0-3 or 6-9 Months?
I love babies. And I love baby clothes. I'm one of those people that purposefully walk through the baby department, even though I don't have a baby yet, just so that I can oohhhh and aahhh over the tiny little outfits. So you can imagine my excitement about my three friends, all pregnant at the same time, with their due dates within months of one another. I've been happily shopping for baby gifts! The first gift I bought, was for a newborn girl - the cutest and softest cream Juicy sweater set I have ever seen. I bought size 0-3 months. Of course, when I got home and called my Mom to tell her about the gift, she goes, "Why did buy 0-3 months? Everyone knows that you always buy a newborn baby 6-9 months." Huh? News to me. My Mom said that newborns throw up so much and grow so fast that they usually don't get a lot of wear out of the newborn outfits. So apparently, the rule of thumb is to always buy 6-9 months, so that the baby can get some longevity out of the clothes. OK. But if that's true, if everyone buys the newborn the larger size, won't the newborn look kind of weird in the big clothes for the first couple of months? Or are babies born so big nowadays that they come into the world wearing 6-9 months clothing? And in giving my friend the 0-3 months sweater set, isn't it still a nice gift if she uses it for when the baby comes home from the hospital? Is a baby clothing gift valuable only when the baby can wear it multiple times? I'm fine if the baby wears it once.
Hmmm. I still have 2 more gifts to buy....
2 comments:
Well, this is my thought on the topic...
I bought very few newborn/0-3 month outfits. I bought one outfit to take him home from the hospital in and two or three other things that were on clearance for super cheap. I think I also received a few as gifts. The rest of the first clothes were hand-me-downs, but I purchased 3-6 month clothes and 6-9 months.
He wore the 3-6 month clothes for approximately five months. I rolled sleeves and pants to make it work, and no one said anything.
Some of the longevity depends on how big the baby is at birth AND if the baby is breastfed versus formula, because the average growth pattern is different for both cases. Breastfed babies tend to gain more in the first six months before leaning out, while formula fed babies tend to be leaner through six months before packing on the chub. Keep in mind, those are averages.
So-- if you bought an expensive sweater and don't mind that it might get worn once (and ruined in that wearing...LOL!), go for the small stuff. If not, I'd get 3-6 month, rather than 6-9. Also, don't forget to plan ahead a bit on the season!
Best wishes in that baby shopping nightmare! :)
Maria*
Thank you!
I didn't know breast fed babies gained more weight early on...
You're right - 3-6 is the best size for a gift. I'm going shopping tomorrow for the next gift so I'll let you know what I find:)
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