The twice-a-year baby wardrobe switch: a checklist

When to switch

In Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad and the north, most families make two big changes a year: around October or November, when warm clothes come out, and around March or April, when they go away again. In Karachi and along the coast, the winter switch is smaller, often just a few knit sets and cardigans brought forward for December and January.

With a baby, the switch is also a size check. Clothes packed away six months ago were packed in a smaller size, and many of them won’t fit any more. That is why it is worth doing properly once, rather than pulling things out one at a time.

Before you start

• Choose a time when your baby is happy to try things on, or when someone else can keep them busy between fittings.
• Have bags or boxes ready and something to label them with.
• Keep a tape measure and your phone to hand, so you can check sizes against our size guide and note what is missing.

The checklist

• Empty the current drawers completely.
• Bring out the stored clothes for the coming season and try on anything you are unsure about.
• Sort everything into four piles: fits now, will fit later this season, outgrown, and worn out.
• Wash and fully dry anything outgrown before it goes into storage. Our guide on how to wash baby clothes covers the basics.
• Pack outgrown clothes by size and season, and label each box on the outside.
• Put the fits-now pile in the drawer and the will-fit-later pile somewhere easy to reach.
• Write down the gaps in the current size before you go shopping.

Keep a small in-between box

The weeks around each switch are the hardest to dress for. In October and March, mornings and evenings can be cool while afternoons are warm. Rather than packing every warm thing away on the first hot day, keep a small box of in-between pieces: long-sleeved light sets, a couple of cardigans and a light sleepsuit or two. Leave it out for a few weeks after the switch, then fold it into storage or the main drawer once the weather settles.

Switching for two children at once

With an older child and a baby, the switch becomes a handover as well. Do the older child first. Anything they have outgrown goes straight into a pile for the baby to try, or into a labelled box for the size the baby will reach later. Then do the baby’s drawer, pulling from that pile before looking at what to buy.

It takes longer, but it is the moment when hand-me-downs actually get used. Clothes that go into a box without being tried on are the ones most likely to be forgotten until they are too small. If the children were born in different seasons, expect some hand-me-downs to fit in the wrong season.

What people forget

• Outer layers left in the car, in a nappy bag or at the grandparents’ house.
• Hats, socks and mittens scattered around the house.
• Occasion outfits, which often get packed with everything else and are forgotten until they are too small.
• Clothes waiting to be passed on or returned to a cousin, which are easier to hand over now than later.

Buying only the gaps

Once the drawer is sorted, compare what fits with the number you actually need for your washing routine. The difference is your shopping list: usually a few base layers and one or two sets in the new size, not a whole wardrobe. You can browse our babywear with that short list in hand.

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