When I finally got to hold my little man in my arms, I ended up thinking that he was more fragile than he really is. Because of this, when I had to change his clothes, I worried that I would break his frail bones or do something that would harm him. My husband still, after 8 weeks, is scared to change Ben when he's wearing a shirt that needs to be pulled over his head. During baby's first wardrobe change, we quickly found that he doesn't particularly like being changed and sometimes might even protest with tears. Then we ended up tensing up and just wanted the experience to be over. By the time I was done doing what should have taken no longer than a minute, sweat rolled down my forehead and I wondered why it took so long. I was angry with the clothing makers who haven't taken into consideration the fact that you're changing a newborn and they haven't made their clothing infant-friendly.
During the first three weeks of Ben's life, I've dressed him exclusively in one piece sleepers simply out of convenience. They're very easy to put on compared to two piece outfits (one less thing to put on him!!). Since I was changing diapers from anywhere between 10-15 times a day , it allowed me to do it easily and quickly because of the easy access to the diaper area.
The only bad thing about this was the fact that when I finally went through his wardrobe, I found that he had already outgrown some of his clothes! I was so upset about this but then realized there was nothing I could do about it. Even now, I still would choose convenience during the first few weeks. One-piece sleepers were cute enough for when visitors came and they got the job done.
Every now and then, we have "photo-shoot sessions" when I dress him up in a bunch of outfits that are just one size too big and take tons of pictures. This way, I can send photos to the person who gifted the item to us. (People love receiving these.) Plus, it eliminates the possibility of him outgrowing an outfit and never wearing it.
Advice on Clothing to First-Time Mommies from a First-Time Mommy:
1. Resist the urge and don't buy every cute article of clothing that you see. Purchase only one or two things that you can't live without!
2. Think comfort over cuteness! Imagine having a newborn crying hysterically who just spit up all over himself needing to have his diaper and outfit changed. The last thing you want to have to do is unbutton his shirt, take it off, and then take off his pants. You get the picture.
3. Don't buy any newborn-sized clothes because baby won't get to wear it for very long!
4. Wait to buy any clothes. People will be gifting clothes for baby. Buy them when you stop getting gifts. You can't predict when this will happen and by then, baby will be bigger so hold off.
5. Invest in several one-piece sleepers! I recommend the ones that cover their feet. (Look at the photos below)
6. Consider the time of year/season when your child will be born when purchasing any clothes. Your experience might be completely different from mine. Since Ben was born during a terribly cold winter, we haven't had many opportunities to take him out. So, we haven't really had the need to dress him up in nice "outside" clothes.
One of Ben's drawers is filled just with sleepers.
I really like these kind that cover their feet.
This is the kind that I don't like as much because it requires that I put socks on him. I'm lazy... I know!
Can anyone relate to my experiences with baby clothing or do you have any other advice for first-time mommies on this?
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