I’m lucky enough to have friends and family who are willing to lend me their baby clothes and gear, but I still had to purchase a lot of items if the season wasn’t right or there was just a need for more of one thing. Here are some essential items I ended up needing for Baby Pencil, months 0-12 months.
1) Sleep and Play footed onesies from Carters
Baby Pencil lived in these from months 0-4! It’s not like we had anywhere to go, so he basically slept and wore one thing all day long. I loved the zip up ones, but I realized that the ones with snaps had a softer material. I consider Carters equivalent to Forever 21. Their sizes and materials are so inconsistent! I highly recommend purchasing in the store versus online because I’ve received some awkward sizes and material.
Finding socks that actually stay on the baby’s feet was a challenge! But since baby’s feet grow so quickly, I ended up liking Old Navy’s socks the best. The top part seems to have a more firm hold onto Baby Pencil’s cankles and didn’t fall down as much. One tip for Old Navy socks is to definitely size up like crazy! They tend to run small, especially for chubby little toes.
I got a ton of these as hand me downs, and when I saw a bucket of bibs I thought to myself “this is too much!” Well, a few months later, I ordered a few more sets! The teething phase is long and full of puddles of drool. We go through about 4 soaked bibs a day! I prefer the bibs with snaps versus the velcro because the velcro gets messed up in the dryer. Carters’ bibs also seemed to be heavier and was able to soak in more drool. There are many different kinds of bibs, but I noticed the less cute and bigger bibs were the way to go!
4) Cute bibs for special occasions
Having a giant bib with a cheesy line isn’t always the greatest choice for a classy occasion. I love these H&M bibs that can be fashionable and yet hold a purpose. Super cheap and has snaps!
I couldn’t believe how difficult it was to find a thin, regular looking beanie for babies! Everywhere I looked, the beanies were themed with snowmen or giant cartoons. Or they were too hot and made Baby Pencil sweaty. So I turned to good ‘ol Ebay! I get tons of compliments on this beanie and it only cost $2.31!
I noticed that sleep and plays kind of stop being designed for babies older than 9 months. Or the designs start getting too crazy and this mama just wants to keep things simple! So I started putting Baby Pencil into long sleeve bodysuits and pants. I absolutely love H&M’s line of organic cotton bodysuits. The material is very soft, light and amazing quality! I love that the sizes are plentiful and go up to 18-24 months. The colors and design are also more unique! Look out for their baby sales!
8) Baby shoes
Most people told me to not buy baby shoes for babies under 12 months. I got a bag full of hand me down shoes and most of them were brand new. But I actually did use them a lot! There were tons of times when a cute pair of shoes went perfectly with his outfit and people would go nuts. Carters, Gap and other more cost efficient stores are full of adorable baby girl shoes, but when it came to baby boys, I had a really difficult time finding a classic, regular shoe. I had 1 pair of really nice quality shoes that worked well for many outfits. My guilty pleasure is the Zara baby section. They do have sales every once in awhile, and I think during months 6-9 (when they’re not growing quite as fast), it may be worth purchasing some nice quality shoes!
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What were your must-have clothing items for baby’s first year?
bananas / 9229 posts
Subscribing as I try and figure all this out!
blogger / eggplant / 11551 posts
Those Carter’s Bibs are a MUST-have around here. The best bibs I’ve found, and we should know… J has been a drooling machine since he was 3 months old. He is still wearing bibs at 2+ years, and he STILL soaks through them!! I’m hoping he grows out of this “phase” soon… I don’t know any other 2 year olds still wearing bibs. Sheesh!
pomegranate / 3716 posts
LO is 20 weeks and pretty LIVES in the sleep n play suits!! It’s freezing in Chicago… we received a TON of short sleeve onsies in the newborn and 3 month sizes, and they have all gone unworn.
blogger / apricot / 335 posts
@LindsayInNY: Everyone is different, of course! But good luck to you… this is what worked for me but it took a lot of trial and errors to figure out what I really needed!
@Mrs. High Heels: I think it’s adorable! Bibs are so important! LOL
@Meridian: I loove the sleep n play suits! I didn’t think I would like the terry cloth material until I realized the inside of them are just regular cotton, so I like those too!