Buying Baby Clothes

People like to buy baby clothes. Because of this, you will receive baby clothes whether you register for them or not. Some will come with receipts. Even if they don't, there's about a 60% chance that Target will take them back. Even though babies might go through several outfits a day and you put off laundry as long as possible, you can still end up with more onesies than you need. I say this because of Tip #1: having a baby when a lot of your friends have two year olds- We received a LOT of used clothes from friends. Our little boy did not get a chance to wear everything before he outgrew it. We were also lucky enough to squeak him in between my next-door-neighbor's baby (2 months younger) and her sister's baby (a few months older) so that the baby clothes came to our baby in between the two sisters! You, probably, will not be so lucky.
So, Here are the lessons I have learned with baby clothes:
1. Don't buy anything newborn sized.
a. Other people will do this for you. They can't help it.
b. Used newborn baby clothes are practically not used at all. They have maybe been worn once or twice per baby, possibly less if seasonal.
2. I don't recommend those swaddle outfits. We thought just a blanket worked best for swaddlin'.
3. Find friends with babies. They are probably overloaded with baby crap and will be happy to give you a box full of clothes as their baby outgrows them. This also works for friends of friends!
4. Consignment! Goodwill has a lot of baby clothes, but they come with stains and missing buttons. Consignment stores are a bit more picky about what they buy. I recommend KidWorks if you are in the Iowa City area. But don't go there if your baby is the same size as mine. At least not until after I've picked through the clothes.
5. Learning sizes is a science. Our six month old has been wearing 12 month size clothes for about two months now. Except if the brand is Old Navy, in which case the clothes are 3-6 month size. And the pants are 12-18 months but the jackets are 3 month sized. Don't even get me started on the shoes. And I don't know if you are willing to take a six month old into a dressing room at a clothes store, but I am not. I'd much rather buy an outfit for $1 and take it home to find out that it doesn't fit, which is why I recommend Lesson #4.
6. Look at those buttons. We have one outfit that you have to unsnap completely and then still pull off his legs (the snaps don't make it open all the way) just to change a diaper. Outfits like these, of course, NEVER get dirty so that you spend all day dealing with them with each diaper change.
7. Long-sleeved onesies in the packages of plain white do not exist for sizes larger than 3-6 months. Not sure why this is. We have looked. We have failed at finding any.
8. Those 3-packs of white onesies are practical. You might love them. You will not, however, be receiving any as a gift. They are not cute. Or soft. People like to buy cute and soft gifts. Not practical ones.
9. Babies who wear cloth diapers need bigger pants. They have bigger butts. (Well, with the diaper on)
10. I'm not a name brand person. I have never set foot inside the Old Navy. But, with the hand-me-downs and used clothes I have collected, I have to say that the Old Navy brand baby clothes so far has been my favorite, my baby wears them more than anything else.
That's all the tips I have so far, and I'm happy to say I haven't found my baby wearing anything long enough for him (or me) to get attached to it. Except his Caterpillar outfit, which is going to be a gift to a very lucky baby very soon.