Premature Baby Clothes - Your Complete Guide from Preemie to Tiny Baby Clothing

The baby clothing you have bought in preparation for your newborn will be much too big and suddenly you will find yourself searching for tiny baby clothes and being confused by preemie baby clothes sizing. This little guide will help you navigate some of the sizing terms for premature baby clothing to help you make the right choices for your tiny baby clothing items.

Premature Baby Clothes – 1-2lb (0.45-1.4Kg)

If your baby is in a specialist neonatal unit, you may not be able to dress him or her as medical staff need to keep his or her chest bare so baby can be assessed. If you are able to dress your preemie baby in the incubator, you will only need a simple incubator vest, a hat and maybe some scratch mitts.

Babies born extremely premature can have translucent looking skin which is very delicate and it may be some weeks before they are ready to wear any clothing. Your baby may be placed in an incubator i.e. a self-contained unit which helps keep your baby warm.

However, the medical staff may want to gradually get your baby used to maintaining their own body temperature by lowering the incubator temperature. This will give you the opportunity to dress your baby for the first time and a special incubator vest will allow baby to be dressed safely around all the tubes and wires with minimal disturbance.

It is important that incubator vests are made from pure cotton which is soft and gentle for baby’s skin. See our online shop for a range of incubator vests.

For a baby between 3-5 lb in weight, there is a much wider choice available to you in Early Baby clothes sizes. Early baby clothing tends to be practical and comfortable for babies in hospital or at home. Choose a comfortable cotton jersey bodysuit and sleepsuit, perhaps with a co-ordinating hat and scratch mittens.

At 5-8 lb, tiny baby clothes collections offer more choice in many baby clothing brands and it becomes easier to choose. Nevertheless, it is important to choose soft, comfortable, cotton rich clothing for your tiny baby, which is soft on babies delicate skin. Again, keep it simple with soft cotton clothing for day and night. An all-in-one or babygrow will ensure baby is comfortable all day long and will need minimal care when washing and will be quick to tumble dry if necessary.

Many of our ranges make the same style outfits for the 3-5lb and 5-8lb size range. For example, this 4 piece set by Just Too Cute is available in a choice of colours.

At this size, you will find a full range of baby clothing and more styles and fabrics for taking your baby out for the first time. Even so, many parents find it convenient to dress young babies in sleepsuits (or babygrows) which have long sleeves and long legs with feet. The poppers at the front, legs and crotch make it easy to do frequent nappy changes and the soft cotton fabric ensures baby is comfortable all day long.