WHAT BABY ACCESSORIES DO I NEED?
When it comes to dressing a baby, you already know that at a bare minimum you need onesies. However, there are lots of other cute things to buy for layering and jazzing up an outfit. It’s so tempting to snatch up that $50 pair of adorable leather moccasins when your maternal hormones are screaming baby fever. Before you clutter up your house, though, with a mountain of mismatched baby socks, read on to see what you really need (and when) vs what’s “nice to have”. I’ve organized this post from head to toe.
HATS
You’ll need some fitted hats right away if you plan to take your baby outside in cool weather. You’ll get a hat or two from the hospital (the classic blue and pink striped ones), but if you want something that doesn’t say, “I got this free from the hospital”, get a small pack of hats.
For the summer, if it’s sunny outside and you’re stroller or carrier doesn’t have a canopy on it, a sun hat will protect your baby’s sparse-haired noggin from getting roasted.
FYI: My daughter only ever wore hats outside. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, outside the first hours of life, hats are considered a SIDS risk so it’s advised that your baby not sleep in them once you get home from the hospital.
Gerber Baby. Having 3-4 was the right amount for us. We always had one in the baby bag and the rest lying around the house for us to grab for walks.//American Trends (Amazon). Great for walks in the sun and pool days.
BOWS
These obviously aren’t a necessity, but if you have a girl, they’re cute to have. This is particularly true if you gravitate toward unisex clothing and don’t want strangers constantly referring to her as a boy (happens to us all the time!). Get the stretchiest ones you can! They’re easier to get on, fit for longer, and are probably more comfortable. I like headband bow styles. My daughter doesn’t have enough hair for the clip-ins.
I do advise against buying handmade headband bows from Etsy. As much as I want to support small business, they’re expensive and the fabric tends to not be as stretchy. I also recommend holding off on pre-emptively buying too many bows yourself. We got a ton as gifts before my daughter was born and throughout her first year. I bought a handful before my daughter was born. Otherwise, I only bought bows when I wanted specific ones for her monthly photos. Plus, my daughter didn’t wear them as often as I thought she would. At 7 months old, she decided she hated wearing anything on her head.
Posh Peanut. My favorite brand for knit headbands because they have a ton of pretty patterns and there’s free shipping on all orders. They’re usually $14, but I’ve gotten one as low as $7 on sale.//Copper Pearl. These knits are on par for with Posh Peanut in stretchiness and patterns. They’re harder to find online with free shipping, but Amazon Prime sometimes carries a limited variety.//Amazon. Nice pack of solids to have. I like these because the bows aren’t ridiculously big.//Amazon. For when you want something dainty. These are “nylon” style headbands. The band is made out of pantyhose material.
SUNGLASSES
These are something you can hold off on until you determine if you actually need them. You’ll need some eye protection if your baby’s face is often exposed to the sun.
Amazon. These are what we have, but there is no shortage of other options on Amazon. The optional strap is nice to have.
DROOL BIBS
These have been an absolute necessity in our household since my daughter became a drool monster at the age of 8 months. The second she started teething, her mouth became a never-ending leaky faucet of saliva We usually use 2-3 a day. When her molars came in, she went through up to 6 a day. They have saved me from having to do many an outfit change.
My favorite drool bibs by far are the bandana-style fleece-backed bibs. They fit snugly to her neck and are the most absorbent ones I’ve tried. I love how they look like part of an outfit, and you can find them in all sorts of solids and prints. Function AND fashion? That’s right up my alley!
To spare you time and money, I’ll quickly mention what I’ve tried and didn’t love. These aden + anais, Burt’s Bee’s, Carter’s, and cheap Amazon terry bibs do not fit snugly enough to the neck to catch drool, thereby defeating their purpose. I also bought these muslin bibs and returned them immediately because I could tell right off the bat that they wouldn’t be absorbent enough.
Diaper Squad. These are an amazing budget pick. I own two packs of these unisex solids. They’re great for coordinating with any outfit.//Copper Pearl. A little more expensive, but I love their prints, of which they have tons. If you want free shipping, get them from Amazon. I have two packs of these.
MITTENS
I’d hold off on these to see if your baby needs them. My daughter didn’t. She never had an issue with scratching herself up with her nails, and we don’t live in a cold enough climate to need them outdoors. If you think you might need them, my best advice would be to get clothes with convertible mittens at the end of long sleeves (I know Honest Baby’s long sleeve bodysuits and Little Sleepies zippies has them). Having the mittens attached to their clothing is one less thing to keep track of.
SOCKS
I honestly don’t understand why pre-walking babies need socks. When the weather was cool, my daughter just wore footed pajamas. When it was warm, she didn’t wear socks at all. The first time I ever bought socks for her was when she was 8 months old and only because an indoor playground required them.
Now that she walks, we have two kinds of socks in our armamentarium: non-grippy and grippy.
The non-grippy socks are to wear with shoes. The grippy socks are for when she wears socks without shoes (in the winter at home or at indoor playgrounds). Although most zip-up footed pajamas have grips on the soles of the feet at walking age, they’re usually not that grippy or rub off over time.
Carter’s Just One You. These inexpensive packs of non-grippy socks are readily available at Target stores.//Amazon. These grippy socks are what we use in the winter around the house. The animal faces and ears are so cute!
BOOTIES
When I say “booties”, I’m referring to soft shoes that are somewhere in between a sock and a shoe for pre-walking babies. In the winter, I like to have a pair of plushy warm booties when we take our daughter outside. We’d put them on over her footed pajamas as an infant. I scored a pair of new Uggs for her at a garage sale for $10 and used them quite a bit. Uggs are not cheap regular price, but you can find similar cheaper styles on Amazon if you search “furry baby booties”.
I don’t think babies need thin booties any other time of the year. I registered for a pair of bamboo Goumikids boots for my daughter to use as a newborn. She never wore them because anytime it was cool enough to wear socks, she’d wear a footed pajama instead.
Uggs Bixbee Bootie. I like these because they have a nice wide opening to put your baby’s foot in with ease, and the velcro strap keeps it secure. There’s enough grip on the bottom for walking toddlers to use, too.
SHOES
Oh, how I had to resist buying the most adorable baby shoes when my daughter was an infant! But being the practical mom that I am, I did not buy shoes for her until she was walking. Baby shoes before then are purely decorative. At her current age of 16 months, my daughter is still quite a new shoe-wearer so I’ll try to keep it brief. I’ll write a more extensive post on baby shoes after we have more experience.
She currently has two main pairs of shoes: one with soft thin suede soles because babies best learn how to walk barefoot and one with hybrid soft/rubber soles because we needed something more waterproof and protective for wet sidewalks and rougher terrain.
Robeez Pretty Pearl Soft Soles. I chose these suede-soled shoes because it simulates the feeling of barefoot walking while having enough grip for hard surfaces. Robeez has a million suede-soled shoes to choose from.//Robeez Aria First Kicks. These shoes have a hybrid flexible suede sole with a split rubber sole for extra durability and protection.
