shopping for your baby boy

This post has been in the works for a long time. I have gotten dozens of emails asking me where I buy Hudson’s clothes. Most of them are from moms of boys who, like me, once found it difficult to find sweet baby clothes for little boys.

I will admit, and I may stir the pot a little here, that I am a baby clothes snob. I have a very particular way that I like babies (my baby) to dress and I’m very careful not to stray too far from that idea. I want my baby’s clothes to be timeless and not to be an attempt to keep up with the fashion trends. I want him to dress like a little boy and not a miniature version of his Daddy.

I like footed pajamas made out of soft fabrics. I like john johns and knickers. I like onesies for play clothes. Hudson doesn’t own any denim and won’t until he’s old enough to ask me for it. I think it’s just a Southern thing and the way a lot of Southern women dress their babies. I’m dressing Hudson the way my mom dressed my brother. And, trust me, there was a day that my brother asked my mom if he could wear blue jeans.

The first thing I will say is that every season (or every time Hudson is ready for a new size) I go to Babies ‘R Us or the Carters outlet and stock up on basics. Solid white onesies and turtlenecks in different colors. There’s no reason to spend a lot on those things. I also buy a lot of play clothes that he can get dirty and we use those for days when we’re just hanging around the house and won’t be seeing anyone or going anywhere. These things are inexpensive and don’t stay in great shape after being laundered a few times, but that’s okay. They didn’t cost much and it’s okay if they get covered in spit-up.

Now that he’s bigger and wears separates to bed, I buy all of his pajamas at Target. They come in sets of 2 or 3 and most are mix and match tops and bottoms.

I have four favorite places to shop for his clothes: Little Lambs and Ivy (in Columbia), Bumble Boutique (in Columbia), Hip Hip Hooray (in Dallas), and Kelly’s Kids (online and trunk shows). Some other great resources are Shrimp and Grits and Blessed Be The Name. Janie and Jack (the Layette section)Β and Baby Gap have some cute things that fit into my “baby clothes” category, too.

My favorite brands at the boutiques are Feltman Brothers, Anavini, Bailey Boys, Funtasia Too, Le Top, Zutano Baby, Fancy Threads, Monday’s Child, Kissy Kissy, and Magnolia Baby.

I’m going to show you a few of Hudson’s outfits and some pictures of him in those outfits and tell you where we got them.

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This is a sweet Bailey Boys outfit

Picture 11These three outfits are all the same and are all reversible. They’re by a company out of North Carolina called Boojue.

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a Kissy Kissy sleeper– the softest and the sweetest

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Le Top

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Church outfits, from Left: red Lullaby Set (from Hip Hip Hooray), blue Fancy Threads (from Hip Hip Hooray), smocked frogs Two Silly Kids (purchased at a gift shop in Savannah)

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All three of these (including the red gingham in the monkey photo) are from Janie and Jack and are so great because they’re dressier play clothes.

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These two are both Kelly’s Kids john johns and I love them! Hudson can either wear them with bare arms or he can wear them with a little peter pan collar shirt underneath. The seersucker outfit is reversible!

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From Left: Monday’s Child with embroidered scooter and Anavini with embroidered monkeys

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Zutano Baby from Little Lambs and Ivy. These come in separates and in one pieces and they are so comfortable and unusual.

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Both are Kissy Kissy. One is a sleeper and one is a playsuit. I’m not kidding when I say that these are my absolute favorite things for babies. Hudson lived in them for months– obviously not these specific two pieces.

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he was so tiny!

We have lots of these Carters sleepers and onesies that have things on the rear end and cute things on the feet. They’re just cute!

Please email me if you have any additional questions about shopping for a baby. In order to eliminate any questions, I think that I’ll start putting a note at the bottom letting you all know what Hudson is wearing– even if it’s just a diaper!

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Comments

  1. says

    I LOVE this post. I do the same thing for my little one. He wears Carter’s most days for playing and Jon Jon’s for church or events.
    I also wanted to say thank you for showing the red monogrammed outfit. Sebastian also has two middle names and I could not figure out how to incorporate it into a monogram since he doesn’t have the traditional 3 letter initials. Off to the embroidery shop (AKA mom’s house) I go!
    Thank you so much.

  2. says

    oh, i just died a little bit from all the cuteness! i ADORE when babies dress like babies, it’s beyond adorable. i know when the day comes that the mister and i have a child i will definately be referring back to this list of shops and sites! thanks!

  3. says

    I absolutely love the way you dress Hudson. Although we are years away from having kids, I’ll definitely have to refer back to your blog to remember all of the cute clothing lines for when we are at that point in our lives.
    Walker always was one of the best dressed kids at school (and I didn’t even meet him until well into the jeans phase), and I have no doubt that Hudson’s wardrobe will continue to follow suit! : )

  4. says

    all of these are so freaking darling. whenever i have kids, this is how i plan on dressing them!!! my bff just asked me to be the godmother of her baby; so, this will help me out in my shopping once the sex is determined. thank you, erin!!!!

  5. says

    I am so glad you aren’t one of those moms who puts her babies in skull & crossbones t-shirts. Not that you ever would, I just hate sassy and/or trendy clothes on children! I was wondering what your makeup routine is-you look so pretty in the first picture, so I hope you can share your steps for “putting on your face” as I call it. Thanks for the post-at 25 years old I am becoming a sister for the first time this summer (Dad and Stepmom are having a baby!) and it’s a boy so I really appreciate your tips and resources!

    Have a great weekend!

  6. Laura says

    my husband and i don’t have any children yet because i decided to go back to school, but we are hoping for a boy when the time comes. i really love your philosophy of dressing hudson as a little boy and not a mini TC. that’s such an old fashioned way of thinking, which, in these fast paced modern days, is so refreshing to hear.

    do the stores where you purchase hudsons’ outfits also do the monogramming or do you go to another resource for that?

  7. says

    I totally agree that babies should dress like babies and not mini adults. I recently started sewing and I plan on making a lot of my own baby clothes. I really want to learn how to smock as well. It just looks adorable and timeless.

  8. says

    Thanks so much for this post. I love all of Hudsons clothes. This is exactly how Todd and I want to dress our baby boy. Thanks for all the info. H is such a little doll!!! I have lots of those brands of clothes in my baby closet πŸ™‚ I agree Kissy Kissy is the softest and sweetest. I love that brand. My niece lived in Kissy Kissy when she was little.

  9. says

    How cute!!!! He is one well dressed little gentleman. I love babies to look like babies. And he is a cutie. I have overly strong fears of having a little boy and not being able to dress him cute–but you prove that it’s so easy!

  10. says

    I LOVE this post! I totally agree…babies should look like babies! I can’t stand denim on babies. I love all of Hudson’s clothes – they are so cute.

  11. Belle says

    I have a daughter but always bought her the brands you are buying now. She still likes Kelly’s Kids clothes. Have you heard of Chez Ami by Patsy Aiken? You would like Patsy Aiken things as well. Not sure of the Aiken size range though now. But Chez Ami offers the home shows as well; you can find a rep close to you on their website. Another one that I hated closed but was necessitated after Hurricane Katrina was Beaux et Belles out of Louisiana. I like your clothing choices for Hudson too. πŸ™‚ He always looks sweet!

  12. says

    I love seeing Hudson dressed in a different way than I am used to, I especially appreciate an absence of sports related items as I’m not really a fan of babies constantly dressed in baseball/basketball/football, etc. Hudson’s wardrobe is much too sweet and old fashioned for my husband to get on board with, so I admit I am a bit jealous as I would love to go this route as well. If I have a boy I’d love to put him in a gown for his baby blessing but I get the feeling I’m not going to get away with it…

  13. says

    I completely agree! I do put my boys in some denim but for the most part the have always worn sweet little boy clothing-nothing trendy and nothing to make them look like a little man. Ick! My husband did nix the smocking after age 2 but I can live with that now that I have my baby girl to dress up! HA! :0)

  14. says

    Other good clothing show companies to check out are Ragsland and Castles and Crowns. I like both to get john johns from both of them. My favorites are probably the previous two mentioned I just mentioned, Shrimp ‘n Grits, and Bailey Boys. Oh and for cute personalized t-shirts try Clara Belle and the Hen. I love dressing our son like a little boy. He will dressed like his father for most of his life. He is only young once. I always love Hudson’s clothes.

  15. says

    I love the preppy pirate outfit! You know that is my favorite! Love all Hudson’s clothes. That how all the babies I see are dressed, and how my brother was dressed. Although, by the time he got walking, Mama had to pretty much give up because he was into everything.

    I was slightly horrified (the children’s clothes snob in me) at Easter when my nephew (who’s 6) was dressed in patchwork madras shorts, an untucked casual brown polo type shirt, and tennis type shoes for Easter service. Hmmmpphh. Of course, when I have a 10 year old and a six year old myself, I’m sure I will be far more relaxed and laidback about these sort of things.

  16. says

    I’m so glad that you dress your baby like a baby. Personally, I don’t like all the cargo pants, etc that babies wear……they have plenty of time to dress like Dad! I have a little girl, but if I had a boy he’d dress like Hudson. Kissy Kissy was always one of my favorites too! My favorites now are Bella Bliss and Little English, which I think I’ve mentioned here before.

  17. says

    Erin, this is so funny I swear I have Carson 90% of the outfits that you have Hudson! Like you I am very much a clothes snob for my baby boy πŸ™‚ I thought you might like to know Pixie Lily is now making bubbles and batise in 18-24 months! It is my very favorite line of baby clothing! Its similiar to Kissy Kissy, but think that it’s a little nicer! Hope you guys make a summer trip to Charleston and we get to meet! πŸ™‚

  18. says

    I’m so glad you linked these sites! Brody wears a lot of john johns in the summer. I love seersucker but I don’t really like smocking on Brody personally so these sites were very helpful since my picky ways make it hard to find many things. Brody dresses like a baby in the summers since it is so easy to find sweet summer clothes. I LOVE him in john johns at the beach. It was hard for me to find “baby” clothes within budget this past winter (since he was older) so I shopped a lot at The Children’s Place and Baby Gap. He wore a lot of polos, khakis, jeans, sweater vest, etc but I like the look of them on him so it worked well for us personally.
    Hudson’s clothes are SO cute and sweet!

    Jill and I alway wore matching Kelly’s Kids clothing growing-up so I LOVE that you linked them. I had no idea they were even around still since no one around here sells or wears their clothing.

    Thanks so much for taking the time to share with us!

  19. Ainslee Barnes Carnahan says

    If it makes you feel better I am a complete clothes snob as well. So bad that Barnes has never even worn a onesie. However he does come to work with me daily so we are always dressed to perfection!! Denim on babies makes me want to vomit! I hate it so much! Just my opninion.

    Some other sites you may want to check are:
    http://www.castlesandcrowns.com
    http://www.chezami.com
    http://www.orientexpressed.com
    I actually host the first two shows each season. Love the clothes!

    It was a sad day when they grow out of the sweet footed pajamas! I just loved them!

  20. shelly says

    love all your suggestion for boy clothes…. and your little one always looks so cute! Blessed Be the Name also has a retail line called Favorite Laundry… there is a shop in b’ham alabama… but several other children’s shops carry it too not sure if it is one that you listed or not! πŸ™‚

  21. Brooke says

    Thanks for the post !! I love his clothes and have been waiting for this post – made my day
    Your the best

  22. says

    What a timely post! I just gave birth to my first baby on Friday. We were surprised and didn’t know he was a boy until he arrived. So now I have a lot of shopping to do. I am having the hardest time finding cute clothes. It seems everything for boys is so trashy. I don’t mind denim overalls but I hate jeans and really many two piece outfits until they’re much older. All I can find are shorts or outfits with a sports gimic or skater clothes or superhero caroony stuff. Why don’t people want to dress their babies like babies? I’m glad to find a few more places to look. Thanks for the heads up!

  23. Susannah Edwards says

    I couldn’t agree more! My little girl wears smocked dresses to the store and daycare! It’s just appropriate darling!

  24. says

    I just love the way you Southern girls dress your babies! People don’t put very much thought into it up north. I love the traditional baby style that you use. Up here, our babies and toddlers are dressed like little hookers. HAHA!!! Just kidding. Really, though, you girls have got us beat when it comes to dressing your little ones.

  25. says

    That little butt picture at the end is so sweet! Your boy is adorable. This post definitely has opened my eyes. I’m not a mom and I’m not Southern, so I didn’t even know there was a world of non-denim and non-sports stuff for little boys. I don’t think I’ve ever really seen little boys up here wearing john-johns (new phrase for me!) or monogrammed things. I will say that when shopping for clothes for children of my mom friends, I’ve been pretty weirded out by some of the stuff I’ve seen. When the day comes, I refuse to put my son or daughter in shirts that say “Chick magnet” or “Hot tamale.” UGH.

  26. says

    So funny, you dress him exactly like I used to dress Walker. Kissy Kissy was my most favorite brand and I hated it when he grew out of the clothes! I also loved to order stuff from Hannah Anderson – she has some great things for babies. Couple more you may not already know about are Just Duckie and Olive Juice. I was so sad the day I walked into stores and realized they didn’t make John-Johns in Walker’s size anymore! It must be a southern thing! He fights me on clothing now – always wants to wear his Adidas shorts and some sort of sport t-shirt his dad bought him!

  27. says

    Hmm, I must be the very height of uncool. I actually love to dress my son in little Polo rompers. My husband and Will even wore similar outfits for Easter, down to the matching khakis and sweater vests. I very much enjoyed how they looked and my hubby was thrilled to show off his mini-me. Granted, I usually dress Will in Carter’s play outfits because well, he plays all day (when he’s not sleeping, and Carter’s are comfy clothes for that purpose, too). I also am very hesitant to spend any kind of serious money on more than a couple of outfits per growth stage, because no matter how careful we are, food tends to escape the pull of the bib at mealtimes, and I’d hate to stain expensive clothing. Besides, Will seems to zoom through each stage and it would make my wallet burst into tears to know that an expensive outfit was worn less than a handful of times.
    Anyway, I guess I’m the voice of opposition on this point. Even though I think Hudson is cute in all his outfits, of course!

  28. says

    p.s. I meant “more than a couple of NICE outfits per growth stage” (my son definitely has more than 2 outfits at the moment!).
    Also, I don’t spend very much on the Polo rompers; you can get great deals on them at TJ Maxx.
    Just wanted to amend my statement! πŸ™‚

  29. Christy says

    I’ve followed your blog a bit since I first found it off of Kristin Stuart’s – but I must say this was one of my fav postings! I have a 13 month old and I struggle to find traditional, nice things for him. I grew up in Atlanta (so I completely understand the Southern ‘style’) but we live in Florida and there just isn’t much in Orlando by way of stores or boutiques so I’m constantly online!

    Question: Have you gotten into looking for shoes for Hudson yet? I’m just now at that point & love Sun San, Stride Rite Guppy’s & Gap – but thought you might know of a website that offers more.

    Keep up the great blogging! πŸ™‚

    Christy

  30. Kelsey says

    I love your blog and I especially loved this post! My son is eight months old and I dress him in the same clothes but I struggle with shoes!?! What shoes does Hudson wear?

  31. says

    SUCH cute clothes!!!! I definitely have some of the same taste! I can’t wait to buy more. I can’t wait for Cohen to be able to wear normal clothes πŸ™‚

  32. Emily says

    We have the same taste in baby clothes! I am due with a baby girl in August and have bought her Kissy Kissy and Zutano sleepers and playsuits, Carter’s for practicality, and a few Bailey Boys and Kelly’s Kids items for church/special occasions. I have bought a ton of baby gifts from Boojue at the Raleigh Junior League Shopping Spree in the past couple of years and I just got my baby girl a bubble for next summer a couple of days ago. Just wanted to let you know that diapers.com has a great special going right now, 40% off clothes when you buy diapers and clothes with code SPRING40. They have Kissy Kissy (limited selection), Zutano and Carter’s at really great prices.

  33. says

    I’m not a mom, but I completely agree with your theory on dressing babies. Babies (and young children) should not look like small celebrities or reality TV stars! Your choices are all adorable!

  34. lizziefitz says

    Thanks so much for the great shopping tips! I ordered 3 outfits from boujoo yesterday. The owner is was very helpful with monogramming suggestions.

  35. says

    I am probably one of your older readers! As the owner of a small heirloom sewing and smocking store, it warms my heart to see Hudson looking so handsome in his traditional clothing! I really enjoy knowing what younger mothers are looking for in colors and styles. Some of his Kelly’s Kids garments look just like the Kelly’s Kids garments my not-so-little boy once wore! They are truly timeless. His grandmother also purchased many outfits from Memphis Woman’s Exchange, which continues to produce smocked and handmade clothing for boys and girls. The Woman’s Exchange in St. Louis also sells traditional clothing for children. Here in Dallas, in addition to the wonderful Hip, Hip, Hooray, is the St. Michael’s Woman’s Exchange. They do not have much handmade clothing, but do usually have a selection of christening gowns and other traditional clothing. Thanks so much for a wonderful post, and for dressing Hudson like the precious little boy he is!
    http://www.womans-exchange.com
    http://www.woexstl.org

  36. amanda says

    Wait until Hudosn gets older! It gets harder and harder to find precious boys clothes…I dressed my first son in smocking and jon-jons until he was 5 years old! …Have you explored the Etsy world for clothes yet? Some great finds on there…( I search “smocking” or “boys applique one piece”, etc…I loveRagsland too, used to Rep for them when I lived in ATL! Alot like Kelly’s Kids but maybe a little dressier…oh and Just Ducky! – ADORABLE! Good luck on the house!

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