Matching Baby Layette Clothing For Your Newborn

When contemplating the items you’ll need to purchase for your new baby girl or boy’s earliest days, a layette is high on our list of must-haves. A layette or layette set is a set of matching baby clothes — they typically consist of essentials like bodysuits and pants and hats, but can also include accessories and baby gear such as blankets, changing mats, waterproof pouches, sweaters, booties, mittens, sleep gowns, pajamas, leg warmers, and scarves.

Newborn baby layettes can be beautifully designed yet extremely practical, making them a perfect gift for your friends and loved ones that are new parents. Whether your infant layette set has just the essentials — a top with footed pants or bodysuit and a hat — or includes a wide range of just-in-case extras, an adorable layette for your (or a friend’s) newborn is a wonderful way to make those precious early days extra special and stress-free.

A No-Brainer For Baby’s First Days

Your delivery date is the culmination of months of planning and reflection. You’ve spent time talking with your partner and doctor, thinking about your preferences for your time at the hospital, and working on your birth plan for when the big day comes. One piece of the planning puzzle we always keep in mind is your hospital bag — a carry-all (usually a backpack or large tote) that includes everything you’ll want to have with you at the hospital to address both your needs and those of your soon-to-arrive baby boy or girl.

For mom, we typically recommend comfortable clothing, socks and shoes, snacks, and small toiletry essentials, with an infant layette for the baby. Having your newborn’s first outfit planned out and ready at the hospital will take the worry out of having all of the necessary items for a smooth transfer out of the hospital and to your home. 

Like so many other brands & items you’ll be sourcing for when your baby finally arrives, we recommend starting your search early. Take a look at options that consider quality, safety, and comfort, as well as pattern and style. You may even choose to coordinate your newborn layette set with your nursery design (our Lewis Shop by Print page is the perfect tool to help make sure that your baby boy or girl’s footie pajamas coordinate with their nursery crib sheets and wall art), so all the more reason to get your newborn’s layette set picked out on the earlier side.

As with all brand new arrivals (or hand-me-downs) like baby clothes, we advise washing all of the items in your newborn baby’s layette with a gentle, pediatrician-recommended laundry detergent to ensure that each item is perfectly clean before your baby wears or uses it. Most dermatologists recommend washing all babies' soft goods before using them — think bodysuits and onesies, pants, tops, hats, blankets, booties, mittens, and even stuffed animals — to avoid chemicals, pests, or dust coming into close contact with your little one’s delicate skin.

Materials To Look For

The clothing and accessories in your baby’s layette set will be some of the very first materials he or she will come into close contact with, so you’ll want to be sure that they’re made of fabrics that are considerate of sensitive skin. Our Lewis Take Me Home Outfit and Take Me Home Gift Set consists of clothing and accessories made from soft, 100% organic cotton, which is durable enough to withstand daily wear and tear but gentle on your baby's skin.

Cotton is our top pick for baby clothing and blankets because it’s breathable, allowing airflow between clothing and skin, and hypoallergenic, meaning that it’s less likely to cause an allergic reaction. It also absorbs moisture, which helps to prevent clothing-related discomfort and overheating. Cotton is also easy to wash and dry, so you should have no problem getting tons of use out of this material. Organic fibers are especially preferable because they ensure a higher quality, and certified organic woven fabrics exclude the use of harmful chemicals used both to produce the fabric and to treat the original cotton plant that the fabric is made from. For all these reasons, we use pure organic cotton whenever possible, including in our Lewis Take Me Home baby layette sets.

Styles We Like

Having a newborn baby layette and a few pieces of backup clothing in slightly larger sizes is a great way to get started on figuring out which materials and cuts do and do not work for your baby. Since newborns grow at an almost astounding rate in their first year, they will outgrow pieces quickly, so it’s best to get a range of sizes or purchase as you go based on your little one’s changing needs. We like to recommend cuts and construction that are durable and well made, but that can also be removed and put on easily for those moments where you wish you had an extra set of hands — this will come in handy for outfit changes that need to take place between changing diapers and feeding. 

As far as closures go, opt for styles that pull on or off without too much hardware as these can cause scratches, and cut out any tags or woven labels that might irritate your infant’s skin. We also recommend avoiding zippers, which can get stuck or pinch if being zipped up in a hurry. The Take Me Home Outfit in our Lewis Take Me Home Gift Set features a comfortable wrap-style top that we designed with snaps on the side specifically to avoid your baby’s belly button, which can be sensitive to touch at his or her earliest days.

Another added benefit of the wrap-style tops included in our Take Me Home Outfits and Gift Sets is that they are adjustable, which is great for longevity — your little one will be able to wear them even as they continue to grow and develop. The bottoms in the set have a generous elastic waist for your infant’s early days of speedy growth and development and are footed for keeping the baby’s feet warm without relying on socks to stay put. The set was designed with comfort and versatility in mind, making it an optimal choice for naps, bedtime, tummy time, feeding, and days on the go.

We chose to include a top and pants for our Take Me Home Outfits over a swaddle for ease in fastening your newborn in a car seat for that first ride home and other car rides in the future. Lastly, we included a small cotton hat to prevent heat loss and to keep your little one comfortable, warm, and safe (and irresistibly cute to boot!) during the colder months or when going outside.

All The Extras

In addition to a Take Me Home Outfit in multiple styles and colors, our Lewis Take Me Home Gift Sets include a few extra layette set pieces you’ll be happy to have handy. Included in all of our Take Me Home Gift Sets is a blanket made of 100% organic cotton that’s perfect for that first ride home, for use in a stroller, and for any other use you can dream up, keeping your little one warm and covered up in a range of situations.

The set also includes matching organic cotton changing mat that is compact and softly quilted for changing diapers and clothing while on the go. A small, waterproof-lined canvas bag with a zipper in a matching print is perfect for keeping small essentials safe and tucked away, from pacifiers to nail clippers or any other small accessories you’ll need with you in those first few days or any other time you’re on the go. Lastly, we included an extra-large pouch that zips closed to hold everything in the set, making for an organized, impeccably designed splash of color and pattern to toss into your larger hospital bag or on-the-go baby bag.

We find that these pouches truly go a long way — they can be used for your baby boy or girl’s toddler years and beyond, and even make for a great solution for carrying cosmetics and toiletries for travel or errands.

The Perfect Gift

As you scroll through a friend or loved one’s baby shower registry, you may find that most of the offerings are more function than form — from strollers and nursing pillows to diapers and baby monitors, the cute factor isn’t exactly what drives the appeal for these necessities. While these products do a ton of the heavy lifting when it comes to childrearing, it’s often more enjoyable to present the parents-to-be with a gift that’s truly a work of art. Enter the matching newborn baby layette set, which makes for an elevated, eye-catching offering while still providing a multitude of uses.

Our Lewis Take Me Home Gift Sets features multiple baby essentials in our Mini Radish pattern, which is our favorite print for the tiniest of humans. Our Mini Radish print is a Lewis pattern that was created from an ink and brush drawing, and it comes in a range of serene colors for the Take Home Gift Set, from muted pink Mauve to minty green Agave to pastel Bay Blue. For an extra personal touch, we offer the option to add a custom monogram to your newborn baby layette gift, as well as gift wrapping and a personalized notecard.

If you’re planning to gift an adorable yet elevated Take Me Home Outfit, our collection provides a wide range of lively nature-inspired adorable prints and tasteful colors to choose from. Our Lewis Take Me Home Outfit in Mauve Mini Radish is a small chintz-inspired print in muted pink that creates a subtle yet expressive pattern. For a more bold, graphic style, choose our Lewis Take Me Home Outfit in Marine Blowfish print, Denim Alligator print, or Lilac Bird print— as with all the prints in our line, each of these fauna-inspired patterns is created from handmade original pen and brush artwork. 

Final Thoughts

Whether choosing for yourself or a friend, newborn baby layette sets are a wonderful way to add function and style to your earliest days and weeks with your little one. In the unpredictable early days after a parent brings home their little one, having coordinated clothing and accessories with visually pleasing motifs can offer a sense of intention and purpose amidst the flurry.

We love baby layettes because they help commemorate the beginning of your journey with your little one, and foster a practice of expression through color and pattern. These first outfits and accessories will make real that your infant is a tiny human — one that will continue to grow before your eyes into a personality all their own.