Baby Clothing
Baby clothes are easy, inexpensive baby gifts, so expect to receive more clothes than you need. Consider registering for basic clothing in larger sizes than newborn, such as ages six months and beyond. A baby three months and younger will spend most of his time swaddled in a blanket or sleeping. So skip the newborn sweaters, dresses, jeans, and hoodies and focus on onesies and sleep suits that are soft and comfy, depending on the season. To keep a newborn warm at night, pajamas with feet work great as a first layer, wrapped with a swaddle blanket or seasonally-appropriate sleep sack.
Pajamas or sleep-and-plays
You’ll want five to seven for every three-month size band. For ages 0-6 months, choose outfits that zip down the front for maximum convenience, if multiple snaps frustrate you.
One-piece short sleeve bodysuit, or onesie
You’ll want five to seven. One-piece bodysuits, or onesies, are great undershirts for winter or stand-alone outfits in the summer. White onesies pass down well for both genders.
Shirts
You’ll want five to seven. Many parents prefer bodysuit-style shirts that snap at the crotch because cropped shirts get pushed up over baby’s belly while picking up or holding baby.
Leggings or pull-on pants
You’ll want five to seven. Look for stretchy waistbands that fit easily over baby’s belly and diaper.
Outer layers and winter gear
You’ll want four to seven layering pieces. Fleece jackets and one-piece buntings are best for infants in cold weather because they collapse beneath car seat and stroller straps, unlike heavy coats. Thick puffer coats should not be worn in car seats—in a crash, a puffer coat can compress, making elongated straps too loose and ejecting a child from the seat. Little socks may stay on baby’s hands in the winter better than gloves.
Clothing brand recommendations:
Affordable clothing
The following content contains affiliate links. However, if you can, prioritize hand-me-downs, re-purposed or consigned baby items, especially clothing that gets outgrown quickly.
- Best Bargains: Old Navy: This may not be the highest quality clothing. However, it may be all that you need given how quickly young children grow out of clothes. Target: This store has everything, including cute, affordable children’s clothing.
- Best Bodysuits and Pajamas: Carter’s: This brand is the top choice for inexpensive short-sleeve and long-sleeve bodysuits and non-organic cotton and microfleece pajamas.
- Best Trendy Basics: H & M: I am always surprised at how many cute clothes I find here. Most of the pants have elasticized waistbands and ties to secure the waist. Runner-Up: Baby Gap
Mid-to-higher priced clothing
- Best Classic and Preppy: Mini Boden: This brand is famous for its crisp British style. Parents especially love the unique applique T-shirts and extra-colorful swimwear.
- Best Globally Inspired Clothing: Tea Collection: Inspire your little one to dress like a global citizen in a kimono-style dress or a New Year Dragon romper.
- Best for Mini-Adult Clothing: J. Crew Crewcuts: If you envision your baby boy in madras shorts and seersucker pants or your baby girl in cashmere sweaters and embroidered shirts, try this store.
- Best Boutique Clothing: For unique clothing without boutique prices, try flash-sale sites, such as Zulily, Fab, and Gilt.
- Best Eco-friendlier brand: Hanna Andersson: This brand’s focus is on 100% cotton clothing and much of it is organic or Oeko-Tex certified, meaning that it has been checked for over 100 chemicals and substances. Signature items are: organic cotton sleepers and long john pajamas, play dresses and matching leggings, boy tees with appliques, and colorful tights.
Organic cotton baby clothing:
- Under the Nile Organics or Baby Soy: organic basics at reasonable prices, found together at babyearth.com
- Hanna Andersson: beloved Swedish inspired brand with every style of sleeper or romper in pure organic cotton
- Kee-Ka: wearable greetings with an artistic icon, such as a whimsical pear with “Perfect pair” for a twin gift set, or “Sweet pea” with a pea pod icon
- Kate Quinn Organics: vibrantly colored baby clothing that hardly looks organic and bland
Hats
You’ll want at least two of these, a broad-brimmed sun hat for the summer and a warm hat that covers the ears in the winter, preferably with a Velcro strap under the chin to keep it on for older, active babies.
Brand recommendations:
- Newborn: Gerber Cap, BabySoy Janey Baby Hat, and/or Under the Nile Solid Skull Hat
- Best for Summer: iPlay Babywear Brim Hat ($11), Under the Nile Poplin Sunhat ($15-18), or Flap Happy Flap Hat ($10-16) with ties and neck flap
- Best for Winter: Zutano Cozie Fleece Hat ($10-15) with ears or JJ Cole Original Bundleme Hat ($8-10)
Socks and booties
You’ll want five to seven, though you will probably have more. Skip all hard-soled shoes, which are bad for baby’s feet. Instead, buy cute socks for newborns and soft, flexible shoes for crawlers/standers.
Brand recommendations:
- Best Overall: Trumpette Baby Boy Socks or Trumpette Baby Girl Socks ($21-29/6-pair): This brand has adorable “Skater” socks for boys that look like tiny, checked Vans, or try their signature “Mary Janes” for girls—socks that make baby look like she is wearing little black shoes.
- Inexpensive: Target Circo ($1.50) and Old Navy ($1.50)white socks that fold down work great for both genders.
- Best Value: Baby Gap Triple-roll socks ($11/4-pair) for boys are fashionable and durable favorites.
- Best Fashion Socks: Jefferies ($9-12/3-pair) are good for classic argyle crew styles and no-itch eyelet lace ruffle socks.
- Eco-friendlier: Hanna Andersson’s Best Ever First Socks ($4-8) and BabySoy Soy Soft Signature Solid socks ($4) are eco-friendlier choices for baby’s feet.
Shoes
Your baby will not need shoes until he or she starts walking. A good baby shoe is one that bends easily when you try to bend it in half, although more flexible shoes are pricier. First time walkers need good shoes. So if faced with the dilemma of buying one pair of $35-40 Stride-Rite shoes, or three pairs of sparkly Target shoes, buy the high quality shoes. Take your baby to a brick-and-mortar store at least once to test fit, width, and thickness, or try a Squatchi measuring tool, invented by a mom entrepreneur, to take the guesswork out of online shoe ordering.
Brand recommendations:
- Best Overall: Stride Rite: These are my favorite brand of shoes for young children because they are both high quality and affordable with sales and coupons. Admittedly, I am not a fan of their shoe collaborations with Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, and Sesame Street (who wants to pay extra to promote mature movies and TV characters on their baby’s feet?), but otherwise, Stride Rite is great.
- Best Indoor Shoes: Robeez (pronounced RAH-beez after the founder’s son, Robbie): This brand of suede-bottomed, soft shoes and fleece-lined boots are perfect for crawlers, standers, and babies who refuse to keep on socks in the winter.
- Best Splurge: Pediped (pronounced PEE-dee-pehd like pediatrician): This brand has been awarded the American Podiatric Medical Association Seal of Acceptance for creating shoes that promote healthy foot development. Look for more affordable Pedipeds on flash sale websites, such as Zulily, Gilt, or HauteLook, or buy discontinued styles at Pediped.com.
Books, Toys, and Other Fun Gifts
Best Books for Baby
Build baby’s library with these top picks (select a few):
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
- Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
- Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
- Moo, Baa, La La La by Sandra Boynton
- The Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton
- My Very First Mother Goose edited by Iona Opie
- I am a Bunny by Ole Risom
- Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr.
- The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
- Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
- C Is for Coco: A Little Chick’s First Book of Letters by Sloan Tannen
- More, More, More Said the Baby by Vera B. Williams
- The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise
- Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt Davis
- Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow
- Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
- The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen
- Fuzzy Bee and Friends by Priddy Books (Touch and Feel Cloth Book)
- Baby Touch and Feel: Animals by DK
- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr., John Archambault
Best Baby Toys
Pick a few of these well-reviewed baby toys.
Sophie the Giraffe teether ($20-25)
Nuby Ice Gel Teether Keys ($4-6)
Green Toys Twist Teether Toy, colors vary ($9-10)
Green Toys Stacker or Nesting Cups ($10-11)
Under the Nile Organic Veggies ($25-32 for the crate, $6-8 each). The carrot and banana are favorites.
Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes music player ($8-10)
Sassy Spin Shine Rattle Developmental Toy ($6-9)
Sassy Crib and Floor Mirror ($8-10)
Sassy Developmental Bumpy Ball ($8-10)
Manhattan Toy Whoozit ($10-15)
Manhattan Toy Winkel ($13-14)
Lamaze Freddie the Firefly ($10-16)
IQ Baby Knock Knock Blocks ($27-35)
Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube ($25-27)
Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics First Blocks ($10)
Bright Starts Lots of Links ($5): for attaching toys to baby’s car seat handle and stroller without the strangulation hazard of a cord
Learning Resources Spike The Fine Motor Hedgehog ($13-15)
Unique and Fun Baby Gift Ideas
Here are some fun items that you might subtly suggest to family or friends, or simply purchase for yourself.
Baby University Four-Book Set by Chris Ferrie. The #1 Best Seller in Quantum Theory on Amazon. Included in this Four-Book Set is: Quantum Physics for Babies, Rocket Science for Babies, General Relativity for Babies, and Newtonian Physics for Babies
Little Sapling Toys makes small, solid wood teethers in the shape of all 50 states for $15. California is the best seller.
Babiators ($20): these UVA-blocking, BPA-free shades protect baby’s eyes Top Gun-style. “Goose, it’s time to buzz the tower.”
Pair your Babiators with a Top Gun Aviator Onesie ($20) from Ovelo Designs on Etsy.
Tactical Baby Gear makes a combat ready diaper bag called the Tactical Baby Gear Deuce 2.0 Tactical Diaper Bag with Changing Mat. The changing mat says, Drop zone, stand clear.” Another great baby gift for dad, especially one with military interests.
Babylegs ($11-17) are cute, colorful baby leg warmers that make diaper changes a snap.
BooginHead makes several innovative products for modern parents: Pacigrip ($8/2-pack),a stylish strap that clips a pacifier to baby, SippiGrip ($6-8), which straps sippy cups to strollers and high chairs, and SplatMat ($12-15), which protects floors from messy spilled foods.
Melondipity makes boutique baby hats that are newborn photo-worthy ($16-25).
Baby Bunch: With this product, Martha Stewart teaches you how to pick a “bunch” of 100% organic cotton baby clothes rolled tightly into a beautiful flower bouquet.
For photography buffs, try a “Love at First Sight” sonogram picture frame from Pearhead ($17-20).
A Belly Bandit product ($50-72) helps mom get back into her pre-baby form by flattening out the tummy and supporting the back. It keeps C-section incisions in place, too.
Rockabye Baby CDs ($12-17) are lullaby renditions of familiar tunes, covering artists such as the Beatles, Coldplay, Michael Jackson, Jay-Z, Guns N Roses, Madonna, U2, and more.
A Monthly Onesie Set allows a new parent to photograph baby each month wearing a numbered onesie. Search Etsy for your preferred design, or buy a set of stickers for $10-20 at the Lucy Darling or Rocket Bug LLC shops.
A quirky parenting book, such as The Baby Owner’s Manual: Operating Instructions, Trouble-Shooting Tips, and Advice on First-Year Maintenance (Owner’s and Instruction Manual) by Louis Borgenicht M.D. and Joe Borgenicht ($12-15), makes a fun baby gift.
Go handmade and support a small business at the Etsy Baby Boutique.