What’s most important to you when choosing baby clothes? Share with Baby Boden - £200 voucher to be won

[JustineBMumsnet]

Whether you’re purchasing for your own baby or as a gift for a loved one, selecting newborn baby clothes can be a really special experience. However, there can be a lot to consider, so in celebration of their new organic cotton newborn range, Baby Boden would like to hear what’s important to you when choosing baby clothes.

Here’s what Boden has to say: “Baby Boden is excited to share its brand new newborn organic cotton range. In a selection of aww-inspiring designs with Boden signature details, the new collection is made from snuggly soft organic cotton which is kinder to the planet and gentle on the softest of skin.

The collection features snuggly zip-up sleepsuits, bodies in packs of 3, reversible styles, dresses, hats, dungarees, and also gift sets ranging from 4 to 7 pieces, which all come in a matching fabric bag or a beautiful Baby Boden gift box - perfect for gifting new parents who are expecting a new arrival. The whole range is machine washable, and carefully constructed with the safety and comfort of little ones in mind so you don’t have to worry.”

Do you put a lot of thought into the fabric of your baby’s clothes, perhaps preferring organic cotton? Is it important to you that your baby’s clothes are as soft as possible? Perhaps your clothing choices are influenced by the fabric’s effect on your baby’s skin? Or are you most interested in the washability and longevity of your choices? Maybe you’re most interested in the placement of poppers, buttons or zips, to ensure it’s convenient when you need to do a swift nappy change?

All who share what they believe to be most important when purchasing baby clothes will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £200 Boden voucher.

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

[2Christmassybyhalf]

Soft, and a wide range of patterns that don't scream 'boy' or 'girl'. I want to be able to pass clothes on to either sex. No slogans.

[CordeliaScott]

I love organic cotton clothes but I mostly just want something easy to get on and off a wriggly baby

[PointeShoesandTutus]

Comfortable, with no rough seams, scratchy labels etc.

Cotton, wool or other natural fibres that are soft. Thicker fabrics in winter too - so many of DDs leggings are paper thin, she gets so cold in winter. This seems to be more a problem for girls - boys often get lined trousers and chunky cord whilst girls have thin leggings.

Ethically sourced/made without child labour/environmentally sound.

No slogans and not overly gendered - no ‘mummy’s princess’ or just sugar pink for girls and blue for boys. There’s a place for pink and blue, and I like those colours. My DD wears pink, but everything doesn’t need to be pink. I like a mix of colours.

Easy fastenings - especially for babies. I love a zip sleep suit, pull on trousers (especially for the potty training stage) and socks that stay on. We also love skirts with built in shorts underneath. Basically, practical stuff!

Anything that extends the life of clothes and allows you to custom the fit - so extra buttons on dungarees/pinafores to let them down, elastic waists or pull in ties for skinny minnies, turn ups on trousers that can fold down etc. I have a DD who always needs to go up for length, but has a tiny waist. Summer is fine as skirts and leggings can be shorter, but winter is a nightmare as she needs 12-18m for the waist, but 2-3 for the length.

[cannotmakemymindup]

I love organic cotton for my baby as I think it's good to have had less chemicals used in the production of his clothes. Less traces therefore on his skin. I definitely don't want to be using polyester or the like for my babies clothes. All natural materials not man made.

I really want soft clothes for him with secure but soft fasteners. It's so frustrating when fasteners are difficult to open as I have to be so much rougher than I wanted.

I want clothes that wash well but also look good. I have come across some that recommend 30c, that is unfortunately not practical always with a baby clothes to wash so cool.

I worry most about the placement of buttons on babies clothes when it gets close to their mouth. Terrified it's going to work loose and he'll swallow one by accident. I like zips to have a cover over the top of them. With sleepsuits poppers are definitely more convenient and practical in winter as I don't want to completely have my babies body uncovered, getting cold, whilst changing a nappy in the night. So zipped sleepsuits are not practical plus often the zips bunch or shift through wear and washing.

[relaxtakeiteasyeatcheese]

Does Boden actually have anything in stock now? Before Christmas it was like a 6 week wait from ordering to delivery

[emphasisofmatter]

Soft cotton is really important, also not having a bazillion poppers on rompers and sleep suits. In the middle of the night changing baby and getting the poppers lined up wrong is soooo annoying. Price is also important due to how quickly baby grows out of the clothes.

[EvilHerbivore]

I'd look for (not necessarily in order)

• Pattern/design (hate anything with slogans or skulls)
• soft
• easy to get on and off (DS1 had a beautiful outfit but had big hard buttons up the back so only wore it once as he couldn't lie on them and they dug in when you held him)
• washable and can go in a tumble dryer (like I've got time to hand wash with a newborn)
• lasts in case I want to use for future/pass it on

[Juliancantcope]

Fabric and design are the two main things for me. Soft organic preshrunk cotton clothes that wash well ate a big plus. They need to be comfortable too. I made the mistake of buying lots of dresses and skirts for my LO before she was born but they just aren’t that practical - skirts bunch up in a high chair or car seat and aren’t the most comfortable to sleep in. Instead at 6 months she wears a combination of sleep suits/ vests/ jumpers / soft dungarees and pull on trousers. I like to add interest by buying tops with collars and ruffs or dressing her in harem style muslin trousers which are soft / comfy but a bit different. I like bloomers too over tights. I have splurged on a bit of cashmere as baby jumpers from Zara and H&M wash well if treated correctly and are super cosy. Access wise on sleep suits, I like zips (although I’m always a bit scared I’ll catch baby’s skin when I do them up) and the colour coordinated poppers - how I wish that these were around 12 years ago when I had my eldest. The kimono style tops are cute and cosy too as long as it’s obvious which bit goes where.

[1990shopefulftm]

Price and can I get it on and off easily is all that matters to me.

[justanothermamma]

Easy to wash, doesn't shrink and is easy to put on a wriggly baby!

[JimbosJetSet]

My priorities for choosing baby clothes are firstly ease of washing (I don't choose anything that is hand wash only, needs an iron etc) unless for a special occasion).

Secondly, I want a range of bright and colourful colours and patterns for my son - no beige, baby blue, pictures of teddy bears or slogans. Boden is always good for this.

And thirdly - I love dungarees - and poppers are the crotch up to age 2-3 is perfect for big babies!

[Meecrowavay]

For me, as long as it's a decent quality material, preferably cotton, it doesn't need to be organic. It needs to be hard wearing and wash well at high temps though as they see a lot of mess. The placement of buttons, poppers and zips is important too. We only had a few zipper all in one suits and they were fantastic. Make all the many many changes so much easier. Good to see more options for these becoming available now. Of course I also really like a nice fabric design on baby sleepsuits and vests and am VERY swayed by this. Something Boden are very good at!

[Santatizer]

For me, quality of material and ease of fastening for changing etc is the most important. I also like to choose clothes with nice fabrics and patterns but it is definitely important to me that clothes ranges include items that are not clearly targeted at a particular sex. It's also important that clothes can be washed easily so no dry clean / handwash only or items that can't be just put in the wash with everything else. Quality of material after a wash is also important.

[lamptastic]

Being soft and comfortable, easy to put on and remove, good quality cotton and ease of washing and drying are all very important considerations.

[Bumblebee413]

1. Ethically produced and as eco friendly fabric as possible
2. Comfortable for my baby- soft fabrics for sensitive skin
3. Well made, so that it will survive baby bodily fluids and be able to be passed on to other children
4. Easy access for nappy changes
5. Cheerful, fun designs
6. Nothing gender stereotyped on it- Mummy's little princess/ Daddy's little monster.

[kwaziseyepatch]

If they are easy to change nappies in, no buttons ideally
That they can be washed at 40 and tumble dried without shrinking

[redbook]

In order of importance- comfort, ease to put on, ease to wash, cuteness. For me that is pretty much just cotton sleepsuits and (non hooded) jumpers. I do look out for sweet patterns but avoid baby blue colours and slogans.

[glassacorn]

☺️ Comfort - soft, sustainable, breathable fabrics that allow a good range of movement, with no scratchy labels or awkward seams that dig in.
🧺 Ability to wash and tumble dry the fabric without shrinkage or bobbling
🧦 Integrated feet to keep tiny toes warm - socks for wee ones are just ridiculous, they never stay on! Also one less item to find, pair or match.
⭐️ Ease of use - no fiddly fastenings, so simple you can do clothes up with one hand in the dark 😂

[glassacorn]

🌈 Forgot to add: ability to mix and match colours or patterns across entire ranges/collections!

[starlight36]

Soft, natural materials which wash well and remain soft
No awkward small buttons or press-studs on the back of garments - really don't work when regularly changing nappies.
Bright colours and fun patterns. Ease off on the pink pretty girlie styles and pale blue for boys

[BakeOffRewatch]

Sustainability and labour/supply chain are the first thing I check. I hate the idea of someone else’s children or family suffering just so that mine can look cute. I like Boden’s Modern Slavery Act statement.

After that it’s design I look for, my baby is only little once and it’ll fly by so I buy what I like. This means I don’t buy much (at the moment have 5 bodysuits, 5 sleepsuits and 3 outfits) and so they get washed every couple of days so I need stuff that is good quality. Not cotton or wool “in name only”, where it’s really thin 100% and doesn’t stand up to wear. Things like that get immediately returned.

I look for well made clothes, so good cut and seams and stitching.

My favourite outfit for baby is a romper or dungarees, which I wasn’t expecting. Easy to take on and off and get them into bouncer or car seat, but still looks adorable. Whereas dresses crease up and need constant rearranging or untucking so not doubled up under baby.

I only have one PFB baby and a lot of time on my hands on maternity leave though! I imagine by the time I return to work and if I have a second the more practical things like quick changes might be a big deal. At the moment dressing my baby is something I really indulge in and enjoy, especially with lockdown limiting other things to do.

[m0jit0]

Whether it looks comfy for them to wear and move around in, easy to dress them in as well. Cost as well so if they have a poopsplosion then if it's cheap I just bin it (particularly vests).

[BakeOffRewatch]

Just read through the other replies, @WalkiesAndBiscuits about it being grammatically correct. I don’t buy stuff with slogans on either, prefer no writing at all. For religious/cultural reasons, I avoid animal designs but to be honest my baby’s wardrobe does have bunnies, ducks and sheep. I like stuff with transport designs and nature/weather.

I also love to match with my baby. I bought the Boden navy robin festive jumper last year, and when I saw the baby navy robin cardigan this winter I snapped it up for my impending arrival. Baby is about to outgrow it and I have my eye on the spring cardigans (I love the cornflower blue chicken one) and would buy a jumper to match with her if it was available. I like classic designs though for me and baby, so the matching sets in the catalogue at Christmas were a bit too funky/silly for me. I also hate stripes but know that is a Boden staple!

[cranberryx]

It's important that there are no loose threads, especially in the toes. Apart from being soft and made from cotton, being true to size is really important to me as well because babies grow out of their clothes so quickly.

[nevernotstruggling]

@BoobsOnTheMoon

* Not made using any child labour
* Decent gender neutral range (and not just a few cream and lemon items, I mean a whole range in a wide variety of colours and designs that are not separated into "girls" and "boys" sections)
* Soft and comfortable - no bulky denim, no zips, no hard waistbands etc
* Practical for frequent washing and changing - nothing that will take ages to do up for example!
* Pre shrunk fabric, so the clothes don't go a funny baggy shape with twisted seams in the first wash

All of this.

I like the star print stuff in the boden range.

Most of it is a bit pale for my liking. Actually I try and avoid white or pastels because baby poo and sick stains!!!

I buy posh baby clothes as gifts (my dc are older) and I tend to buy joules or frugi or anything sensible but bright and cheerful.