The definition of a 'premature' or 'preterm' baby is one that is born before 37 weeks, so there is quite a range of ages and different sizes of premature baby. A baby born 'full term' can also vary in size and weight by several pounds, with some term babies being smaller than a premature baby.
Clothing manufacturers use different sizing ranges and numbering systems which can make it hard to buy the perfect gift.
Clothing sizing
To make it easier for you to shop with us, we use the following classifications:
- Premature baby clothing (1lb - 4 lbs)
- Tiny baby clothing (4 - 7.5 lbs)
- Newborn baby clothing (typically 7-10 lbs)
What do you need to know about the baby?
To buy premature baby clothing all you really need to find out is:
- How much does the baby weigh?
- Is the baby having specialist care? (i.e. in an incubator, attached to monitors, lines, etc).
- Is it a boy or a girl? (although we have plenty of gender neutral products too).
Premature baby clothing (1lb-4lbs)
These little ones may have lots of tubes and wires that make dressing difficult.
So it's important to buy premature baby clothing that is wrap-around to provide easy access. Our NICU premature baby clothing is designed with care and consideration for babies who need specialist care. They use:
- Soft cotton
- No harsh seams
- Wrap-around design
- Gentle velcro closings.
A popular option is one of our incubator vests, this is designed to wrap around the baby, no matter what tubes they have. And small velcro fixings keep it in place. As the name suggests they are mostly used for babies in an incubator which is keeping them warm.
For those babies who need a few more layers, we also supply wrap-around dresses:
And wrap-around tops for little girls and boys:
Plus we have trousers in a variety of colours and lots of premature baby hats to keep tiny heads warm.
Another must-have purchase are scratch mittens, and importantly ones that actually stay on. Parenting forums online are awash with people looking for stay-on scratch mittens that don't fall off! We recommend the stay-on mittens by Goumikids.
A lot of passion and money has gone into perfecting their two part stay-on closure system and they are available in premature size. Not only do these stop babies scratching themselves, they are excellent at keeping little fingers from pulling on things they shouldn't, like wires or lines.
Tiny baby clothing (4-7.5 lbs)
These babies typically benefit from being able to wear the sort of stylish clothing a term baby would wear, because they are not restricted due to wires and lines, they are just smaller. But finding clothing for tiny babies remains a challenge!
Tiny babies are normally in 'open' cots so keeping them warm is super important. The best way to do this is with clothes that fit.
Clothes that are too big are not as effective at keeping the heat in as clothes that are nice and snug. It's also important to layer up, and when outdoors dress them with a hat and maybe gloves depending on the weather.
We have a variety of tiny baby clothes, including some gorgeous cozy cardigans, leggings, bodysuits, vests and even snow suits. These clothes are very stylish as well as practical and some of these items come in Newborn, 0-3 months and 0-6 month sizes too.
