May 26th, 2009 by Bjoern

Today everybody seems to agree, that baby’s clothing should be as comfortable as possible. It’s important that the clothes aren’t too tight, too warm or not warm enough, else your child won’t be satisfied.

That are the two things we are going to have in mind all the time when we discuss clothes for baby’s. Comfort and heat.

Material
The clothing material should be light and absorb moisture good. Added to that it should be able to keep the baby warm, but not too warm. The main purpose of a baby’s clothes is to keep it warm.

Different parts of the world has different clothing habits. Some like to wrap the baby in cotton, held in place by means of a roller bandage. This makes the infants look like mummies.

Other parents dress their babies in starched clothes with bright ribbon bows around its neck and on its arms. Yet other have practically nothing on, and are layed in little baskets tied to some trees, swung by the wind.

At the beginning it is wise to remember that an infant grows very fast. It takes only a few weeks to outgrow one size. Therefore, provide for the necessities only. If you realize that you need more clothes when the baby is here, you can always add that what you need.

Binder
The main purpose of a binder is to protect the abdomen from getting cold. It is normalle worn from four to six weeks. It is very important that the binder isn’t too tight. This often cause great discomfort in infants. The belly has to have room for its normal expansion at meal time.

Shirt
The next thing for the baby is a shirt. This shirt can be from different materials, some prefer lightweight silk and wool shirts, some prefer cotton shirts. Buy the shirts a bit too big. That way you can use this shirt a little bit longer.

Stockings
During the winter months your baby should carry thick stockings. In the summer months thinner stockings are apropriate. On extremely hot days you can put a thin cotton hose on your baby.

To ensure that the stockings stay in place on your baby, fasten the stockings to the diaper with safety pins. Secon-year children can use hose supporters attached to the waist.

Booties
In the colder months the infant or small child should wear booties on top of the stockings. You should have enough of these so that the child may have clean booties every day.

Suggested reading:
The Baby’s first Clothes - Part II
The Baby’s first Clothes - Part III
Baby Clothes and Safety Considerations

Baby clothes, baby clothes material, Baby clothing, baby clothing material, binder, booties

May 26th, 2009 by Bjoern

Underskirts
The underskirt may very well be made out of cotton. It is used all around the year. For the hot summer months, cotton is to prefer since it has excellent capabilities of sucking the moist up from the baby’s skin. Wool and cotton are the best materials for underskirts.

Skirts
Skirts are not necessary for small children. It might look good, but only adds weight on the baby.

Nightgown
The nightgown should be made of cotton. They should be absorbent and easy to wash. You should have several nightgowns (some recommend as many as seven). It’s also recommended to use a fresh nightgown each night during the first four or five weeks of the baby’s life.

Night drawers
When the child is getting older, typically two or three years, he will use night drawers with feet. The night drawers are usually made of cashmere or light woolen materials which are easily laundered.

They can be weared over the baby’s thin slips and when it’s cool it may be used over the nightdress. It’s important to make sure there are no way of producing friction between the night drawer and the baby’s skin as this will be a cause of irritation.

Slips
When considering slips, it’s also important to make sure that nothing can scratch or irritate the baby’s skin. This is often a cause of eczema.

Sleeping bag
A sleeping bag is of inestimable value. It provides extra and secure covering for the baby. In the first weeks a light flannel material is to prefer, but later you can simply fold a blanket in such a manner that the child cannot uncover himself.

It’s quite normal that new parents start out buying too small clothes. Too short sleeves and too small around. This is a very common ground for crying babies. If the clothes are too small, your child won’t feel comfortable. He will probably have problems sleeping when the clothes are too tight.

Another typical problem is heavy and raw seams. They irritate the baby’s skin.
It is also common that newer parents buy heavy materials where lighter ones would serve better.

An unclean garment should never be put back on the child. Sour-smelling clothes should be changed at once as the might make the baby sick.

Suggested reading:
The Baby’s first Clothes - Part I
The Baby’s first Clothes - Part III
Baby Clothes and Safety Considerations

Baby clothes, baby night drawers, baby nightgown, baby skirts, baby sleeping bag, baby slips, baby underskirts, unclean clothes

May 26th, 2009 by Bjoern

Shoes
The first shoes are normally put on when the baby crawls. They have a soft sole and the purpose of the shoe is to make sure the baby doesn’t get cold feet from draft.

When the child is about one year old - when it can stand and practise walking - the shoe should have a hard sole. The shoes should be high enough to support the ankles of the child.

There are a lot of considerations to make when buying baby clothes, but basically it’s quite easy. Parents have done it since ages and it almost always went good.

Just remember that clothes are supposed to keep the baby warm and in the summer it’s also functioning as a protection against the sun.

When the child is small - infant - it’s preferable to use clothes with long sleeves. The body should be covered with clothes while the baby can’t regulate the temperature so good yet.

When the child is growing the clothing can be shorter and shorter. Always use loose clothes. That way the baby can move freely and he is going to feel more comfortable.

An exception is sleeping wear. Many parents choose to wind their babys up quite tight. That is ok when they are going to sleep. That way there is no risk of the baby getting a blanket over his head, which eventually could cause suffocation.

Use white clothes. That way you can always see how dirty the clothes are. The baby should not have to stay in dirty clothes. That is not good for his health.

With that said, I wish you a lot of fun with your small ones. Enjoy the time!

Suggested reading:
The Baby’s first Clothes - Part I
The Baby’s first Clothes - Part II
Baby Clothes and Safety Considerations

Baby clothes, baby shoes, baby Sleeping wear, First clothes, white clothes