Article: Infant Christmas Outfit: How to Choose by Age, Size and Print
Infant Christmas Outfit: How to Choose by Age, Size and Print
Search for an infant Christmas outfit and you'll find thousands of pictures and very little advice. Every outfit looks perfect laid flat. Far fewer look good at four in the afternoon, after a car ride, two diaper changes and an hour on a great-uncle's knee.
Choosing well comes down to three things the pictures never show: your baby's age on December 25, the size that means, and where they'll spend the day.
This guide covers all three, for a boy or a girl, from newborn to two:
- What makes a Christmas outfit work, not just photograph
- What to choose at each age, with real sizes
- Red, green, or neither: six prints and their colors
- Dressing for a day out versus a morning at home
- Matching the rest of the family
Planning the day itself? Our baby first Christmas guide covers the morning and the photo. This one is about what they wear.
What Makes a Good Infant Christmas Outfit
Three tests come before the print:
- It changes fast. At least one change is coming.
- It has nothing attached. It will be passed around all day.
- It lasts past the 25th. The best ones still get worn in January.
It Changes in Under a Minute
Snaps down the legs beat buttons up the back, and anything pulled over the head needs a wide neck. If you can't change it one-handed on someone else's sofa, it's the wrong outfit.
It Has Nothing Attached
Christmas clothes come with more extras than any other kind, and each is one more thing to scratch a cheek, catch on a sweater or come loose in a small mouth:
- Bells and jingle charms
- Pompoms and tassels
- Stiff collars and bow ties
- Sewn-on sequins and glitter
Soft, close-fitting pieces look nearly as good, and stay that way all day.
It Still Works in January
A slogan with the date gets one wear; a print that reads as winter keeps going for weeks. The exception is the classic My First Christmas outfit, made for one day on purpose.
Choosing an Infant Christmas Outfit by Age and Size
An infant Christmas outfit for a newborn and one for an 18-month-old are different jobs. Three rules hold at every age:
- Buy for their age on December 25, not today
- Between two sizes, take the bigger one
- Check each piece's range; ours differ by item
Our Three Pieces, and Their Sizes
Each piece is made the same way in every print; only the print and accent color change. Sizes as listed:
- Long-sleeved snap romper: long sleeves, contrasting ribbed trim at the neck, cuffs and ankles, and snaps down the front and both legs, so nothing goes over the head. Sizes 0-3M · 3-6M · 6-9M · 9-12M · 12-18M · 18-24M.
- Bodysuit: neckband and leg bindings cut from the printed fabric, so the print runs to the edges. Sizes 0-3 mo. · 3-6 mo. · 6-12 mo.
- Pajama set: a two-piece set for a morning at home. Sizes 0-6 mo. · 6-12 mo. · 12-24 mo.
1. Newborn to 3 Months
The simplest age to dress, and the one you'll change most. A newborn Christmas outfit should be one piece covering arms and legs, with snaps: the romper in 0-3M, or the bodysuit in 0-3 mo. with plain leggings.
Add a hat for outside, and skip anything that needs straightening every time someone new holds the baby. Our Halloween baby outfit guide explains why month ranges beat the word "newborn."
2. 3 to 6 Months
Babies this age are held upright more, so the outfit faces the camera. A bodysuit with plain leggings gives you two pieces: when the leggings take a hit, the bodysuit stays on.
3. 6 to 12 Months
Many babies start sitting now, which puts them on the floor under the tree. Choose something that covers the knees and moves with them.
The bodysuit's last size, 6-12 mo., covers the whole half-year; the romper splits it into 6-9M and 9-12M, which helps at the top of a range.
If a bow headband keeps coming off, a knotted hat is the backup. Before floor time, read the American Academy of Pediatrics' holiday decoration safety tips; low ornaments and tinsel are the usual problems.
4. 12 to 24 Months
Walking, or nearly. The long-sleeved snap romper goes this far, in 12-18M and 18-24M, so an 18-month-old can still wear a Christmas romper with their name on it. The pajama set comes in 12-24 mo.
Red, Green, or Neither: Six Christmas Prints
People who search for a baby Christmas outfit often add a color, usually red or green. Our own styling rule: one printed piece, plus a plain hat or bow in a color from the print. Two prints compete, and the one you chose gets lost.
We have six Christmas prints, each with one accent color for the romper trim and plain hats and bows:
- Red: North Trail, with cranberry
- Green: Sweetly Trimmed, with dark green, and Santa's Joyride, with olive
- Pink: North Star, with bubblegum pink
- Blue: Dear Santa Blue, with slate blue
- Plum: Dear Santa Pink, with plum
Any of them works for a boy or a girl, and all six come in the romper, bodysuit and pajama set.
North Trail
North Trail has pine wreaths in a diamond pattern with small red berries, reindeer in red scarves pulling a wooden sled of presents, little trees and gold stars on a cream ground. Its romper trim and plain hats are cranberry.
- The long-sleeved snap romper
- The bodysuit
- A plain knotted hat in cranberry
Sweetly Trimmed
Sweetly Trimmed has curling pink ribbons, small green Christmas trees, holly and gold stars on a cream-pink ground. Its romper trim and plain hats and bows are dark green.
- The long-sleeved snap romper
- The bodysuit
- A plain knotted hat in dark green
Santa's Joyride
Santa's Joyride has Santa riding a reindeer among small gold stars on a cream ground. Its romper trim and plain hats are olive, a quieter green.
- The long-sleeved snap romper
- The bodysuit
- A plain knotted hat in olive
North Star
North Star has a deeper pink ribbon lattice tied in bows on a pastel pink ground, with moss-green pines, gold stars and pale blue snowflakes. Its romper trim and plain hats and bows are bubblegum pink.
- The long-sleeved snap romper
- The bodysuit
- A plain knotted hat in bubblegum pink
Dear Santa Blue
Dear Santa Blue has a diamond grid on a slate navy ground, alternating with white diamonds filled with Santa, cookies, milk and Christmas stockings. Its romper trim and plain knotted hat are slate blue.
- The long-sleeved snap romper
- The bodysuit
- A plain knotted hat
Dear Santa Pink
Dear Santa Pink is the same design in a second color: the diamond grid on a deep plum ground, alternating with cream-white diamonds and the same cookies, milk and stockings. Its romper trim and plain bow headband are plum.
- The long-sleeved snap romper
- The bodysuit
- A plain bow headband
A Day Out or a Morning at Home
Next: where will they be? An infant Christmas outfit for a day at someone else's house does a different job from one for a morning at home.
Going Out: Layers You Can Take Off
A full house with the oven on runs far warmer than the car. Dress in one base layer, add one warm layer that opens down the front, and save the hat for outside. Our Thanksgiving outfit guide has the layer-by-layer plan, car seat included, and how to dress a newborn in winter covers the rest.
Staying Home: The Pajama Set Morning
For a morning at home, a pajama set can be the outfit: put together in photos by the tree, comfortable through wrapping paper and a late breakfast. In each print:
Either Way: Pack a Second Outfit
Keep the spare plain: a solid bodysuit and leggings, the one you sacrifice to lunch.
A Christmas Photo Outfit Your Baby Will Put Up With
Light and timing are in our first Christmas guide; this is only about what the baby wears for the camera.
Skip the Costume
A Santa suit with a belt, beard and pompom hat makes a great photo for about forty seconds, then an unhappy one. Want a Santa hat in one shot? Put it on last and take it off straight after.
Let the Name Be the Detail
This is the part we care about most. On our rompers and bodysuits, the baby's name is part of the design, repeated across the fabric, so it shows whichever way they're turned or held.
A name on a tag is a label. A name in the print is part of the outfit, and in ten years it tells you whose first Christmas it was.
Matching the Whole Family
A first Christmas is the easiest year to dress everyone alike: the baby has no opinion yet. Matching doesn't have to mean identical.
Three Prints With Tees for the Grown-ups
Three prints have graphic tees for older kids and adults, though not the same ones:
- Santa's Joyride: men's, women's and kids' tees
- Dear Santa Blue: men's and kids' tees
- Dear Santa Pink: women's and kids' tees
The baby wears the piece with their name; everyone else wears the tee. One print, one main character.
Dear Santa Blue and Pink Together
The two Dear Santa prints are one design in two colors, so they share a photo easily: one parent in the Blue men's tee, the other in the Pink women's tee, older kids in either.
It works for siblings and twins too: the same romper in blue and in plum, so each baby matches and keeps their own color.
Same Colors, Not Same Clothes
Adults don't need anything new. Put the baby in the print and pull its accent color for everyone else:
- Cranberry sweaters with North Trail
- Dark green or cream with Sweetly Trimmed
- Soft pink or cream with North Star
For matching pajamas instead, our baby first Christmas guide sets out which prints run up to grown-up sizes.
Common Mistakes With an Infant Christmas Outfit
Buying for the Age They Are Today
A six-week-old in late October is nearly three months old by Christmas. Slightly big on the day is fine; slightly small never gets worn.
Putting Two Prints Together
A printed hat with a printed outfit looks busy in person and worse in a photo. Keep the second piece plain.
Leaving the Personalized Piece Too Late
Anything with your baby's name is made after you order. Everything we make is made to order, one baby only, so there's no shelf to pull it from.
Our guidance: order 2–3 weeks before your due date — for Christmas, count that window back from the day you want it in hand.
Infant Christmas Outfit Questions
What should a baby wear for Christmas?
- One soft piece that covers arms and legs, with snaps
- A plain hat or bow in one of the print's colors
- A front-opening warm layer if you're going out
- A plain spare, packed before you leave
What's a good baby Christmas outfit for a boy?
A long-sleeved romper or bodysuit in any of the six prints, with a knotted hat or a beanie in the print's accent color: cranberry, dark green, olive, bubblegum pink or slate blue.
Almost nothing that makes the outfit work depends on whether it's for a boy or a girl.
What about a Christmas dress for a baby girl?
If you love a dress for the photo, look for three things:
- Snaps at the bottom, so you can change her without taking it off
- A soft lining rather than a scratchy one
- Room for tights or leggings underneath for the car
Then plan a romper or bodysuit for the rest of the day. The dress is for the picture; the romper is for the afternoon.
Can a baby wear a Christmas outfit after Christmas?
Yes, if you choose it for that:
- Plain hats and bows go all winter
- A print that reads as winter outlasts one about presents
- Save the slogan piece for the day itself
Final Thoughts
An infant Christmas outfit has one job the pictures forget: getting through the day, warm enough for the driveway, easy to change, and soft enough for a long line of relatives.
Start with their age on the 25th and the size that means, then where the day happens, then the colors. One print and one plain piece matter more than which color.
If you choose one thing with care, make it the piece with their name in the print. Keep everything else simple, and pack the spare.
