The Mommy Diaries: Baby's Wardrobe - Dos &Don'ts

In June of this year, my life got turned upside with the birth of my son. It was simultaneously the most exciting and most terrifying thing to ever happen. Exciting because he was finally here and I was no longer pregnant. Terrifying because I realized everything that I had heard, learned and read about babies was finally being put into practice and I didn't want to mess up.

Here's a secret. You're gonna mess up - be it accidentally bumping their head, leaving a dirty diaper on for too long, accidentally pinching their skin while trying to change a diaper, wearing the same dirty clothes for a couple days. It happens and don't worry, not only is your baby not gonna remember, but they are so resilient they will be perfectly fine.

Being a new mom and parent is hard and I wanted to share some things that I've picked up along the way to help make other parents' journey easier. How you ask? Mommy blog. But I don't want to be just another "sunshine and rainbows and everything is magical and perfect" mommy blogs. Parenting isn't perfect or easy. It's messy, sometimes magical and often very gross. I want an honest mommy blog. So here, you can find tips, advice, rantings and possible ramblings of a mom with real life experience and honesty.

For this week's post we shall tackle the enormous category of baby clothes.

*insert awws, ooos, and OMG THIS IS SO CUTE I MUST HAVE IT!s*

You can never had too many bibs.

I'm going to repeat myself for the people in the back.

YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MANY BIBS.

Bibs are miracle workers. They are the real MVPs out here. Yes my son still manages to spit up down an entire outfit or we have a blow out diaper, but for the most part we can make it through a whole day in one outfit as long as he has a bib on.

The only problem is which KIND of bib do you get? In all honesty, that extra layer of material is going to help you no matter what. I personally like the ones that have a plastic backing. It holds up to drool and spit up pretty well. We normally make it through about half the day with one of these before switching to another bib.

The silicone and plastic bibs are super cool but don't really need these until your baby is ready to start solid foods. I only saw this because they have a little bit of weight to them and can be cumbersome for your little one. But once solids are introduced these will be the best thing ever invented. Reasons why I love them:

1. They are stupid easy to clean - either a quick rinse off with some hot water or a wipe down with baby wipes for on-the-go.
2. They have a pocket on them so any run away food goes down there and not all over you or baby.
3. It's soft yet durable and a great teething tool for baby in between bites or even once the meal is over.

SNAPS VS. ZIPPERS

There are a bazillion and one different kinds of outfits out there. In the beginning, simplicity is key. You're tired, baby's tired. Nobody wants to spend ten plus minutes trying to figure out how an outfit goes on.

Onesies are your best friend. They come in every color under the sun, they are super cute and anybody who knows you are having or have had a baby will end up buying you at least one. They usually have two or three quick snaps down by the butt which helps make for a quick change.

As the months get colder though, pants tend to accompany these. This is probably the most important thing I can tell you--two piece outfits are for daytime affairs ONLY. 1) Because they are normally the super cute outfits and 2) because at 2am you want the easiest and fastest clothing possible.

Pants + tired & squirming baby = nightmare

Now, having said this, I highly suggest investing in sleepers with footies and/or fold over gloves on them. Not necessary, but helpful to minimize having to find the socks they are inevitably going to kick off in the middle of the night.

What I have found is sleepers with zippers are the easiest for my little one. My son loves to kick and squirm and as he's approaching five months has a tendency to try to roll over while being changed. My absolute favorite are these two way zipper sleepers we got from Old Navy. You can zip it open from top to bottom or bottom to top depending on if it's a full change or a just a diaper change.

Sleepers with snaps are cute don't get me wrong, but I would save those for lazy, stay at home days not for bed time. The more snaps there are the more buttons you have to do at 3am when you're exhausted and a little blurry eyed because you can't remember where you put your glasses. If you prefer snaps, no worries just make sure it snaps up the FRONT and not the back. (yes we have been gifted several sleepers where the snaps are on the back...needless to say, we don't use those ones very often)

I know the baby world can be a little overwhelming, but remember to take it one day at a time and together we can grow.

DO: Have fun with your baby's outfits. Accessories can be awesome (i.e. hats, headbands, shoes, etc)

DON'T: Stress yourself out about making sure you have every piece to the outfit or that everything perfectly matches. People are going to think your baby is adorable whether they are in their Sunday best or in a diaper.

DO: Use bibs, even though they might hide the outfit a little. It's better to keep the outfit on all day then have to change it every 15 minutes.

DON'T: Stress about having to change bib and/or outfit. It happens.

DO: Use clothing with zippers

DON'T: Use clothing with more than 3-5 snaps at bedtime for an easier nighttime training.

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed The Mommy Diaries. Please be on the look out for more content! Please feel free to share comments of your own tips or ask questions/inquire about future topics.