Infant Clothing Deep Dive

While organic clothing is a great option, it often is very expensive. Focus instead on getting clothing that is 100% natural fibers, like cotton or bamboo, and avoiding materials like polyester. If the clothing is not organic, you can wash it 3-4 times with vinegar in the rinse cycle, and most pesticide residues should be washed away. No matter what, always check to ensure that the clothing is free of flame retardants. These chemicals do not wash out and have been shown to be endocrine and neurological disruptors.

Pajamas
Recommended: Burt’s Bees Footed or Honest Company Footed (3-4 total)
Burt’s Bees and Honest Company are both great less-expensive organic options. Since we knew our babies would spend so much time in pajamas, we did prioritize getting organic options. Also, we found it difficult to find non-organic options without flame retardants (100% cotton options from Carters are good non-organic options, if you are looking for additional variety). These two brands offer lots of cute prints and are very soft—perfect for newborn skin. Our girls lived in these for their first couple months of life. The number you need can vary, but have a few on hand so you’re not doing laundry every day due to spit up and blowouts.

Onesies
Recommended: 6-8 Total; long- or short-sleeve depending on season (get pants as well for cooler months)
While it’s tempting to buy a bunch of cute outfits for your new little one, realistically onesies are much more practical. Keep in mind that newborns can’t regulate their body temperature very well, so it’s important to be mindful of chilly conditions, even if it’s just from air conditioning. Thus, you probably will want some cotton pants to pair with the onesies, even in the summer. Honesty Company and Burt’s Bees Baby have great organic cotton onesies, and Walmart, Carter’s, Baby Gap/Gap Factory have great non-organic 100% cotton options.

Other outfits: 3-4 Total
Unless you have many special events where you want your little one to wear something specific, most stylish outfits are just not practical (and will be outgrown quickly!).

Beanie hats: 2-3 Total
Because newborns can’t regulate their body temperatures, beanie hats are very helpful to keep them from losing too much heat through their heads, especially after a bath. Recommendations are mixed regarding whether or not newborns should sleep in hats. We personally decided to not have our babies sleep in hats to prevent overheating—which we felt was more of a risk in our climate. Get your own pediatrician’s recommendation before you make your own decision.

Socks: 6-8 Pairs total (will always get lost)
Little feet do get cold, but socks can be very difficult to keep on. We found booties to be much more practical but were glad we had a few pairs of socks on hand as well. Your little one won’t need shoes (unless you just want them to compliment a cute outfit), so you don’t need to factor that into account.

Booties: 1-2 Pairs total (stay on much better than socks)
We ended up using booties much more than socks for our babies. You may want to purchase more if you find them handy as well, but they don’t need to be washed too often so you can typically make do with only a couple pairs.

Drool Bibs: 5-10 Total (we liked bandana-style like this)
You may luck out and have a baby who is not drool-y or spit-y, in which case you can skip these! Both Miss F and Miss E were big happy spitters, and drool bibs saved many, many outfits each day when they were really little.

Seasonal: Depends on season: 1-2 Swimsuits, 1 sun hat, 1-2 light jackets, 1 heavy coat and/or set of snow gear.
Depending on your climate, you may need some seasonal wear as well. We live in a warm climate, so we got our babies a couple light jackets and sweaters from Old Navy. We have really liked RuffleButts swimsuits for the girls, but they’re not a great non-toxic option as they are treated with chemicals to increase their SPF protection.

Favorite brands and stores: H&M, Burts Bee's Baby, Honest Company, Spearmint Love, L’ovedBaby, Gap, Zara, Old Navy, Little Planet, Carter’s, Hanna Andersson, KyteBABY, Little Sleepies, Colored Organics, Beaufort Bonnet Company, Stitchy Fish