How to Put Clothing on a Newborn

The stress of having your baby might be behind you, but now you're faced with a new dilemma: putting clothes on your living sack-o-potatoes. Dressing a newborn can be tricky: Many newborns have floppy arms, an oversized head and curled-up legs. Plus, they seem so fragile that you don't want to move them around too much. Dressing your newborn is another thing that comes with being a new parent, and, like other lessons you will encounter, it does get easier the more you do it.

Instructions

Onesies and Shirts

1

Purchase clothes that have wide openings at the neck and that are easy to snap or zip up. Pick newborn or preemie sizes (depending on the size of your baby) and look for clothes with "easy-on, easy-off" features, according to "What to Expect: The First Year."

2

Lay your child on a flat surface such as the floor or the baby's changing table.

3

Stretch the neck opening of the outfit with your hands. Pull firmly, but avoid ripping the fabric. Scrunch up the outfit (typically a onesie) around the neck opening.

4

Gently cup the baby's head and slide the baby's head through the neck opening. Mind the ears and the nose and guide the clothes on rather than tug the clothes on.

5

Slide the garment over the baby's shoulders and guide the baby's arms into the arm holes one at a time. Once both arms are in the proper holes, slide the rest of the garment down the baby's body to cover the torso.

6

Button the snaps or zip the zipper at the crotch area.

Bodysuits and Pajamas

7

Lay your baby on a flat surface such as the floor or the baby's changing table.

8

Unzip or unbutton the body suit or pajamas and separate the arms and the legs. Gently lift your baby and place the back of your baby into the torso region of the body suit.

9

Take the right leg of the bodysuit and slide it over your baby's right leg. Repeat with the left leg.

10

Gently turn your baby onto his side and slide in the baby's arm. Repeat with the other arm.

11

Carefully button the snaps that line the front or back of the garment, or carefully zipper the garment up from the bottom to the top.