The philosophy and design behind baby boy clothes and baby girl clothes changed dramatically in the twentieth century as European and American attitudes towards childhood changed.
Prior to the twentieth century, children were forced to grow up a lot faster. For example, until the last part of the eighteenth century the age of starting a job was as low as five for some unfortunates in the lower classes. Clothing for children was simply a smaller version of adult styles.
At that time childhood was not seen as an opportunity for play as part of natural development and so there was no requirement to allow for this in designing children's clothing. The attitude was that children were just getting ready to become adults and as a result, clothes were restrictive.
As far as newborn babies were concerned, though, a different convention had been used for centuries - swaddling. Tight swaddling was thought to bring about the right posture and it restricted the child's movement. No other baby clothes were needed for the first twelve months. Although the convention persists in some Eastern countries, its use has almost died out in the West.
But by the end of the eighteenth century the use of long gowns to clothe both baby boys and baby girls had become common. One initial benefit was that they helped to keep baby feet warm because they were very long, but as the child began to walk the length of the gown stopped at the ankles.
As children grew older and became toddlers, girls and boys alike graduated to clothing that was a copy of their mother's dress. For centuries the coloring of fabrics used for these clothes was dark (green or brown for example) so that dirt wasn't so obvious - the frequency of washing clothes was a lot lower in those days! However, the ruling elite flaunted their position in society by choosing more colorful material and more decorative styles.
But by 1918, the end of the first World War, baby boy clothes had taken a radically new direction - due largely to a new type of clothing, the romper suit. Believed to have been developed first in France, the romper suit changed societal norms. A move away from clothing both boys and girls in the same type of garment had begun by the end of the nineteenth century but romper suits virtually eliminated the fashion.
The romper suit was originally worn by preschool children and is thought to be the first playsuit. This was a dramatic change for baby boys and truly now the sexes could be differentiated. The original romper suits were knee length and had long sleeves. They were worn with long stockings and toddlers would wear boots with them. Although usually one piece, more formal ones were often made in two pieces and from velvet.
Then romper suit styles began to change farther. Modern shoe styles (for example, sandals) replaced boots and knee length suits became shorter. Short socks, usually white, replaced the longer stockings. Developments such as frills, lace collars, smocking and more colorful fabrics resulted in less formality, more decoration and variety than in the past, beginning with the 1920s.
Romper suits are still around today although not as popular for baby boys. It seems that in some ways baby boy clothes and kid's clothes have gone back to older days in that many are now just smaller versions of adult clothes (jeans, polo shirts, camouflage pants) albeit much more colorful. Fortunately though, our idea about childhood has not regressed in that we now realize the importance of play in a child's development.
Prior to the twentieth century, children were forced to grow up a lot faster. For example, until the last part of the eighteenth century the age of starting a job was as low as five for some unfortunates in the lower classes. Clothing for children was simply a smaller version of adult styles.
At that time childhood was not seen as an opportunity for play as part of natural development and so there was no requirement to allow for this in designing children's clothing. The attitude was that children were just getting ready to become adults and as a result, clothes were restrictive.
As far as newborn babies were concerned, though, a different convention had been used for centuries - swaddling. Tight swaddling was thought to bring about the right posture and it restricted the child's movement. No other baby clothes were needed for the first twelve months. Although the convention persists in some Eastern countries, its use has almost died out in the West.
But by the end of the eighteenth century the use of long gowns to clothe both baby boys and baby girls had become common. One initial benefit was that they helped to keep baby feet warm because they were very long, but as the child began to walk the length of the gown stopped at the ankles.
As children grew older and became toddlers, girls and boys alike graduated to clothing that was a copy of their mother's dress. For centuries the coloring of fabrics used for these clothes was dark (green or brown for example) so that dirt wasn't so obvious - the frequency of washing clothes was a lot lower in those days! However, the ruling elite flaunted their position in society by choosing more colorful material and more decorative styles.
But by 1918, the end of the first World War, baby boy clothes had taken a radically new direction - due largely to a new type of clothing, the romper suit. Believed to have been developed first in France, the romper suit changed societal norms. A move away from clothing both boys and girls in the same type of garment had begun by the end of the nineteenth century but romper suits virtually eliminated the fashion.
The romper suit was originally worn by preschool children and is thought to be the first playsuit. This was a dramatic change for baby boys and truly now the sexes could be differentiated. The original romper suits were knee length and had long sleeves. They were worn with long stockings and toddlers would wear boots with them. Although usually one piece, more formal ones were often made in two pieces and from velvet.
Then romper suit styles began to change farther. Modern shoe styles (for example, sandals) replaced boots and knee length suits became shorter. Short socks, usually white, replaced the longer stockings. Developments such as frills, lace collars, smocking and more colorful fabrics resulted in less formality, more decoration and variety than in the past, beginning with the 1920s.
Romper suits are still around today although not as popular for baby boys. It seems that in some ways baby boy clothes and kid's clothes have gone back to older days in that many are now just smaller versions of adult clothes (jeans, polo shirts, camouflage pants) albeit much more colorful. Fortunately though, our idea about childhood has not regressed in that we now realize the importance of play in a child's development.
About the Author:
There's more on newborn baby boy clothes and other information from this author who is a former preschool owner at her babies clothes web site.
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