April 2007
Baby clothing
Warning: It will take every ounce of willpower not to load up at checkout with mini Levi’s, teeny-tiny sailor suits, floral
sundresses, peasant smocks, and rompers in every color. Baby clothes, trendier than ever and oh-so-scrumptious, are as irresistible
to parents (and friends and relatives) as a pool on a scorching day. Everyone wants her baby to be well-dressed, and manufacturers
have responded with micro styles that appeal to our adult fashion sense.
Not that your baby cares. All she wants is to be comfortable. And that’s important to keep in mind. The basic necessities--even if they’re “preowned”--will keep your little cutie content. Still, you may not want to dress your baby in just any old thing.
SHOPPING SECRETS
Expect to get clothes as gifts. During your first forays into the baby department, buy only a few items in newborn size, such as one or two sleepers. Depending on how large your baby is at birth, she may outgrow this size within a few weeks. You’ll want to focus on 6-month-size clothing--your baby will grow into it quickly. Even then, try to hold back and fill in after you’ve reaped the birth-announcement bounty. Clothes from generous friends and relatives may get you through the first year. Rest assured that knowing gift-givers, such as friends who are already parents, grandmothers, and aunts, will buy in bigger sizes, understanding how fast babies grow.
Watch for sales on brands you like. Sales are everywhere--in stores, in catalogs, and online at the end of each season and in between. Major chain stores that sell baby clothes have regular promotions, sometimes weekly. If your baby is a newborn, resist the urge to stock up, since most babies whiz through this size range. Don’t shop too far in advance on larger sizes, either. Infants can have sudden growth spurts that throw off your sizing forecasts. A winter coat you snag for your baby in August may be too small by December.
Consider used. If you’ve never bought anything secondhand, start now. You can easily get away with it, especially when your child is an infant. “My biggest money saver was the local moms’ group sale,” says Laura Winblade of Bellevue, Wash., mother of a preschooler and a first-grader. “In my area, there’s one for mothers of multiples, and they have a sale twice a year. Babies go through clothes so quickly, the small stuff is always in good condition. But I found that as my children got older, it was harder to find quality used clothes.”
Winblade has a point. As babies become toddlers, and messy activities such as fingerpainting come into play, clothing gets more wear and tear. But infant clothing is another story; it’s not unheard of to pay 50 cents for a near-perfect pair of pants that would cost you $12 or more new. Secondhand shops are prime real estate for special-occasion baby and toddler clothes such as christening and holiday outfits and fancy party duds that have been worn only once or twice (if at all). You’ll likely pay a fraction of the retail cost.
Check local tag or garage sales, try browsing Web sites such as www.eBay.com and www.craigslist.com, and put the word out among parents you know. You may get quite serviceable clothes delivered by the box load to your front door. But inspect hand-me-downs carefully for unraveling thread, loose buttons or snaps, or scratchy appliqués and elastic bands. Don’t dress your child in anything that’s not as good as new or that appears unsafe to you.
WHAT’S AVAILABLE
You’ll find “ boy” and “girl” baby clothes in every imaginable pattern, color (besides pink and blue, think mocha, powder, buttermilk, safari, camouflage, silver, avocado, Bordeaux, and pistachio), style, and fabric. Cotton, which is soft and absorbent, is still the most common fiber. Organic cotton children’s clothes are coming into their own as the trend toward “green” takes hold outside the health food store. Many garments are made of cotton/polyester blends, which dry quickly and resist wrinkles, or cotton/spandex for maximum give. You’ll also find thick, soft knits and fleece made of microfiber. At specialty boutiques, you’ll see high-maintenance fabrics that require ironing or dry cleaning, such as linen and cashmere, as well as hand-knit items.
Major brands of infant wear can be found in leading department stores and retail chains across the country, online, and in catalogs. They include, in alphabetical order: Baby Gap (www.gap.com), Baby Lulu (www.babylulu.com), Baby Style (www.babystyle.com), Bunnies by the Bay (www.bunniesbythebay.com), Carter’s (www.carters.com), First Impressions Baby, (available at www.macys.com), Flapdoodles (www.flapdoodles.com), Good Lad (online retailers), Gymboree (www.gymboree.com), Halo Innovations (for sleep sacks, also known as wearable blankets, www.haloinnovations.com), Hanna Andersson (www.hannaandersson.com), Lands’ End (www.landsend.com), Little Me (www.littleme.com), Mulberribush (www.mulberribush.com), Old Navy (www.oldnavy.com), Pumpkin Patch (available at www.nordstrom.com), Ralph Lauren (www.polo.com), Talbots Kids (www.talbotskids.com), and Tommy Hilfiger (available at www.macys.com). Many of these brands can also be found at major retailers and e-tailers such as www.target.com, www.babiesrus.com, www.buybuybaby.com, and www.babyuniverse.com. As with adult clothing, prices run the gamut.
RECOMMENDATIONS
When stocking up on basics before your baby arrives, purchase very little in newborn size. Your baby will outgrow these tiny garments fast--sometimes in less than a month. It’s more practical to buy in the 3- to 6-month or 6- to 9-month size. If saving money is your mission, do most of your shopping post-baby showers and after friends and relatives respond to your birth announcement. Then fill in any gaps in your baby’s wardrobe and buy as she grows.
Consider safety. Be wary of tiny buttons, hooks, snaps, pompoms, bows, and appliqués. They can be choking hazards. Routinely check clothes and fasteners for these loose items. Avoid loosely knitted clothes--sweaters, booties, or hats--that look like they might trap a baby’s tiny fingers or toes. Cut all dangling threads before your baby wears a garment and avoid clothing that has seams with very few stitches per inch. Before you put socks or booties on your baby, turn them inside out to look for small threads that could capture toes.
Low-price and mid-price garments often have soft but sturdy fabrics, competent workmanship, and plenty of fashion flair. And they’re usually machine washable--a definite plus. Upscale baby clothes cost more (sometimes amazingly more) than standard garments, without a proportionate increase in quality and durability. If you buy such clothes, you’re doing it for style. High-fashion clothes may require hand laundering, even dry cleaning. (Air out any dry-cleaned clothes before your baby wears them.) Remember that your baby will quickly outgrow anything you buy. And no matter how carefully you monitor, he will spill on everything as he becomes more mobile.
Not that your baby cares. All she wants is to be comfortable. And that’s important to keep in mind. The basic necessities--even if they’re “preowned”--will keep your little cutie content. Still, you may not want to dress your baby in just any old thing.
SHOPPING SECRETS
Expect to get clothes as gifts. During your first forays into the baby department, buy only a few items in newborn size, such as one or two sleepers. Depending on how large your baby is at birth, she may outgrow this size within a few weeks. You’ll want to focus on 6-month-size clothing--your baby will grow into it quickly. Even then, try to hold back and fill in after you’ve reaped the birth-announcement bounty. Clothes from generous friends and relatives may get you through the first year. Rest assured that knowing gift-givers, such as friends who are already parents, grandmothers, and aunts, will buy in bigger sizes, understanding how fast babies grow.
Watch for sales on brands you like. Sales are everywhere--in stores, in catalogs, and online at the end of each season and in between. Major chain stores that sell baby clothes have regular promotions, sometimes weekly. If your baby is a newborn, resist the urge to stock up, since most babies whiz through this size range. Don’t shop too far in advance on larger sizes, either. Infants can have sudden growth spurts that throw off your sizing forecasts. A winter coat you snag for your baby in August may be too small by December.
Consider used. If you’ve never bought anything secondhand, start now. You can easily get away with it, especially when your child is an infant. “My biggest money saver was the local moms’ group sale,” says Laura Winblade of Bellevue, Wash., mother of a preschooler and a first-grader. “In my area, there’s one for mothers of multiples, and they have a sale twice a year. Babies go through clothes so quickly, the small stuff is always in good condition. But I found that as my children got older, it was harder to find quality used clothes.”
Winblade has a point. As babies become toddlers, and messy activities such as fingerpainting come into play, clothing gets more wear and tear. But infant clothing is another story; it’s not unheard of to pay 50 cents for a near-perfect pair of pants that would cost you $12 or more new. Secondhand shops are prime real estate for special-occasion baby and toddler clothes such as christening and holiday outfits and fancy party duds that have been worn only once or twice (if at all). You’ll likely pay a fraction of the retail cost.
Check local tag or garage sales, try browsing Web sites such as www.eBay.com and www.craigslist.com, and put the word out among parents you know. You may get quite serviceable clothes delivered by the box load to your front door. But inspect hand-me-downs carefully for unraveling thread, loose buttons or snaps, or scratchy appliqués and elastic bands. Don’t dress your child in anything that’s not as good as new or that appears unsafe to you.
WHAT’S AVAILABLE
You’ll find “ boy” and “girl” baby clothes in every imaginable pattern, color (besides pink and blue, think mocha, powder, buttermilk, safari, camouflage, silver, avocado, Bordeaux, and pistachio), style, and fabric. Cotton, which is soft and absorbent, is still the most common fiber. Organic cotton children’s clothes are coming into their own as the trend toward “green” takes hold outside the health food store. Many garments are made of cotton/polyester blends, which dry quickly and resist wrinkles, or cotton/spandex for maximum give. You’ll also find thick, soft knits and fleece made of microfiber. At specialty boutiques, you’ll see high-maintenance fabrics that require ironing or dry cleaning, such as linen and cashmere, as well as hand-knit items.
Major brands of infant wear can be found in leading department stores and retail chains across the country, online, and in catalogs. They include, in alphabetical order: Baby Gap (www.gap.com), Baby Lulu (www.babylulu.com), Baby Style (www.babystyle.com), Bunnies by the Bay (www.bunniesbythebay.com), Carter’s (www.carters.com), First Impressions Baby, (available at www.macys.com), Flapdoodles (www.flapdoodles.com), Good Lad (online retailers), Gymboree (www.gymboree.com), Halo Innovations (for sleep sacks, also known as wearable blankets, www.haloinnovations.com), Hanna Andersson (www.hannaandersson.com), Lands’ End (www.landsend.com), Little Me (www.littleme.com), Mulberribush (www.mulberribush.com), Old Navy (www.oldnavy.com), Pumpkin Patch (available at www.nordstrom.com), Ralph Lauren (www.polo.com), Talbots Kids (www.talbotskids.com), and Tommy Hilfiger (available at www.macys.com). Many of these brands can also be found at major retailers and e-tailers such as www.target.com, www.babiesrus.com, www.buybuybaby.com, and www.babyuniverse.com. As with adult clothing, prices run the gamut.
RECOMMENDATIONS
When stocking up on basics before your baby arrives, purchase very little in newborn size. Your baby will outgrow these tiny garments fast--sometimes in less than a month. It’s more practical to buy in the 3- to 6-month or 6- to 9-month size. If saving money is your mission, do most of your shopping post-baby showers and after friends and relatives respond to your birth announcement. Then fill in any gaps in your baby’s wardrobe and buy as she grows.
Consider safety. Be wary of tiny buttons, hooks, snaps, pompoms, bows, and appliqués. They can be choking hazards. Routinely check clothes and fasteners for these loose items. Avoid loosely knitted clothes--sweaters, booties, or hats--that look like they might trap a baby’s tiny fingers or toes. Cut all dangling threads before your baby wears a garment and avoid clothing that has seams with very few stitches per inch. Before you put socks or booties on your baby, turn them inside out to look for small threads that could capture toes.
Low-price and mid-price garments often have soft but sturdy fabrics, competent workmanship, and plenty of fashion flair. And they’re usually machine washable--a definite plus. Upscale baby clothes cost more (sometimes amazingly more) than standard garments, without a proportionate increase in quality and durability. If you buy such clothes, you’re doing it for style. High-fashion clothes may require hand laundering, even dry cleaning. (Air out any dry-cleaned clothes before your baby wears them.) Remember that your baby will quickly outgrow anything you buy. And no matter how carefully you monitor, he will spill on everything as he becomes more mobile.
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RECALL REMINDER |
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Best Baby Products Order Consumer Reports' Best Baby Products, the only book that helps you shop for the best value on the safest baby products, based on impartial and independent research and testing by the experts at Consumer Reports. |
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