5 Reasons to Consider Gender-Neutral Baby Clothes
Teeny-tiny pink booties and an itty-bitty tulle-covered tutu are calling you. Or maybe it’s a blue li’l slugger jersey and matching cap you can’t help but heart. There are just so many adorable ways to dress your little one. You’re all about styling your baby’s outfits as much as your own, but maybe maxing out on “gendered” tones isn’t the best idea. Before you load up on powder pink or baby blue onesies, check out some reasons to go gender-neutral!
1. Cute clothes are cute clothes. Those soul-crushingly sweet little socks will be equally charming in pink, blue, yellow, green or purple. Baby clothes are universally adorable, regardless of their color. So go ahead and put your beautiful baby in a pink romper… or go with blue… or maybe maroon? How about emerald green? We’re sure you’ll agree that the color will not be the cutest part of the ensemble.
2. It’s not 1972. Sure, most of us grew up in a time when a blue blanket meant “boys only.” But the “blue is for boys, pink is for girls” restriction has relaxed a lot since then, and it was actually a pretty recent “tradition” — a hundred years ago, the “rule” was the exact opposite. No one today is going to freak out because you dressed your little Jenny in a navy onesie or put a fuchsia polo on Johnny. Okay, maybe the grandparents will keep heaping you with pink for your girl and blue for your boy. But opting your own picks toward a not-so-gendered wardrobe isn’t exactly crazy or out-there these days.
3. You have your own style. Someday soon - and those years will fly faster than you think - your baby will want a major say in what they’re wearing. But right now their style is basically yours (and your S.O.’s). Some mamas are all about rainbow brights, while others love a neutral palette of tans, creams and grays. Take a look in the mirror: You’re a girl (or rather, a woman), and you probably don’t dress yourself like a Barbie aisle. Chances are your wardrobe has something pink, but it also has its fair share of LBDs and other totally gender-neutral colors. Likewise, it’s doubtful the men in your life stick to shades of blue all the time. Share your fashion sense with your kiddo, dressing them in what you find stylish instead of worrying about what color they’re “supposed” to wear.
4. Multiplying hand-me-downs is a must. Let’s say you have a baby girl, so you go out and buy everything 100 percent in pink. So do your mother, your MIL, your sister, your BFF, your coworkers, the mail carrier, your hair stylist and that nice old lady across the street. Two years later you’re back on the baby wagon, and your toddling tot is suddenly big sis to a little bro. At that point, you have two choices — you can pass down that stack of pink outfits to your son, or you can start from scratch. Wouldn’t you rather have gone gender-neutral from the beginning? Keeping the wardrobe universal means you’ll always have clothes to hand from sibling to sibling, regardless of gender.
5. Babies don’t know what gender is. For sure, your baby is learning about the world around them right from the start. You can see it every time their eyes light up! But your one-month-old has absolutely no clue what colors mean in terms of cultural stereotypes and mainstream-media-imposed norms. They couldn’t care less if they’re wearing pink, blue, gold, silver or emerald. Put them in a pair of blue overalls and they’re just as happy as if you’d put them in a pink polka-dot top. Instead of worrying about the color, think about how the outfit makes your baby feel. Focus on ensuring they’re not too hot, not too cold and the fabric isn’t overwhelming their senses, and any shade at all will make the perfect backdrop for their bright smile.
(Photos via Getty)
source:brit.co by:Erica Loop
