The perfect top for a newborn.
Parents, what are you looking for when it comes to your newborn's clothing? Durability? Price? Easy to put on?
When I was building my baby registry, I was informed that I must have the side-snap baby tees with short and long sleeves. I would always wonder why these were so necessary, and after my son, Mason, was born I learned that these tops were indeed a necessity.
The Style
A side-snap tee, or kimono tee. Short sleeve, long sleeve, or long sleeve with mitten cuffs. Some brands also make this style as a bodysuit for babies. I did not have the kimono bodysuits as I found the tees worked just fine for Mason and our lifestyle.
The short sleeve kimono tee is great for babies born in the summer months. Mason was born in August, and we went through so many of the short sleeve kimono tees. At the time, we lived in a one-bedroom apartment with 2 window A/C units (one in the bedroom and one in the living room). My husband and I were always worried about Mason overheating. Having the short sleeve option was great for his first couple of months. I would put this on him along with the diaper and light cotton pants and then swaddle him. He would be comfortably snug and sleep so peacefully. I had these ones and have zero complaints! These are also available in packs of 3.
The long sleeve kimono tee was great for Mason when he was around 2-3 months old. I was able to get a better grasp on trimming his nails, so wearing tees often without mitten cuffs was doable. It also allowed Mason to feel the texture of his play mat or quilt on the floor during tummy time. Since we were entering the Fall season, a long sleeve tee was great to layer under a jacket or under a blanket in the stroller for warmer days. I stocked up on these for the Fall, and they were my favorite for a while. These tees are also available in more colors.
The long sleeve kimono tee with mitten cuffs was essential during Mason's first month. He was constantly touching his face as his natural resting and sleeping position was with both hands next to the cheeks of his face. While the little scratches healed super fast (thanks to Aquaphor), it definitely helped to have the mitten cuffs. There was no need to worry about anything falling off because these are sewn as part of the sleeve. The cuffs can be folded back to allow your little one to have some sensory play. I personally did not need that many as we moved into the short sleeve or long sleeve without mitten cuffs by the time Mason was 2 months old. I had a couple packs of these. These are also available in packs of 2.
Why a kimono style?
To put it simply: kimono style top > every other newborn top
The best part about this style is that there's usually a snap on the top's inner body part. I say "usually" because the ones that I linked above all have this one hidden snap, but other brands may have this placed differently on their tees. Some may have a tie, some may have two inner snaps, and some may have one inner snap. The tees I had for Mason had a inner side snap that came across his body to prevent the shirt from twisting. The kimono style tees make it super easy to put on a baby and even easier to remove. Especially for all those spit-ups, poops up the back, and the glorious oopsie moments of the newborn stage.