The Quest for Cute Unisex Baby Clothes

As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I wanted to start shopping, but I was limited to buying unisex clothes until I knew what we were having—and that isn't always an easy task. Most baby stores are clearly divided between "girl" and "boy," and the small unisex section tends to be pretty drab. It took some digging to find things that I liked.

Now that we know we're having a boy, though, I'm finding that I'm still drawn to unisex clothing. Not only are these pieces that I know we can reuse whether our next child is a girl or boy, but I realize that these classic basics I've managed to find so far are more my (and Todd's) style. As our kids get older, of course I'll encourage them to explore their own personal style, but for now, I'll enjoy calling the shots.

If you're in the market for unisex baby clothes—whether you're not sure what you're having yet or they're simply what you prefer—here are some of my favorites so far.

The Elephant in the Room

When Todd and I decided we were ready to start our family in the summer of 2014, I ordered a little stuffed elephant on a whim. I placed it on a shelf in our living room, where it became a symbol of hope for our future child.

As the months passed, we continued to wait, our disappointment and frustration growing. Eventually, our elephant in the room came to represent something else entirely: Our failure to be able to do something that seems so simple for so many people, and our fear that, no matter how hard we tried, it may never happen for us.

It was two days before Christmas when we got the gift we'd been waiting so long for: a positive pregnancy test. Sitting in front of the Christmas tree, we watched in disbelief as the double lines appeared, and there were a few minutes when all we could do was stare as the wonderful reality sank in.

I took a test every day over the course of the next week, and placed them all — each one progressively darker — in the elephant's tiny arms.

Today, the elephant sits in its rightful place in our baby boy's nursery, waiting for his arrival. We still have a lot to do to prepare over the next six months, but baby's first toy will be more than ready to welcome him to the world.

P.S. I shared a bit more about our infertility journey with The Washington Post. Check it out here.