Shopping for Baby: Determining Clothes and Shoe Sizes

Preparing for the coming of your little angel takes a lot of preparation and surely you have considered shopping for his needs. Choosing your baby’s new set of belongings is a very exciting task but buying clothing and footwear may not be as easy as you think. Before considering everyone’s suggestion (as family and friends also want to get involved) as to the kind, quality, quantity and size, let’s find out from the experts what parents (and godparents) should know in buying baby’s 1st apparel collection. 

image from enfant.com.ph

Marites Solis, Store Supervisor of Enfant Store at Greenbelt 5 knows what to suggest to parents in her 13 years of selling experience. “Some would-be parents just look around to window shop and are hesitant to purchase because of Filipino ‘pamahiin’ on buying for the unborn child. This shouldn’t be a hindrance as planning for the baby is part of good parenting. So for the new, clueless couples who walk into our store, we provide them our list of baby supplies. From clothing, toiletries and accessories, we help educate them on what to consider in picking a piece. With mittens, for example - a gartered cuff is convenient but it can cause line marks on the baby’s wrist. With shirts, buttons are more convenient than tie-sides but can be hazardous because these can come loose and can be swallowed. Babies are prone to skin rashes, and often the culprit could be the clothing material or the detergent used.”

Miss Raina Lim, Assistant Managing Director of Enfant Philippines, says that “Trends are emerging among new parents today, such as wanting to go organic, that’s why you will notice that a lot of stores now offer baby clothing that makes use of organic materials like bamboo, as in our Bambies line. At Enfant, we use pesticides-free cotton and we use organic coloring for dyeing and printing. The process is environment friendly as we don’t use chemicals.

Buying the right quantity of clothes for baby is always a consideration also. “We suggest that new parents get 6 pieces of each kind, says Eden Camacho of Cash and Carry Department Store’s baby section. “It’s a practical quantity – not too many and not too few, either.”

 

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Shopping for clothes

Sizing is different for each brand manufacturer, too. Some brands base their size tag on the baby’s age, some come in the standard Small, Medium, and Large sizes, while others in numerical figures. Parents should know their baby’s height, weight and size if they intend to shop without bringing the baby along. 

Experts also advise to get a piece 1 size bigger than your baby’s size to make room for growth. To do away with the guesswork, Eden says, “We have brands that provide us with a size chart our customers can refer to.

Enfant bases its size tags according to the baby's age and measurement. Below is their comparative size chart:

Another trend that is seen in today’s shoppers is their renewed interest in cloth. In diapers most specially, quite a number are going back to the lampin and its variations, and manufacturers have responded. Take, for example our Papoose cloth diaper. It has a replaceable inner lining that’s more absorbent than ordinary cloth diaper and can last up to 10 hours per use. It’s adjustable to the baby’s growing size and being reusable makes it far more economical than disposables.”   

Cash and Carry Department Store. Photo by the author

Image from www.facebook.com/PapoosePhilippines 

 

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Shopping for shoes

Shopping for shoes also has its difficulty. Ms. Dave Catapang of the infant shoes section tackles the shopper’s common problem – what size to get when shopping as a gift. “Each brand has its own size chart indicating the standards in Euro, US, foot length and baby’s age in months. Little Blue Lamb, a popular US brand in baby shoes has a chart printed on their package (illustrated below). This chart helps our shoppers make a precise estimation of their godchild’s foot size. I always suggest for them to take the next bigger size for allowance.”

 

Image from http://www.facebook.com/LittleBlueLamb.Ph

“More than the size, they should also consider the age. For infants, I suggest our light weight line as this has anti-odor, anti-slip and hand-stitched feature. Little Blue Lamb’s line for 6 – 12 months are soft and flexible for the little explorer who’s just learning to walk.” adds Dave.

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Another expert with shoes, Miss Kim Poon of Tyler Marketing, distributor of Shooshoos* brand in the Philippines shares with us this important tip every newbie parent should know. “Most people look at price as a major factor because kids' feet grow so fast and because they may only wear them a few times but it is this idea that hinders optimal development. Personally, for infants and toddlers, I think it is better to have 1-2 good pairs of shoes than to have a lot of cheaper, fancy ones. You might find the cost will equal or surpass that of having only a few good pairs that eventually will last you longer.”

Image from tylermarketing.multiply.com (used with permission) 

 

Below are more tips from Miss Kim: 

1. Criteria in shoe selection

When buying shoes for babies, there are a few important things to consider other than the price. Shoes are primarily for protection from hard or rough surfaces. They should have as little influence on the feet as possible and should mimic walking or running barefoot but since we are not sure how safe (from small sharp objects) the flooring may be, soft soled shoes are the next best thing. When buying shoes for babies, they should look for the following qualities: 

• Breathable. Shoes must be made from natural materials. Plastic, imitation leathers or other materials can cause excessive sweating. 

• Flexible. As a test, bend the shoe at the ball. They should bend easily. Rigid soles tend to restrict the natural foot development of infants. 

• Lightweight. Shoes should not be too heavy or bulky. They should be thick enough for protection but still allow feet to move as naturally as possible. There should be room for babies' feet to wriggle because this is where they learn balance. They should be able to spread their toes enough to provide balance and support. 

• Traction. Soles should be made from non-slip material (leather/suede preferably), to provide adequate traction and enhance balance and stability. 

 

2. The best time to buy shoes

 The best time to buy shoes for your baby is when baby is in a good mood, well rested and recently fed. It is difficult to get the perfect size for your baby if he/she is in a cranky mood, hungry or sleepy. 

 

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3. Shopping without the baby in tow and getting the right size

 It is best to bring your baby along when buying shoes for him/her. However, there will be times that this is not possible and I make sure I know their size beforehand. Otherwise, you can refer to the shoes' sizing chart/guide. For children's footwear, the charts usually include UK and US sizing as well as its equivalent in metric measurement and age reference. Download the shoe size chart here. 

For those buying shoes as a gift, you can always refer to the age as your reference when buying shoes. It also helps to know if the baby is chubby or big for his/her size. This will give you an idea of the width of the feet. Some babies may share the same size in length but one may have wider feet than the other. Also, although it may be cheaper, it is not ideal to buy shoes 2 sizes bigger, since your baby may only end up tripping from the shoes. Especially with infant shoes, it is best to have only half an inch or 1cm allowance. Shooshoos’ products have no laces that may cause baby to trip over. 

When shopping online (as Shooshoos is available online) look for stores that have either sizing charts with UK/US measurements and/or metric measurements. Choose stores, too, that allow you to exchange items just in case you buy the wrong size.

Download and print the Shooshoos shoe size chart here.

Main photo by eagan via flickr creative commons