Preemie Tidbits

So many people ask the questions, “Where do I find preemie baby clothing? Where can I buy preemie clothes?” The following article is courtesy of John O’Brien over at PreemieSource – I thought it was well written and answered these questions well (not to mention that he put Perfectly Preemie at the top of the list!). Check out their site – it is a great resource for parents of preemie babies!

“As I discussed in my previous post, “What to Look For in Preemie Clothing,” finding clothing that is custom designed and manufactured for preemie babies is not something you will discover at many department or discount stores. Since there are a relatively small number of communities that are served by a specialized Preemie Clothing “Brick and Mortar” store, your best bet may be shopping online. One of the biggest benefits of shopping online besides the convenience factor is the great selection you will find at your fingertips. Even though there are many hospitals with NICU’s that may have gift shops that carry some preemie clothes, they will tend to have a very limited selection to choose from.

In light of this, I will first give you a listing of some of the top online providers of preemie clothing for you to choose from. Then I will list a couple national brick and mortar stores that may be able to help you as well.”

Online Preemie Clothing Retailers:

Perfectly Preemie (formerly PreemiesRus)
Preemie Store
Nurture Place
BabyLinq
Jacqui’s Preemie Pride
AvaBaby’s
Anna’s Preemie
Preemie Proud
My Miracle Baby
Little Sprout Collection

Brick & Mortar Preemie Clothing Retailers:

BabiesRus
Walmart

Introducing our new Zebra Flowers Swing Dress – this is THE dress for the smallest fashionista in your family! Black, white and fuchsia all over…this swing style dress has double pink Zebra print flowers, ruffle and trim. Bell bottom leggings finish this fashion forward dress for the newest little preemie girl.

Made from a jersey cotton knit and our lap style neckline, this is one of our easy to dress styles.

Extra Bonus: This dress comes with matching leggings.

Currently Available in Preemie Size (3-6lbs) only. Great fashion value at $19.95

Made in the USA from 100% Cotton. Machine Wash.

So soft and luxurious, these amazing European designed velour rompers by Tutto Piccolo are filled with vibrant colors, detailed embroidery and unique, textured appliqués. The pictures simply can’t reveal their jaw-dropping looks nor allow you to feel their wonderful coziness!

Unique Feature: These are the only sleep ‘n plays we carry that snap down the back. This makes for a much more classy and beautiful look on the front. Dressing and diaper changing is easy with full snaps down the back and at the crotch.

Available in 3 sizes that match fairly close to the upper end of our Tiny (4lbs/16″), Preemie (6lbs/18″) and Newborn (8lbs/21″) sizing.

Original retail price was $36.95 – now on clearance for just $14.95 – better hurry as they won’t last!

What a cute little Robot set for the new preemie boy in your family!

This set includes:

• Two-sided matching blanket,
• Sleep Sac
• Baggette
• Cap

The Sleep Sac is made from a soft 100% cotton knit print. This style is wonderful for night time wear, it snaps from neck to toes for easy dressing and diaper changing.

The Baggette has a fold over bottom to keep toes warm & cozy while still providing easy access for those diaper changes. Fold over knit cuffs help to keep the hands covered and warm and their face free from scratches.

Made from soft cotton thermal knit, this baggette is a perfect sleepwear choice.

Special Feature: The fold over bottom prevents the bag from riding up during sleeping, yet still giving great access. This is a better alternative to the old elastic bottoms and string pull ties. The lap style neckline also provides easy dressing with a wide opening for over the head, or pull it up from the feet and simply snug it around the neck and shoulders.

Completing this gift set is a matching blanket, with navy thermal on one side and the Robot print knit on the other. A matching Robot patch completes the look on this cuddly little blanket as well as on the baggette. A coordinating cap is included.

Available in Preemie Size (3-6lbs)

Save $5.00 on this ensemble. The regular price on these items when sold separately is $44.85.

There is a limited supply of these Gift Sets, so get yours today…

Sure to delight, this soft fuchsia plaid is made from 100% cotton interlock and is accented with matching fuchsia picot trimmed elastic. A very sweet kitty applique tops off the cute, but very practical side snap shirt. We have included matching fuchsia stripe and white sockies.

The side snap shirt works wonderfully well for easy dressing, just open it up, lay down baby and snap a couple of snaps on each side. This gives easy access in the NICU or at home. The sleeves have great fold over cuffs to cover those little hands. The pants also have the fold over cuffs to keep little toes warm.

This long-sleeved shirt can be worn alone or the matching pants can be utilized to make a complete outfit.

Currently available in Preemie (3-6lbs) size only for $18.95

100% Cotton, Machine Wash. Made in the USA

This little floral outfit simply exudes happiness, full of white, pink, fuchsia, and lime daisies. Made with care from soft, lightweight cotton jersey knit, this print is trimmed in soft pink cotton as well.

The side snap shirt works wonderfully well for easy dressing, just open it up, lay down baby and snap a couple of snaps on each side. This gives easy access in the NICU or at home. The sleeves have great fold over cuffs to cover those little hands. The pants also have the fold over cuffs to keep little toes warm.

This long-sleeved shirt can be worn alone or the matching pants can be added to make a complete outfit.

Currently available in Preemie (3-6lbs) size only. Only $16.95 – order yours here.

100% Cotton, Machine Wash. Made in the USA

What kind of clothing do you need for the tiniest babies on earth? Finding clothing that is custom designed and manufactured for preemie babies is not something you will find at many department or discount stores. Even though over 400,000 premature babies will be born in the United States alone this year, that is still considered a “small” market for most baby clothing manufacturers. Not only that, but there are important and distinct details that are necessary to build into any preemie specific design.

First of all, it’s important to pay attention to the sizing requirements of your precious little one. There are really 2-3 distinct size ranges in Preemie clothing, in addition to the mainstream “Newborn” size of 5-8lbs that is more widely available. The typical size breakout works like this: Micro (1-3lbs) and Preemie (3-6lbs). At least one manufacturer, Perfectly Preemie (formerly PreemiesRus), adds a third size that fits in the middle of these they call Tiny (2-4lbs). Some manufacturers use different descriptions or slightly varying weight brackets, but please realize that just because the label says “Preemie” does not mean it will fit all premature babies.

Though all preemie clothing should be soft to the touch, this is most important for the Micro Preemie’s sensitive skin. Also, very important to have in this size are easy to use openings on the shoulders or sides in addition to the front. These openings will allow easy access for the various wires and tubes needed in premature baby care. Other features that are beneficial are fold over cuffs for the hands and feet that provide scratch protection and extra warmth.

Usually you will find tiny T-shirts, gowns and bodysuits in the smaller preemie clothing sizes. Some of the outfits may include tiny hats – a great idea to keep the baby toasty warm! As the preemie grows into the 3lb range, many more clothing options open up, from various styles of sleep sacs to footed one piece sleep n’ plays and beautiful dresses. Once your precious baby grows past the 5-6lb range, they move into the large category of Newborn which has so much to offer from designer styles to the simple basics and everything in between.

Some other essentials you should consider are mittens, booties and hats. Mittens are recommended if the baby is wearing something without foldover cuffs, to keep their face free from scratches. Some hospitals have times when they may not want the preemie dressed, so having some cute hats ready to help hold in their body heat is a great plan.

This article is courtesy of John O’Brien over at PreemieSource – I thought it was well written and covered the topic well (not to mention that he referenced Perfectly Preemie in it!). Check out their site – it is a great resource for parents of preemie babies!

I just had to add this beautiful long sleeved velour gown to our growing Christmas collection of preemie clothing! It is so rich and yet delicate with the white pointelle knit accents and cute little red bow. The gown has a special trim with snaps under the ruffle (see below) that effectively closes the bottom of the garment. This helps keep the little one very cozy and warm! As the baby’s legs grow beyond the length of the gown, you could add a pair of leggings to keep them warmer in the cool months. This lap style neckline is trimmed with ruffle elastic which allows for easy dressing.

Available in Preemie (3-6lbs) AND Newborn (5-8lbs) so you could take your preemie princess home for the holidays!

The Holiday Season is upon us and there’s no reason to leave your little preemie baby out of the fun! We continue to add some very cute outfits that will be sure to add some holiday cheer to all who surround your precious preemie. Here are two of the latest additions: Red Velour Side Snap Set (available in Preemie 3-6lbs) and Santa is Here Side Snap-T (available in Tiny 2-4lbs).

We have SO much to be thankful for and one thing for certain is that we are very thankful for YOU, our customer! We hope things are going well with your little preemie(s) and would like to express our thanks by giving you an extra 15% off everything in our store – all preemie clothes and necessities – even all our items on sale! With prices marked down as much as 60%, you can certainly make your dollar stretch further this Holiday Season. Just enter Redeem Code “Thx15%off” during checkout by Monday, November 30th.

We have discovered that tiny preemies grow up…and we have some amazing deals on these cute footies in 3, 6, and 9 month sizes! The retail price on these is $15.00, our regular price is $12.95 and we have them on sale for just $8.95! With a price like that, either pick one up for your growing preemie or as a gift for a friend’s baby. To see these deals, along with MANY more, just click here to go to our Specials.

Just in from production is our fun new green and red Ooga Booga print. It’s soon to be Christmas and these cute little characters are ready to celebrate with your precious preemie baby! We have the adorable Ooga Booga Side Snap 4pc Set (available in Tiny (2-4lbs) and the Ooga Booga Nic-Gown (available in Micro (1-2.5lbs and Tiny (2-4lbs) to choose from.

November 17 is dedicated to raising awareness of the crisis of premature birth. The March of Dimes has invited bloggers everywhere to get involved. We need to fight ― because babies shouldn’t have to. I was drawn to one of the stories on Bloggers Unite written by a mother named Karen. The amazing thing is that her “life tumbled out of control” exactly 17 years ago today, when her precious son “started too early.” Reading about her experience with a baby that decided to come 8 weeks early and all the struggles touched me today. The best part of her story is how her son, Dude, is now a healthy young man of 17 and one of the “sweetest boys you’ll ever meet!”

You’ll enjoy reading the full account here on her Write From Karen blog. It will both inspire and encourage you – especially if you are dealing with a little one that has started too early…even as we speak…

Dude 8 weeks early in the NICU

Dude, now a teenager

Well, technically, November is “Premature Birth Awareness Month.” Last year, some 20 million babies were born before they were ready, all over the world. Around 543,000 of them in the United States alone! Premature birth is the #1 cause of death for newborns and can produce lifelong disabilities and health challenges. The number of preemies born each year has increased a whopping 31% since 1981! No one is immune, since premature births can occur for any number of reasons (including no known reason at all) and often without warning. It’s vital that we discover more answers to aid in the fight against premature birth!

Thankfully, rapid advances in medicine have given some of the tiniest babies in history a chance to survive. However, premature birth is often a life or death situation for many babies.

November 17 in particular, is dedicated to raising awareness of the crisis of premature birth. The March of Dimes is inviting bloggers everywhere to get involved. For more info, here are links to bloggersunite and the March of Dimes.