A newborn onesie is the one baby gift that always gets used and rarely gets returned. The trick is picking a joke that lands with the parents, because the baby has no opinion yet.
The joke should be about the parents
The onesies that get photographed and posted are the ones that say something true about the household. Nobody in a newborn house has finished a series since the due date. That is why Just Chill Til The Next Episode is our most-gifted baby item: it reads as the baby's instruction to the parents, and every parent who sees it has lived it.
In My Mind is the quieter one. It is for the baby who stares at the ceiling fan like it owes them money, and for the parents who recognize themselves in that stare.
Sizing, in plain terms
- Newborn fits for a few weeks at most. Skip it unless the gift is for a baby who has already arrived and is small.
- 0 to 3 months is the safe shower-gift size. Most babies grow into it quickly and wear it for a while.
- 3 to 6 months and 6 to 12 months are the sizes parents run out of first. Gifting one size up is never wrong.
Fabric and care
Look for soft ring-spun cotton and a snap closure at the bottom, not buttons. Print-on-demand onesies should be washed inside out in cold water and tumbled low to keep the print sharp. Ours are printed direct-to-garment, which means the design is in the fabric rather than sitting on top of it.
Timing the gift
For a baby shower, order at least three weeks before the date. For a gift after the birth, order the day you get the announcement and size up. It arrives about the time the parents realize nothing fits anymore.