The best baby clothes brands of 2026

My baby Vivienne is a budding fashionista. She’s only 10 months old, but she’s got a lot of opinions on her clothing. And since her mother reviews products for a living, we’ve tested out quite a few different brands, from high-end retailers like Kyte Baby to everyday basics from Carter’s, to find the absolute best baby clothes brands for your family.

When shopping baby clothes brands, there are a lot of factors to consider—cost, feel, sustainability, snaps, zippers, sizing, etc. Unlike adult-sized clothing, babies move through clothes quickly, so while we’re in favor of investing in high-quality pieces for ourselves, you don’t necessarily need to break the bank when buying onesies that will get covered in boogers, spit-up, and ….who knows what else. (Honestly, you’re better off not knowing.)

Our favorite baby clothes brand is Carter’s (available at Carters) . The brand sells affordable, adorable, and durable baby clothes that survive daycare, play time, and nighttime. If you’re looking to spend a little bit more, Hanna Andersson is our pick for best variety. The brand sells excellent quality onesies, dresses, pajamas, and outfits that don’t show any signs of wear after months of use.

Other brands we tested

The Tester

My name is Kate Tully Ellsworth, and I’m mother to a spunky 10-month-old little girl named Vivienne. We live in Nashville, TN, so we have been testing clothing for the past 10 months in all flavors of weather, from balmy negative degrees in January to triple-digit temps in the summery South.

I’ve been reviewing products at Reviewed for the past five years, so every time I buy new products, I evaluate them to the fullest extent of my abilities. For baby clothing, I want my daughter to have the best quality clothing possible without draining my bank account. I don’t mind splurging on outfits that will last, but I don’t want to spend a fortune on clothing that will be replaced within three months. My ideal sweet spot for baby clothes falls around the $10-15 per outfit mark.

How We Tested Baby Clothes Brands

For each brand, my baby wore them at home, to daycare, and to sleep. Each one was coated in a number of bodily fluids, from breastmilk to formula to spit up to baby poop. I looked at the construction quality of each piece—were threads loose? Was the zipper hard to zip? Were snaps easy or hard to close?

For newborn consideration in particular, I cared about three things: footies, hand cuffs, and double zippers. I evaluated each brand on whether they provided these for newborn and 0-3 sizes, docking those that didn’t.

Two major factors that I weighed heavily across all brands were feel and designs. Baby clothes should be soft—not itchy; I’m not putting my baby in any piece of clothing that I wouldn’t wear myself. Softer clothing ranked higher, while cheaper-feeling fabric ranked lower. Designs were also important—some brands sell a range of really great designs, while others just sell standard colors and gendered styles. I ranked diversity of designs higher.

Pricing was a huge testing factor. We looked at whether prices were too high for what we received or so low they represented a serious bargain. We took into account whether the brand ran regular sales (like Carter’s and Old Navy) or if they rarely ever went on sale (like Kyte Baby).

Finally, we washed each piece of clothing per the brand’s instructions to see if they really washed as well as advertised.

What To Look For When Shopping For Baby Clothes

Your baby is the most precious thing in the world to you. You want them to be clouded in comfort, but at the same time, you don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a new wardrobe every three months. When shopping for baby clothes, you’ll want to consider the following things:

How expensive are the baby clothes?

Baby clothing prices add up quickly, so if you’re shopping with a budget in mind, know how much you’re willing to spend before shopping. If you’ve got a $50 budget, you can get 10 onesies from Carter’s or just one from Kyte Baby. When found four tiers of pricing in our research:

• Cheap: Onesies under $10, like Carter’s, Old Navy, H&M, and Cloud Island
• Average: Onesies between $10-$20, like Burt’s Bees Baby, Hanna Andersson, and Primary
• Expensive: Onesies between $20-$30, like Baby Gap
• Really expensive: Onesies over $30, like Kyte Baby, Tea Collection, and Little Sleepies

What should baby clothes feel like?

Baby clothing should be soft and comfortable, not scratchy or itchy. The softest brands we tested used bamboo in their clothing, like Kyte Baby and Little Sleepies. But that extra-soft feel comes with a high price tag (about five times more expensive than cheap brands like Carter’s).

Hanna Andersson and Carter’s onesies are made from cotton and comfortable to the touch—but H&M onesies are also made from cotton and feel stiff and uncomfortable. Looking at the material itself may not be as helpful when the brand just claims a general cotton construction. Read product reviews and chat with fellow parents to get the best feel for which material you’re happiest with.

Does the brand sell clothing specifically with newborns in mind?

Every brand we tested sells newborn clothing, but several of them lacked what we consider to be essential features for newborns. If you’re shopping specifically for a brand new baby, we recommend ensuring your clothing have the following features:

• Hand cuffs: Onesies truly meant for babies feature fold-over cuffs that cover your baby’s hands. This keeps their hands warm and prevents them from scratching themselves with those tiny newborn nails. Cloud Island, Carter’s, Kyte Baby, Little Sleepies, Old Navy, and Tea Collection have these.
• Covered feet: We wanted newborn onesies to have covered feet to keep baby toes warm without needing to use socks (which get kicked or slipped off easily). Every brand we tested sold these except Hanna Andersson and Little Sleepies (though Little Sleepies’ onesies, called Zippies, do have fold-over feet cuffs, we just found them equally as ineffective as socks).
• Double zippers: Double zippers are critical for easy diaper changes with a wiggly newborn, especially if you’re changing a diaper at 3am. Baby Gap, Carter’s, Cloud Island, Hanna Andersson, Kyte Baby, Old Navy, and Primary all have double zippers on their newborn onesies. Fabric covering the zipper: Newborn skin can get irritated quickly, so you want a small patch of fabric covering the zipper and preventing it from poking your baby’s neck. Every brand we tested covered zippers.

How well do zippers, buttons, and clasps work?

You’d think any baby onesie would have a functional zipper, but alas, that was not the case in our testing. When evaluating clothes, you want to make sure zippers, buttons, and clasps are placed intuitively and work properly. Some buttons stick a little too well while others pop open as soon as your baby rolls over. Some zippers feel shockingly low-quality compared to the rest of the onesie. When you’re changing a baby up to 10 times a day, you want all the pieces to work properly (and easily).

Does the brand sell organic options?

Sustainability remains an important consideration when you’re shopping for any clothing, whether it’s for yourself or for a tiny human. Many of the brands we tested used 100% GOTS-certified organic materials, or the brand had a specific sub-brand that sold organic clothing (like Carter’s Little Planet).

How many designs and styles does the brand sell?

I care deeply about the quality and quantity of designs a brand sells. My baby is the cutest thing in the world—her onesies should match her energy. I love loud, colorful, and fun designs, so when I’m shopping for baby clothes, I’m hunting for variety. I want patterns, colors, and a revolving door of art so that when my baby moves up a size, I’ve got a whole new world of designs to shop from. If you’re like me, brands like Carter’s, Hanna Andersson, and Kyte Baby are the best.

On the flip side, if you love solid colors and functional designs, Primary is your best bet.

Aside from designs, you’ll want to see what kind of styles of clothing the brand sells. The world of baby clothing is vast—there are onesies, bodysuits, pajamas, shirts, shorts, dresses, and accessories. A brand you love may not sell a full range of clothing for your baby’s wardrobe, so keep an eye on the number of actual styles you can shop.

How long is the return period?

The range of how long a brand will accept returns varied wildly among the 11 brands we tested. If you tend to shop, try, and return, make sure you keep your eyes closely peeled on those windows. This is especially true if you’re not really sure what size your baby wears in a given brand—you don’t want to miss those return dates and be stuck with $70 worth of baby clothes that don’t fit.

Baby clothing brand	Return period
Carter’s	90 days
Primary	90 days
Cloud Island	90 days
Hanna Andersson	60 days
Tea Collection	60 days
Kyte Baby	45 days
Baby Gap	30 days
Burt’s Bees Baby	30 days
H&M	30 days
Little Sleepies	30 days
Old Navy	30 days

Where To Buy Inexpensive Baby Clothing

We all want cheap baby clothes that last the full three- to six-months they’ll fit, but unfortunately, finding that balance is difficult. For inexpensive baby clothing, you can’t beat Carter’s, especially with the number of sales the brand regularly holds. You can get high-quality onesies in bulk for $5-$6 a piece, which is game-changing when you’re building a wardrobe or buying clothing for more than one child. Old Navy is a great second choice, just know the brand doesn’t have as many styles as Carter’s and your child may grow out of them more quickly.

Here’s where we recommend shopping for inexpensive baby clothes, ranked:

1. Carter’s

2. Old Navy

3. Target

4. H&M

5. Amazon

How To Wash Baby Clothes

Not all baby clothes brands are built the same. Babies are messy, beautiful things, and their clothes get messy at the drop of a hat. Not just normal wear and tear either—we’re talking poop, spit up, breastmilk, dirt, blood, and sticky things you can’t even identify. Washing them quickly and efficiently is important.

I lean toward brands I can just throw in the wash without a second thought—Carter’s, Hanna Andersson, Primary, Old Navy, Cloud Island, H&M. Only a few brands we tested had special instructions, and even then, it was for specific articles of clothing, not standard pieces like onesies and bodysuits.

Keep an eye on the labels for your baby clothing, especially if the piece features a material that’s not standard in your own closet, like tulle. Cute sweaters and adorable pieces of outerwear likely have special washing instructions to prevent shrinkage, so read the labels closely to ensure your pieces don’t shrink.

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