What Size Preemie Clothes Should I Buy?

Terms like Micro, Teeny, Preemie, and NICU-Friendly might be unfamiliar to you. What do they mean? How do they differ? And what size should you be looking for?

These are common questions asked by parents, grandparents, and friends when a premature baby enters their lives, and they start thinking about buying preemie clothes. Whether the baby weighs 2 pounds or 5 pounds, finding clothing that fits properly and provides enough room for growth—so it can be worn for more than just a week or two—can be challenging. In addition to figuring out what size preemie clothes to buy, you may also find that different manufacturers have their own sizing standards. So, what should you do?

Let’s dive in and break it down for you!

First, let’s look at the sizes:

• Micro size: For babies weighing 1-3 pounds. Some manufacturers might refer to this as Mini Micro or Nano. We offer sizes like Micro 1-2.5 pounds and Teeny, which is for babies weighing 2-4 pounds. We’ve provided a size chart above to show how weight and size correspond.

• Preemie: For babies weighing 3-6 pounds, though some brands extend this size range to 4-7 pounds. This is why we provide sizing charts from all our manufacturers and include them in the product descriptions. Some charts show actual garment measurements, so you can choose the right size more easily.
  All Our Clothing is NICU-Friendly: This refers to clothing made with preemie medical needs in mind. We offer filters for NICU-Friendly options, which include features like:

  • Open Shoulders
  • Easy Front Access
  • Footless

  The Open Shoulders feature is highly recommended, as it makes dressing around IVs, monitors, and other medical equipment much easier. It also helps when dressing such tiny babies. 

   

Other tips to consider when buying preemie clothes:

• Go up a size: If your baby is near the weight limit for a garment, it's a good idea to order the next size up. Many of the brands we carry fit into the Micro (1-3 lbs) and Preemie (3-6 lbs) sections. Teeny (2-4 lbs) size is especially helpful for babies that weigh around 2-3 pounds, as it fits in between the other sizes—one might be too small, and the other too large.

• Hospital restrictions: Some hospitals won’t allow preemie clothing until the baby reaches a certain weight. Unfortunately, micro-sized clothes are often outgrown before this milestone is hit. So, having items sized for 2-4 pounds may be more realistic. It’s always nice to be prepared for those great moments when your baby reaches the clothing milestone!