Shopping for New Baby Clothes

Expecting a new baby is undoubtedly one of the most exciting times in life. Nothing compares to those first moments holding your tiny infant and marveling at the wonder of it all. But like all transitions in life, whether happy or not, it can also be a stressful or overwhelming experience. It takes time and patience to settle into a new role as parent and one of the best ways to minimize the stressful aspects is to be as prepared as possible before new baby arrives.

New babies require a lot of things so it's no surprise that baby showers have evolved into general practice to help new parents-to-be acquire of all the necessary items. But even the best baby shower can't possibly supply everything so it's important to take an inventory of what you have and what you need before the big day. The focus today is specifically on clothing that you will need. I'll tackle other items later.

If you choose to find out the gender of your new baby, it will be easier to shop for gender-specific clothing. But if you prefer a surprise, or your ultrasound technician is not able to determine the gender, you will be pleasantly surprised to find that there is still a variety of gender neutral clothing available. My personal recommendation is to try to remain gender neutral for those first items even if you do know the gender of your child simply because the ultrasound is not 100% accurate and there have been many instances when the parents were told they were carrying either a boy or a girl only to be greeted by the opposite in the delivery room.

The first thing to keep in mind is that babies grow fast in the first year and you can expect him or her to triple in weight by the first birthday. It is helpful to have a few "newborn" size items, particularly sleepers, if only to be prepared for the unexpected event of an early delivery. However, save yourself some money by not investing in a closet-full of "newborn" size clothes. Newborn generally only fits up to 8lbs and even a smaller child is going to outgrow these within a month or less. And a normal newborn between 6 to 8lbs will outgrow this size within the first couple of weeks.

The next size available is 0-3 months and even though the size makes it sound as though it will last the duration of the first three months of your baby's life, this is often not the case. Each person develops at his own pace and like I mentioned previously, babies grow quickly in the first year of life. While this is the best size to start with, it is best to resist stocking up on all the cute outfits that are available for such a tiny person. It is very common for a baby to outgrown 0-3 months long before he is 3 months old.

One of the most essential new baby items are caps. These help keep your baby warm as they adapt to the outside environment, especially if your baby is not born with a lot of hair. Another essential is a pair of newborn mittens or gowns that have fabric that fold over the hands. This keeps your baby from scratching his face when he moves his arms.

T-shirts that snap at the crotch are one of the most versatile and useful items available. These are commonly referred to as "onesies" even though technically, "onesie" belongs to the Gerber brand and other brands that are equally as good, have their own terms. Many mothers agree that it is a great idea to stock up on many of these because it is not uncommon for babies to be changed several times in one day.

Socks are great for keeping little feet warm but use caution in buying a sock that will not easily slip off the feet and will offer your little own at least some growing room. Try to resist the urge to purchase the adorable pair of baby shoes that are both unnecessary and possibly harmful to growing feet.

Gowns and sleepers are another essential item for baby's wardrobe and like the t-shirts, you would be wise to purchase quite a few. These are great for keeping baby warm from head to toe and convenient because they are only one piece. You can most often find these in two varieties; pajamas that snap and pajamas that zip. Either offers easy diaper-changing, preferably if the snaps or zipper reach all the way down one leg.

No one can resist the adorable outfits that stores offer and my personal recommendation is not to avoid these altogether but rather to purchase a few in each size range. For example, 3-6 months, 6-9 months, etcetera. That way you will always have a few cute outfits for a day out handy no matter how quickly your little one is growing.

One thing to keep in mind while shopping for baby clothes is to pay close attention to the weight range for each size for each different brand because some brands will vary and while your child may fit comfortably in a 3-6 month in one brand, a 3-6 month is another brand may be too snug.

And last but not least, never underestimate the power of a good bargain. Because babies do grow so quickly and are considerably less active than a toddler or older child, there is a plethora of outgrown clothing in new or like new condition in both second-hand shops and on the internet. Ebay is my personal favorite, where it is possible to save hundreds of dollars on items that someone else was not able to use. While you do have to pay the shipping costs, you can minimize the expense by purchasing "lots", which may also supply you with everything you need to accommodate your baby in his current size.