After reading Part 1 of this series on compiling the perfect baby registry, you feel confident that you have everything you need for you (ha!) and baby to get a great night’s sleep as well as the right gear for getting around town with your little one. Now let’s discuss everything you need for dressing your munchkin.
Sleep Sacks and Blankets
I’ve put sleep sacks first in this post because they are SOOOO important. I’m sure you’ve heard all about swaddling babies for safe and comfortable sleeping, and if you’re like me, you’re terrified that you won’t be able to do it correctly. My advice to you is… don’t do it! Why swaddle with swaddling blankets, when the Miracle Blanket and the Halo Sleepsack exist? I highly recommend getting two miracle blankets and using them for as long as your little monkey still fits in them (probably for the first 3-4 months) and then using Halo Sleepsacks. You might as well get at least one Halo in each size (Small, Medium, Large and Extra Large). You’ll be so sad when munchkin no longer wears a sleepsack. I mean, look at Pookie as a burrito baby in the Miracle Blanket and then as a flying squirrel in his Halo Sleepsack.
While you may not use them as swaddles, you should definitely get several multi-purpose muslin swaddle blankets. I like the Aden and Anais blankets and recommend getting no fewer than 3 of them.
Pajamas
Pookie lived in footie pajamas his first few months. My mom was always saying, “When are you gonna put clothes on that baby?!” I was thinking, “Aren’t pajamas clothes?” Anyway, he was very cozy in his pajamas, and I highly recommend getting at least five in the 0-3 month size and a few in the 3-6, 6-9 and 9-12 month sizes. The Babysoy pajamas were by far our favorite. We also liked the Carters Sleep N Play pajamas that snap or zip down the middle. But once I realized that most brands don’t make footie pajamas beyond the 9-12 month size, I panicked and, after much searching, found Leveret pajamas. Now, this is all we buy, and since they make footie pajamas all the way through toddler size 5, these are all you’ll ever need.
Actual Clothes
When I did my in-store consultation at Buy Buy Baby, my consultant insisted I needed a billion white onesies of the short-sleeve, long-sleeve and sleeveless varieties. But, why??????? I did get them, but I barely used them because why ever go with plain white, when you can always go with something adorable? So, my advice here is… chill out on the white onesies. I suppose a pack like this in each size is a good idea for layering, but no need to go overboard.
And then go overboard on different colored and patterned onesies and pants. Don’t get too much clothing in the newborn or 0-3 sizes because your nugget really will be in pajamas all the time in the beginning. For each of the 3-6, 6-9 and 9-12 month sizes, get around 5-7 short sleeve and long sleeve onesies, 5 pairs of pants and a few sweaters/ hoodies/ cardigans. I personally didn’t find the side snap/ kimono onesies necessary since our munchkin lived in pajamas while he still had his umbilical stump, but if you think you’ll need them, Aden and Anais makes these and they look so nice! If you’re having a girl, of course go nuts on dresses and tutus (I try to ignore that adorable stuff since I probably shouldn’t put them on Pookie).
I recommend Gap and Old Navy for clothes. They have cute stuff and amazing sales. Amazon and Target have an amazing clothing selection as well. People also love Zara and H&M. Remember that you can easily put clothing items from Gap, Old Navy, Zara, etc. into your Amazon Universal Registry if you install the Amazon Assistant button on your browser.
You can also try subscribing to Target’s Cat & Jack™ Baby Outfit Box, which is basically like Stitch Fix for babies. I haven’t tested it out, but it seems like a lot of fun! When you sign up, you receive 7 surprise clothing items in your baby’s current size. You keep what you want and return what you don’t want, and then you automatically receive a new box for the next season and size. I think it’s a great idea. If you’ve tried it, let me know about it in the comments below.
Hats, Socks, Mittens, Shoes, Jackets, Snowsuits
We love Pookie’s super warm 7am Enfant hat. The mittens haven’t been so helpful since he absolutely refuses to keep them on, but maybe you’ll have better luck! You also can’t go wrong with one of these cut knit hats with EARS (!!) from Gap.
Get these awesome scratch mittens by Goumikids that actually stay on.
It’s amazing the amount of time I’ve spent looking for socks for Pookie. But I always end up coming back to Old Navy’s great 8-packs of socks, so I’d say get some of those!
It took me forever to find shoes that fit Pookie’s extra fat feet, but you can’t go wrong with shoes by Old Soles and Stride Rite.
Depending on where you live, you may need a baby jacket (I like North Face) or even a snowsuit. Carter’s has this nice solution that combines both.
Now go have a blast filling your registry with these Pookie-approved things and whatever other fun clothing items you find!
Next up: Part 3 (Diapering and Bathing)
I think he looks like an astronaut ready for lift off here in his 7am Enfant hat.
je m'appelle tiny 