This is the third of my pages suggesting free patterns for premature babies. All babies are different, and my splitting up of the 'stages' is somewhat arbitrary. I've just done it in order not to have one great long post with lots of ifs and buts. I'm assuming you have arrived here either from my Introduction Page 1, or Page 2, dressing a very premature baby. This post is mainly for babies who have reached 1.5 - 2.5 kg, (about 3lbs - 5lbs) or 32-36 weeks' gestation. Or perhaps the baby was not quite so early, but was small at birth, or had a few problems resulting in a stay in the NICU.
If the baby is still in an incubator, with several tubes and wires, you may be better starting with Page 2, or even my Introduction Page 1, since these babies may not be ready for much clothing. But eventually, some of the tubes and wires will go, and the baby will be stronger, and it is so encouraging to the parents to finally see their little one in some clothing of their own. This little kimono garment is covered in Page 2, as it may be suitable for very premature babies, but it also works very well as the baby grows, so I'll cover it here as well.
In this post, I'll give you links to some further free PDF patterns and tutorials for clothing that may be suitable for a baby that is still very small, and may still not be ready to go home.
I'll also cover some of the most important principles, so that you can decide on suitability, if you find other patterns, or even ready-to-wear clothing that is supposed to be for premature babies, but may just be small.
All clothing for premature babies should be made of very soft cotton, preferably flannel, and capable of being washed at 60 degrees centigrade. At this stage, you still want clothing that doesn't need to be wrangled over the baby's head, or their arms and legs squeezed to try and stuff them through tight sleeves or legs. And it may have to go over some tubes or wires. Ideally, the garment can be laid flat on the cot or in the incubator, the baby placed on top, and the garment wrapped around, as with the kimono above.
So for ideas for this stage in a premature baby's life, read on.
This is the fourth and last of my pages suggesting free patterns for premature babies. All babies are different, and my splitting up of the 'stages' is somewhat arbitrary. I've just done it in order not to have one great long post with lots of ifs and buts. If you have a baby which still weighs less than 5 lbs or 2.5 kgs, OR is in an incubator with a number of interventions in the form of wires and tubes, OR which has been recently born at 35 weeks gestation or less, you may be better starting with one of the other pages, and returning here afterwards.
However on this page, we talk about babies either born at 36 weeks or so, who will perhaps not stay long in hospital, or who, having had a period of more intensive care, are now more or less tube and wire free; maybe he or she weighs 5 lbs (c. 2.5 kgs) or more, perhaps he or she is almost ready to go home? Or perhaps the baby was not premature at all, but is just a small baby? The newborn clothes in the shops may still be a bit big. What kind of clothes can you make for this stage? This is what this page covers.
Touching Little Lives Preemie Sleeper
I will still urge you not to make too many clothes in these tiny sizes. The baby will grow so fast, they'll be out of them in 2-4 weeks, and allowing for washing in between, they may not get many wears out of them. Almost better to try some of the newborn size patterns, and roll up the sleeves for a couple of weeks!
In this page, I'll suggest some free PDF patterns that may work, which come in this size.
