I didn’t discover the beauty of infant gowns until after I had my second child.  Although they are perhaps not as cute as some infant clothes, they are very, very practical.  They certainly cut down on the amount of time and energy needed to change a diaper.  While many infant gowns are less than inspiring to look at, New for Baby offers a line of gowns that are as pleasing to the eye as they are practical.  I love this sweet, gender-neutral leaf print, and there are many other patterns to choose from as well.

Each Comfort Sleep Gown is made from combed cotton, and is tagless for your little one’s comfort.  It buttons at the neck to make it easy to get on and off, and has cuffed sleeves that you can fold over to cover your infant’s hands. These gowns are made in the USA, and come in sizes 0-3, 3-6, and 6-12 months.  You can purchase one for $18 at NewForBaby.com.

The Belgian Bordered Christening Shawl is a very pretty choice for baby’s christening attire. However, I’d consider buying two. At our son’s baptism, he spit up all over his outfit. Luckily, we had two for him but it was a shame the first barely made it into any photos.

With satin ribbon accenting the Belgian border, I like the gender neutral touch to this shawl. Outfit a baby girl in a dress or a boy in a suit or white sleepers on either and throw the shawl overtop for a traditional but more economical than your average satin and silk baptism look.

At $32.00, the Belgian Bordered Christening Shawl makes a nice heirloom piece slung over a chair in the nursery, or even a lovely wall hanging. Just the other day, I spotted two baptism gowns hung on a friend’s wall; they were perfect with the brown hue on the walls and the hardwood floors of the room.

I spotted the Belgian Bordered Christening Shawl at mymamabear.com. Gift wrap is available for $4.95.

As I perused fairytaleboutique.net I wondered if I could find anything I like in the holiday section of an online store, and the answer surprised me. I fell in love with this Infant Boy Striped Red Mercerized Gown by Tatiana & Co.

I’ve bought a few gowns for my next little one with hopes of fast and easy diaper changes and this one takes the cake for cute holiday appeal. It’s not adorned with little santas or reindeer, but is perfectly understated.

There’s even a matching striped cap but I’d go with a solid red hat rather than the one offered. The gown will make a nice gift wrapped up in a basket with a fuzzy red blanket, hat, and booties. Grab one for your guy for $47.00.

Though nanasboutique.com is a bit outdated (some of the styles aren’t recent) and navigation is awkward because it’s free of the colorful home page links for everything available, Nana’s Boutique has some things to offer.

Hard-to-find in stores baptism gowns and other formal wear are available and all sorts of brands are listed. Even preemie clothes and hats can be found. I liked the Side Snap Long Sleeve Undershirts by Day Dreamers that I found after browsing around a bit.

Akin to the kimono style tops that are popular right now, these tops come in packages of two for $9.95 and will accent jeans, cotton pants, skirts, or dresses all very nicely. The 100% Cotton fabric and the long sleeves will keep baby warm and comfy from Preemie (7 lbs) to Newborn (13 lbs) to Small (14 to 18 lbs.)

Dearjohnies bills itself as providing “special gowns for special deliveries.” Developed by a mom who wanted a more fashionable and comfortable hospital gown to give birth in, these gowns are made of fun fabrics that are indeed quite flattering. Still, I’m not sure what to think about this product. My first reaction was, “You’ve got to be kidding, who brings their own gown to the hospital?!” But, there certainly seems to be a demand for the product, which counts celebrities such as Jennifer Garner, Tori Spelling, and Mariska Hargitay among its fans. And, of course, we all know the shortcomings of traditional hospital gowns. Is it worth $65 to have a fashionable gown that closes properly? I’ll leave that up to the reader. You can purchase one at dearjohnies.com.