates full with keeping their babies clean, comfortable and clothed. So what do you do when all of a sudden, the baby doesn’t want to wear any clothes at all? How do you deal with the exhibitionist stage of your toddler?

At about fourteen months, your baby will most likely want to romp around in the buff. This is completely normal, and in fact could help a little bit with potty training. Obviously, however, it can be a bit troublesome when trying to introduce social norms, and of course when having company without children over for coffee or lunch. So how does a new parent deal with a naked toddler?

The best thing to do is not discourage this behavior entirely. Set limits about where and when your toddler can be naked and enforce them. It is tedious, but repeatedly re-dressing your toddler may be the best way to get the message across. Keep an especially close eye on your toddler in public. Not just because of the obvious, but because you don’t want to lose expensive items like shoes or jackets.

Setting a “naked time” where your child is free to roam around the house for an hour or so a day is a good way to set limits on acceptable behavior. Make sure this time is a time when you can be around to monitor them very closely and make sure that they don’t hurt their more exposed areas. Also, it’s probably best if naked time is a time when your home doesn’t see a lot of traffic. Your toddler may be comfortable with their naked time, but friends and neighbors may not be.

Use your child’s newfound freedom to encourage them to choose their own clothing. Let your toddler dress him or herself a couple of times a week as a special treat. Soon they might like to get dressed as much as they enjoy disrobing. Make getting dressed fun, and stress the importance of where and when it is okay to take off your clothes. This way your child begins to understand the important role that clothing plays in the day-to-day life of grown ups.

The most important thing to remember is not to let your discipline about clothing become about your child’s body. It is easy to make your child feel ashamed of their naked body, even if it is not intended. This kind of discomfort can go a long way in determining how your child feels about their body in the long term, right up into adulthood. Making play dates for right before or after naked time can be a good way to demonstrate for your child the difference between private time and public time, and let them begin making their own boundaries in their mind. This time in their life is a lot about exploration. So even though you’ve been there, it’s important to let them figure out some stuff on their own.

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Today’s parents have more options available to them when it comes to finding and purchasing clothes and other items for their babies than ever before. With the advent of the internet, shopping for baby clothes has never been easier as there are numerous online retailers that can provide almost anything a parent needs. What follows are some of the best web sites for buying baby clothes online.

Discount Baby Clothes

Not surprisingly, some of the best physical discount stores that carry baby clothes are also some of the best online retailers. When looking for baby duds at an acceptable price the kings online are Wal-Mart, Target, and Kmart. Each company offers direct sales from their web site, have pretty much everything you could need in terms of baby clothing and layette needs, and offer it all at prices that won’t make you spit up your Isomil formula. Each offers clearance items and baby registry services as well. Other good sites with slightly higher, but still mid-range, pricing belong to Old Navy and Land’s End.

Designer Baby Clothes

For the parent that wants to dress little Kelly or Clay with a bit more pizzazz and who doesn’t mind paying considerably more to do so there is E-Luxury, a site that offers the full line of Baby Dior products and the direct web sites of several other designers who deal in baby clothing. Baby Phat has their own site as does Anne Geddes who recently launched a line of her own baby wear based on her famous photographs. If you’re looking to shop for as much as possible under one electronic roof there is Chic Baby Boutique, who carries most of the Mak the Yak and Baby Om clothing lines.

Let Your Browser do the Walking

There are literally hundreds of other web sites out there that offer baby clothes at all price ranges and designed to meet all specifications. If you’re interested in organically grown cotton, there’s a site that specializes in baby clothing made from those fibers. If you want punk rock designs on your baby’s T-shirts, there are sites that offer just that! There are sites that offer political slogans on baby sized clothing, "alternative’ baby clothing, and sites for baby & toddler tuxedos and evening gowns. If you can imagine it, you can probably find it somewhere on the internet where there is someone just waiting to sell it to you.

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