What Preemie Clothes Should I Buy?
We are continuing our conversation from our last blog post...someone you know just had a great big surprise! An early arrival in the form of a sweet little preemie baby! We talked about some fun things you can do to support the parents with great ideas like coffee cards, snacks, dinners, and babysitting. You may be thinking about the baby and the fact that the baby shower you were planning was still two weeks down the road. So what about clothes for this little one now?
This is where the Preemie Store can help! Like we said in the previous post, we don't offer coffee, but we DO carry the world's most extensive selection of preemie clothes and gear. We are adding to the store regularly, so you will always have great choices to pick from. Let me unpack some things to help you get started on your search for the perfect first little outfit.
Our categories are broken down into two preemie sizes: Micro (1-3lbs) and Preemie (3-6lbs) plus some Newborn (5-8lbs). We do carry one brand, Perfectly Preemie, that offers an in-between size called Teeny (2-4lbs). This can be helpful if your little one falls in that middle weight category. At these tiny sizes, a pound or two can make a big difference in the fit. So if your shopping for a 2lb baby, the 2-4lb size will be just right while allowing for growth.
NICU-friendly styles are found under the shirts/bodysuits sections of Micro & Preemie. The items that are designed especially for the NICU would possibly have open shoulders, so dressing around monitors and leads will not be a problem. Some styles may not have these exact design features but will still be great NICU friendly styles. Sometimes it will depend on the medical needs of the premature baby and the staff's preferences. I recommend going with the NICU friendly for the first garments. This way a parent can have the ability to dress their teeny preemie with ease.
For example, this little shirt from Itty Bitty Baby works great for a beginning option:
These great Nic-Suits from Perfectly Preemie are two pieces that easily velcro around a baby.
We carry these wraps from both Itty Bitty Baby & Preemie-Yums. These are also a great beginning piece.
Sweet-Tee's bodysuits have been loved by parents since Perfectly Preemie started making them in the 90's.
I wouldn't want to miss mentioning the cute little NICU friendly dresses we have for those cute preemie girls. They also offer the same open shoulders and ease for the parents. They are available in both the Micro & Preemie sizes. Itty Bitty Baby's Fit 'n Flare dresses have open shoulders and a simple front velcro.
From Perfectly Preemie we have the reversible IV-Dress that gives you two looks in one cute dress.
A recommendation that is always LOVED by parents are the little mittens, caps and socks. These little items can be sometimes be worn before even the NICU-friendly items we talked about above. We carry hats, mittens & booties from Itty Bitty Baby that come in the smaller Micro size. Our most popular socks from Kushies and fit the Preemie babies (3-6lb) great! We aren't the only ones that think they are terrific! There are 63 very positive reviews who agree:
PERFECT!
I purchased these socks for my niece who was born at 32 weeks and weighed 3 lbs 3 oz. We had an extremely hard time finding any socks that were small enough to stay on her tiny feet. All of the socks that came with preemie outfits in stores were too big and would fall off. I found these socks on the Preemie Store website and thought I would give them a try. THEY FIT PERFECTLY! I have purchased even more of these socks because they could not fit my niece any better. They are tight enough that they do not fall off and they are the perfect length. Not to mention they are extremely soft and even cuter :) If you are having a hard time finding socks that fit your preemie then you should definitely give these socks a try!
LOVE THESE SOCKS!
My son was born at 32 weeks weighing 3lbs 6oz. My cousin sent us two sets of the Kushies Socks, and they were one of the best items we received. They are so soft but stretchy enough to fit their tiny feet. We had a hard time finding Preemie socks as local store doesn't carry them. My son was able to wear them into newborn sizing too. We loved the product SO much we donated 50 gift bags to our NICU, and a pair of Kushies Socks were in each bag! Picture: 1-month-old weighing 5 lb (fresh out of the NICU) wearing the black Kushies Socks
These were soft and well made. I created a box with several items for a gift for our godsons 2 lb. Daughter. They were thrilled with these items. The baby is 3 lbs now, and the socks grow with her. It's nice for the parents to have their own clothes for their unexpected tiny bundle. These sizes and selection can not be found in traditional stores.
We also LOVE the fun little bodysuits with the cute sayings! We have a lot of them to offer you. So if your little one has moved past needing the open shoulders, we recommend one of the side snap opening bodysuits. There are "I'm your Tiny miracle" in three colors. "Drama Queen" "Tiny Tiger" "I Love my Nurse" and "Even miracles take Time" are some of our favorites.
From there we have footies, made from 100% cotton, bamboo, or the super soft Pima cotton. They come with feet, without feet, with matching caps or without and so much more. Sweet little dresses with tights, headbands, and matching caps.
I could go on, but I think I should save that for another post. I am hoping we are helping you to find exactly what you are looking for. Please, if you need any assistance we are here! Take the opportunity to chat with us on the live chat system, or email us at customercare@preemie.com
Happy Shopping for your Preemie!
