Guide to Baby Pajamas

The temperatures are starting to dip in most places outside the tropics (in the Northern Hemisphere). If you have a baby or infant, you have probably gone out to buy or began to think about buying pajamas to keep your little one warm at night.  My son Clark was born in the Spring and we live in Vegas. Until very recently the temperature ranged from frying pan to the fire.  Clark rarely wore anything besides short sleeve onesies, even to sleep.  With Christmas fast approaching, the temperature in the desert has dropped significantly, especially at night.  So, now we put Clark to sleep in warm comfy jammies.

We've learned that not all pajamas are alike. Some are far more friendly to you as a parent than others.  Besides warmth, your biggest concern will be access.  When your baby wakes up in the darkest hours of the night and needs changing, you want the process to be as easy as possible.  So it is important to look for pajamas with easy access to the diaper.  This usually entails snaps/buttons that run at least from each of the the legs to the crotch. With that you can remove the offending diaper, wipe the butt, and put on the new diaper with as little hassle as possible.  Pajamas that force you to unzip the entire garment, then pull the legs out, mean you may have a cold baby while you're doing diaper management. You want quick access and minimum exposure to nighttime temperatures.  Lastly, get that baby back to sleep before he starts getting ideas about staying awake.

There are plenty of very cute pajamas with zippers or with snaps/buttons that only go up one leg.  They are mighty cute, but in the wee ours of the morning with a crying baby, you'll appreciate form over function.  This also works in reverse, if there is someone you don't like, buy cute pajamas for their kid with a convoluted design.  They'll think of you in their moment of despair.  I'm just kidding, don't do that.

     - Clark's Dad