Onesies in the first month?

[StaceyKim]

In the first month do you put your baby in a Onesie or a side snap undershirt? I am buying clothes for my baby's layette and don't know where to start. I am concerned about pulling something over the head and the belly button.
Stacey
Expecting Baby Boy in April 2003

[jojo2324]

I don't think that there is a hard and fast rule about not using snap-bottom onesies on a newborn. It seems to be more about the parent's comfort level (ie, not pulling something over a newborn's head), though I have heard that the friction between the stump and the onesie could cause irritation. But, more likely than not, you would match a side-snap tee with a pair of pants or footie, and couldn't those in turn do the same thing?

So, all that being said, we didn't use onesies until his stump fell off. :D The hospital had these great GREAT long-sleeve side snap tees that had mitten hands you could fold over. I took about 12 of them home. He LIVED in those for the first couple of weeks. However, if you are wary of the "Your Hospital Name Here" across your baby's chest, check out this website:

http://www.frenchkids.com/underwinft.htm

This is the only company I know of that make a side-closure onesie. I'm sure there are others out there, but I am not aware of them. Instead of a snap they use a tie, which could be slightly annoying, and they are a bit pricey, but the cotton is fabulous and the designs are to die for.

Now of course I have no trouble yanking something down over his head...Sometimes I worry that I might pull his ears off. :D

[Rachels]

We used side-snap shirts until her cord fell off, then regular onesies. Miniwear and Carter's onesies have generous necks, so they're not too hard to put on. Some onesies also have shoulder snaps to make it easier.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[StaceyKim]

Thanks so much for both of your quick responses! I am going to get some t-shirts and I like those kimono style that either snap or tie on the side. They are so adorable.
What do they wear on the bottom if they wear these t-shirts?
Stacey

P.S. The pictures of the your baby's are *so adorable*.

[Rachels]

Thanks! At the very beginning, before the cord fell off, I put her in the snap shirts with a gown or loose sleeper over that. Once her belly button healed, I used little pants (check Gap and Hanna Andersson), overalls, etc.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[jojo2324]

Because it was so warm when Gannon was born, we just used the hospital tee and swaddled him. If we dressed him, it was usually in a footie. And thank you!

[egoldber]

When Sarah was tiny, she lived in loose fitting sleepers. Personally, I didn't care for any Tshirts, side snaps or otherwise. It's mainly a personal preference thing.

HTH,

[CherylT]

I know I'm in the minority, but I've used onesies with both my kids right from the get go. The 0-3 mo. ones were so big on them anyway, it wasn't like they were pulling on the cord stump any more than any other clothing would. Also, I generally prefer to put the onesies on from the bottom - legs first and pull them up (and I always take them off by sliding them down their body when they get soiled by a blowout - that way you don't have to worry about streaking the mess up their body). HTH

Cheryl (aka CT)
SAHM to Lilli 9/20/00 & Alec 10/21/02

[VickiH]

I tried the side snap shirts, but they alwayd seemed to ride up my son's back and bunch up in his armpits. I switched to onesies when he was about 2 weeks old.

If there is a Buy Buy Baby near you, they sell their brand of side snap undershirts - they were the only ones I could find. I don't rememeber how much they were, but it wasn't expensive for a 3 pack. For onesies I buy Carters.

HTH

[colleenfs]

I agree that it is hard to pull something over a newborn's head. That said, we used side snap undershirts for the first 2 weeks, then we used regular crotch snap onesies.

The 0-3 size will be huge, so you may want to have some newborn sizes. Gerber onesies run smaller than Carter's onesies. In fact, my 13 month old still wears 6-9 Carter's onesies.

Pampers makes a crotch snap onesie with a hole in the middle for the stump. I found these at TRU.


Colleen and Julia 1-10-02

[bnme]

I just remembered the brand of Ts at BuyBuyBaby that are nice and soft, and also come in longsleeve with mitten cuffs - Snapibasic. You may want to try these in a Premie size.

[sparkeze]

I used side snap shirts until DS's cord fell off...and it took 4 weeks for that to happen!

For us, DS hated having anything pulled over his head unless there were a lot of snaps that it didn't really touch his head when it was going over, so the side snapping shirts (Carters) worked well for us. Once the weather got a little warmer (early April baby) he was fine with onesies so he spent the summer in a onesie.

[AngelaS]

I used onesies from the very beginning. It seemed to me that they almost protected her stump from getting snagged on stuff. :)

[colleenfs]

By the way, Gerber onesies are really rough in addition to being on the smaller side. Carters are better, but the softest ones I've found are by Minwear at Babies and Toys R Us.


Colleen and Julia 1-10-02

[C99]

I respectfully disagree. Nate's been in the Gerber onesies since he's been home (at 1-week-old) -- the Carter's onesies are still too big. I like the Gerber onesies because they are more narrow than other brands, and haven't found them to be rough at all.

[Momof3Labs]

I have to agree with Colleen - the Gerber onesies are the roughest brand we tried (Carter's was the softest), and the Gerber do seem to run a little small - at 14 pounds and 27 inches, Colin is in 6-9 month Carter onesies and 12 month Gerber onesies. It probably depends on your baby, but my experience has been the same as Colleen's.