Motherhood
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My Favorite Sleepwear for Children.

By: Jen Shoop

There is something particularly delicious about a freshly-bathed baby in freshly-laundered pajamas. I look forward to our post-bath routine every night, when mini begins to wind down and, after brushing teeth and lining up her Little People on my nightstand in a tidy row (she is going to excel in Montessori this upcoming year, n’est-ce pas?), we all climb into bed together — Tilly included — to read two books as a family before we head into her nursery. (Current favorites: Jesse Bear What Will You Wear? and Madeline.) Mini is so accustomed to our routine that she will indicate, loudly, if we are doing something out of order. “Mommy, sit here,” she’ll direct, if Tilly happens to be perched in my usual spot. Or “Two books!” if I’ve only brought one. Or “Daddyyyyy!” if Mr. Magpie lingers in the living room tidying up and we’re already nestled in bed.

I love the moments where she curls up next to me in her jammies, laying her head against my chest. Even now, at two, she can be wriggly and willful and silly, and so I treasure those moments of tenderness.

Today, I thought I’d share a couple of my favorite pajama brands for babies and toddlers:

+First, a new discovery: Paper Cape! I love the traditional styling and soft pima cotton of their pajamas (seen above, on mini). The founder, Alex, was generous enough to send mini a pair and we are smitten. (I love the back story, too: “After a decade working for leading retail brands, mother Alex Golden became troubled by the fast fashion disposable clothing trend and the lack of high-quality classic styles for kids that were also super comfortable. In search of inspiration, she found a 30-year-old pair of overalls that her husband wore as a child.  She recognized that this type of heirloom-quality children’s clothing in classic styles are missing from today’s market. So she set out to create Paper Cape, offering the softest, highest-quality fabrics in timeless designs that meet the needs of active kids and modern parents.” Yes!!!) I will be ordering more, including this navy footie for micro. Note: size up! Mini currently wears a size 3T and they fit perfectly.

+Roller Rabbit. I love the prints. They are spend-y for children’s pajamas but they are a super soft cotton and among the cutest I’ve seen. I especially love mini’s pair of love bug print jammies — such a precious pattern! I find I often need to size up in these — mini is currently wearing a size 4, though she’s just turned 2. (Note: I love that I can also coordinate with my kids!)

+Petite Plume. Any time mini wears hers, we go crazy over them. There is something beyond adorable about a child in proper pajamas. For Easter, I gave her her very first nightgown and a matching eye mask. To die for!

+Beaufort Bonnet Company. Such darling prints. These run really small. Size up.

+Lewis. A girlfriend of mine gifted me a pair of these and I was in love with the unusual but darling radish print! They don’t fit as snugly as Roller Rabbit’s or Beaufort Bonnet Company’s, but I found they were too short on mini pretty quickly (she is tall for her age, but just an FYI).

+Kissy Kissy. One of my favorite layette brands, but I still buy mini jammies from this label, too. In my opinion, these hold up the absolute best of all of the cotton pajamas we have — even better than Roller Rabbit. I especially love the classic and unfussy solid and striped styles, like these, for babies. But their prints are darling for older children, like these for mini. (Note: you can often find pairs from this brand for $6-$8 less than you’ll find them elsewhere on Amazon, like these.)

+Livly Baby. I love this Swedish brand and their whimsical prints — especially ones like this. I bought micro this sweet coverall and this print as his take-home outfit from the hospital!

+Gap. They often come out with cute seasonal prints and run promotions that bring a pair down to less than $15, though I will say that compared to the other brands above, the cotton is a lot coarser/scratchier. Currently loving these.

+Hanna Andersson. Love their fruit prints in particular. These are made from a slightly heavier weight cotton than a lot of the pima cottons mentioned above, but also hold up really well and have a lovely amount of stretch to them, so they grow with the child — I feel like we were able to make them last a lot longer than their size might have suggested. (Note: I appreciate that they run sizing by height, as mini is tall.) I noticed that while many of mini’s other infant pajamas looked threadbare, her Hannas and her Kissy Kissys were worth hanging onto.

+Burts Bees. I love their rugby striped pajamas — mini has owned several pairs. Classic. And you can’t beat the price!

+Bella Bliss. I especially love when they release their jammies in solid colors with white cuffs — and then you can add a monogram for a really precious look. Really soft.

A couple of other brands I’ve been eyeing but not yet tested:

+Esme. I’m not as crazy about the colors/prints, but a lot of people say these are insanely soft!

+Daniel + Sofia. OMG. These striped nighties!

P.S. We use all Noodle & Boo products in the bath (shampoo, body wash, and bubbles), and they smell like heaven. I love the scent so much I bought this linen spray to use in the nursery — I spritz it on her upholstered crib, her armchair, her ottoman, and even her stroller cushion.

P.P.S. Siblinghood and some great baby books.

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10 thoughts on “My Favorite Sleepwear for Children.

  1. Realize this is 2 years ago now, but wondering what pajamas are pictured. Such a sweet pic of your beautiful baby.

  2. How does Petite Plume run? Is it true to size or does it run big or small?

    Also, have the pajamas held up well? I have 3 boys (twin girls on the way in December) and I prefer to purchase pajamas that will make it through all three of my boys. Brands I have been really happy with in the smaller sizes, and which look practically new after 3 children, have been Petit Bateau, Kissy Kissy, Burberry and Bella Bliss. I like the look of the Petite Plume pajamas and my oldest is now 8, so I’m looking for new ideas!

    1. Hi Jeanne! I would say Petite Plume runs large. My son is 15 months and has always been tall/big — and he still somehow fits into a size 12-18 mo though he’s firmly 24M (sometimes 2T) in everything else. The nightgowns last forever — mini is usually a size 4T, but she still has nightgowns in 2T and 3T that fit her!

      In terms of quality — these pieces are beautifully made and hold up in high-heat laundering. We have one nightgown that mini’s had since 18 months and that has probably been washed close to once a week for nearly two years. Amazing!

      I also share your love for Kissy Kissy and Bella Bliss in particular for pajamas. I also love Roller Rabbit.

      xx

  3. Wait, Mini is in a regular bed now?? Did you write about this transition – namely, how you get her to stay in her bed? If you haven’t, can you share tips?? Mine is still in her crib as she shows no inclinations towards climbing out yet, but I know the day is coming when she has to sleep in a regular bed and I KNOW she’s not going to want to stay in it.

    On a pajama note, Hannas ARE truly the best for the price point – they hold up so well, and if there’s a flaw for some reason, they’ll do right by you. The baby is really into nightgowns these days though – will have to check out Petit Plume and your other recs!

    1. Oh — no! I think it sounded confusing because we read to her in our bed, but then we deposit her in her crib. My philosophy (encouraged by several mom friends and Magpie readers) is to wait until she’s climbing out of the crib and posing a threat to herself to transition to a big girl bed — ha! Also, I simply cannot take on another transition until after the baby boy is here. Incidentally, we got started with toilet training (in a very low-pressure way, just encouraging her to try to sit on the toilet with the toilet insert and always taking her quickly to the toilet when she asks for it), but, after attending a really helpful class on the topic at mini’s future school, decided that none of us were quite ready to follow through on it intensively, i.e., by taking the next natural step of starting to change her, standing up, in the bathroom, getting rid of her changing station in her nursery, and then introducing her to underwear (and being prepared for a lot of messes). I hadn’t realized also that you often need to proactively wake your child up in the middle of the night to remind them to “go.” AH. In these last few weeks/days before baby boy arrives, we just could not fathom another thing. So we are actually waiting on that until after baby boy is here because we figure we’ll be up anyway.

      OK, that wasn’t what you asked, but — mini is still in her crib FOR SURE.

      Petite Plume nightgowns are SO cute and well-made. I am obsessed.

      xxx

    2. Ahhh, I was like, did I somehow miss a major (to me, at least) transition?! Ha! I have also heard about keeping them in their crib if they’re not climbing out – and since mine isn’t, in her crib she will remain for as long as possible.

      M was totally into her toilet training seat a couple of months ago, but then we had so much plane travel I didn’t want to start fully training her – and now she is not at all interested. I’m really hoping we didn’t miss a window of opportunity!! I’ve bought some training underwear from Hanna Andersson just in case, but have decided to wait a little longer until she re-demonstrates interest.

      And you have so much on your plate – totally understand not wanting to deal with these transitions!! I think too, that when she’s truly ready, it’ll be so much easier for everyone involved rather than trying to force things too early.

      1. Yes! One thing the folks at our school said was that the number one indicator of readiness for toileting is…your readiness as a parent. Ha! xx

  4. Thanks for this round up! RRR is one of my faves. I also recently purchased a few pairs of PJs from Primary and was very impressed with the quality. I love their no logos/slogans/sequins policy as those are pet peeves of mine with children’s clothing these days. The striped footies are a classic!

    1. Ooh, thanks for the reminder, Corinne! I also have bought several pairs from Primary. I like them in solid white in particular. Simple, minimalist, and adorable.

      xx

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