What do they wear and when?

[mkes972783]

I'm a new mom and am very confused about baby clothes. I have no idea what's considered outfits, pajamas, etc. Can I put my baby in onesies and nothing else? Are all footed clothes pajamas? How many layers should I dress her in? Thanks for any input.
Michelle

[nywifey]

LAST EDITED ON Jun-26-01 AT 07:35AM (Mountain)[p]Babies don't really have day and night clothing at the newborn stage. For the first few months their neck muscles are not strong enough to support their head, it's just easier for you to dress them in onesies and one piece outfits with snaps down the front. I would consider the gown type outfits more night time wear, but I don't think the footed aspect makes a difference. You just want the clothes to be very soft since her skin is very delicate.

Oh, and about the layers, dress her as you would dress yourself. You do not want to over dress her. Feel her hands and back of the neck to check how comfortable she is.

[aunt83me02]

Remember to put your baby in flame retardent 'pajamas' at night.

[mom@home]

If your baby is not yet mobile, you do not have to be them in flame retardent pajamas as it is unlikely that they would come into contact with a flame. If your baby is mobile, than as long as the p.j.s are snug-fitting, they are safe even if the material itself isn't flame retardent. Baby Gap pajamas are an example of this rule. Good luck!

[mkkrum]

I'm so glad to hear I'm not the only one who didn't know the Golden Rules of Baby Clothes! You are SO right--everything looks like it *could* be pajamas, but it could be just an outfit! Who can tell?! At any rate, we had a winter baby so he stayed in stuff like Gerber Sleep-n-Plays or the elastic bottomed gowns most of the time. Had he been a summer baby, he'd have been in Onesies 24/7. The only thing I'd worry about is your A/C. The doc said a better judge of skin temperature and comfort is to check the baby's tummy or neck rather than hands and feet, so use those to determine if she's too cool or too hot. My theory is LAYERS. I'd start with a Onesie and put something on top of that if you think she needs it. They make such cute Onesies these days, I don't see why she couldn't just wear those as long as she's not too cool! Good luck!

[jayroport]

I follow the rule that if he's asleep, I put him to bed in whatever he's wearing. My DS has slept in everything from onesies, to the cute shirt and shorts outfit that he wore to grandma's. If I plan ahead, I dress him in a gown the last time I change his diaper before I think he's going to fall asleep. I just decided that at this age (DS is 2 months) he doesn't care what he sleeps in as long as he's not to hot/cold.
Just relax and remember, he doesn't know what he's wearing! :+
Jennifer
(Mom to John 3/30/04)

[amp]

Take a breath...okay, now there are just no hard and fast rules about dressing babies. First, anything anybody tells you is their preference and you might find your preference to be different. And it will likely change as they grow.

Yes, you can put babies, particularly newborns, in onesies or sleepers all day and night long. We did.

Are all footed clothes pjs? I don't know, but for me they are. Although in the early days, and even now when he's sick or its a cruddy day, we've been known to keep him in a sleeper all day long and into the night. I've also put him to sleep, especially as a newborn, in onesies, 1 pc rompers, tshirts, etc.

I found that until recently, I despised 2 pc outfits for DS. One piece is so much easier. But lots of others like to use 2 pcs. It's completely up to you.

As for layers, DS was born at the end of May and it gets pretty muggy and hot here come June, July & Aug, so we didn't really layer his clothes. We did use a receiving blanket if he got cool in the AC house. During the winter, I layered a t-shirt onesie under most of his clothes for warmth.

[californiagirl]

Baby clothes are pretty well interchangeable. What you do about deciding whether the baby is dressed enough to go out is entirely a matter of 1) the temperature and 2) your taste. I wouldn't take a baby in a onesie and nothing else to a wedding. Aside from that, it's up to you. If you put on makeup and heels to go out, you're probably going to want to dress the baby up, too. Otherwise, a summer baby on a really hot day might be sufficiently dressed in just a diaper (not in the sun, of course!)

As for layers, go for 1 whenever it suits the temperature. Babies are hard to dress and you have to do it often. When they're really little, you can just put a blanket over top. When they're bigger, you may need layers but watch out for their tendency to wiggle them into strange configurations.

[khakismom]

I'm sure the mommy who originally posted this is an old pro by now! LOL! :)

[karin4]

LOL Maureen! I didn't even notice the date of the first several posts until I got to your message...but it explained why I didn't recognize the names of the original posters!

[deborah_r]

oh wow, this one sure is an oldie!!!