Some of us love surprises, even when it comes to knowing your baby's gender. Parents have different reasons for keeping the baby’s gender a secret, but it can be a lot of fun to wait until the baby is born.
It is now socially acceptable and stylish to decorate your newborn’s room in a slew of different colors and themes outside of traditional pink and blue or the age-old gender-neutral baby colors soft yellow and spring green.
Nowadays, even rainbows and pastel hues are considered gender-neutral when designed and implemented into a baby’s wardrobe accordingly. We’ve scoured the hottest baby trends and put together a list of our favorite themes to help you plan and buy gender-neutral baby clothes for your newborn.
Baby Clothes Are Inherently Gender Neutral
The first thing to keep in mind is that newborn clothes have similar functionality — no matter your baby’s gender.
Besides pink headbands with bows on them, a lot of newborn clothes have the same purpose — they are designed to keep your little ones clean, dry, and comfortable as they rapidly grow, sleep & play.
Of course, we all like to have those moments of fancy dress for milestone photos, but even those outfits are mostly gender-neutral in function, and it’s usually the color or design that defines the gender of your baby's clothes and any baby gifts you receive.
Your basic everyday newborn and baby clothes include:
- Onesies — Both short sleeve and long sleeve onesies and rompers are helpful
- Cotton T-shirts — Both short sleeve and long sleeve
- Pull Up Elastic Leggings — Try pull-up shorts in warm weather climates
- Button Up Bodysuits — to help regulate baby’s temperature at night
- Footie PJs — Also to help regulate temperature and keep baby cozy
- Kimono Shirt — Made for easy access to the umbilical cord
- Bibs, Burp Cloths, and Swaddle Cloths — for easy cleanup and keeping your baby comfy
The only thing in these baby clothes that define gender is the colors or designs of the clothes themselves. Most baby girls aren’t wearing lacy frocks, and baby boys aren't wearing suspenders and trousers, except for a special occasion or photo opportunity after the baby is born.
Turn Nursery Design Into Wardrobe Design
We suggest following the footsteps of interior design when it comes to curating your newborn baby’s gender-neutral wardrobe before their arrival.
How to implement a theme for your baby’s wardrobe? The easiest way is to implement the same theme from your nursery design into the baby’s wardrobe.
Planning from a theme keeps things fun for your friends and family who may not be used to coming up with unisex shower gift ideas, so they know exactly what to get the new expecting parents as a gift at the baby shower. <Link to post on Last minute gifts for expecting mothers>
Examples of Great Gender Neutral Baby Themes:
Neutral Bohemian
Bright whites paired with clean mid-tone neutral fabrics and natural fibers and elements like leather, hemp, wood, and even crystals are the perfect example of neutral bohemian.
Elements of neutral bohemian design:
- Bright white everything — white makes everything crips and is an excellent modern choice for gender-neutral clothing. White is actually a perfect color for newborns because their limited diet isn’t colorful at all, and you don’t have to worry about stains.
- Khakis/tans/beige — Beige is back in the form of natural fibers like hemp and leather. Soft tone browns are great neutrals to accent white without adding in gender-defining colors. Try a light tan moccasin shoe or light brown pull up pants with an organic cotton white one-piece.
Add a pop of gender-neutral color by adding in a touch of almost black or midnight blue for a classy juxtaposition to whites, creams, and tans.
Mid Century Modern
Nothing says clean lines and gender-neutral like the 1960s super posh design craze mid-century modern.
Choose one or two bold solid colors to pair with vintage themed patterns. Navy, Mustard, and gray tones are three colors that pair well and are neither really masculine or feminine.
When you pair mid-century modern colors with a few simplified geometric patterns that compliment or include one or two of these colors — you have created a well-rounded, fun, and sophisticated look that all little ones can pull off well in a jumpsuit.
Rainbow Everything With A Touch Of Black
There is no better way to say gender-neutral than to design with all the colors in mind. How to let rainbows inspire your baby’s wardrobe?
Rainbows are back on-trend and especially in the world of baby. You can keep rainbows classy by using black as your color pop.
A great way to keep your baby’s wardrobe non-gendered is to embrace every color and pattern and have fun mixing and matching colors with black as the contrast. Black is bold, especially when paired with rainbow patterns and designs.
Try a colorful polka-dotted baby bodysuit with little solid black booties and a solid black bandana.
Pair black pull-on pants with a multicolored plaid kimono shirt or cardigan.
Try all black with a single pop of color in your baby’s cap.
No matter the pairing, the contrast of deep black and bright rainbow patterns are all the rage and are suitable for a baby of any gender.
Nature And Wanderlust Themed
Nothing says gender-neutral quite like the great outdoors and the desire to travel see the world.
There are a couple of different ways you could go with this theme. Our favorite super playful interpretation is to plan your future park ranger’s wardrobe after national parks and nature by incorporating the iconic yellow of Yellowstone park and the bright greens and browns of nature.
Some of our favorite National Parks themes:
- Mushroom or botany printed fabrics and long-sleeve bodysuits — botany themes are cute on any gender, and mushrooms are just plain adorable. Try a knitted mushroom-shaped cap with a forest green sleeper for a dreamy woodland vibe.
- Trail Patches — There is nothing more nostalgic than the patches you can pick up for the different trailheads in the national park system.
- Park Ranger themed colors and clothing — Your little ranger or scout will be the talk of the town in their cute khaki coordinates and hoodies.
- A simple color scheme of browns, bright yellows, and forest greens — These gender-neutral yet fun and inspiring colors work great together and can be paired in so many different ways.
- Forest animals — Baby owls, bears, and foxes are all incredibly adorable and a precious theme for cozy unisex baby clothing. Who doesn’t love baby animals, especially when they show up on fluffy jackets and mittens? You can even step outside the forest and include fun animals from other places like llamas and buffalo.
Another adorable interpretation of this wardrobe and nursery theme would-be world traveler and passport-themed — with this theme, you can incorporate all the major cities and cultures of the world into your child’s wardrobe in the form of pants sets and short sleeve bodysuits.
Gender Neutral Themes Are The New High Design for Infants
In conclusion, the world of parenthood is magical, and your baby is magical too. Any one of the fun themes above will help you share how magical this journey is with your friends and family as you prepare your nest for the day when baby comes home.
No matter which theme inspires your little one’s wardrobe, feel confident in your decision to keep gender out of your design and your plan for your baby. Soon enough, you'll have a little toddler boy or girl who will have a lot of opinions about what they wear, so take this time to enjoy.
No matter its gender, a baby is an extraordinary gift, and you, as new parents, get to prepare for your baby in ways that make you happy and comfortable no matter what others feel around you. Choose a theme the resonates with the magic and wonder of your interpretation of parenthood.
Sources -
https://lambsivy.com/blogs/news/the-best-gender-neutral-nursery-themes
https://www.lonny.com/Neutral+Baby+Nursery+Themes+For+2019
https://www.thespruce.com/gender-neutral-nursery-themes-2504953
Leave a comment
This site is protected by hCaptcha and the hCaptcha Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.