Shopping for babies can be so difficult. There’s so much variety out there and because it’s all so tiny and cute, we’re persuaded into buying way too many clothes than we actually need. Unfortunately, a lot of what we buy won’t actually get worn. We need to be sensible with our spendings. Baby clothes should be durable and practical for all that our tiny people are going to put them through... And they'll put them through a lot! Here are a few things to think about whilst buying clothes for your baby.
Things to think about whilst buying clothes for your baby.
1. What's the quality of the outfit like?
We all know just how cheap some retailers' clothing can be. And by cheap I of course mean easy on the purse strings, but I’m also referring to clothes that haven’t been well made. Sure your babies are going to grow out of their clothes pretty rapidly, but you still want the outfits to have a decent quality to them. Sometimes clothes are made so quickly that hems don’t quite match up or shoulders can appear a little lopsided. It definitely pays to have a good look over the clothing items before purchasing.
2. Are you buying for the correct time of year?
I know it’s easy to get carried away with buying clothes for your baby. It pays to buy ahead and start preparing for the next couple of sizes. This means however choosing items that maybe don’t fit for the weather we’re currently experiencing. There’s no point buying shorts in Summer for example to be worn in six months time when the temperature has plummeted. It's not sensible. Think about what size your baby is going to need in what month to determine the best clothes to buy. Planning accordingly will help prepare for the future, but will no doubt save you some money also.
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3. Is the item going to be comfortable for your baby?
Your baby is (hopefully) going to be doing a lot of snoozing. Again it’s difficult not to get carried away buying cute corduroy dungarees or fancy tulle skirts for your baby, but we should really think about whether it is going to be comfortable. Think about what you like to wear for comfort. Lightweight, soft, cosy fabrics are all going to work well when buying baby clothes.
4. Is the item going to be practical?
Remember baby’s nappies may need changing up to ten times a day. With this of course comes ten sessions of stripping your wee one down. Clothing items for your baby need to be practical and accommodate for such tasks. I’d like to think I’m pretty sensible, but my youngest has a pair of rainbow print dungarees that are just the cutest thing, but oh so blooming impractical. They don’t have poppers so when it comes to nappy changing I’m having to remove everything just so I can whip her nappy off. They’re beautiful dungarees, I can’t deny it, but they’re so impractical.
5. Can you fling them in the wash?
I fully believe that all baby clothes should be machine washable. How easy would that be! Luckily the majority of them are, however, there are still a few out there who need extra care and attention. As parents to a newborn baby, unfortunately, I don’t think this extra care and attention is quite practical. The truth is your baby’s going to get messy. They’re going to be sick, food is going to get spilt, nappies are going to leak - It’s inevitable. You want clothing items that can easily be flung in the washing machine to get cleaned. As a parent, an easy life is a good life!
6. Is it worth the money?
Lastly, is the clothing item you’re buying worth the money. Going back to my first point with regards to quality, you could question whether the lesser well-made products are even worth any of your hard-earned cash. Is it worth paying less money for something which is only going to last one wash? Then let's not forget the other side. There are plenty of designer or high-end clothing items out there these days for babies. Is it really worth paying such a high price for something which may only last your baby three months? Of course, money is all relative, and one person's high price is going to be different from the next. But an item's worth is really worth (no pun intended) considering before purchasing.
So there are six questions to ask yourself whilst buying clothes for your baby. Sure there’ll be times where you think ‘sod it, it’s cute, I’m buying it’, but in reality, baby clothes need to be bought for practicalities rather than appearances.
Have you bought anything like my daughter's rainbow dungarees where you’ve thought ‘why on Earth did I buy this?’
