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It's your first baby. You're really excited and enjoying all the preparations: fitting out the nursery, sharing your hopes and dreams with other mums and dads to be and of course there is all that shopping for babies new clothes. As far as buying baby clothes are concerned there are two things you must keep in mind. The first is babies comfort and the second, and it's something you'll soon discover - babies grow very quickly! It is nice to buy pink or blue and to have everything in baby's wardrobe brand new but really what matters most of all is babies comfort and safety! If an older sister or workmate offers you some second hand clothes use them. Clothing your newborn is going to be a very expensive business and you will appreciate the help. Let's have a look at possible fabrics: You'll find that cotton, or cotton blends, are often the preferred option. They have several advantages over other fabrics. The material washes well and is durable. Baby stains are easily removed and it is safe to wash at a higher temperature. Look out for cotton knits, they are great at retaining their shape, they don't need ironing and in general will not shrink. Terry fabrics are also worth considering. Terry fabrics for babies are often cotton and nylon blends. They are soft, breathe well and are comfortable A plain texture in a terry fabric can often feel like a soft cotton t-shirt. That's another important point when shopping make sure the item 'breathes,' i.e. body moisture can evaporate, especially in the summer months. Pay attention to the care labels, read them carefully to discover what the garment is made from. While not all countries use the same marking symbols you should make sure that babies clothes are capable of been washed and dried at high temperatures. In general it is best to avoid clothing that has to hand-washed or washed on the delicate/gentle cycle as these will not clean or last as long as other fabrics. It's nice to buy baby the occasional 'special' item but in general these products will cost you more money over the year. Remember also that babies' skin is very delicate so if you want to use a softener use only dryer-sheet softeners as these are less abrasive. At some stage you may want to bleach babies clothes check the label to see if you can use chlorine bleach or if you can only use a non-chlorine, color-safe bleach. Check the seams of garments. Watch that the seams are will finished and there are kept to a minimum. Where the garment has a collar it should be small and lay flat. When you come to buy sleepwear make sure it is not bulky or irritating. If the item has feet make sure there is plenty of room for babies' feet to move. Under no circumstance should baby feel restricted within the garment. Pay close attention to the type of product you are buying, read carefully the manufacturers instructions, and always think comfort and safety. Enjoy baby! Kevin Hart lives in Armagh City, Ireland. He is an author and researcher. More articles on babies and toddlers can be found on his website at http://www.babies-worldwide.com
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