ISO preemie clothing- inexpensive

amother

Mon, Nov 14 2011, 8:39 pm

I am looking for preemie/micro-preemie clothing, specifically caps and snap-down shirts, for very cheap. hand-me-downs would be great, but we dont hav someone to get them from.

we really cant afford an expensive wardrobe right now, and they change her clothing often in the NICU. I dont care much what they look like, baby is in the hospital anyway, but the clothing they put on her is 0-3 month sized, and I think she will be more comfortable and she will certainly look less goofy in stuff her own size. (she weighs a bit over 3 lbs.)

any ideas where to shop? online or actual store suggestions both welcome.
thanks!

spring13

Mon, Nov 14 2011, 9:17 pm

Can you find a kids consignment store in your area? They may have preemie stuff in good shape.

If you're in Baltimore or Passaic, PM me and I can give you some locations.

amother

Mon, Nov 14 2011, 9:30 pm

I think some of my dd's preemie clothing came from the childrens place, some from carters- you can check kohls and target for carters clothing. babies r us carries some stuff too, as does baby gap, but obviously, thats a bit more pricey, not sure if old navy has or not, but you can check online.

Also, you will need to get a lot of the basics like onsies and the like, but your baby will probably need to be at least 5 pounds before leaving the hospital, which means she will almost fit into 0-3 month clothing, so dont buy too many things preemie sized.

We used to buy size 1 diapers and fold them over, same thing with pants if we ran out of the preemie sizes.

mazal tov!

May

Mon, Nov 14 2011, 10:15 pm

Don't know if you are in the NY area, but Far Rockaway has a preemie gmach and I'll bet that Brooklyn does too. Also, if you have any friends who had preemies, they may have a wardrobe to lend. That's what I did. Or post on your community list-serve (If you have one) that you are looking for preemie clothing. A lot of parents don't mind giving out their preemie stuff b/c they hope to never need it again.

peppermint

Mon, Nov 14 2011, 11:58 pm

Where do you live?
There is a thrift shop in Lakewood that sells it for cheap and I can find out about a preemie gemach in Yerushalayim if your interested.

amother

Tue, Nov 15 2011, 12:19 am

peppermint wrote:

Where do you live?
There is a thrift shop in Lakewood that sells it for cheap and I can find out about a preemie gemach in Yerushalayim if your interested.

OP here- I live in lakewood, how to I contact the thrift shop?

ewa-jo

Tue, Nov 15 2011, 2:25 am

Ebay! You can get a whole wardrobe for cheap. Most people over-buy baby clothes and their kid wears it once or twice before it's outgrown.

Search for "preemie girl lot" or "preemie boy lot" (whichever the case is)

Tue, Nov 15 2011, 4:58 am

When I was shopping for clothes for ds, all the stretchies on the sale rack in walmart were preemie. Don't think you can get cheaper than walmart clearance!

Liba

Tue, Nov 15 2011, 5:31 am

Mazal tov.

Ebay is usually the cheapest place to look.

Keep in mind, if she is ventilated or on oxygen clothing that goes over the head is usually next to impossible to put on and take off. My preemies were really floppy as well so the physical therapist suggested only clothing that opened down the front, but in an incubator metal snaps can get hot.

Our most recent NICU didn't allow clothing from home, saying it was an infection risk, though the NICUs in the US were fine with it as long as there was no central (umbilical) line.

Getting my little babies into clothing that fit and was cute was a huge priority for me, but it wasn't as easy as just finding cheap preemie clothing. Make sure that you are getting clothing you can actually use. Smile

DrMom

Tue, Nov 15 2011, 5:36 am

If you lived in Israel I would suggest buying inexpensive newborn clothing and running it through the laundry (including a dryer). They'll shrink to premie size.

Grandmama

Tue, Nov 15 2011, 8:43 am

If you have somewhere in Boro Park where it can be dropped off, I have some brand new preemie stuff to give away. Just pm me. Otherwise, preemie stuff can be bought anytime for a great price at kohls, or walmart, or anywhere online by typing in preemie. But I would gladly give you a bag of stuff, preemie and older, as a gift! Just specify boy or girl, and where it can be dropped off.

DefyGravity

Tue, Nov 15 2011, 8:56 am

Only get a few things b/c babies grow fairly quickly. Mine were not as small as yours, but they went down to 4 pounds and swam in 0-3 size. I drove myself crazy trying to find preemie stuff, but thankfully, I only got a few things, and they fit into newborn before I knew it. And in the long run, it doesn't make a difference if the newborn size is too big. It doesn't make a difference to the baby. At the time, it bothered me that they looked silly in clothing that was too big, but it really didn't matter.

The preemie things I found that were actually tiny, was stuff that someone gave me from The Children's Place.

cl1234

Tue, Nov 15 2011, 2:19 pm

Mazel tov! Carter's was the best fit for my baby. I didn't buy too many things- a few of the onesies, and some one pieces. It was all inexpensive. Buy Buy Baby and Babies R Us carried the carter's for preemies. They didn't have a ton of styles to choose from, but you really don't need a lot. They grow out of it so fast. I also bought some colorful flannel blankets that they used to line the isolette with-just the white hospital blankets looked a little depressing. Gap has a size called "under 7" pounds, but it didn't fit until my baby was home from the hospital, and weighed about 6 pounds. Btw- if you have any questions about any of this, feel free to PM me. I just went through this, and I know how tough it can be. Mazel tov again!

Liba

Wed, Nov 16 2011, 12:43 am

Am I the only one who didn't experience my preemies growing so fast? We used preemie sizes for months, well after they got home.