I love buying clothes for Mabel. Fact. I probably buy too much stuff (there are outfits she has literally worn only once because she’s grown so quickly) but I thoroughly enjoy it and after three months of learning about what fits, what washes well, quality, what’s convenient and what’s not in terms of brand and style choice I thought I’d share my personal experience.

Apologies in advance to those of you that have boys, I can only really talk about baby girl’s fashion but I’m hoping all you Mamas can share tips and advice in the comments section so this feature works out to be useful for as many folks as possible.

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You know they say you can never have enough babygrows? Well whoever “they” may be are definitely right, especially during the first few months. I wanted Mabel to be as comfortable and as cosy as possible and with frequent nappy changes and, let’s face it, her wearing her milk as often as she was digesting it, you want something you can whip on and off in seconds and throw in the washing machine on a regular basis without the risk of shrinkage.

What with an abundance of very generous gifts and my small person retail therapy addiction we have tried just about every brand of babygrow/sleepsuit you can imagine and our favourite was the packs of three from John Lewis. They washed like new, were excellent value (three for £12-£15), were available in the prettiest designs and came complete with those handy fold over scratch mitts (I don’t know about you but we found the actual pull on gloves were crap, they didn’t stay on for longer than a couple of minutes). I loved this set of gingham, cherry print and polka dot so much we bought it in 0-3 months once Mabel had grown out of the newborn size. They are currently reduced to clear so get them whilst you still can! (We also have these ditsy floral print numbers and the cute sheep design that were unisex).

If I look at Mabel’s wardrobe the brand that appears the most is Mini Club by Boots, the 0-3 months are larger than any other brand we’ve tried so although they fit looser for longer, that also means they last beyond 12 weeks too. I have this retro blue flower print short sleeve romper and the version you can see in the bottom right image, they are PERFECT for summer and the material is really soft and stretchy. I bought both on the two for £8 offer.

I also love H&M, their sizing is slightly different so the fit for certain stages is great – I currently have quite a few 2-4 month pieces for example. This gorgeous cotton romper is one of my all-time favourite outfits and I’ve recently purchased a couple of these sweet dresses with matching frill knickers for the grand total of £2.99 each. H&M also do excellent sets (hat, leggings, sleepsuit, T-shirt etc) which are reasonably priced and make ideal newborn gifts.

My favourite brand in terms of “I want to buy EVERYTHING” is Zara baby. I have to stop myself from adding multiple items to my virtual basket as the designs are just so damn cool, I often think that if they made adult sizes I’d quite happily wear them myself. I recently bought this pineapple print T and denim dungarees in the sale. This cute ice cream print romper has also just been reduced by 40% (bottom middle image) and is just lovely. One thing I would say, I find the clothes come up rather small, she’s just 12 weeks yet the 3-6 month size fit her well, I can’t imagine them being roomy enough at 24 weeks plus.

The GAP also have some amazing seasonal collections, as do Mamas and Papas – both are high end in terms of price so it’s worth looking out for the sales (on now by the way, apologies in advance for potential plastic bashing during your lunch break). We bought quite a few items in January, there were lots of bargains to be had and if you can’t find your baby’s current size it’s worth buying larger sizes for the future, time flies faster than you think!

For classic beautifully-designed pieces you can’t beat The White Company. Go in for a candle, come out with several delicious dresses and the most ridiculously-gorgeous tiny person knitwear. My Mum bought Mabel some fabulous frockage for when she’s a little older and I am very appreciative, it’s so spendy I feel I would need to sell my soul just so I could be the proud owner of their mini cashmere cardigans. Notice I said “I” here, Mabel couldn’t give a monkeys where what she wears comes from so sometimes I just have to have a word with myself.

In terms of what I put Mabel in the most, aside from sleepsuits and rompers are easy “pull on” dresses because they are exactly that – easy. This pink floral one from M&S is only six quid and very pretty indeed. We’ve found any outfit that involves layers or indeed a pair of tights to be a bit of a pain in the arse so we save these get ups for special occasions and when we are at least 75% sure we can avoid some scary nappy action. Obviously we have got this wrong. On more than one occasion.

Where do you recommend for little people wardrobe content folks? Do you have one or two places you just can’t resist? Please feel free to add links to recent buys in the comments so I can have a nosey.

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{Top Tips}
  • Check the maximum weight recommendation on the sizing labels, brands vary massively – some 0-3 month sizing cater for up to 11.5lbs where as others cater for up to 14.5lbs for example.
  • Sign up for online newsletters of brands you love and keep your peepers peeled on your inbox for the sales, I’ve found bargain baby clothes sell out fast so you have to be quick!
  • One of the best value and useful items we’ve invested in was this chunky cardigan with ears from M&S, so useful for if it gets chilly. The “1 month” size still fits Mabel now and I’m going to buy it again it a larger size as we come into Autumn.

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