It is with great sadness and fondest appreciation that I pack away Reese’s adorable tank top onesies, printed shorts and popsicle print jammies. Yes, I know. There’s still technically a month left of true “summer” and it’s not cooling down anytime soon. But right on schedule she’s growing out of her 3-6 month clothes. (LOL nope. She’s been bursting out of the 3-6 month clothes for a month now and I just couldn’t bring myself to move her up yet.)

As I did this, and as I saw the feedback on my hospital bag post, I thought “Hey. I’ve actually learned a lot about baby clothes, too. Maybe I should share?” So here goes. Keep in mind: I am vain. I am a shopaholic. This is my first baby and I’m STILL just figuring this out.

Basic Tips & Rules

• Don’t get too bogged down by sizing. It’s weird. Most of the world does 3 month windows. H&M does 2 month windows. Carter’s just puts a number and I guess that means “somewhere around this month it will fit.” Reese is currently wearing a 6 month onesie with 12 month shorts. I saw a cute Minnie Mouse onesie at Walmart a few weeks before we were going to Disneyland. It SAID it was “newborn” but by eyeballing it I thought Reese could fit – she was just phasing out of 0-3 at the time. It was only $4 so I took a gamble on it and it fit perfectly!
• What this really means: Do a Fashion Show. Kind of. Pull out the next size up, lay them out and take a look. Dress up your little one in the smallest looking items from that size and see where they’re at. When Reese moved up to 3-6 months I was sad to put on the brand new jammies just to find that a few of them were basically the same size as the 0-3 ones she was about to outgrow! I had kept all the 3-6 month packed away and didn’t look at it until it was too late. It wouldn’t have hurt to have tried on a bunch of the 3-6 month stuff when Reese was 2-3 months old, BEFORE she was outgrowing her 0-3 stuff. Don’t worry about what the label says – make sure to wear what fits.
• At 6 months things get weird. I am realizing most of the 6 month clothes I’m pulling out for Reese are basically the same size as 3-6, just an inch or two longer. I guess they figure she’ll start crawling soon and lose these rolls. 🙁 Some places do 6-9 but a lot are just 6-12. I’ll keep you posted on how that goes as we approach it, I guess?
• Don’t be afraid to buy neutral or opposite-gender clothes. Our favorite little sweatpants are from the Target Circo boy’s section. I just bought 2 pairs of boyfriend/jogger-ish style denim pants from H&M’s baby girl section, but they have no girly details and I 100% will put them on a future baby boy if we have one.
• Same advice I give myself and adults: When you find something you like you HAVE to buy multiples. Now for yourself that would mean the same size, but for your bb… buy the next size up. Or two! The soft ruffle-bum jeggings from Old Navy are my absolute favorite. They stretch and never show stains, plus they go with EVERYTHING. We had the 0-3 size and then when I went back in I bought 3-6 and 6-12. Yes, hopefully they make them forever. But I wasn’t takin’ any chances with my go-to jeggings!!!!!
• I use these cheap little plastic tubs (seen in the pic above) that are like $4 at Smith’s as well as gallon Ziploc bags to organize all of Reese’s clothes that aren’t her current size and stack them in the top of her closet
• LAST ONE and this one kind of sounds bad. Take back what you really, truly don’t like. Most of what I got at my shower was adorable and I loved it. A few things I had to take back because they were duplicates or out-of-season when she reached that size. But almost everything I got that was size NB and 0-3 I kept, and unfortunately washed. I was so grateful! It felt selfish or lame to take it back simply because I didn’t like it. What I quickly realized, though, was that I never wanted to dress her in a few of those outfits so they just hung in the closet, while my favorite outfits were getting worn down quickly in heavy rotation. It honestly would have been smarter to take back a few of my less-liked outfits and exchanged them for one loved outfit.

Not even half of the pink explosion we got at the baby shower – we felt so loved!

Now, to business. When I was sorting and hanging up all of her clothes I had no idea what I was looking at. I didn’t know how many jammies I needed, how many dresses, how many onesies. By now Reese has gone through Newborn, 0-3 months and 3-6 months, so when I pulled out her 6 month stash I was much better able to assess what she has and what we still needed. This is super helpful because you can find killer deals in sale sections if you know what you need in which sizes for the future. We had SO MUCH for 3-6. Too much, honestly. About a month ago I took a good look at what she needed for 6/9/12 months and made a mental note, so now when I walk through the baby section at Walmart or Target, when I see an online sale, or when I pop into the mall or Old Navy I know what I really need. I bought Reese a ton of cute jackets, cardigans and longsleeved onesies  in 9 and 12 month sizes (for Fall/Winter) when they were on deep clearance at the beginning of summer and it was AWESOME. Therefore – here is what I have found I need/prefer for each size for Reester Bunny (and my favorite baby clothes shops at the bottom):

+ 2 packs of plain white onesies – I use the tee ones, but in winter months I’ll probably get a pack of tees and a pack of longsleeves. She wears them under some outfits and on their own quite a bit. I used to always do Gerber but now I’m switching to Child of Mine from Walmart because they’re softer.

+ 5-6 Zip/Button Jammies – just because I like to only do laundry once a week and we usually have to wash after each wear. You could get away with fewer if you wear them twice before washing, or do laundry more frequently.

+ 2 Elastic-bottom Pajama Gowns – SO NICE. The 0-9 months size 2-pack I originally bought before she was born still fits her. It’s perfect for when she’s in a weird in-between size and when it’s really hot since they’re more airy. Plus the diaper changes are lightning fast.

+ 1-2 “Lounge” outfits – for Sundays and any other day where we’re just gonna cuddle/hang most of the day and I don’t really want to dress her up in an outfit, but don’t want to wear jammies all day. Confusing much? Sorry. H&M’s are my absolute favorite. So soft, cute, and neutral. The kimono tops work for normal outfits too, but paired with the matchy tights they are the snuggliest little sweats.

+ 1-2 Light Layers – jacket, cardigan or my favorite – the zip hoodie. Even this summer there’s been rainy days and chilly nights and camping up at Bear Lake.

+ 1 pack of Socks (3-5 pairs) – this will last you through multiple size changes. Just make sure you have at least one pair of white socks. I like the fuzzy ones from Target.

+ 1-2 pairs of neutral shoes – I can’t really speak to this, actually. Reese is a chunk but her feet still fall out of newborn shoes. She has a pair of leather moccasins that kind of fit and a pair of jelly shoes. Honestly if you need to protect their feet socks or blankets will do fine, in my opinion. (Although I can’t wait for her to fit into all her other shoes!)

+ 3-5 colored/printed onesies. H&M, Gap and Etsy are my favorites for these.

+ 1-2 pairs of jeggings, because they match EVERYTHING. (Make one pair shorts if it’s summertime)

+ 1-3 pairs of pants – I like to have a print that works with the plain white onesies, a black pair and another solid color

+ 2-3 “matchy” outfits – The cute sets you find at Target and Carters. Usually a onesie and matching pants. These are the ones you’ll put on them for outings, parties, etc. You’re most likely going to get the most of this type at baby showers.

+ 1-2 “one piece”/romper outfits – Something that doesn’t need pants. These are SO nice when you need to just dress them and run. Also an easy choice for dads who sometimes get overwhelmed with too many options. 🙂

+ 2-3 Church/dress outfits – just because I don’t like her to wear the same dress every single Sunday and I’m vain. You could totally get away with one. I have a fancy tulle one from Jolene and a few soft cotton ones from Old Navy and H&M that I love.

+ 1 pair of baby legwarmers – this is a late adoption for me. I had a few and was like “ugh when will I use these?” but actually they’re way nice when I know I need to change diapers all day but I’m home and taking on/off pants isn’t worth it.

SEASONAL

Warm

• Swimsuit – BE AWARE THEY RUN SMALL. Reese has 4 because we couldn’t get the sizing right. Finally an 18 month one fit her. 18 months. LOLZ
• Sun/Shade hat
• Sunglasses because #adorbs
• 1-2 tank top onesies are nice when it’s sweltering

Cold

• Warm hat with ear flaps
• Mittens – especially as they get older they fight their hands out of the blankets
• Heavier Coat/Jacket – the puffer ones are SO CUTE but any thick coat will do
• Snuggle Suit – these are those fuzzy fleece one pieces that often have the unnecessary but adorable animal ears on the hood. You don’t NEED one of these but they’re great when you know you’ll be outside with your little one (walking through Temple Square Christmas lights, going to football games, etc.) and a coat won’t cut it

Favorite Shops for Baby Clothes

I don’t love spending tons of money on a piece of clothing that is going to get all kinds of bodily fluid all over it. #sorrynotsorry and I really like having a lot of options. Especially because I only do laundry once a week. I look for cute, affordable options from stores that often have offer codes and sales. These are my top picks:

• H&M is probably my #1 for basically everything
• Old Navy a close second
• Target
• Walmart for basics and the occasional cute outfit
• Carters/Osh Kosh – sometimes a little pricey but you’ll always find something you love
• Gap for more fancy stuff – usually dresses & staple pieces but on clearance
• Brickyard Buffalo/Groopdealz/Pick your Plum – these flash sale sites often have great baby stuff!

I shouldn’t ask… but I will. If there’s a killer place you’re getting baby clothes can you hook me up? And don’t tell my husband. Because he thinks she has “too” “many” “outfits” and “headbands.”