THE PRACTICAL WAY TO DRESS YOUR BABY (0-24 MONTHS)
Building your first child’s wardrobe can be intimidating. How will you know what types of clothes work best for you without being able to try them? On top of that, your baby will grow faster in their first year than any other time in their life. That means switching out sizes every 3 months. When I was preparing for my daughter, I wanted to go as efficient and minimal as possible because:
- I didn’t want to waste money on outfits she’d only wear a couple of times within a 12 week time span.
- Our tiny home can’t accommodate storing constant new batches of outgrown clothes.
- I don’t want to spend the time coordinating a million pieces for an infant who doesn’t even know what she’s wearing.
The good thing is that babies look adorable in anything so it’s pretty easy to assemble a no-frills wardrobe where your baby will always look put-together. We live in a hot climate so keep that in mind when you read this. I will not be featuring heavy-duty snowsuits.
Side Note: To read about baby accessories like hats, socks, shoes, etc., check out my post What Baby Accessories Do I Need?.
MY CRITERIA
EASY CLOSURE
Easy closure means easy dressing and diaper changes. Think zippers and a maximum of 4 snaps at the crotch.
My aunt once gave my daughter the cutest overall set. The problem? It was comprised of a onesie with 3 snaps at the crotch and overalls with 10 snaps on the inseam of the pant legs. That’s 13 snaps total to meticulously line up and fasten on a wiggly baby after every single diaper change. My daughter only wore it one time …so I could take a picture of her in it for my aunt.
ONE-PIECE OUTFITS
No muss, no fuss. You throw one thing on to the baby, and they’re fully dressed. The only separates I do are for layering.
VERSATILE LAYERING PIECES
This refers to things like jackets and pants when needed for cool weather. I tend to buy these in neutral colors like gray, black, and white so they go with everything.
PIECES THAT GO FROM NIGHT TO DAY
Unless her clothes get grossly dirty, our daughter gets one outfit change a day (right after her night time bath). We intend for her to wear it until the next night. When I buy zip-up pajamas, I try to stick to solid colors or patterns that don’t scream bedtime theme.
GOOD VALUE
Your baby will look just as cute in a $10 Old Navy romper as they will in a $200 Gucci romper. Since there’s no marginal difference in cuteness (and because I’d rather be able to afford college) we’re going for the Old Navy romper. I’m willing to spend more on a piece if it’ll last me more than 3 months.
GENDER-NEUTRAL
Of course we have some gender-specific things, but a good amount of my daughter’s clothes are unisex so I don’t have to do an overhaul of our wardrobe if our next child is a boy. It’s more practical to use accessories like bows and girly-print drool bibs to make her unisex outfits look feminine.
FITS FOR A LONG TIME
In the beginning, a lot of clothes will only fit for 3 months. Once you hit 6 months, some baby clothes are sized for 6-12 months (score!). I’ve grown to love bamboo viscose material because it’s very stretchy and can be worn beyond the size on its label.
BUILDING BLOCKS
| WARM WEATHER | COOL WEATHER |
| 1. Onesies 2. Rompers 3. Skirted bodysuits 4. Shorts | 1. Zip-up pajamas 2. Onesies 3. Skirted bodysuits 4. Lightweight pants 5. Heavyweight pants 6. Light jacket 7. Heavy jacket |
BEST ONE-PIECE CLOTHING
ONESIES
Obviously. Before she started walking, these comprised the bulk of my daughter’s wardrobe during warm weather. We really loved the side-snap ones in her first three months when she didn’t have neck control because they were easier than the pullover style to put on.
Brands I Like: Carter’s, Gerber’s, Old Navy, Burt’s Bees, Honest Baby, L’ovedbaby
There are a bajillion options for pullover style onesies so I’ll spare you the links to them. The side-snap ones aren’t as prevalent, though, so that’s what I’ve featured below.
Favorites:
Simple Joys by Carter’s. My favorite budget pick. I love a baby in a classic white onesie!//L’oved Baby. Pricier but I like the array of muted solid colors. Also comes in a long-sleeve version.//Honest Baby. An affordable long-sleeve option.
ZIP-UP PAJAMAS
Snap-ups will always be on the market for medical reasons, like if your baby needs a feeding tube. If they’re not a necessity for you, though, do yourself a favor and get the zip-up pajamas. These were what my daughter mainly wore during cooler weather all day and night.
Brands I Like: Carter’s, Old Navy, Burt’s Bees, Little Sleepies, Posh Peanut
Footed vs Non-footed: Until our daughter could walk, all of her pajamas were footed because putting on socks is one extra step that I don’t want to waste time on. Plus, who wants to buy, launder, and lose a ton of socks? When she started standing, though, I transitioned to non-footed. Even though footed pajamas often come with grips on the feet for older babies, sometimes they rub off or aren’t that grippy. Plus, I liked having my daughter barefoot when she was learning to walk.
A Note on Magnetic Closures: Not worth it. Depending on the brand, they’re usually about $20-40 each. I got some Simply Magnetic Me pajamas, which is Magnetic Me‘s cheaper organic cotton line. It is so tempting to get them, thinking they’ll be easier. What I didn’t realize when I bought them is that the the magnets stop at the crotch instead of going all the way down one pant leg so it’s actually harder to put your baby’s legs in. The magnets are also just as easy to close as a zipper. On the other hand, they are a great alternative to snap-ups if your family needs them. If you want to try them out, Magnetic Me is sometimes available for half off at Nordstrom Rack and Saks Off Fifth. There’s also a cheaper brand called E=Mc2.
Favorites:
Simple Joy by Carter’s. Favorite budget pick.//Old Navy. Another favorite budget pick.//Burt’s Bees. Affordable with great elevated kid prints. Stock up during 50% off sales on their website. Also available on Amazon.//Posh Peanut. For girls, they have beautiful floral prints and adorable ruffle butts. They make clothes for boys, too. They’re bamboo viscose so your baby can wear them longer than 3 months. Expensive so I only buy them on sale (sometimes they’ll do a 50% sitewide sale).//Little Sleepies. Before you think I’m crazy for recommending a $34 zippie, read my review on why I think they’re totally worth it! In short, your baby can fit into them for 1+ years.
ROMPERS
The older my daughter got, the more I wanted her wearing clothes that looked like complete outfits outside of the house. In my mind, wearing only a onesie is like wearing a T-shirt with no pants. In comes rompers for warm weather!
Brands I Like: Carter’s, Old Navy, Lou Lou and Company. While I haven’t tried, Burt’s Bees and Primary have some affordable ones, too.
My Favorites:
Old Navy. My favorite budget pick because there’s extra room in the bottom in these “bubble rompers” so my daughter is able to wear hers for 6 months (even in the 3-6 month size).//Carter’s Just One You. Target’s Carter line.//Lou Lou and Company. Pricey, but I bought four during a BOGO sale for $18 a piece. I got these when my daughter turned 1. They’re bamboo viscose so they’ll fit for a long time. The size for a 1 year old is 12-24 months! They have every muted and neutral color under the sun and cute sophisticated prints. Worth it because I’ll get a year of mileage on them and can get gender neutral ones for all future kids to wear.
SKIRTED BODYSUITS
A great girly alternative to the romper. A lot of dresses for baby girls come as a set with a dress and a separate pair of bloomers. However, one-piece “skirted bodysuits”, aka “bodysuit dresses”, are a full outfit in one piece! Most you come across will be about $20-40 a piece. Unfortunately, not a lot of budget picks exist in this category, but you can find some premium brands for sale. I’ve only ever tried Posh Peanut, but you can easily Google search for other brands in a similar price range.
Brands I Like: Posh Peanut
Favorites:
Posh Peanut. I’ve bought all of mine at the 50% off sitewide sales. They’re bamboo viscose so each size will last you about 6 months. I think they’re worth it if you can snag some at about $20 a piece.
BEST LAYERING PIECES
PANTS
If she’s already wearing a onesie but we need to go out on a chilly day, putting a pair of pants on over her onesie is easier than changing out of it into zip-up pajamas.
Brands I Like: Carter’s, Cat & Jack, Old Navy
Favorites:
Carter’s. Can get them for under $10 if you get them during a doorbuster sale.//Cat & Jack jeans. They have a few styles to choose from if you do a search on target.com.//Cat & Jack leggings. A light and stretchy pant. Cute with skirted bodysuits.//Old Navy. These have a little ruffle but if you want some flair.//Cat & Jack fleece pants. A heavier pant for the winter. Bonus: They fit over zip-up pajama legs when it’s extra cold outside.
SHORTS
I don’t care if my daughter is running around in just a onesie at home, but when she started spending time out of her stroller/carrier in public (around the time she was crawling), I felt impelled to put shorts on over her onesies to look more put-together.
Brands I Like: Cat & Jack
Favorites:
Cat & Jack. I only need one pair per size so I get denim because it goes with everything.
JACKETS
It rarely gets colder than 40 degrees where I live so I only need two jackets each winter — one light and one heavy. I’ll only get jackets with hoods because my daughter decided she hated wearing hats at age 1.
Brands I Like: Carter’s, Burt’s Bees
Favorites:
Burt’s Bees. Simple lightweight hoodie.//Simple Joys by Carter’s. This is one of the least expensive heavier jackets I could find. The bear ears are adorable. I like this jacket so much that I’ve bought it two winters in a row. If you want this specific jacket, buy it in the fall. It gets backordered close to winter time.
