Building a Capsule Wardrobe for a Baby (and fitting in gifted clothes that don't work!)
When I started building Miles' wardrobe, I knew it had to be simple, be enough to last in between laundry days, and make sure he looked cute and cool. In my post about baby basics, I talked about how a maintained a set number of clothes in various categories to get me through the first year of his life. Looking back, I realize that there's very little I would have changed.
Creating boundaries for the wardrobe
Chose a color scheme that will be easy for you to work with. I recommend choosing 1 color and 3 neutrals, but you can also do 2 colors and 2 neutrals. I used blue, black, gray and white. Don't feel like you have to chose 4 colors if you think you'll be great with just 3. Remember: this is to make your life that much easier and if you can do it in 3, then do!
Other optional color schemes:
- blue, green, off-white and gray
- pink, gold, off-white
- red, pink, black, white
- blue, red, gray, black
- yellow, blue, camel, white
It should go without saying that the time of year you have your baby and your location's weather patterns will truly determine what your specific needs will be. For example, I live in the Central Valley of California. We have Summer and Winter, with a few short weeks of Fall and Spring. When Miles was first born, we lived in an older home that didn't have central heat or air. This meant that his summer wardrobe (3M to 9M sized clothing, or 3-6 months to 6-9 months clothing) was short-sleeved onesies and maybe a pair of shorts. He didn't get a pair of shoes until he was 6 months and started really walking at 8, almost 9 months.
Additionally, take into serious consideration the growth pattern of you and your partner. If that information is unavailable, err on the side of caution and purchase fewer clothes in each size and put the rest of the money on a gift card for stores like Walmart and Target in case you need to buy more on the fly. I grew steadily while Mike's family history has taller, chunkier babies. The 6M-9M size window was virtually nonexistent for Miles.
Below is a handy chart I developed for myself. I made sure to buy 2 weeks worth of clothing for every size to use throughout the week. This gave me a week's worth of actually-worn clothing to hold me over until I did laundry (which is once a week in my house).
But what to do with clothes that don't fit within the capsule?
While building a capsule closet yourself is fairly easy to accomplish, presents are a thing and not everyone may be on board with your idea of a limited color wardrobe for your baby. I know that was my biggest hurdle (and still is today). Almost no one can resist an adorable T-Rex shirt with a funny saying on it.
The best part about a capsule closet is that, with the right parts in play, anything thrown into it should work flawlessly. Almost every onesie and shirt will match pants in neutral color. Never turn your nose up to free clothing because there will always be a moment when it will be benefited from.
As babies start to eat regular foods, their poops will start staining their clothes. Some babies spit up and throw up more than others. Baby led weaning is also extremely messy. Got a onesie that makes you cringe just looking at it? There's always one. Make that your backup outfit in your diaper bag/backpack.
Additionally, if you have any you don't plan on holding onto, highly consider donating to women's shelters or put out a post on Facebook to see if anyone who can't afford is in need of a few donations. These spare onesies that baby grows out of or you don't need can always be made useful by another mama.
