Dressing Baby
Angela Oswalt, MSWWhen selecting clothes for infants and toddlers, remember three important factors: safety, comfort, and convenience. Babies will be happiest when they're comfortable and are able to move around their environment. Parents and caregivers will be happiest when they know their baby is safe and they can easily dress, diaper, and care for the baby. Safe clothes do not have any buttons or other adornments that could rip off and create a choking hazard, or any drawstrings that could be pulled to create a tripping or strangling hazard. Comfortable baby clothes are made from cotton, because synthetic materials may cause baby skin irritation. They also have flat seams inside and out to prevent skin irritation. Often, caregivers like to dress babies up in bow ties and lace for special occasions such as holidays, weddings, and picture days; however, for day-to-day dressing, simpler outfits mean happier and more comfortable babies.
Simple clothing with easy-access features such as snaps in between the legs and around the neck allow for easier dressing and diapering. Onesie undershirts and one-piece rompers are perfect for the early months. Remember temperature when considering the baby's comfort; parents often overdress and overheat their babies. Caregivers should decide how warmly they will dress themselves and then add one light layer for the baby. It's best to dress babies in multiple layers that can be added or removed according to temperature. Warm socks with elastic ankle bands and little caps are also good for keeping babies warm and snug. While shoes may look cute, babies do not really need them until they're beginning to walk and are walking outside.
Parents should have enough clothes so they won't have to do laundry every day and so they have extra clothing in case of extremely messy diapers or excessive spitting up. However, they also do not want to buy too many clothes because babies outgrow clothes faster than they wear them out. A basic baby wardrobe, or layette, could contain three to five receiving blankets, five burp cloths or cloth diapers, two to three hooded towels, six pairs of socks, five bibs, five sleep sacks or sleepers, five one-piece tee-shirts that snap at the crotch (onesies), five one-piece outfits or rompers, five outfits of separate tops and bottoms, one to two larger shirts or sweaters for layering, two soft hats, and any appropriate seasonal wear such as a snow suit or jacket. As babies begin to grow into toddlers, their wardrobe will grow along with them. When they begin walking, parents may want to purchase a pair of sturdy, comfortable, slip-resistant shoes.
Resources
-
Articles
-
Infant Development: How Your Baby Grows and Matures
- Infancy Introduction
- Infancy Physical Development
- Infancy Physical Development: Motor Development
- Infancy Physical Development: Gross Motor Skills
- Infancy Physical Development: Fine Motor Skills
- Infancy Physical Development: Average Growth
- Infancy Cognitive Development
- Infancy Cognitive Development Continued
- Infancy Cognitive Development: Language Development
- Cognitive Development: Language Development Continued
- Infancy Emotional/Social Development: Emotional Expression and Understanding
- Infancy Emotional/Social Development: Temperament
- Infancy Emotional and Social Development: Social Connections
- Infancy Sexuality and Body Awareness Development
- Infancy Conclusion
-
Infant Parenting: Keeping Your Baby Healthy and Happy
- Infancy Parenting Introduction
- Holding and Physical Support
- Facilitating Growth and Movement
- Feeding and Nutrition
- How Much to Feed
- Breastfeeding
- Selecting and Preparing Bottles
- How to Feed
- Burping and Spitting Up
- When and What Solid Foods to Introduce
- How to Feed Solid Foods
- How Much to Feed Toddlers
- Weaning
- Elimination and How to Diaper
- Penis and Cord Care
- Sleeping
- Bathing
- Other Baby Hygiene
- Dressing Baby
- Soothing a Crying Baby
- Well-Baby Checks and Immunizations
- Common Baby Medical Concerns
- Common Baby Medical Concerns - Teething
- Common Baby Medical Concerns - Colic
- Common Baby Medical Concerns - Coughs and Colds
- Common Baby Medical Concerns - Fever
- Common Baby Medical Concerns - Diarrhea and Vomiting
- Nurturing children
- Discipline
- Baby Safety
- Baby Safety Continued
- Conclusion
- Infant Safety: Keeping Your Baby Safe
- Infant Enrichment: Stimulating Your Baby
-
Infant Development: How Your Baby Grows and Matures
-
Questions and Answers
-
Links
-
Videos
- What Your Baby Sees
- Safe Sleep for Babies
- Safe Sleep for Infants
- Button Batteries Sending Kids to the ER
- Uncovering Top Causes of Diaper Rash
- Holiday Travel - Child Safety Away from Home
- Safe Seats for Baby
- Vaccination: A Key Piece of the Puzzle
- Babies on the Move: Protecting Babies with Vaccination
- The Breast Feeding Boost
-
12 more
- Skin to Skin with your Newborn
- How to Get Your Baby to Sleep
- Diaper Rash Dos & Don’ts
- Sunscreen Guidelines for Infants and Toddlers
- When Breastfeeding Doesn’t Come Naturally
- Diaper Dilemma: Baby Powders & Wipes
- Breast Feeding and Gluten Introduction: What Research Tells Us
- Dealing with Diaper Rash
- Strategies for Encouraging Your Child's Speech and Language Development
- Is it Baby Babble or a Sign of Speech Problems?
- Infant Hearing Loss
- Household Poisonings and Childhood Dangers
-
More Information
Topics
-
Related Topic Centers
-
Addictions
-
Aging & Elder Care
-
Assessments & Interventions
-
Career & Workplace
-
Emotional Well-Being
-
Life Issues
-
Parenting & Child Care
-
Abuse
-
ADHD: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
-
Adoption
-
Autism
-
Child & Adolescent Development: Overview
-
Child & Adolescent Development: Puberty
-
Child Development & Parenting: Early (3-7)
-
Child Development & Parenting: Infants (0-2)
-
Child Development & Parenting: Middle (8-11)
-
Child Development & Parenting:Adolescence (12-24)
-
Child Development Theory: Adolescence (12-24)
-
Child Development Theory: Middle Childhood (8-11)
-
Childhood Mental Disorders and Illnesses
-
Childhood Special Education
-
Divorce
-
Family & Relationship Issues
-
Intellectual Disabilities
-
Learning Disorders
-
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
-
Parenting
-
Self Esteem
-
-
Psychological Disorders
-
Anxiety Disorders
-
Bipolar Disorder
-
Conversion Disorders
-
Depression: Depression & Related Conditions
-
Dissociative Disorders
-
Domestic Violence and Rape
-
Eating Disorders
-
Impulse Control Disorders
-
Intellectual Disabilities
-
Mental Disorders
-
Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders
-
Personality Disorders
-
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
-
Schizophrenia
-
Sexual Disorders
-
Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders
-
Suicide
-
Tourettes and other Tic Disorders
-