Dressing your baby the old-school way

Traditional, Classic, and Old World Baby Clothing

In today’s world there are nearly as many styles in baby clothing as there are babies crawling about. Parents who want modern clothing can find it at the nearest Wal-Mart, those who desire alternative forms of clothing for their babies can usually find it online, some people make their baby clothing by hand, cutting cloth and sewing together designs from patterns purchased at the nearest Hancock Fabrics location. The choices are nearly limitless and include styles and designs too numerous to mention completely.

Like in other areas of the fashion world, baby clothes designs never really die, they go in and out of style according to the whims of the populace which, in the case of baby clothes, means the whims of the parents. Right now one of those whims is leaning toward retro clothing styles.

The term retro can mean a number of things, but often refers to pop culture of the recent past. While its true that styles influenced by the pop culture of the 1970s and 1980s are becoming popular, there is another retro movement taking place and it leans toward classic or old world baby clothing. Designs that were popular fifty, sixty, seventy, and up to a hundred years ago are gaining popularity with parents all over the country.

For baby boys, billowing “rompers” are selling from a number of specialty shops and websites from around the world to a largely American clientele, as are two piece short & shirt sets and old-style coveralls. Classic designs for girls include mostly flowing dresses and female counterparts to the boys’ rompers.

Most of these designs can not be found in the average American store and many come from Europe and must be purchased online or by mail order. The British web site “Baby Classics” offers these styles and more to their customers, so many of whom are in the US that the company saw fit to quote their prices in dollars as well as British pounds. The outfits are expensive by most baby clothing standards, costing about the same as some of the more extravagant designer outfits for babies, but have found an audience because of the “cute” appearance of the clothing as it is worn by the infants or toddlers.

These extremely retro baby fashions may not be for everyone because off their unique looks and hefty prices, but many parents are jumping onto this classic bandwagon and dressing their babies in the fashions of long ago. Due to the cost and the delicate fabrics you probably won’t see a lot of these designs showing up at the local park for play dates, but don’t be surprised if you’re sitting in church or at some special occasion and see a baby dressed like she’s living in the 1920s.

Related Blogs

• Related Blogs on baby clothes
• More Baby Clothes for Far Less Money by Shopping Smarter! « Think …

Related Blogs

• Related Blogs on baby clothes
• More Baby Clothes for Far Less Money by Shopping Smarter! « Think …
• Twitter Updates for 2009-01-26 | Pacific Ocean

Dressing Baby For Winter

Dressing a baby for winter can be a chore and a challenge. The little ones do feel changes in temperature far more keenly than adults, so it’s important to keep them warm - without overheating their little bodies. Don’t think just because you’ve picked up a nice snowsuit or bunting that your baby has all the clothes he needs for winter. What should the well-dessed winter baby be wearing?

The key concept in dressing babies for winter weather is layers. Several thin layers will keep baby far warmer than one bulky snowsuit - and make him feel far less like a stuffed sausage. In addition, you can regulate his body temperature by stripping off and putting on layers, or unzipping outer layers when you step inside. More specifically:

Onesies or footed cotton stretchies are the best inner layer for a winter outfit. The close fit helps keep body warmth in, and the one piece construction avoids drafts. Socks are important, especially if you choose a onesie instead of footed stretchies. Put them on before you put on pants so that they tuck inside pant legs.

Sweatshirts are prone to riding up and baring belly and back at the waist, and elastic waist sweatpants do the same in the opposite direction. Sweatsuits may be adorable on little ones, but a one-piece heavyweight jersey or fleece jumpsuit is a better choice for cold days. No gaps in coverage to let the cold in.

Sweaters are a must for babies and toddlers as well - and not just for winter. They’re great for slipping on over clothing on cool spring and autumn evenings. If you pick a couple of nice, oversize ones with hoods, they’ll do a nice job of substituting for a winter bunting as long as you’ve bundled up nice and snug underneath it.

While you’re bundling, don’t assume that a hood is all the head-covering baby needs. We lose up to 40% of our body heat through the top of our heads, and a loose hood can’t keep it all in. Make sure you tuck a nice snug cap under the hood - and pick a hood or cap with a face guard if you’ll have baby out in temperatures below freezing for more than short trips back and forth to the car. Tender skin gets frostbitten far too easily.

Make sure you cover up little fingers too - don’t trust to overlong sleeves. Little mittens, whether knitted or the built-in snowsuit mitts are vital. As far as snowsuits go, until the baby is up and walking, stick with bunting style snowsuits. They give the baby room to move his legs around, which will add to YOUR comfort on long car and stroller rides by reducing fussing. Shop around for a bunting with a safety-strap slot to feed car seat and stroller buckles through. Never compromise safety for warmth, not when you can have both. And speaking of car seats, adjust car seat straps and buckles to fit snugly without binding - and be sure to readjust when you pop in the baby sans bulky snowsuit.

The Basics Of Baby Laundry

Ah, the sweet smell of a clean baby! You may be tempted to enhance that clean, fresh smell by running baby diapers and onesies through a final rinse with fabric softener - but don’t! The perfumes in fabric softener can irritate a baby’s sensitive skin, or spark allergies that cause uncomfortable rashes. With all those adorable babies and teddy bears on fabric softener packages, who would have guessed?

Here’s another handful of tips for taking care of baby’s clothes during the first year, focusing on laundering and stain removal.

Choose a detergent that’s free of dyes and perfumes. There are a number of brands of laundry detergent that are specially formulated for baby’s clothing, including Ivory Snow and Dreft. It’s really not necessary to resort to those, though. You can wash baby’s clothes with yours, as long as you use an allergen free, no-dye, no-fragrance detergent.

Baby’s sleepwear especially should be washed in a mild detergent made without animal fats or other water conditioners. Flame retardant sleepwear is specially treated to keep children’s pajamas from flaring into flame if ignited by a spark. The flame retardant chemicals can be affected by fabric softeners and conditioners. Don’t use them on baby’s sleeping gowns and stretchies.

Getting Rid of Baby Stains
Formula, baby food and - well - baby poop, are among the worst challenge for laundry detergents, thanks to their high protein content. To keep spills from becoming tough stains:

– Scrape off as much as you can, being careful not to scrub it in instead.
– Get the stained item into cold water as soon as possible. If you can get it into the washer right away, let it agitate in cold water through a cycle - without soap. If you catch the stain before it dries, it may be enough to keep the stain from setting at all.

– Do NOT use hot water on formula stains, baby food stains or baby diaper stains. The heat can set the stain permanently by ‘cooking’ it into the fibers of the fabric.

– If the cold water cycle doesn’t do the trick, add another tub full of cold water and detergent, and let it soak for half an hour. Run it through, wash in warm water, rinse and repeat. If it’s really stubborn and still there after a soak and two washes, try it one more time - soak in detergent and cold water for at least half an hour, then wash in warm water, rinse and repeat.

– If you use bleach to help get the stain out, make sure that you rinse well to get out all traces of bleach that can irritate baby’s sensitive skin.

Cloth diapers call for special treatment. If you don’t have a diaper service, make sure that you have what you need to deal with the laundering. The basics are a covered diaper pail, Borax, baking soda, bleach and vinegar.

First: Fill the diaper pail with warm water and half a cup of Borax. Rinse diapers out before placing them in the Borax solution to soak.

Second: When you’re ready to wash, use laundry detergent, hot water and bleach.

Third: Wash a second time, using just water to remove bleach and detergent residue. Add vinegar to the final rinse to help loosen detergent residue and whiten diapers. You can also add baking soda baking soda to the final rinse to help soften fabric.

Related Blogs

• Related Blogs on baby laundry
• Wine Please! » Blog Archive » Never Done
• Girl Bee

Related Blogs

• Related Blogs on baby laundry
• Wine Please! » Blog Archive » Never Done

The Truth About Layettes

Recently, I was at a baby shower for a young friend of mine who is expecting her first child. Most of the attendees were college friends of ours, and almost no one in the room has had a child yet. Needless to say, some of the gifts took some explaining. For many young mothers, some necessities may come as a surprise. In fact many may not know what the phrase “baby layette” means. For those, and for those who just feel like a checklist would make them feel more prepared, here are the basic things that an expectant mother and father should have waiting for the new bundle of joy.

It is important to have between four and six of all of your baby’s basic daily needs. Things like undershirts, sleeping gowns, onesies, footsie pajamas, receiving blankets, hooded towels, socks, washcloths, and daily clothing will be key, since your laundry needs are going to multiply exponentially. You don’t want to be caught in the middle of a load of laundry with a baby who has just spit up his or her lunch on her last clean shirt.

A going home outfit is of great importance, since it is the first time a lot of relatives and friends will see your baby. Not only will there be lots of photos, but there is a lot of sentimentality attached to this particular item. Other individual items to have on hand in the new baby’s nursery are a crib with adjustable settings that can change to meet the needs of your growing (and ever the more clever) baby. You will, for the baby’s bedding need a crib or bassinette with at least two to four crib or bassinette sheets, a crib bumper, and two to three crib blankets. You may want to consider adding a dust ruffle and some waterproof pads for the crib. These are not necessary at first, but you will need them later. A playpen for bringing the new family member along to friend’s houses, family gatherings, or even just to the park or in another room of the house is a convenience that is great for keeping just a little bit of me time in those early months.

While with baby clothes, you should stock up on sizes three to six months (in case the baby is larger than the average newborn, or grows rather quickly), you want to have at least one large box of newborn sized diapers on hand when the baby arrives home. You may want to stock up in the event of a sale, but you don’t want to buy too many, in case the baby is too large for them.

You also want to keep some other essentials in mind for changing/bathing. Two to three bottles of baby shampoo will get you off to a good start, along with a bottle of baby oil, a bottle of baby lotion, baby powder (corn starch is a great bulk alternative), and one tube of zinc oxide for diaper rash. Even if you are breastfeeding, you want to have 6-12 bottles with nipples and collars (and some extra nipples on hand if you are not breastfeeding). These are the absolute basics. It may seem like a lot, but being prepared with these necessities will make your transition into parenting much easier.

What Do You Do When Baby Outgrows His Clothes?

You’ve recently had a baby. It’s been a few months now, and the baby has outgrown virtually two full wardrobes. Sure it’s expensive, but there’s a whole other issue at hand. What is a mother to do with all of this extra baby clothes?

There are a number of ways to deal with this problem. First of all, there is the donation route. If you don’t have close friends with similar aged babies, you can put aside certain things for when they do, or in the event that you have another. The rest of the clothes can go to the Goodwill or Salvation Army. These are also a great place to find gently used baby clothes for incredible savings.

Special occasion attire like baby’s coming home outfit, first Christmas, and Baptism can be saved in a special place for passing on to a next generation. A great way to do this is by creating a memory box. Get a small trunk at a craft store and decorate it however you’d like. Fill it with small mementos like the baby’s hospital bracelet, first outfit and blanket. As the baby gets older you will have more things to add to it. This is a great way to preserve memories that your child may not have the foresight to think of now, but will appreciate very much later.

Using material from old baby clothes to make new baby clothes is a great way to save money and get a little more use out of the items that your child quickly outgrows. Making t-shirts into cute patchwork dresses, and pants into shorts are some quick fixes to pinch pennies.

Another way to use up material from old baby clothes is to make stuffed animals. Do you have a favorite t-shirt of your baby’s that his or her little arms just don’t quite fit right in anymore? Using the material to make a little stuffed bear is a great way to preserve that memory for yourself and pass something very special on to your baby. The same thing can be done, if a hobby persists, with socks and jeans as well. Soon all of your friends will be begging for little stuffed dolls made out of your baby’s old clothing.

If you are in fact creatively inclined, another great way to reincarnate your baby’s clothes is by creating a memory quilt. Save bits and pieces of your baby’s clothing and use it to create a full sized patchwork quilt for when your baby gets their own big bed. That kind of sentimental value also makes a great gift for a graduation or a wedding (if you can wait that long to show off your handy work).

If you’re planning on having another child, you have a built in way to get rid of all of the extra clothes. You can put away the clothes that your baby grows out of in a storage area. Just make sure you launder everything when it comes back out for round two. Sure, it stinks to get hand-me-downs, but it is unlikely your infant will notice, let alone care.

Essential Baby Clothes and Accessories

Leave the cute outfits to the shower guests - these are the things you need.

Having a baby is a time of combined joy and stress for most people. Nothing compares to the joy that a mother feels when she’s holding her new baby for those first few days after bringing the little tyke home or that of the proud father showing off pictures of the infant to his friends and family. Unfortunately there is also nothing quite like the stress in worrying that everything is going to be all right and that the family is properly prepared for their joyous new addition.

New parents often fall into the trap of being unprepared when it comes to suitable clothing for their baby. In the months and weeks prior to the mother’s due date the couple will be preparing for baby’s arrival by setting up the baby’s room, buying necessary items like a crib, playpen, changing table, walker, and, of course baby clothes. The problem introduces itself when the parents (and this usually comes from Mom’s side) focus too much on purchasing the “cutsie” baby outfits and ignoring the basic essentials that babies will need.

Cotton bodysuits, absorbent baby blankets, bibs, and baby booties are items that a new parent can never have enough of. Babies are messy simply by their nature. For all the cuteness and adorability that they possess they are essentially little drooling, slobbering, spewing, waste producing machines for about the first year or so of their lives. As such, their clothes get messy quickly and often. So often that a parent may find herself changing her baby’s clothing almost as often as she changes baby’s diaper - sometimes more.

The best plan is to stock up on the practical “onesies” suits, baby tees, and mess-cleaning cotton blankets so that you always have plenty on hand. Buy plenty, but not so many that you’ll quickly be stuck with a pile of baby items that no longer fit the baby. A good rule of thumb is to have at least five clean outfits at any time. Pack extra when taking baby on an outing, and always make sure that you have plenty of clean backups. This may require a good deal of additional laundry duty, but that is just one of those fringe benefits that come along with a little bundle of joy.

The cute and adorable baby outfits are fine for taking baby to church or to visit grandma’s house, or for taking family photos, but keep in mind that the odds dictate that as soon as you fasten that last cute little button or tie the final adorable pink bow, the baby is going to spit up all over that precious little outfit. While planning and preparing for the arrival of your newest family member, forego a few cute outfits so you can stock up on more of the practical essentials. The guests at the baby shower can provide the cute stuff while you ensure that you are truly prepared.

Budget Baby Layettes

Getting what you need for your newborn without going broke

It’s been said time and again that babies cost a pretty penny. Although little Brad or Jennifer won’t hop out of the birth canal and start demanding servants and expensive electronic gadgets, they do represent some additional expenses that can be wallet-draining when considered all at once. Fortunately the expenses do not have to be incurred all at once - even an unplanned pregnancy allots nine months to plan and gradually deal with the expenses associated with procreation. There are several steps that expectant parents can take to help cut down on some of the major expenses that are expected.

Baby Showers

A baby shower is a time honored tradition in which expectant mothers get a bunch of free stuff from their friends and family members. Don’t be afraid or ashamed to take advantage of this situation. A decent shower can often cover most of the immediate baby layette needs. Usually someone will offer to hold a shower for the expectant mom, but she shouldn’t be afraid to drop hints to close friends and family or even come right out and ask for a shower.

Buy Diapers in Advance

When is the best time to start buying diapers and other such essentials? The moment after conception would be ideal, but since most women don’t know that they’re expecting until weeks or even months later, you may have to settle for “as soon as you find out.” Start adding diapers to your regular shopping list and try to pick up one or two packages each week. Varying between size one and two is a good idea, with perhaps a pack or two of the newborn size. If you have a bigger baby you don’t want to be stuck with lots of newborn size diapers that you’ll never use. If the baby is “normal” size it is easy to buy newborn sizes while you need them and rest easy in the knowledge that you’re already stocked up on the next sizes up. A lower cost alternative to this is to use a cloth diaper service if you can find one still in operation in your area.

Get Help & Buy Used Whenever Possible

For large baby needs like cribs, playpens, and strollers, try and get the help of family members with these purchases. Proud grandparents to be are usually more than happy to help with items like these. A lot of money can be saved by purchasing these items second-hand as well. If a used crib, stroller, or playpen is in good condition, there is no reason not to buy it over a new one. The only item you probably don’t want to buy used is a car seat. These items must meet safety requirements and there is no way to be sure that a used one measures up to current standards.

A little planning and thinking ahead is all it takes to save serious money on most of your initial and ongoing baby needs. They real key to setting up your baby layette on a budget is to start as soon as possible.

A Special Kind of Love

My grandmother taught me to crochet the moment my clumsy, chubby fingers could hold a crochet hook. By the time that I was six, she handed me her sewing needles to thread for her because her eyes could no longer see the needle’s eye. When I was eight, my mother spent all of her precious off-work night-time hours making me a spring wardrobe that I can still describe in minute detail, right down to the rick-rack that trimmed the red kerchief that matched the tulip sprigged sleeveless dress. I can recall precisely the colors and patterns of the nightgowns my grandmother sewed for me. My brothers will tell you that they’ve never worn anything so warm and comfortable as Nana’s knitted socks. I even remember the weight of the stocking cap my mother knit to match the checkerboard cardigan - that matched the blue one she knit for my brother.

There is a magic in handmade clothing that transcends the colors, the styles, even the quality of the handiwork. It’s as if every stitch and every knot was imbued with the love of the hands that crafted them. And so it was only right that when I was carrying my first child, I picked up crochet hook and thread and started making the clothing she’d wear home from the hospital.

I didn’t stop there, though. Making clothing for babies is more than a way to save money or create unique clothing styles. It’s a way to surround them with love, to weave your wishes into the fabric as you shape and create each piece.

Over the years, I have sewn, knit and crocheted sweaters, sunsuits, dresses, short sets, blankets, quilts, hats and pants for all five of my children. Beginning with their homecoming outfit, each of them had special clothes that I’d designed and created just for them. I would say that it is perhaps a conceit, a fond wish of my own that my feelings about dressing my babies with my own hands would have transferred themselves to my children - except:

A month ago, I dropped by my daughter’s apartment. The baby girl I dressed in a strawberry printed romper - each stich carefully placed by hand, each with a whispered wish and a blessing for her good fortune - is 22 now, a college graduate with a home of her own. Tossed over a table in the corner is a blanket I crocheted for her when she was three from odds and ends of yarn. On her walls are pictures of herself wearing a sweater I made for her - the same sweater, at 3, at 5, at 7. The same sweater now clothes the teddy bear sitting on her dresser.

Related Blogs

• Related Blogs on baby love
• yoonamania » Blog Archive » Rest Well My Baby. Love You Always …
• Music - text of songs » Pussycat Dolls - Baby Love (J.R. Rotem …
• Erin Wallis Photography Blog » Blog Archive » Baby Love…

Related Blogs

• Related Blogs on baby love
• yoonamania » Blog Archive » Rest Well My Baby. Love You Always …
• Music - text of songs » Pussycat Dolls - Baby Love (J.R. Rotem …
• Erin Wallis Photography Blog » Blog Archive » Baby Love…

Three Kinds of Baby Clothes

When buying baby clothes parents are suddenly inundated with multiple choices that can become quite confusing. How many cute and adorable outfits does little Bill or Hillary need? How many “Onesie” body suits are enough? For little people that grow so quickly there are certainly a wide variety of clothing options, how does a new parent know what to get?

To help settle the dilemma and answer these questions, parents need to keep in mind a simple “rule of three.” Babies need three kinds of clothes. Clothes are needed for daytime wear, for going out, and for sleeping. The baby sleepwear will likely outnumber the other varieties since sleeping is what babies spend most of their time doing, but the numbers of each outfit will vary in direct relation to the number of times the parents are willing to do laundry.

Baby Daywear

The clothes you have for your baby to “hang around” in should be comfortable, easy to access for diaper changes, and simple. These are the articles that your baby will spend most of her time in and they’re bound to get dirty. When the baby spits up, spews strained beets all over the place, crawls around on the floor, or does any of the other relatively messy and somewhat disgusting things that babies do, these clothes are going to bear the brunt of the abuse. As such, you probably don’t want these things to happen while baby is wearing the beautiful Baby Dior outfit that Aunt Edna gave as a shower gift. The best clothes for these day to day needs are simple body suits with snaps at the crotch. Onesies are a brand name of these items, but the term has pretty much entered the language to mean any such article designed this way. You’ll probably want anywhere between five and ten of these on hand.

Baby Sleepwear

Clothing for sleeping should meet some of the same specifications as the baby daywear in terms of comfort and accessibility. Obviously if you live in a colder region or it is the middle of December you’ll want heavier articles than if you live in Phoenix and its July. Babies can still be messy when they sleep, but are usually nowhere near as messy as when they’re up and around. In warm enough climates the same style of Onesies that are used for baby’s daytime activities can double as sleepwear, but if the temperature is cooler you’ll want heavier knit PJs or similar sleepwear.

Dressing up Baby

The outdoor baby wear is where the parents really get to shine. Here is where you can utilize the cute and adorable stuff that was given as shower gifts or that you just couldn’t resist picking up during a routine trip to Wal-Mart. These items should still be examined for practicality, making sure that straps, snaps, bows and such do not interfere with diaper changing or cause discomfort to the infant, but you’re a little freer to show off. After all, everyone wants to coo over an adorable baby. When the adorable baby is adorably dressed, the cooing is that much sweeter.

Buying Gently Used Baby Clothing

Remember that adorable outfit you bought for your newborn - the one that cost you nearly $40, and got worn three times before it no longer fit? For such tiny things, baby clothing is expensive - and as fast as babies grow, they seldom see much wear. For parents on a budget, those are potent arguments for cutting costs where you can when dressing baby.

Designer duds for baby DO make sense though - and by designer, I mean the elite in the baby design field: OshKosh and Baby B’Gosh, Carters, Sweat Pea and other top-of-the-line baby clothing manufacturers. They concentrate on the little details that cheap clothing manufacturers skimp on - little details that make a major difference in fit, appearance and comfort. You want to take advantage of nice, flat seams that don’t irritate, and nylon snaps that don’t scratch or pull through fabric. But you don’t want to pay $30 for a sleeper!

The answer is shopping around for gently worn using baby clothes and checking with friends and relatives for outgrown hand-me-downs. Yard sales are a great source in the spring and summer months. You’ll often find great clothes that are barely worn in sizes for the next couple of years. Check the newspaper for upcoming yard sales - baby clothes are often one of the advertised items.

Another great place to buy designer baby clothes at rock-bottom prices is a good consignment shop. Strike up a relationship with the owner, and she may even put aside items that she knows you’ll love and give you a call to let you know what she’s got. In addition, you can often sell the same baby clothes BACK, or trade them in on the next size up when baby outgrows them.

How about a place to get gently used baby clothing for the cost of the gas to go pick them up? Freecycle.org is a national movement of community bulletin boards who are committed to the concept of ‘one man’s junk’. Check www.freecycle.org to see if there’s a chapter near you, and join up. Seldom a day goes by that someone doesn’t offer a few bags of baby and children’s clothing in various sizes. The quality varies, but the younger the baby, the more likely that the clothing is still in excellent shape.

Don’t overlook church and community thrift shops as sources of good, well-cared for baby clothing. If there’s a Junior League thrift shop in your city, you’ll find beautiful clothing for baby at bargain basement prices.

When you do pick up used clothing for baby, launder it as soon as you get it home. Pretreat stains if there are any, and wash with a gentle laundry soap meant for baby. Add borax to the water for extra whitening power, and be sure to rinse at least twice if you use bleach. By the time you’re done, you’ll have one of the best-dressed babies in town - without breaking your piggy bank.

Next Page »