What to Know About Your Baby’s Take-Home Outfit
Your due date is quickly approaching, so you’re probably giving some thought to what your baby might need once he or she arrives at your home for the first time. Picking out the perfect take-home set is important because you want to make sure your newborn is comfortable during their journey from the hospital to your home. Many people like to pick a special outfit for this journey home because it’s a big moment for both you, your partner and your baby. When looking at take-home outfits, follow these guidelines to make sure you’ll have everything you need on the big day.
What Is a Take-Home Outfit?
The name seems self-explanatory, but many new parents don’t realize the importance of a baby take-home outfit until it’s almost time for the baby to arrive because there are so many other things to prepare. A baby’s take-home outfit is simply the clothing he or she wears to leave the hospital and be taken to their new home. When deciding on clothing for this day, think about what time of year it will be—in winter you may want to bring extra layers, especially if there’s snow or particularly low temperatures in the forecast.
Tips For Selecting a Take-Home Outfit
Bring Layers
If your baby is going to be born in the summer, a simple, one-layer outfit will probably suffice. Select a long-sleeve Onesies® Brand bodysuit but bring a blanket or light jacket along just in case there’s a breeze. For babies born in the spring or fall, short sleeves, a light jacket or a one-piece sleeper and a comfy blanket should be the perfect amount of clothing. In the winter, you’ll want to take extra precautions to make sure your baby stays warm on the ride home. Long sleeves, long pants, a one-piece sleeper, a jacket and a blanket are all vital items to have on hand as well as a hat. Dress the baby in layers so that you can remove some of the clothing if it seems like your newborn is too warm.
Pack an Extra Outfit
Maybe you’ve already decided on the perfect baby take-home outfit. Don’t get caught off guard if the outfit is too small for your baby. Newborn sizes can often be too small for infants who are born a bit larger. It’s always a good idea to select two outfits—one slightly smaller and another slightly bigger to make sure your child has comfortable clothing in his or her size for the ride home from the hospital.
Don’t Forget a Hat
Typically, your newborn will receive a hat from the hospital after birth. You can keep this cap on them during the ride home or bring along a thicker, warmer hat if the weather requires it. Your baby’s body has not yet learned how to regulate its temperature as well as your adult body, so ensuring that your baby stays warm is important in his or her first few months of life.
Choose Comfort Over Style
Parents are often tempted to choose an adorable baby take-home outfit with decorations and accessories to make for cute photos and celebrate the special day. However, newborns have ultra sensitive skin, which means they should be dressed in comfortable, soft clothing to avoid irritating their fresh, smooth skin, especially so soon after birth.
Pick a Soft, Comfortable Blanket
No matter the season, you’ll need to bring a warm blanket to accompany your baby take-home outfit. Even if it’s warm outside, swaddling your baby in a lightweight blanket can help provide comfort and security as you bring your newborn out into the world for the first time. In the winter, you might want to consider a thicker blanket to wrap about baby during the trip to the car. Before securing him or her in the car seat, you should remove any bulky clothing to ensure that the car seat straps are snug and then you can wrap a warm blanket around the infant to keep them warm during the ride.
Avoid Clothing That Is Tight
As most expecting parents realize, newborn babies’ necks are still very weak in the first few months of their life. Because your baby is so new to the world and still developing, you should try to select clothing that isn’t too restricting near the neck area. Select a Onesies® Brand bodysuit with a lap-shoulder neckline to give baby plenty of room and put a sleeper with a zipper over it so you can unzip the outfit below baby’s neckline.
