Clothing later evolved to be more comfortable, indicate status and also be used to attract partners. All kinds of social and religious influences dictated styles and materials over the centuries.

Baby Clothes

Baby and children’s clothing also evolved – prior to the 1920s that Western children of both sexes generally wore white baby clothes, and both boys and girls were outfitted in dresses. As you can often see from historic photos little boys sometimes looked like little girls

Colours of Baby Clthes

When children were dressed in separate colours initially it was reversed to what we know today: pink baby clothes were for boys and blue baby clothes were for girls. It wasn’t until around the 1940s that the colours reversed, lending support to the notion that the preference comes from culture rather than biology.

Doctors created an experiment amongst women from different cultures and found they tended to prefer colours on the red side of the spectrum.

Neuroscientists also found that African women became attuned to the reds of the ripe berries and other fruits that they would gather. This would also be useful for recognizing flushed faces, a possible sign of illness, among their children.

To explain the preference for blue found among both men and women in their study, the scientists suggested that blue signified good weather and a good water source.

More recently traditional colours for baby clothes have become less important as more modern coloured clothing has become popular, and the pink & blue belong more to tradition than fashion.

However try dressing older (more aware!) children in the traditional colours of the opposite sex … and you have have a fight on your hands!

Sources

The Guardian
Out of the blue and in the pink
Pink for a girl and blue for a boy – and it’s all down to evolution

How Stuff Works
Why do girls wear pink and boys wear blue?

Princeton University
Pink Frilly Dresses (PFD) and Early Gender Identity

As we know all babies are unique but today’s parents are always on the search for names that confirm their baby’s uniqueness.

A better source for names that are distinctive and unusual as opposed to truly one-of-a-kind might be an old-fangled one like E.G. Withycombe’s 1945 Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names.

This fabulous guide contains some names which have deep historic roots. We very rarely hear those being called at registration in our class rooms or playgrounds. Some of the most intriguing choices are as follows:

Baby Girls Names

1. ALETHEA — Greek name that means “truth” was fashionable in the 17th century.
2. AMBROSIA — Heavenly female equivalent of Ambrose.
3. ANCILLA — Ann meets Priscilla.
4. AVERIL — Might make fresh spin on Ava.
5. BRILLIANA — Invented for his daughter by the governor of the Dutch city Brill.
6. CHRYSOGON — A male saint’s name transferred to the girls.
7. CLARIMOND — Clara meets Rosamond.
8. ELUNED — Luminous Welsh name.
9. EVADNE — Tragic Greek heroine name that may be revived with the craze for all Ev- and Av- names.
10. GRACILIA — Meaning “slender,” could substitute for the overused Grace.
11. HAIDEE — Lord Byron used this name in Don Juan.
12. HERO — The name of three female figures in Greek mythology.
13. IDONEA — Derived from the name of the goddess of spring.
14. ISMAY — Found throughout the British isles.
15. KINBARRA — Old name related to that of a saint named Kyneburg.
16. LALAGE — Latin name used by Horace.
17. MELIORA — Romantic old Cornish name of legend.
18. MERAUD — Cornish name related to the emerald.
19. ORIEL — There’s an Oriel College at Oxford.
20. PENTECOST — Old religious day name used for both males and females.
21. PROTASIA — Ancient saint.
22. SANCHIA — Spanish name that means “holy” and gave rise to Cynthia.
23. TACE — Also spelled Tacy and Tacye, closer to the pronunciation, common in the 17th century and used by the Puritans.
24. TROTH — Old word name.
25. VESTA — The Roman goddess of fire.
26. ZILLAH — Hebrew name that means “shade” and is, according to Withycombe, a “favorite gypsy name.”

Baby Boys Names

1. ARETAS — A dynasty of kings mentioned in the bible.
2. CYRIACK — Name of an infant martyr sometimes shortened to Cyr.
3. DIGGORY — A Cornish name that goes back to the medieval romance of Sir Degore.  Cool modern nickname: Digg.
4. DURAND –Related to the Latin word for “lasting.”
5. EDRED — Old English king’s name.
6. ELKANAH — Biblical father of the prophet Samuel.
7. EUDO — Old German name sometimes spelled Udo.
8. GERSHOM — A Biblical name that means bell.
9. GIFFARD — All the rage in the 11th century.
10. IOLO — A Welsh name that may have sprung from Julius.
11. JEVON — Welsh relative of Evan.
12. KENELM — Name of an ancient king and saint.
13. MANASSES — Biblical name used by the Puritans.
14. ORIGINAL — Once used for first sons.
15. OSWIN — Might make an alternative to Owen.
16. PAGAN — Popular name that died out during the Reformation.
17. PASCOE –Name used for children born at Easter.
18. RAYNER — Old German name that inspired several surnames.
19. SAYER — Also spelled Saer, very popular in medieval England.
20. SERLE — Norman favorite that means “armor.”
21. THURSTAN — Danish name that means “Thor’s stone.”
22. WYSTAN — From Wigstan, name of an ancient king and saint.

Try unravelling pieces of knitwear and re-use the wool to create something fresh. Yarn changes colour with age and becomes muted and seasoned and can produce some fantastic effects. Try boiling knitwear so it becomes felted. This method changes a tired looking jumper into a new scatter cushion for the sofa or your babies bedroom.

Dress baby in retro knits.If you’re handy with the knitting needles, get out those old pattern sheets from Granny to create funky versions of tank tops and mittens.

There is also a thriving business of baby retro garments being sold new or gently worn originals from the 30’s and 50’s. These are fantastic heirlooms that can be passed through the generations. The best sites are in the UK or the US.

Beautiful antique lace christening gowns are also an area that is growing in popularity. You may be lucky to have an heir loom that can be used and passed down but if not you can purchase vintage gowns that have been beautiful hand sewn showing the workmanship of the lace and embroidery. They do not come cheap but it could be a worthwhile investment that your family may thank you for in the generations to come.

If you’re handy with a sewing machine try looking for retro prints at jumble sales. You need to be quick as there are professionals’ also trying to grab a bit of print history! The simplest of A line tunic patterns can be used to create something new. There are many companies who have packaged this idea with easy to follow tunic shapes and simple dresses.

If there’s a dress that your baby has finished with that you really like but it has a stain or tear just unpick it to use as a pattern. If you are not patient enough to unpick the stitching, then cut carefully along the seam. Transfer the fabric shape onto paper and remember to add your 1cm seam back on.

There’s nothing like seeing your baby dressed in something that you know will not be seen anywhere else and environmentally you are helping to alleviate the massive mountains of unwanted clothes that are in landfill sites around the country.