Understanding Baby Clothes
For a first-time father, a baby opens up a whole new world of things to understand. In addition to learning about your baby, you may be learning about all of the things you will use to help care for your baby. Most of the things you will use, such as formula or a car seat, come with an instruction label, but what about all of those clothes? Although many of the clothes that your baby will wear are easy to recognize — like undershirts, bibs, and hats — others can be more confusing. New dads probably won't know the difference between a jumper and a sleeper, or what a receiving blanket is. The following definitions will help new dads understand the clothing that babies wear:
Onesie — a one-piece, short-sleeved outfit without legs that snaps in the crotch area and is usually worn under other clothing
Shortall — like overalls, but with short pant legs; this outfit snaps in the crotch and usually is worn over an undershirt or onesie
Romper — a one-piece outfit with short legs that snaps on one shoulder and in the crotch and inner legs
Jumper — a sleeveless, one-piece outfit with long pant legs; usually worn over an undershirt or onesie
Coverall — a one-piece outfit with long pant legs and either short or long sleeves; may be footed and have snaps that either go all the way down from the neckline or just from the crotch to the feet
Nightgown — a one-piece outfit with an elasticized bottom for newborns to sleep in
Sleeper — a footed, one-piece, full-body outfit with a zipper or snaps that extend from the neckline to one pant leg
Receiving blanket — a light blanket used to swaddle a baby
Bunting — a baby blanket that can be snapped together so that your baby can “wear” it
You should realize that your baby will outgrow her clothes quickly. This makes it important to buy them a little bigger than necessary so that they last more than just a few weeks.
