ParentDish

Baby Layette Defined

Lauren James — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 08:24:00 EST

Filed under: Babies, Baby Essentials, Mommy Musts, Fashion, Gear Guides: Pregnancy, Gear Guides: Babies

The baby layette includes essential baby clothing items and linens. Credit: Getty

New mothers know they're going to need diapers. And bottles. Not to mention a car seat and stroller. But when a woman is expecting her first baby, there are several other items her baby will need, too: clothes, bed linens, bathing supplies and other essentials.

These items are known as the baby layette. The word layette is old French for chest of drawers, and is now defined as a complete set of articles, including clothing, bedclothes and other accessories for a newborn baby.

When our grandmothers and their mothers were expecting their babies, they probably spent hours sewing simple outfits, knitting sweaters and blankets and preparing the baby layette. Outfits worn by babies were often unisex for the first year or so because they would have to be made before the baby was born, when the gender was still unknown.

Often called gowns, these outfits were usually layered and lovingly embellished with embroidery, smocking, tatting or soft lace. Clothing was made mostly from soft cotton and carefully hand-sewn to help make smaller and less irritating seams. Often, the mother also would make the baby's christening gown, and other female relatives and friends would make something to contribute to the baby's layette, such as receiving blankets, diapers and bonnets.

Nowadays, new mothers can skip the hand sewing and shop for baby clothes, but the necessary items for the baby layette are basically remain the same.

The old list looks like this:

4 dresses
3 petticoats (flannel)
2 sacks
3 pairs of booties
1 diaper cover
1 coat
2 shawls
6 dayslips
3 petticoats (white)
3 flannel bands
3 pairs of stockings
4 dozen diapers
2 bonnets
1 Carriage-robe
6 nightslips
2 kimonos
3 shirts
4 pinning blankets
6 bibs
1 veil
1 receiving blanket

Today's baby layette list looks more like this:

Clothing

Diapers: disposable (350 for the first month); cloth (4 dozen if washing your own, 1 dozen cloth diapers for burping and general use); diaper service (90 for the first week)
6 to 10 diaper wraps or nylon elastic pants
4 sets of diaper pins or "snappis"
5 to 10 T-shirts
3 to 5 pairs of booties/socks
1 to 2 hats
5 to 7 sleepers or gowns
1 cold weather sleeper

Bedding

1 to 2 thermal blankets
5 to 7 lightweight receiving blankets
3 to 4 crib sheets (fitted preferable)

Miscellaneous

3 to 5 soft washcloths
1 dozen burp cloths (cloth diapers work well)
Rectal baby thermometer (useful for taking either axillary or rectal temperatures)
Baby scissors or clippers
Baby brush and comb
Mild soap (such as Mustela)
1 to 2 hooded baby towels, optional

Most baby layette items can easily be found at local baby supply stores or at a myriad of online stores.

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Popular Italian Baby Names and Variations

Lauren James — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 16:57:00 EST

Filed under: Babies, Baby Names

Choose an Italian baby name as lovely as Sophia Lauren. Credit: Robyn Beck, AFP/Getty Images

Ciao, Bella! And Sofia! You, too, Alessandro and Matteo! If you have an Italian heritage, or just like the sound of Italian names, there are many lovely, exotic Italian baby names you should consider.

For parents who worry giving their American baby an Italian baby name might be too different, look for a popular American name and either use the Italian version of it, or modify it slightly so it sounds more Italian. Then, as your child grows, he or she can choose to use the Italian or the American version of the name.

Some popular Italian names for girls this year are Isabella, Elizabeth, Emily and Sophia. Sophia is already an Italian baby name, but you can change the spelling to Sofia to make it more unique. Another variant of Sophia is Sonia or Sonya, also more unusual names for a baby.

Isabelle and Elizabeth are very similar in Italian. Change the "e" to an "a" and Isabelle becomes Isabella. You also may choose to shorten either baby name to Isa, Elisa, Lisa, Bella or Liana, or change the name even more to Annabella, Annalisa, Liliana or Elisabetta, and use the shorter names for nicknames. There might be many babies named Elizabeth in the nursery, but not many have the Italian baby name Elisabetta.

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Newborn Baby Clothes: Must Haves

Lauren James — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 08:33:00 EST

Filed under: Babies, Baby Essentials, Fashion, Gear Guides: Pregnancy, Gear Guides: Babies

Could shopping for baby clothes be more fun? Credit: Getty

They're totally adorable. And sweet. And oh-so-snuggly. If you're a shopper, one of the best things about having a new baby is the chance to buy newborn baby clothes. But doing a little research before you start splurging on all the darling offerings is a must. See, what a parent purchases and what a baby actually needs are sometimes completely different things.

Here are some tips on what to look for before you start shopping.

Be a Softy. The first thing to consider when shopping is a baby's tender, sensitive skin. Buying 100 percent cotton clothing helps ensure the fabric will be soft and washable. Feel the inside of everything you buy. Often, the things which make newborn baby clothes so cute, such as embroidery, elastic gatherings, zippers and other embellishments, also can make an outfit uncomfortable to an infant. If you do end up with some scratchy things on the inside of an item, dress your baby in a softer under layer such as a onesie first, and then layer the cuter outfit over it.

Layer it on Thick. Layering is often necessary with newborn baby clothes. Onesies worn under sleepers, or paired with cotton pants and a little jacket are good ideas. Hats keep heat from escaping from the head, socks keep little feet warm -- just make sure you opt for socks that are long and go up toward the knee, not little ankle socks that fall off every few minutes. And some people get little mittens for their baby's hands, mostly to keep those tiny fingernails from scratching lovely new cheeks. Just be sure the layers are loose and comfortable.

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Unique Baby Shower Gifts: Personalized Jewelry

Lauren James — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 09:25:00 EST

Filed under: Babies, Mommy Musts, Fashion

When in doubt, buy jewelry. Credit: Corbis

Shopping for a beautiful, unique baby shower gift and hoping to find something other than the usual stuff on the registry? Or maybe you're trying to track down a gift for a woman having her second baby, so you're free to go beyond the baby basics. Here's the perfect idea: Personalized jewelry makes a great gift for any mom, and is a special baby shower gift.

Rings: An interesting baby shower jewelry gift is a ring for the new mom. You can find rings that leave room for many birthstones or styles that allow space to add names of all the children in the family. If you are buying it before the baby arrives, you'll want to know the mom's ring size before she was pregnant, so that after the baby comes and the swelling she probably has in her hands goes down, it'll still fit. Not sure of her ring size? Enlist her partner's help and ask him to trace one of her rings if he doesn't already know her size.

There is no shortage of ring styles available -- from fancy to simple -- to match the mom's personality. With a lovely personalized ring as a baby shower gift, she can see a representation of her beautiful children every time she looks at her hand.

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Baby Shower Diaper Cakes: Simple Craft

Lauren James — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:35:00 EST

Filed under: Babies, Decor, Mommy Musts, Gear Guides: Pregnancy

Bloomer's baby diaper cake is lovely. Here are tips on making your own. Credit: Amazon.com

Oh, baby, it's all about the cake. And this one? It's even calorie free.

One of today's most popular baby shower decorations is a diaper cake, which, in its most basic form, is simply a bunch of diapers rolled up and put together to create tiers that stack to make a cake.

Depending on size, prices range from about $30 for a small cake to $100 or more for a big one. But to personalize your diaper cake -- and save some money -- why not make your own? Baby shower diaper cakes are a relatively simple baby shower craft, as long as you have the right materials.

Here's how to make a rolled diaper cake.

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Homemade Baby Food on a Budget

Lauren James — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: Babies, Feeding & Sleeping

You can save money making your own baby food, but it will cost you some time. Credit: Getty Images

When a baby is old enough to start trying solid foods, many parents decide to make homemade baby food, rather than buy it in jars at the grocery store.

Some opt to make their own baby food because it gives them more control over what their baby is eating. Others believe homemade baby food costs less than store-bought. But is it more economical?

On a recent trip to our local grocery store, we compared apple prices with packaged baby applesauce prices. For homemade conventional, non-organic baby applesauce, it would cost $1.69 per pound. Bought jars: $2.97 for nearly a pound.

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