When we have a baby at home, we fall in love buying the cutest clothes. Sometimes, because we fall in love with colors and prints, we forget that choosing baby clothes means thinking especially about keeping them protected and comfortable while they adapt to the world. That’s why today we want to share with you 3 things that make baby clothes safer.
These features are very important for your baby’s well-being: to protect their skin from chafing or irritation, to avoid tangles and tripping, and to make life easier for moms and dads by facilitating the process of dressing and undressing (something we experience with our little ones several times a day).
1. For your skin: choose 100% cotton baby clothes
Clothes such as underwear or pajamas that are in direct contact with your baby’s skin should be 100% cotton. This natural fiber is very important for caring for your baby, especially during the first few months. A newborn’s skin can be 40% thinner than that of an adult and is easily irritated. Cotton is a natural fabric that does not cause allergies and allows air to pass through, which prevents excessive heat. Since this fiber absorbs moisture, it helps to wick perspiration away from the skin and, in addition to being so cool, it allows you to keep your baby warm when you protect him from the cold.
2. Details that make baby clothes safer for them (and more practical for you)
Children’s clothing is full of charming details and embellishments, but it’s important to think about their comfort and making it easy to dress and change them. Choose clothes with:
*Forward shoulder: Have you noticed that the necks of some bodysuits have an opening to the shoulders? This is so that you can dress your baby more easily. When there is a “nuclear disaster” in the diaper and it is difficult to undress them without making them dirtier, the forward shoulder allows you to put your little hands through the top opening and remove the bodysuit from underneath. This way, your baby stays clean from the waist up, no matter how “awkward” their diaper situation is.
*Snap fasteners: These are better than buttonhole buttons because they prevent little fingers from getting tangled in them or from coming undone and ending up in their mouth. They are also perfect for their bodysuits when we are changing their diaper and only have one free hand to button them.
*Closure with guard: Some parents prefer closures to snap buttons to make dressing their little ones easier (especially when they have to change them in the middle of the night). The important thing is that they have a small fabric edge that protects against pinching when the closure is fully raised.
3. Details that could be uncomfortable or unsafe:
What we want most is for them to be safe. The idea is to avoid baby clothes that hinder their movement, cut, or get tangled with nearby objects while our little one explores the world.
Don’t rely on drawstrings: Drawstrings that go all the way around their waists, hood,s or shoes can cut into them or get tangled as they move. Drawstrings can only be decorative and short, without affecting the fit of the garment. They should be a maximum of 7.5 cm to avoid tripping or tangling.
Details on the back: In their first months, they spend so much time lying down that they need backs free of details that can cut them. When they start to move and walk, it is ideal that there are no belts or bows on the back of their clothes that could get caught on furniture or nearby objects.
