Baby Clothes Bewilderment

[new york momma]

I was given a shower and received a lot of beautiful baby clothes. I'm trying to figure out how the baby wears this stuff.

Question 1: Someone told me November babies should wear long-sleeved onsies. I received about 8 short sleeve, thin onsies and 5 short-sleeved thin t-shirts in size 0-3 months. What do I do with the short sleeved ones? I'm thinking they won't be warm enough to use until the spring/summer when the baby is probably too big for them.

Question 2: There are several items that look kind of like a long sleeved onsies with snaps at the crotch but they have decorative prints and ruffles on them so I'm thinking they're actually supposed to show (as opposed to be worn under something). Does the baby wear a onsie underneath this leotard looking thing? It almost seems like the baby would be wearing two onsies then.

[nola79]

I got a lot of clothes I couldn't use. I think people buy stuff they think is cute without thinking of the practicality of the clothing. Is there any way you can return what you don't need or can't use and get what you want?

[katroshka]

You can definitely find ways to get use out of the short sleeve onesies, I used to put them under sweaters on my kids. It's a huge pain in the butt to pull sweater sleeves over long sleeves on limp OR struggling baby arms, so those short sleeves can really be great.

Sounds like you will be having a girl? I would think the ruffled onesies are meant to go over some cute stockings, or with those adorable baby leg warmers I've been seeing lately. Stockings are nice when it's cooler, since they don't fall off and get lost all the time like socks do (I safety-pinned the socks to the pants to prevent that, just don't wash them like that or they will get all jacked up).

[Norasmomma]

I second people just get what's cute to them and don't think. My DD was a Sept. baby and we got TONS of summer clothing, that I promptly returned. September in the NW is not that warm, the days are, but it get cold at night.

We had to buy her clothes when she was a week old, we had pretty much nothing usable from her shower.

I also think the baby-legs and tights thing with the decorative onsies would be really cute.

[ann_of_loxley]

Question 1: Someone told me November babies should wear long-sleeved onsies. I received about 8 short sleeve, thin onsies and 5 short-sleeved thin t-shirts in size 0-3 months. What do I do with the short sleeved ones? I'm thinking they won't be warm enough to use until the spring/summer when the baby is probably too big for them.

A lot of people I know put these under things - like an undershirt. Extra warmth! If you have an average sized baby - these will be great for the winter! My babies were huge and never fit this size! lmao

Question 2: There are several items that look kind of like a long sleeved onsies with snaps at the crotch but they have decorative prints and ruffles on them so I'm thinking they're actually supposed to show (as opposed to be worn under something). Does the baby wear a onsie underneath this leotard looking thing? It almost seems like the baby would be wearing two onsies then.

Yep - see above.

[luv-my-boys]

The s/s onesies are great layering pieces for the winter. You could use them under heavier sweaters or fleece. I used them under jackets and such as it helped keep their chests warm but didnt overheat them with a jacket on top as well.

as for the other stuff I agree with the pp that sometimes (most times) people just buy whats cute without thinking of its practicality at all or the weather.

[SeattleRain]

As said before, short sleeved onesies are great under things, and with a cold weather baby you're definitely going to want to dress in layers. For example, I like to put Daniel in a fleece sleeper for really cold or rainy days but I put a short sleeved onesie underneith next to his skin for comfort. Short sleeved t shirts (without crotch snaps) could be layered on top of a long sleeved onesie for a cute layered look or they can be the bottom layer in a leggings-tshirt-cardigan look. Choose your own adventure.

By far the easiest thing for your baby to wear will be long sleeved onesies plus stretchy pants or one piece footie pjs (we personally like the Hanna Andersson stretchies with no feet though, but they can be spendy).

[nextcommercial]

I live in Phoenix, so it isn't very cold. But, I put the short sleeve onsie on under her sleepers for a while.

I used the short sleeve onsies under stuff all the time. But, it was never cold her like it is in other states. So, I don't know exactly.

[akind1]

I had a November babe also. I used the short sleeve onesies under long sleeved shirts b/c the shirts will ride up and this gives full coverage to the belly area.

I didn't do alot of super layering (onesies under sleepers, etc) b/c we are in SC and honestly, inside, it doesn't get THAT cold, and when we go outside, babe was well bundled. I didn't want him to overheat.

People buy what looks cute. the onesies that are cute are meant to be worn with pants/skirts/jumpers not as layering pieces. You never know how big baby will be. I went 2 weeks "over"due, so didn't have any really "newborn" sized clothes b/c we thought DS would be big (8+ lbs) he was not. He weighed in at a whopping 6 lb 14 oz. we had to go buy some newborn stuff until the 0-3 fit. (maybe a month or so).

[mimie]

For my late October baby, I used short sleeve onesies as undershirts. Long sleeve onesies are difficult to layer because the sleeves tend to bunch up.

Long sleeve shirts that snap at the crotch can be worn with pants and a light jacket or sweater - no undershirt necessary.

[P.J.]

Originally Posted by SeattleRain

Short sleeved t shirts (without crotch snaps) could be layered on top of a long sleeved onesie for a cute layered look

This is what we do with tees, I find alone they ride up and leave his torso exposed which is annoying.

[ShwarmaQueen]

I'd return what's not your taste, or save things to re-gift.

[Melaniee]

I had a November Baby! :)

To #1 - We used them as layers under other outfits. We live in a moderate temperature, but it does get chilly and I tried to always have Ds with an extra layer beyond what we wore. Some of the cuter outfits if you picked him up would leave a bare tummy (hard to explain, but just happens when you're holding babies) so I put a onesie underneath. And at first he was not co-sleeping, so he always wore a oneside under his pajamas.

#2 - They still went under clothing. If you say ruffles, I'm guessing you are having a girl? They'd be cute under a dress or skirts and over plain tights or leggings if you want the ruffles to show. I am not a fan of the onesie tucked into an elastic waistband look, nor the onesie on it's own (unless super hot and we're outside) so Dd mostly wore them as a layer.

With a winter baby, if you don't like it - it becomes an underlayer and does it's job.

[cristeen]

I just wanted to chime in and say that my 1 yo still fits into his 0-3 mo tees (not the onesies, though). I just put them away for the next baby last week when I was pulling out winter clothes. So you never know.

[texmati]

Originally Posted by cristeen

I just wanted to chime in and say that my 1 yo still fits into his 0-3 mo tees (not the onesies, though). I just put them away for the next baby last week when I was pulling out winter clothes. So you never know.

this. the sizes are sooo off. different brands are wildly different. I say, return what you can, buy as you need.

[dancingflower]

You can totally use the short sleeved stuff. My LO was a FEBRUARY baby, also in NY. I only had short sleeved onesies. They were hand me downs from a friend who had two winter babies. I had no clue and made great use of them. I didn't even know that long sleeved onesies even existed (grew up in the south of the equator). I thought it was more of a chest protection.

I used them in the apt, which is kept really warm. Outside I'd wear them under a warmer pj, a sweater. Then baby would go under the footmuff in the stroller or under my coat or blanket in the carrier.

[Addie]

Maybe we are the outliers but we never used onesies with DS, born in the middle of November in the northeast. He was a big guy, born at 8.5 lbs and put weight on right away. Add in cloth diapers, and it just never felt like onesies fit him. He spent most of his time in those early months in footed sleepers and one-piece outfits.

It's so tempting to try to get the little one's wardrobe squared away before they arrive, but I found it to be impossible. We have lots of stuff that he never even wore - newborn sized clothing he was too big for and other clothes where the size didn't match up with the season.

One thing that I wish I hadn't done was wash all the clothing we got for him before he was even born. I'd advise you to keep the majority of clothes you got - especially the stuff you have gift receipts for - unwashed and with tags, so that you can return/regift/sell it if you don't need it.

[new york momma]

Stupid clothing question number 3: Does there need to be a layer between the diaper and the outfit?

We're planning on using compostable disposables. I was thinking a onsie would provide a layer of fabric between the diaper and the leggings/sleeper, etc. With a t-shirt, there would be no layer between the diaper and the outfit.

BTW, thank you, thank you for all the info. I was wondering about the sizes. 0-3 month clothing seems to vary a lot. I'm pretty excited about this baby so I'm probably spending too much time organizing and re-organizing the outfits.

[Melaniee]

There doesn't need to be. Though I didn't use compostibles, only disposables and cloth so maybe they work differently? That is one thing with onesies, if you use cloth you need to make sure they don't somehow get between the diaper and the child (I'm thinking of something that is a pocket or AIO where the fleece can fold slightly to the outside) or with disposables when you have blow outs they will often get dirty. But they're washable, and they don't show anyway if stained. If the ones you are using are anything like disposables, sometimes outfits will just get messy on the inside, onesie or not.

[Tway]

People bought DD, an October baby, some really beautiful 12-month summer dresses. I tried to have her wear the smallest ones, but I'm going to save the rest for whoever has a summer baby, I guess.

I used the short-sleeved onesies under a blouse or a thin shirt--honestly, I preferred to have a onesie under things so DD's skin didn't rub all over everything. These were mostly plain white or pink. The decorative ones were perfect for summer, but if they're too small just put them under things, too.