It is an absolute privilege and joy to watch your little one grow up. But as they are growing up so fast, it can feel impossible to find clothes that will fit for longer than twenty minutes. So what can you do?
We have put together this quick guide so you can make sure that your baby’s clothes are not too small, and how to buy clothes so that they fit for more than two wears.
Remember that a comfortable baby is a happy baby, and a happy baby means happy parents!
Baby Clothes Sizing: The Basics
Baby clothes tend to fall within three distinct groups regardless of manufacturer – these are infant, baby, and toddler. An infant is a newborn to six months, a baby falls between six and twelve months, with toddlers being twelve months and up.
Baby sizes are roughly based on the average weight and length of a baby at that size.
You can measure the length of your baby every time you need new clothes for them – this is actually how European sizes work and tends to be more accurate – or you can ‘guestimate’ their new size from how their old clothes are currently fitting if you think that age alone is not reliable enough.
Don’t forget that it is perfectly normal for children to grow faster or normal than brand sizing suggests. It is also normal for a baby to span two or even three sizes in a brand or multiple sizes across different brands.
This is partly because each brand sizes differently but also because baby clothes are designed to last as long as possible with a rapidly growing baby!
How To Find The Right Baby Clothing Size
Babies grow exponentially quickly, especially in their first few months of life. This means that any clothes bought that are the current age, weight, or length of your baby will not fit in a matter of days, at most a few weeks.
It is therefore common for brands to recommend that clothes are bought two sizes larger than necessary.
This gives your baby a chance to wear them before they are too small! It is also a good idea to have a few different onesies or sleepers in a couple of different sizes – that way you can never be caught short and your baby will always be as comfortable as possible!
There is of course no hard and fast rule for buying baby clothes, but there are some common recommendations that most parents follow to make things easier.
Most experts recommend that parents have over ten onesies and over five sleepers ready at home in each size.
You can of course purchase as many as you want but baby clothes are expensive so stick to less than fifteen or twenty onesies and less than ten sleepers to have the best of both worlds.
How To Tell If Your Baby’s Clothes Are Too Small
If your baby is wearing clothes that are too small, they can develop rashes and other types of skin irritation, have difficulty digesting properly, and be generally uncomfortable.
This all makes for a fussy and unhappy baby and stressed-out parents.
Fortunately, there are some easy-to-spot signs that your baby isn’t wearing the right size. Keep an eye out for anything on this list to help make sure that everyone is happy!
After you take off their clothes, look for any marks or irritation where elastic or buttons sit. If you can see anything then the clothes are pulling too tight.
You can see a line in the skin or circulation is cut off slightly when sleeves or pant legs are rolled up. Shirts roll up over their tummy more often.
Leg snaps keep popping open means that the fabric is pulling too tight across your baby and can’t stretch anymore.
Answered yes? It’s time to retire their old outfits and bring out the larger sizes! It is a good idea to be responsible with your baby’s old clothes and not just send them out to the landfill.
You can keep them for your next child or donate to people you know are expecting, or donate them via a charity.
If you can’t bear to part with your child’s old clothes, don’t worry! This is nothing to worry about and you can of course store them away as treasured keepsakes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Know What Size Clothes To Buy For My Baby?
It is a good idea to first buy clothes based on the age of your baby. Once you have gone through a few sizes you are going to have a better idea of how your baby is growing compared to the brand’s sizing chart.
Don’t worry about needing to get bigger or smaller clothes than what the brands suggest – every baby is different and you are free to skip sizes where needed.
Will My Baby Need Newborn Clothes?
Not every baby will need newborn sizes, especially those that are born weighing over 7lb. Some larger babies can jump straight into 0 to 3 month sizes as newborn clothes tend to be limited to under 8lb babies.
There is not much point in buying newborn clothes for larger newborns – they will probably only wear them once before growing out them!
Do I Need Preemie Clothes?
As these sizes are super small, you only need preemie clothes if you have a preemie baby.
Any child that is over 5lb will probably fit happily into newborn clothes, any smaller and preemie or even micro-preemie sizes will need to be bought.
When thinking about clothing, there is so much to consider, such as sizing, the materials used, the quality of the products, and also how ethical they are. There is also the topic of fast fashion and its effects on the environment.
This is why I decided to set up our site Torly Kid, to provide parents and carers with the ultimate guide to everything related to children’s clothing and fashion. From the best outfits for crawling toddlers, to the prettiest dresses for tweens, we’ve got you covered.
