Baby clothes... help!!
Are you pregnant and looking for suitable baby clothes?
Or do you want to make someone in your area happy with a maternity gift and you are not sure what to choose?
In this article you can read what you choose best in terms of material, size of children's clothing and much more!
What does a newborn baby wear?!
Most newborn babies start their new life in size 50. A nice fact: the European sizing corresponds to the height of the child at that time. On average, a child is about 50 centimeters long at birth. So take a look at that birth announcement to see if the child still fits in size 50, or has already skipped that! (Height and weight are often stated on the card and that's how you know the size of children's clothing).
Some babies are born earlier. They need a smaller size of children's clothing. My own twins were born at 38 weeks, and started in size 44. That goes for more twins. It is therefore useful to have smaller sizes if you expect your baby to be on the small side! Think of size 44 or size 48 . In many stone stores, this size of children's clothing is difficult to find. You can find them a lot easier online, for example if you search for 'premature/premature baby clothes'. It's a bit strange that people talk about 'premature' here, because your baby doesn't have to be really premature. My eldest son came into the world at 38 weeks, and was on the small side (48 centimeters). For that I also had to quickly look for a smaller package than what I had lying around! A baby is officially premature when it is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy and has to stay in the hospital for several weeks. More about that below. For a full-term, small baby, it is enough to have two or three packs. That will get you through the first week (or two). Then they quickly fit in size 50 .
Premature
If babies are born 'really' premature, they often do not yet fit in size 44 or 48. They often first go into the incubator for a while. For the care it is inconvenient to have to dress and undress the child, and it is not necessary to wear clothes for the heat. Sometimes clothing also gets in the way of medical equipment or hygiene. Many children therefore do not wear any clothes in a (closed) incubator. Often a hat or a nice (personalized) blanket is put on. When the child moves to a heated bed or open incubator, they usually start wearing a wrapover bodysuit. A size 38, 40 or 42 is probably the most suitable. Even then they do not need much more, because sufficient heat is provided.
How do I find a suitable baby shower gift?
The birth of a baby in the family or circle of friends is a nice opportunity to go shopping! Parents often become very happy when they receive clothes. They often have something for the first period, but little babies grow incredibly fast and you need something new soon!
Depending on what the parents indicate, you can choose an extra small or a slightly larger package or set. Some people think a little further ahead: every next size of children's clothing wears the child a little longer. From a pack size 62 or size 68 therefore you have more 'fun' than a package size 50 , which you have already grown out of after two weeks. (But it will be on all photos!).
When you give a larger size of children's clothing, it is good to think ahead: when will the baby have that size of children's clothing and what month or season is it? Think for convenience: a suit in size 62 fits a baby in about 3 months, a dress in size 74 carries the little one in about half a year. And on the first birthday he can wear that cool sweater in size 80 or 86 On. There are handy lists for the size of children's clothing, such as here: https://www.prenatal.nl/maattabel-kind-maattabelki...
So make sure you don't give a warm woolen dress in size 74 as a gift to a child born in December. Even if it's hanging in the store at that moment...!
What material do you choose for baby clothes?
That warm woolen dress... yes, that makes you think. Which material is actually suitable for a baby to wear?
You may have noticed that newborn babies often wear a hat or are wrapped in a blanket. This has to do with the fact that a small baby can still have trouble keeping itself warm. And that is understandable: a baby moves little. And if you sit still yourself, you also get numb! That is why the rule of thumb is: a baby needs one extra layer. This applies to both indoors and outdoors. Midwinter, you should therefore put your baby with a winter coat under a blanket in the pram. That is of course different in high summer, but even then an extra sheet is nice over a summer set.
As soon as your baby gets bigger and more mobile, that extra layer (inside) can be removed. The cap often disappears after the first few weeks. And a baby who rolls over nicely in the playpen no longer needs that extra blanket.
Because you can 'play' with how many layers you work with (an extra blanket on or off, a long-sleeved or short-sleeved romper), the outerwear does not necessarily have to be extra warm. A pack of jersey/tricot fabric works fine at a temperature of about 20 to 25 degrees. In winter, jersey pants can possibly be combined with a sweater of a somewhat thicker fabric , such as French terry, terry cloth, ribbed fabric, velvet, acrylic or wool. For example, a set such as this one . Please note that wool can irritate and fabrics such as fleece can be very sweaty. Linen and cotton are therefore very popular and available in different variants. An airy cotton dress is suitable for the summer, a knitted cotton cardigan is suitable for the winter. There are no rules for what is 'good' or 'better'. The most important thing is how thick/thin the fabric is and to what extent you can vary it. You can, however, pay extra attention to aspects such as sustainability (see also my blog article 'Refashioned... ') . If you would like to make optimal choices, type 'refashioned' in the search function on the homepage and you will see all clothing in this webshop that has been produced in this way. This concerns clothing made from reused or surplus produced material.
Help, my child does not fit in the average baby clothes!
Some children rise above the average growth line or fall far below it. Then it can be quite difficult to find suitable clothing. That is why you can also order children's clothing in a custom size in our webshop. Read more about this under the heading ordering information on the homepage .
Hopefully you now know enough to start looking for that nice baby set or that cute suit or dress! Go to the store !