A word on the joys (and challenges) of dressing a baby!
There are so many factors to consider when dressing your Bub, and I know the options out there for your baby can be confusing, particularly when you’re pregnant with no experience of actually dealing with a child. You want them to be dressed in comfortable, cute, easy to change, affordable and sustainable clothes. But how does one do that? And what do you need? Enter, Retykle. Basically they’re a resale platform for luxury baby clothes… In other words they take the hassle out of shopping for secondhand kids clothes, with a focus on VERY nice brands (see the full list here) that, lets be honest, I wouldn’t be able to afford at normal prices. I often find myself on there just window shopping at all the Jacadi, Seed, Stella McCartney, Ralph Lauren, Bonpoint, Petite Bateau and Zimmermann.
Given that Frankie just turned 5 months and we’re moving out of the new born stage, I thought it would be a good idea to share a few tips and tricks I’ve learnt, along with a shopping list, for dressing a bub!
Creating A Capsule Wardrobe
I guess the biggest challenge you face when you have a baby is how fast they grow and the fact that you want them to be comfortable (and cuteeeeee!) without overspending or overconsuming. As you guys know, I am a huge vintage and secondhand shopper, but I know shopping in person or via Facebook for secondhand clothes can be a pain, with so much back and forth and uncertainty about the quality. Retykle makes the whole process easier by selling new with tags or gently used kids clothes. It’s pretty much secondhand shopping for people that don’t have time/patience but still want gorgeous brands and sustainable shopping at affordable prices. Obviously they have everything you need for your capsule wardrobe, so without further ado I’ll share with you my new born shopping list.
What You Need For Your Baby’s Wardrobe
4 Long Jumpsuits To begin with, you’ll find that your baby will pretty much live in long jumpsuits. Some people swear by zippered ones so you don’t have to deal with snaps in the middle of the night, but I don’t find snaps too bad personally, and the zip was often uncomfortable for her. Pick a mix of footed and unfooted ones, they tend to grow out of the ones with feet quite quickly.
4 Long Sleeve & 4 Short Sleeve Bodysuits Nice, comfy cotton onesies will be a mainstay for your baby and will become foundational pieces.
2 Pairs of Leggings Footless leggings are a great option for layering and can be removed if your Bub gets hot.
2 Pairs of Tights Frankie loves wearing cotton and wool tights, and they’re great for things like travelling when you want your Bub to be especially snug.
A few cardigans If you live somewhere cool a few cardigans are great for layering.
A few pairs of socks Obviously how you dress your baby will depend on what the climate is like but in general I found Frankie liked wearing socks… Even in hot climates I found going in and out of air con meant she wanted to be snug.
Two Gro Bags These are swaddles that you zip up, and they have arms in and arms out options. We virtually got these by mistake when a friend threw out some baby clothes, we ended up with hers. But after a night of no sleep I put Frankie into one and it was a godsend. Because who wants to faff around with swaddling when you’re dying of exhaustion?
Plenty of Muslin Cloths/ Blankets These are so fantastic and multi functional – we use them for cleaning up, changing, breastfeeding covers, sunshades, when she’s cold… The uses are endless.
A few Cute Dresses, Rompers and Bloomers Up until about 6 months your bub will mainly wear simple outfits, but obviously you’re going to want some cute rompers, little bloomer shorts and dressed for special occasions.
A few things I learnt:
- Someone once told me to dress your baby in one more layer than you yourself are wearing, and I think that’s true. After a few months I realised that Frankie liked to be cosy and covered up regardless of how warm it was. So we’ve ended up dressing her in more than we used to.
- When you’re pregnant and preparing it’s hard to know what size your baby is going to be, Frankie ended up being quite big so didn’t fit any of the 000 sized clothes I got her (they’re going to Retykle!). Because of that, it’s a good idea to just buy a few things before you know your babies size.
- Soft and breathable fabrics are key on your babies newly minted skin, so consider that when choosing clothes.
- Take a swaddle or muslin blanket with you EVERYWHERE.
A word on conscious kids shopping
Something that is overwhelming when you have a baby is just how much waste you can generate – nappies, breast milk bags and all the other disposable things you end up with (even if you try really hard not to!). One area you can make a difference in terms of your consumption is clothing, by buying secondhand clothing where you can, reselling your own clothes when you get a chance and investing in quality that can get a few different uses rather than throw away items. Across all these areas Retykle is a fantastic tool.
This post is in collaboration with Retykle.
