Those are adorable, HappiLeigh!
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Originally Posted by rach&becks  I work for a woman who sells baby legs, she is have a 40% off all the organic ones right now, pm me and I will give you the site and the code... (she also sells amber jewlery)
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Ooooh, I bet I know who you work for!
And since I'm not affiliated, I can link with impunity!
GREAT products and amazing customer service at
Inspired by Finn!
Okay, here's my "baby clothes 101"
Brands, patterns, etc:
I'm not particular about patterns so much...I love a bit of everything. Cutesy stuff doesn't bother me, nor logos, etc...the only thing that I disdain completely is images of bottles. Stuns me how many outfits have images of bottles/pacifiers woven in or embroidered on the fabric! Same goes for baby shower cards, gift wrap, thank-you notes, etc....it really annoys me!
Other than that, I will dress my babies in duckies or teddies or sailboats or bunnies or stripes or solids or funky retro....whatever. Most of the clothing we have has been given to us as gifts or passed down from others--I'm always extremely thankful for hand-me-downs, and not just because it is an incredible help financially. I feel like we are doing an economically and ecologically responsible thing by using second-hand items, whether clothing or anything else, anytime it is possible to do so.
Honestly, even when I could get good-quality, new (Gap, Children's Place, etc) items for cheaper than second-hand (and sometimes you can if you watch the sales/sign up for the coupons, etc.), I just feel better buying second-hand. And my baby is just as cute, just as comfy, just as warm.
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Sizing:
As others have said, the "boutique" brands seem to run smaller than the cheaper stuff, but they also hold their shape and size better. Walmart and Target stuff has a tendency to either shrink considerably or to stretch out of shape with washing.
As for fit, my smallest baby was 8lb, 7 oz. My others have all been 9lbs and up. Even so, I have been very glad to have a few newborn size pjs for the first 2-3 weeks, because IME, even LARGE babies are just really small, LOL! They like to pull their arms and legs up close to their bodies, and the 0-3mo stuff just falls off the ends of their arms, and their legs get lost inside! It's just nice to have a few items that really fit, even if they only wear them for a couple weeks. I just hate feeling like the baby is always getting swallowed up in his clothes! And newborns squirm and wriggle so much that you've no more fished out a limb than it's once again lost inside the fabric!
For the same reason, I tend to prefer onesies to t-shirts and pjs to gowns for the first several weeks. They may not be as easy or fast for diaper changes, but they stay put better. I hate trying to learn to breastfeed a new baby, and just when you finally get all the limbs in position and the mouth lined up and the nipple cooperating, you realize that the little t-shirt has ridden up to the tiny baby pits and is exposing sweet baby tummy to the cold! And since socks NEVER stay put, gowns that ride up leave those poor tiny toes at the mercy of every draft!
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EC & CD:
One problem with onesies is that not many of them fit over cloth diapers, especially if you are using fleece or wool covers on top. But if you are doing EC, then a lot of times even if you decide to use a diaper for back-up, you won't need a cover at all, and you probably will discover that your preference for diapers will tend toward more trim/thin and less absorbent.
For EC, I don't tend to really start until 4-6 weeks. Healing and establishing breastfeeding is my first priority. If I'm changing/bathing baby anyway, or if there's an unmistakable cue, I'll go with it, of course, but I'm not going to stress about it for even a moment right at first. After the first month or so, then I do like the tshirts, leggings, etc. However, I found that when we are just chilling at home, the snap-crotch onesies are actually perfect for EC! Just snap one on, no diaper at all, and put a pair of leggings on if it's cold, and you have the perfect EC outfit! Only 3 small snaps between the baby and the potty! If you feel the need to put a diaper on for some reason, then you can always just leave the snaps undone.
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Snaps vs. zippers:
Zippers are nice and easy, but they have one major flaw: one-way zippers. IME, while snaps might be tedious, it's much easier to quickly change a diaper by unsnapping just a few snaps at the crotch/legs rather than unzipping the whole pajama, exposing the whole chest and belly to the cold. Just something to consider. Also, if you decide you prefer the zippers, be careful to get the kind that have the fabric flap behind the zipper. It will only take one time of pinching your precious little baby's tummy chub in the zipper to make you feel like you are the worst parent on the planet!
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I finally got dh to dig the baby stuff out of the attic for me last week. Before we moved (a year ago), I had one bin of 0-6mo boys stuff, one bin of 0-6mo girls stuff, and another bin of newborn GN, receiving blankets, socks, and other assorted newborn stuff. It was that last bin I was really looking for. So, of course that's the bin that has gone MIA!
Seriously, after scouring the other 2 bins for anything useable, all I have is about 3 pairs of pajamas that aren't obviously gender-specific!
So annoying. All I can figure is that other bin must have been accidentally donated in the midst of our move, etc. So, it's going to be fun shopping for some new (to us, at least!) gender-neutral baby clothes, but also frustrating, because there just isn't much out there any more! Not finding out the sex has become the exception, apparently. Sigh.
Now that the holidays are over and things should be settling down a bit, I've got to start making a list and a time-line for acquiring all the rest of what we need/want before February! Only 5.5 weeks until I'm full-term...I can't believe how quickly this pregnancy has gone by! It honestly seems like it was just last week I got my BFP!
I don't EC, but I think gowns do make for easy diaper changes.
that are really nice. I just got some in that my DD and I are decorating/embellishing for this new baby and they are soooo soft--I love them! They feel much nicer than the Carters or Gerber ones.
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