Until relatively recently, baby boy clothes were traditionally available in a very narrow range of colors and styles. Of course there were white and pale blue for the plain footed sleepers but even the romper suits for summer came with very limited choices. The main source of anything even remotely special came from friends and family members who resorted to knitting or other creative approaches.

Nowadays the choice of baby clothes for boys is nearly as great as for baby girls. Gone are the plain pale blue or white, now there are vibrant colors like orange, green, purple and dark blues to name a few. But its not just the colors that have changed, so too have the range of styles available.

Its no coincidence that these expansions in colors and styles have happened at the same time as the number of outlets for baby boy clothes has increased. Department stores have built up their baby sections (just think of Macy’s or Sears or J C Penney) and clothing stores have jumped on the bandwagon (see Gap or Old Navy). Even more specialist are the cool and trendy approaches of designer stores selling kids clothes as well as baby clothes.

The trend has even reached the market for newborn baby clothes, where the idea of coordinating just about everything from head to toe has taken hold. In an effort to provide ever more appealing outfits, some stores have given catchy names to newborn outfits. And for children as young as three months and older, the drive to produce cool and trendy clothes is on the rise.

Need some examples before you’re convinced? Well, take a look at Ralph Lauren and the trendy outfits they offer (see the rugby coveralls as just one example and the many styles of shortalls). Or try Ooh La La Mama for their designs. And how about the great baby boy clothes offered by Pottery Barn online?

Even if you’re not able to afford the more expensive designer clothes for your baby boy you can always find very attractive products in the more mainstream stores such as Wal-Mart or Target – or even Amazon online. Well produced and cute clothes are easy to find and decorated with many different themes including cars, boats, trains, planes and a whole host of television and movie characters.

One of the biggest design changes in todays baby boy clothes is the fact that many of them are miniature copies of adult clothes. For instance you can now get body suits that look like polo shirts, long sleeved and short sleeved shirts for babies as young as 3 months, as well as jeans, joggers, camouflage trousers, khakis and twill pants for the same age group.

From top to toe baby boy outfits have changed. Talking about toes there are now some really cool socks available to compliment any outfit. No longer do you have to buy boring socks when you can get socks that look like tennis shoes or ones that look like golf shoes or even camo booties. Your baby’s little feet can now be warm and stylish at the same time!

Whether you are buying high street baby clothes or designer baby clothes it seems that whatever your interest, sport or pastime the chances are there is a baby outfit that reflects this. There is certainly no lack of choice nowadays when it comes time to find clothes for your baby boy!

Getting ready for a new baby is both exciting and nerve racking. There are a lot of things to consider like having the crib ready, having enough diapers for the first few days and enough new born baby clothes.

There are now lots of specialist baby stores such as Babies R Us where you can find everything under one roof. And stores such as Wal-Mart, Target and Burlington Coat Factory also have specialist baby sections where again you can find everything for your new baby. At least when everything is under one roof you don’t have to trek from store to store.

When you think about the necessary equipment you need for your baby you immediately think of car seat, stroller and crib. But of equally there is also the question of what basic baby clothes will you need for the first few weeks? And how many of each item do you need?

There is no hard and fast rule about how many baby girl clothes or baby boy clothes you have for your precious new bundle but most moms would suggest that there are some things that are essential to make life easier in the first few weeks. Whether you are a first time mom or expecting your second or third baby anything that makes life easier in the early days can’t be bad.

Practical baby clothes are all that your newborn and you need in the early weeks there will be plenty of time for the more trendy baby clothes when you’ve both got the hang of this dressing business! Below is a list of ten items considered essential for a new baby.

* Make sure you have at least 5-10 onesies, either plain ones for use underneath pants and tops or the fancier ones as outerwear when its warmer.

* Use baby one piece sleeper suits in the first few weeks during the day – you’ll need 5-10 of these.

* 4 – 5 baby gowns – I wish these had been around when my children were small, they make diaper changing in the middle of the night so much easier!

* 5-10 bibs – although babies don’t take solid food they do have a tendency to drool and spit up.

* Buy a large amount of burp cloths so that your clothes can last for more than just one burp session!

* Socks: 5 pairs to protect against cold no matter how air conditioned or heated the house is.

* 2 hats – it depends on the time of year your baby is born and the climate you live in as to type of hat i.e. knitted hat or sun hat.

* Coat – depends on what the climate is like when the baby is born.

* 2-3 hooded towels – makes drying baby’s hair easier.

* At least 2 pairs of cotton mittens – no matter how short their nails, babies always seem to scratch themselves.

Every baby’s needs and habits are different so the list of newborn baby clothes above cannot be exact. In particular, the frequency with which you wish to change your baby will add or subtract from the numbers. Nevertheless, I recommend that you use the list as a general guide to make the jobs of diaper changing and baby dressing as simple as possible, then add to it any additional outfits that you want for special occasions.