Website Review: Preemiestore.com

My family and I had naturally been looking forward to the arrival of my newest niece, the first child of my brother and his wife. She was due on November 18th, 2007. So you can imagine our concern on October 6^th, when my sister-in-law had an emergency C-section due to various difficulties.

So their daughter and my niece was born on October 6^th and weighed only 3 pounds 11 ounces. She and her mother were both doing well, but all the clothes they had, my brother was telling me a couple of days later, were way too big for her. No one plans to have a premature baby, of course. I told him I'd see what I could find online. I found some things on e-bay, but I also ordered some things from a great little on-line store, The Preemie Store (http://www.preemiestore.com). Run by a mother and her former preemie daughter, it is a small business devoted exclusively to clothing and accessories for premature babies (as small as one pound) as well as small newborns (actually not that small though; you can find things for babies up to nine or ten pounds).

Among the many items offered are clothes especially designed for babies who need to be in the neonatal intensive care unit; these are clothes that babies with IVs and or respirators can wear. You can also get christening outfits. Accessories include blankets, bibs, a car seat insert so that your premature baby is positioned correctly in the car seat, and journals/baby books geared especially to parents of preemie babies, as well as preemie pacifiers. You can even get tiny Halloween costumes! All the basics are there including onesies, gowns, rompers, coveralls, dresses, hats, booties, just about any type of clothing baby might need. You can browse by price, and there are many items for $15.99 or less. Or if you prefer, there are also high-end items. Many different brands of baby clothing are offered-some examples being Gerber, Itty-Bitty Baby, and Chuckleberries. There are items on sale every day.