If you have a baby shower or birthday party to go to, you may be considering picking out some new baby clothes as your gift. Succeeding at this task is not as easy as going to the store and picking up the first cute thing you come across, however. Before you set out for the nearest kids’ boutique, think about these six tips for buying baby clothes.
Think ahead.
It was so nice as my baby grew to realize I had been given a variety of sizes of clothes to cover my baby’s needs through her first year of life. In many cases, the clothes fit at the right times, but it broke my heart to have to pack away never-used outfits that were too small for my much-taller-than-average baby when they became in-season. I think it’s a great idea to buy clothes a baby can use later on, but consider choosing outfits that could span a variety of seasons just in case the baby grows faster or slower than average.
Find out the baby’s current size.
If you’re picking something out for an older baby, don’t be shy about finding out from the mom what size the baby’s in now. My baby is barely 8 months old but already wearing 12-month clothes, so if people bought her the 9-month clothes they’d assume would fit her at this age, we wouldn’t get any use out of them. On the other hand, I recently bought an outfit for a baby who was just getting into 6-month clothes when she was almost 7 months old. I chose a 12-month outfit meant for her first birthday, and it fit at the right time!
During the winter, I put a bodysuit under each of my baby’s outfits. Now that it’s summer, I put my baby down to sleep in nothing but her diaper and a bodysuit. Heck, sometimes she goes the whole day in nothing but a bodysuit. The moral of the story: a baby can never have enough bodysuits! Even if a new mom seems to be given nothing but clothes at her shower, she will get use out of the bodysuits you give her.
Accessories can be a nice touch.
Consider throwing in some socks, a headband, or a hat that matches the outfit you’ve picked out for the baby. I often use accessories separately from the outfits they came with, so I get more mileage out of the gift than I would if I’d only been given clothes. A sun hat that came with an outfit has been my particular favorite. I didn’t realize how often I’d need to put a hat on my baby in the summertime!
Remember the gift receipts.
This is true of any gift, but don’t forget to give the mom a gift receipt with the baby’s clothes. You might give her the wrong size, a duplicate outfit, or something that just doesn’t match her taste. Giving her the opportunity to choose something else for her little one will be a gift in and of itself.
Consider giving a different gift.
At the end of the day, everyone loves picking out cute little outfits for a baby, but is that really what a mom needs? My own baby had more new outfits and hand-me-downs than I knew what to do with when she was born. While I was grateful for the wide selection of adorable clothes, I was left in need of some of the items on my registry and the must-have supplies I didn’t even realize I needed. When the newborn layettes call out to you from the racks, consider bypassing them for more practical gifts, and your mom friend will likely thank you!
