A Sleepy Parent’s Guide for Clothing a Newborn

32 onesies, 10 pyjamas, 16 pair of pants and 6 hats – that’s the total amount of 0-3 month baby clothes I collected during nine months of pregnancy. Many were hand-me-downs, I’ve learned to like frilly pink things even though it’s not quite my style, and a few were super cute items that I couldn’t resist buying new.

From these 64 baby clothes, my daughter Cora only wears about a dozen, which were selected based on a simple question: What is the easiest to put on a screaming baby at 3am? 

Tip: It’s normal for baby to scream and wail when getting changed. It gets better! Give yourself and baby a few weeks to get used to getting dressed. 

Sleeping Gown

This gown from Parade Organics is a must-have item. It makes diaper checks and changes super easy. No need to fuss with snaps and zippers in the middle of the night – this was a game changer for us! This gown is also a great item to have in your hospital bag. It saves you from undressing baby completely for the all-important skin-to-skin sessions. Just unsnap the front, no need to expose her back to the cold hospital air or deal with the stress of undressing and dressing.

Kimono Style

Newborns are floppy. I’m a 2^nd time Mom and maneuvering a newborn’s floppy head and limbs into a onesie still seems like a scary task. I love kimono style tops and rompers. They are slightly looser which makes it easier to put on and also minimizes contact with a newborn’s umbilical cord stump.

Tip: When you do use an over-the-head onesie, you can also slip this on from her feet or slip off towards her feet. 

Footie Pyjamas

Cora wears footie pyjamas 90% of the time. My favourite style of pyjamas are the ones that use snap closures. I almost always misalign the snaps in the middle of the night – but Cora doesn’t seem to mind just yet. Zippers are easier but exposes baby’s chest during diaper changes which always leads to more crying. The Tradle bundle includes 2-way zippered pyjamas that solves this problem. At 1-month old Cora is still too small to wear these, but she should fit in them soon at her current growth rate.

Stretchy Pants

Cora does not wear pants often, but when she does I always choose a stretchy pair to go over her bowed legs and bulkier cloth diapers. My favourite pair are the super stretchy and soft leggings from Simply Merino.

When you are barely sleeping, simple clothing is a must for your newborn. I’m sure my husband will agree. I did catch him trying to cool his pineapple by blowing on it during breakfast. On that note its best to avoid the following for sleepy Moms and Dads:

• Onesies and bodysuits that go over the head – These will become a staple at 2 or 3 months of age or when baby has a sturdier neck.
• Pants – It’s good to have a couple of these, but definitely not something to wear every day. Removing pants to change a diaper every 2-3 hours gets old fast.
• Socks – I’ve tried a few times to slip socks on her wiggling feet. No thanks.
• Hoodies – We go out a couple of times a week, so I don’t go stir crazy, but usually we use blankets and fleece pyjamas to keep her warm.
• Dresses and skirts – Something for when she’s a little older! But for now, we keep things simple.
• Hats – She hates hats, with a burning passion.
• Shoes – Her feet are tiny and don’t fit any booties or shoes we own yet.
• Mitts – She likes to self soothe with her hands and doesn’t like them covered.

We'd like to welcome Cora to the Tradle family! Corazon Misner was born on December 29, 2019.

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A Tradle Mommy Guest Post Jahzel Misner is a Vancouver Mom, designer and toy-maker. She is on the quest to reduce her family’s footprint so that her children and their children can enjoy nature in the same way we do today.