|
"Preemie" is a term commonly used when referring to a premature baby. Medically speaking, a premature baby is any baby born prior to 37 weeks gestation, with 37 weeks being defined as full term.
From the standpoint of baby clothing, the more important distinction is the baby's weight. "Preemie" is often defined as a baby weighing less than 5 ½ pounds.
However, a more commonly used cut-off weight is 7 pounds.
This may be because it is difficult to find clothing that will fit a baby weighing less than 7 pounds unless you look at so-called preemie clothing. When purchasing baby clothing for small babies, pay close attention to the recommended weights provided by most clothing manufacturers.
Preemie clothing is often hard to come by in traditional stores. Research indicates that preemie clothing is made available by various manufacturers in nearly as extensive a variety of styles and colors as is available for full-term babies.
However, the simple economics of retailing make it difficult for any one store to justify committing a good deal of shelf space to a category of merchandise that is of interest to only a small percentage of the store's target market.
Therefore, it is often necessary for a preemie Mom to visit many stores to see a reasonable selection of product.
In today's day and age, the simplest answer may be to shop online. Since many internet-based retailers are marketing to a national (or even international) market, they can often afford to carry a much more extensive line of preemie clothing than can be justified by a local brick-and-mortar store.
Of course, it is necessary to purchase product that cannot be tried on - but I doubt that many Moms are bringing the baby to the store to try on clothing anyway. A few simple precautions when shopping online can increase the chances of a positive experience:
• Stick with familiar brands of merchandise - it is more likely that their stated sizing guidelines are accurate.
• Check out the customer services ratings of any internet retailer on independent rating services, such as bizrate.com and shopping.com.
• Look for internet retailers with liberal return policies.
While it is nice to have some well-sized clothing for your preemie, don't go overboard. You will be amazed at how quickly your baby will outgrow clothing made for babies under 8 pounds. Limit yourself to just a few basics and maybe one or two "show off the baby" outfits
By Robert Meier
Go to Baby Preemies link» |
