Why don’t small babies wear outfits?

[SmartiesParty]

This sounds like a stupid question but why don’t small babies wear outfits? The worst thing is I have a one year old who only wore baby gro type things for the first three months but I can’t remember why…

Sick and poo

And urine.

They're so lazy to be honest. Lying around all day, not attending to their own personal needs and also not even getting dressed.

Infantilised by the rest of us too.

Telling of what?
Fashionable is just something that lots of people like at the same time.

Well, perhaps, but there has never been a time when most people liked flat caps or headbands for babies, for the obvious reason that they're not comfortable. Most parents just put babies in what is comfortable and easy, because they're not thinking about 'fashion'.

Have you never seen historical photos of babies?

I dont like either of the things you've mentioned but I dont look down on people who do.

Unless babies wear nothing but plain white babygrows, of course people are also thinking of fashion and what looks nice to them. Otherwise brightly coloured babygrows wouldn't be so popular.

DT’s only wore baby gros for the first nine months - made life so much easier. Just grab one from the clean pile - colour/pattern was irrelevant. All in the washing machine together.

You do get that people in the past didn't have babygros as an option, right?

I'm a historian and I've got a research interest in this subject. No one - and I mean no one - wanted to dress their baby in linens for the sake of it. It is one of the major things mothers complain about, doing the laundry for a child. And we know that children really suffered - babies sometimes got skin infections because there weren't good options for easily washable clothes.

No one is judging mothers in (say) the Victorian period for dressing their babies in layers of cotton. They were doing their best with the options they had.

@Weepixie My DD1 is 32! I have not kept the Harringtons nighties but you just popped a cardi over the top and off you went! I did outfits as they got a bit bigger and I liked the French brand Jacadi. DD2 was on tv in the fashion reporting they used to do at Royal Ascot and yes, she was wearing a pink gingham “outfit” with an embroidered rabbit on the front. No comment about her fashionable mum! DD was 7 weeks old.

I absolutely take your point people choose what looks nice. (And I think white babygros might look nice to some people too?). I just think there's a very big difference between choosing something that looks nice and is also comfy for a baby, and choosing something because you think it looks 'smart' or 'fashionable,' despite being uncomfortable.

I agree.

Though some people do seem to think that babies can only be comfortable in babygrows which simply isn't true.

Whenever I see parents with a baby girl in a dress they spend all their time pulling the skirt of the dress down over the nappy. Because it hoiks up all the time.

Why bother with that? There are so many lovely babygros out there.

Or maybe that’s because plain white clothes for babies are impractical because they’ll get dirty and won’t wash well.

Mine did because I got given so many gorgeous dresses and outfits that I didn't want to waste. So I'd keep babygros for nightmare mostly. Totally unnecessary really though as they sleep so much and don't care what they wear.

White babygrows are still fairly popular, especially for newborns.

Little babies look awful in outfits.

I had a couple of baby grows with a zip from one leg on sort of a diagonal to the other shoulder. Amazing things, on and off in a flash. Loved them. But then I'm lacking in coordination so could barely manage to sort out my own top and bra to breastfeed. The minute my daughter was in a dress or something frilly, it was a confusion of fabric and my over production of milk meant we were both a soggy mess! Even the baby sling library lady worked out I needed a sling with bigger buckles to accommodate my clumsiness. So baby grows and then later, dungarees over popper vest things was about my limit until she was standing up and easier to put items on 😂

They need nappy cover knickers in matching colours to each dress- then they look utterly fabulous!

Babies look awful at formal occasions in a vest.

More co.fortable, they're so tiny and are asleep most of the time. Also need to change nappy about once every hour.

That’s what makes this comment hilarious. (I’m choosing to assume it was meant as a joke).

The sun also bleaches out any stains…

although I did go off the white babygrows when dd was a baby. I must have seen a film or something but I couldn’t shake the notion she looked like an experiment.

A relative of mine had a leather baby grow made for her baby. I suppose the outside was wipe clean at least.

I get that. I hate the look of babies in white. Far too clinical.

So funny!🤣🤣🤣