What should a baby wear to sleep? There are a few considerations to keep in mind when choosing the right pajamas for your baby. First, consider your baby’s sleep environment. What is the temperature in the room where your baby is sleeping? Next, consider your baby’s size and age. Some pajamas, such as sleeper gowns, are designed for newborns, while other pajamas, like 2-piece sets, are ideal for older babies and toddlers.
Types of Baby Pajamas
As with all baby clothes, you have plenty of options when it comes to dressing your baby for bed. Here are some of the most common categories of sleepwear for babies.
1-Piece Pajamas: These pajamas come in two categories: footed or footless. Footie pajamas keep your baby’s whole body and feet covered. They should fit snugly and are perfect for keeping your baby warm in cold weather. 1-piece pajamas with a zipper closure make middle-of-the-night diaper changes as easy as can be.
Baby footless sleepers have either short or long sleeves and short or full pants, but do not cover your baby’s feet. If your baby is long, footless sleepers may fit better and longer than footed PJs. Footless sleepers also ideally come with an easy-up zipper closure rather than snaps.
Sleeper Gowns: Baby sleeper gowns are one-piece garments designed for baby girls and baby boys. They are gathered at the hem and are ideal for newborns and babies up to three months. (Once your baby starts moving more, one-piece or two-piece sleepers are best.)
Carter’s sleeper gowns are made of lightweight, supersoft cotton with overlap shoulders for easy on and easy off. The cinched hem also helps keep your baby’s feet covered while providing quick access for a late night change. A sleeper gown should be long enough to cover your baby’s legs with a bit of room to spare.
Sleep & Play™: A versatile choice for babies who like to snooze on the go, a baby sleep and play is designed to provide all day comfort for your little one, whether they are sleeping or playing. Sleep and plays come in cute designs and patterns so they can easily double as daytime wear for your baby. They are perfect outfits for playtime, tummy time or any time! Sleep and plays may also come with a two-way, inverted zipper design so you can keep your baby warm and snuggly during diaper changes.
2-Piece Pajamas: These pajama sets are ideal for babies six months and older. They may come in a variety of options, including short-sleeve pajama tops and bottoms and long-sleeve pajama tops and pants. They make bottom-only changes quick and easy in the middle of the night. Two-piece PJs should be soft and snug for maximum comfort.
Wearable Blanket (Sleep Sack): Different from sleeper gowns, baby wearable blankets — or sleep sacks — act like a cocoon to help keep your baby warm on cold nights. Carter’s sleep bags come in organic cotton, double knit, Lenzing™ Ecovero™ viscose and organic cotton gauze, among other soft-on-baby fabrics. Consider selecting the fabric of a sleep bag based on your baby’s sleep temperature.
