What to Look for in Preemie Clothes

  If you are the parent of a preemie, it has no doubt occured to you that dressing your child may be rather difficult. This will prove to be truer than you can even imagine if you are the parent of a micro preemie. Sure stores offer preemie clothes, or at least that is what they say they are, but you just know when you look at them they aren't going to fit you little ones, in fact it might work better as a little sleeping bag. Most preemie clothes you find in department stores are not going to fit any infant less that 4 lbs. 

  Then there is a whole other issue, whether or not these clothes will even remotely be appropriate for the NICU environment. Unless your little one is close to, or ready to go home, they will not work.  

  So what do you really need for the stay in the NICU? To a large degree it is up to your personal prefence. In our experience, we found dressing our little ones to be a comfort, like we were doing something. It made us feel a little more grounded in such an artificial world. We also found the interaction while changing lothes a great way to bond which can be challenging when your baby doesn't get to go home with you. There are even those who believe that this kind of interaction may also promote a healthier preemie.....

  If you decide that you would like to dress your preemie, what things do you need to consider? First lets talk about micro preemies or even larger preemies that are still needing a lot of medical interventions. Early on, there are many factors to consider, so much depends on how well your child is doing. If they are still extremely fragile, clothes are not an option. They usually need to be at least breathing on their own without the help of any resperatory equipment with the exception of oxygen canulas. Arriving at the point where they can begin wearing clothing can still come when they are very, very tiny, even as tiny as 2 lbs.

  But, as all parents need to remember, how these little ones are doing can change in a heartbeat. You need to use what is called a NICU shirt to start.  These shirts usually go down to the bottom of the diaper, but most important they need to open up completely and instantly. This means the child needs to be fully exposed from the shoulders down and the shirt needs to lay compeletly flat without having to move your child or manuver their arms out of a sleeve. As you have already learned, time can be of the essence, and these little shirts are perfect for those who's condition may change and time is critical. There are pieces that have 2 snaps at the shoulders and tie in front. You can also find these NICU shirts in larger sizes to fit even sick full term infants.

  As mentioned earlier, a very tiny preemie can be doing really well though. They may need some oxygen support and have a couple of monitors attached, but that is real progress. In that case your little one is ready to move up to a few new pieces of clothing, still in the 1-3 lbs range. These little pieces still need to open quickly, so velcro or snaps are a must, no buttons. No zippers, because there needs to be a place for the monitor lead wires to run through. There are little gowns, shirts, and diaper covers in soft cotton fabrics that will suit the bill just perfectly.  Little hats are always a good idea too as loosing heat from the top of those cute little heads is always an issue.

  When your little one reaches the 4-6 lb range your choices in clothing open right up, if of course, they are doing well. Still velcro or snaps are important and again no zippers. There are actually little outfits that look just just like what the big kids wear. You can find just about anything in this size that you can find in a full term layette, just still very tiny. Very often little ones who were once micro preemies go home weighing less than 5 lbs. No worries, there are several beautiful little going home outfits here for them too.

  Ultimately it is a matter of choice when dressing your preemie, but if you choose to do so, first and foremost keep in mind how appropriate clothes are for each circumstance your little one is in. Look for 100% cotton so they are breathable. Check with you child's nurse or doctor when it is the right time to dress you preemie. Don't be afraid to ask, we found that the nurses enjoyed dressing our little Ava and Cash as much as we did. They get really attached to the children they may spend months with. But after that, have fun looking for clothes and bonding with your preemie as you would any of your children. 

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