Many fashion-minded women understand about building a capsule wardrobe – that is, a wardrobe comprised of basic, classic essentials that can be supplemented with seasonable pieces throughout the year.
But have you ever considered building a capsule wardrobe for a new baby? It seems reasonable to think that style-conscious moms would also want chic, up-to-date baby wardrobes too.
So, let’s go beyond thinking about those necessary diapers and burp cloths. Here are six tips to help expectant moms get started on collecting useful yet trendy attire for the newest member of the family.
Tip #1: Allow for Growth
You will likely need to have a capsule wardrobe for a new baby in the 0 to 3-month size range, another for your baby at the 4 to 8-month range, and another for the 9 to 12-month range. There may, of course, be exceptions to this, but not that many pieces will cover all three size ranges as your little darling grows.
There’s just no way around it! Each size range will require seasonal considerations, but layering clothes is a great solution for that, along with some swaddlers and lightweight blankets for the cooler months.
Some basics like onesies are ideal for growing babies and layering, as they can be worn all alone with bare feet or they can be worn with other pieces.
Tip #2: Go for Quality
Quality means durability, which offers future recycle and resale-ability. Whether you plan to acquire and save for your growing family or eventually list them all for sale, quality trumps cheap every single time.
Today’s trends in parenting include recycling children’s clothing and gear, but there are some things to consider whenever dealing with used baby clothes.
Whether buying new or used, quality should definitely be a must if you expect the life of the garment to go beyond the use of one child.
Tip #3: Go Organic
Much research points toward chemicals found in textile materials being harmful to humans, there is a growing trend toward clothing made of organic materials.
There are a lot of choices available for infants in this category. Some of the best brands available include PACT, Hanna Andersson, L’ovedbaby, Touched by Nature, Finn & Emma, and more.
Even Target offers organic baby clothes, so don’t feel that you will have to completely focus on high-end stores. Watch for sales and you will run into organic clothing at reasonable prices through a number of resources.
Tip #4: Think Mix-N-Match with Coordinating Colors
Like with your own capsule, you’ll want to start out with a limited color palette for baby’s capsule wardrobe.
Depending on your family’s personality and taste, choose either vivid colors, soft pastels, or trends in the current market. The goal of a capsule wardrobe for every season is to look and feel coordinated and spend less time planning out daily choices of what to wear. Having quick go-to pieces that can be mixed and matched will make life much easier.
Tip #5: Consider the Whole Package
A wardrobe capsule for a new baby should not only include coordinating sleepers, onesies, booties, and socks, it should also include comfortable tops and bottoms, one or two sweaters, a coat or a jacket, a dressy outfit, and a warm coat for winter.
And to make the package complete, do remember some seasonal accessories such as tights, hats, headbands, bathing suits and the like.
Sticking to a limited palette and coordinated patterns for each piece will make the wardrobe a real work of art!
Tip #6 – You Don’t Need as Much as You May Think!
Babies grow really fast and most often don’t wear clothing out. You will find favorites that get a bit more laundering and usage, but most moms find that they’d rather spend more time doing other things than dressing and undressing baby frequently.
Remember that little ones sleep a lot in the early stages of growing too, which isn’t conducive to wardrobe changes several times each day. All this to say, there’s no need to buy out the store and overload baby’s closet with too many clothes. If you do, chances are that you won’t even use them all.
Choosing 5-8 coordinated outfits and 3-4 sleepers to start with is perfectly reasonable if you do laundry at least a couple of times each week. You may want to refer back to the previous blog post on 15 Serious Organizing Goals as you’re getting the nursery closet set up too.
Planning for the arrival of a child is one of life’s most wonderful experiences.
With a little patience, some good planning, careful budgeting, and an eye for organization, you’ll have everything ready in plenty of time, including a darling capsule wardrobe for a new baby waiting in the nursery the day they come home.
