Week 36 ~ Shop for Layette

First of all, what is a layette? Well, the definition of layette is quite simple: a kit consisting of a complete outfit (clothing and accessories) for a new baby.

Taking your baby back home from hospital requires a lot of preparation. It is far better to have the essentials ready to make for a smooth return home with your new arrival. The last thing you will want to do in those first few days after the baby arrives is to run around buying any little necessities that you forgot. You will undoubtedly feel much more at ease, and able to concentrate on the baby, if you have everything prepared well in advance.

Some people choose a formal layette in a store. They go shopping for their child’s first wardrobe including onesies, side-snap tee shirts, outfits, pajamas etc. (babies can not wear onesies that snap under the crotch until their umbilical cord falls off so side snap tees are recommended). The store will hold on to the layette until the baby is born and then they send the layette to your house or you have someone pick it up for you. People can also shop from your layette for your shower. Many people are less formal with the layette. In the weeks preceeding the due date, as they are in stores and see cute baby clothes, they buy them and hold on to them until the baby is born.

It is necessary to have some basic clothes already bought for your baby’s trip home from the hospital and for the first week or two. But also keep in mind that your baby grows so fast at this point that its silly to buy too much ahead of time. If you buy too much they won’t get a chance to wear it all before they grow out of it.