My favorite topic, and my last to approach as a new mom. Monitors and cribs were easy to research with reviews and Consumer Reports ratings, but I have yet to find the manual on how to dress a baby.

I decided that Julia would wear dresses like me, so I bought a ton for her first six months to span across Spring, Summer and Fall. And then we stayed indoors in air conditioning where dresses are impractical and chilly for my sweet sleeping little girl. Really – who would put a dress with matching socks, cardigan and hat on a child who does not even hold her head up? In air conditioning!

That’s okay I thought – I’d also purchased matching tights! I put them on Julia for five minutes one day. First they were a pain. They weren’t even soft, and they created a tight line around her tummy. You’re welcome baby for this designer outfit. So I took the tights off. And then the dress because seriously it seemed to be bunching around her more than staying put.

To her credit she didn’t comment either way, but I am adding tights to the category of “whoops” and throwing them into the drawer of no return where baby berets (I’d purchased multiple for her) already live.

Learn from my mistakes and find lightweight rompers for your summer baby. Janie and Jack has adorable ones and J. Crew has soft, skirted, long-sleeve onesies with matching leggings. Much better for squishy, cuddly babies and just as cute in pictures I promise.