Choosing clothes for your baby

Choosing clothes for your baby isn’t solely a matter of comfort and style. Some clothes can restrict your child’s movement. It’s fun to dress your baby in special outfits for certain occasions, but most of the time, try to follow this advice from pediatric occupational therapist Rachel Coley.

1. Think light and stretchy

Babies need to spend lots of time on the floor on different surfaces. Select clothes made of soft, lightweight breathable fabrics, which support your baby’s growing mobility. Stiff and bulky clothing can restrict your baby’s freedom of movement. Skirts and dresses can easily get tangled in active legs.

2. Give your baby some naked time

A diaper tends to hold a baby’s hips in a slightly wider position, which can get in the way as they learn to roll. Consider giving your baby some naked time on a bare floor to work on pre-crawling skills without restriction. 

3. Let them go barefoot

When your baby wears shoes, booties, and socks, they miss out on the sensory experiences of being barefoot. Exposing your baby’s bare feet to different surface textures supports body awareness and motor skill development.