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Original poster

Dressing baby girls

19 replies

MissMyBellyButton · 09/10/2012 11:54

I have a week old DD and no idea how to dress her. I would prefer to keep her in sleepsuits as they are comfy, cute and easy but we have been gifted dresses. This means I need to buy a coat for over them, right? The coats I have seen are not very nice. Will I be able to squash her into a snowsuit in a dress as that would be easier. Are tights a bit of a PITA? Her legs are so tiny and curled up. Finally, do I have to get her all dolled up on Xmas day? Will the PILs be horrified if I have her in a sleepsuit?

Sorry for these naive questions. All her cousins and my friends' kids are boys so I am clueless.

OP posts:

BikeRunSki · 09/10/2012 12:04

I was in exactly the same situation last winter (DD is 1 next week). She mostly wore sleepsuits, and they were mostly hand me downs from her brother! V handy for snowsuits. A few cardies too. I have no idea what she wore on Christmas Day. From about 3 months ish, she did have a few leggings and tunicy tops. "Proper" clothes came later, sort of spring / summer (????????) time, but again, mainly leggings and shorts and Ts. A couple of dresses. She is mostly in pinafore dresses and tights now. She finds crawling easier with shortish (above knee) skirts/dress than trouers baggy round her knees, although she is walking now. Her clothes are still mostly hand me downs, that is mostly how I choose how to dress her.

Curtsey · 09/10/2012 12:07

NO NO NO to dresses on a newborn! Keep her in sleepsuits/babygros as long as possible and when she's 3/4 months you can start introducing separates. IME trousers and cardis or little jumpers are a million times easier than tights and dresses.
You can put in her something cute for an hour or two on Christmas day if you feel like it (even a festive babygro!) but seriously, if she's anything like mine she'll be sicking up on all those lovely clothes for quite some time :)

Sorry, I feel very strongly about this, others may disagree... I had a chestful of beautiful dresses and they all got worn about once. Had to keep going out to buy packs of plain babygros.

A snowsuit is all you'll need for the next few months, will keep her lovely and cosy.

CONGRATULATIONS!

MrsRogerSterling · 09/10/2012 12:07

Both my dd's lived in sleepsuits with little carigans over if chilly for first couple of months. After that I stuck to jersey dresses/tunics and leggings for comfort.

I wouldn't have her 'dolled up' at xmas but thats upto you, Dd2 was 4 months old last christmas and she wore a stripy dress from Monsoonwith tights. I don't think I could put tights on a baby any younger, too small and curled up like you said.

Just dress her for comfort and warmth.

I am slightly jealous now, would love some new born snuggles, dd2 is now 13 months and a complete tearaway!

Curtsey · 09/10/2012 12:09

ps Another thing to consider is that tights really won't be comfortable around a delicate little newborn stomach.

Ninileigh · 09/10/2012 12:09

Hi! My baby girl is 7 weeks and i've just started "dressing" her in the day. Up until now, it has been mainly babygrows. We too had many outfits and dresses for gifts. The ones that weren't suitable, for instance stuff that was too summery that she never would have worn now the weather has turned, i returned and exchanged for stuff more suitable. I kept a couple of really pretty summery dresses, and now team them up with leggins, and long sleeve vests. tights don't fit her yet, as even the weeniest pair are too big for her legs. For going out at the moment, she has a knitted hoodie jacket which will do until she fits into her lovely monsoon coat, another gift! We found with our first that we only ever put him in a snowsuit if we were taking him for long walks in his pram in the very cold weather, and we'd then dress him accordingly. If you're going somewhere in the car, and she's in an outfit, you'll probably find it will be too faffy to put them in the car seat in their snowsuits anyway.

And as for Christmas day, you do what you want and stuff your PIL!! I bet you'll find though that you'll have hit your stride by then and won't be able to resist putting her in a pretty little outfit, it becomes a bit boring everyday putting them in sleepsuits after a month or so, but don't be bullied by them, she's your baby!

Hope it helps! x

BumsyClugger · 09/10/2012 12:12

You can get Christmas sleepsuits then PILs wouldn't be able to say a thing.

FWIW, I think a dress would roll up under a snowsuit and be uncomfortable. I used to only dig out the clothes that had been bought for DD if we were definitely going to see the person that bought them
I can't really help, as my DD was born when it was quite hot and didn't own a coat until she was 3 months old.

RichManPoorManBeggarmanThief · 09/10/2012 12:18

I have a 10 week old DD. I dress her in long sleeved, short sleeved or sleeveless onesies (weather dependent) and leggings. She also got a few tunic type tops as gifts which I put on here if we're going socialising but agree that the dresses get very little use. I feel bad because people obviously go to a lot of time and effort (not to mention expense) choosing them, but they're not practical for babies that are in and out of bed all day and rolling around on a playmat

kiwidreamer · 09/10/2012 12:27

Yep totally agree, I was rather keen to frock up my DD after having a DS but within hours you realise dresses are SUCH a FAFF and it was only when she was walking that I felt I wasnt being cruel putting a dress on her! When they are teeny comfort and temp control (hot/cold) is most important, then they start rolling around and crawling and dresses are just mean and v v frustrating for the little 'un so yep dresses from about 12mths old!

I did have a nice cashmere dress that she wore for Xmas at 7mths old, it was adorable but only got worn the once as it was far to fancy for every day (was a gift, cream with silver thread shot through fabric, has matching hat and stockings Baby K range from Mothercare if anyone is keen for a gorgeous xmas outfit for their 6-9mth old PM me )

Most places are very good at taking new baby returns if you still have labels on even if you dont have the receipt - I would try and exchange for some cute babygrows, pretty ones for going out and about, a nice snow suit and a few nice cardigans

purplehouse · 09/10/2012 12:34

I kept my dd in sleep suits. The priority for babies is to be comfortable and warm. I'd keep the dresses for 6 months or until they are outgrown and then sell them on eBay.

Dresses at the moment would require something to cover legs like tights which are a faff and also something on her arms like a cardi. Waste of time IMO and less comfortable and less practical.

SophieLeGiraffe · 09/10/2012 12:37

Babygrow all the way at that age for me! I had a DS so the pressure to dress him up may have been less but I didn't even think about clothes until he was around 4mo and even then not full time in clothes until 6mo.

At Christmas I dressed him up like a kipper in an elf suit.

Do what makes you feel happy and return anything you got that you can't use for bigger sizes.

Startailoforangeandgold · 09/10/2012 12:40

Jackets or cardigans, blankets and cosy toes are way better for winter shopping trips than snow suits.

The instant DD1 went indoors in a snowsuit she started to scream. She was too hot!

Striping and refitting snow suits takes forever, unzipping a cosy toes and shoving a blanket down a bit is way easier. It can also be done without waking the baby

Changing nappies when you have snow suit, baby grow and best is clearly a pain too.

Francagoestohollywood · 09/10/2012 12:44

Just babygrows or (leggings +tshirt and cardi) for the first weeks and tehn whatever takes your fancy, imho.

JamesAndTheGiantBanana · 09/10/2012 12:50

Just buy a few pretty hats and cardis to go over her sleepsuits. We had a lovely soft pink cardi from asda with all sorts of pretty embellishments, and it made dd look "dressed up" without compromising on comfort whatsoever.

aufaniae · 09/10/2012 12:52

Yes, get a Christmas babygrow.

I reckon they only started calling them "sleep suits" so that people would spend more money on "day wear" for babies. Don't fall for it!

DS wore a deer outfit (basically a babygrow) for his first Christmas, at one day old.

Climbingpenguin · 09/10/2012 12:52

Personally I liked dresses and found them much easier than babygro's come nappy changing time. Then again DD wasn't a sicky baby like DS. We used/use renewable nappies and trousers were always difficult to put up. We didn't use snowsuits either as cars/shops are warm so preferred either the sling or blankets that I could add and remove as required.

You'l probably find PILs will get her an outfit for xmas.

Original poster

MissMyBellyButton · 09/10/2012 12:52

Thank you all for your comments and advice. I am Catholic and ruled by my guilty conscience so was going to try to make these dresses work against my better judgment out of loyalty to present-givers. Your comments make me feel better about ditching them in favour of sleepsuits.

I had the same thing with my DS but somehow found it easier to ignore the teeny jeans and jumper sets for him but find it harder to do that with my DD. Possibly because some of the stuff really is cute or possibly because she is a girl so there is more pressure .

OP posts:

UmBongo · 09/10/2012 13:00

Yes, another vote for sleepsuits - thats what babies do, sleep! (often more in the day than the night) My dd is now 5 months and we have been using all the gift dresses - fortunately they were mostly 3-6mth, with a vest and/or t-shirt underneath and leggings. The socks pulled on over the leggings is probably not the most stylish, but they stay on better, and I can't be bothered with tights yet. My other child is a boy, he was easy, trousers and t-shirts (also from 3mth plus)

Climbingpenguin · 09/10/2012 13:20

I happily take clothes back to stores now and exchange them for what I want. Most don't even need a receipt if mothercare/next/supermarkets.

I do feel more judged on what DD is wearing versus DS. It's the lovely world we live in

Go with what you find practical.

With DS I really struggled around 8 months and put him into sleepsuits then for about a month. I found the pressure of dressing him rather odd actually and felt much relief when I made the decision. (ILs comment on DD's outfit on every skype call, if it's not to their satisfaction we get asked is she in her pj's . I also now make sure she is in blue and him in purple with some pink hand me downs when I see them now )

RichManPoorManBeggarmanThief · 09/10/2012 13:31

Agree re "sleep suits" being renamed so they can sell more clothes. I got lots of snidey comments when I used to dress (then) 3-6mo DS in them all the time. I thought that was what babies wore. Obviously times have changed [sighs old person sigh]. Clearly he actually needed a juicy couture trackie top and some twisted seam jeans.

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