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How Do I Choose the Best Girls' Pajamas?

Tara Barnett
Tara Barnett

Choosing the best girls' pajamas involves considering the age of the girl, her personal interests, and her body type. Other considerations, such as fire safety, are important as well. Most children's pajamas are soft and comfortable, but some girls do have preferences in terms of fabrics. It can be difficult to choose pajamas for a girl who is picky about clothing, so bringing the girl along to choose her own pajamas is often a great solution.

Girls of different ages often have vastly different preferences in terms of pajama styles. In many cases, girls' pajamas consist of pajama pants and a pajama top much like women's two-piece sleepwear. Depending on the design, the bottoms may be pants or shorts, and the top may have long or short sleeves. There are also single-piece pajamas that look like jumpsuits and long pajama dresses that reach past the girl's waist.

Girls enjoy pajamas with different patterns on them.
Girls enjoy pajamas with different patterns on them.

Color and design are often very important to girls, and girls' pajamas come in many different designs. Many of these clothing items feature popular television and movie characters, but there are also plain girls' pajamas. Thinking about the individual's favorite color and any designs she likes can help choose the best girls' pajamas for a particular person.

Color and design are often very important to girls, and girls' pajamas come in many different designs.
Color and design are often very important to girls, and girls' pajamas come in many different designs.

Some girls have very different body types and may be more comfortable with pajamas made specifically for that body type. Very short girls and obese girls, for example, may need pajamas tailored to their physical needs. Having pajamas that fit properly is important not only for comfort, but also for hygiene, as very tight pajamas can cause problems with heat and moisture.

Cost and safety should also factor into choosing the best girls' pajamas. Most girls are not fully grown, and therefore it is important to choose pajamas that are inexpensive enough to be replaced frequently. Pajamas belonging to girls are also often worn in situations in which they get stained or ruined, which is another reason to minimize cost when choosing this type of clothing. Safety is typically covered by the manufacturer, but it is a good idea to make sure that any sleepwear made for a child is fire resistant.

While young girls may be happy with any pajamas as long as they are comfortable, as girls get older they often like to have some input into what clothes they wear. Allowing girls to choose their own pajamas can be a great way to choose the best girls' pajamas overall. This is particularly important if the girl often participates in sleepovers, as she may be embarrassed to wear pajamas in a design she does not like.

Discussion Comments

orangey03

I buy pajamas for my niece as a Christmas gift every year. I always buy them about a year ahead of time, though, because this is when I can find girls’ pajamas on sale.

In February, stores start marking down the prices of winter items. My niece will need warm pajamas around Christmas time, so this is the perfect opportunity for me.

The only disadvantage to buying them this early is that I’m not quite sure how much she will grow throughout the year. So far, I’ve guessed it right, but if she ever hits a growth spurt, I may have to hit the holiday sales with the rest of the crowd and buy another pair!

cloudel

@Perdido - I loved that type of little girls’ pajamas, too. I loved the versatility of the nightshirt, because I could wear it with pants or shorts if I wanted to, but I didn’t have to in order to stay covered.

I wasn’t crazy about sports teams, but I did have nightshirts with teddy bears and mermaids on them. The bottom hem of the pajama shirts was usually rounded, so it was a little longer in the middle than on the sides. This made me feel even more covered.

In the fall, I often would put a pair of pajama pants on underneath the shirt. It was perfect during that time of seasonal transition from shirts with no pants to full coverage fleece pajamas.

kylee07drg

Girls’ cotton pajamas these days can sometimes be considered a little risque by some parents. I think it is best to stick to the t-shirts with regular shorts, especially if you are buying them for someone else’s child.

I have seen pajama sets for young girls with low-cut tank tops and extremely short shorts. Maybe these are for kids who want to appear older or play dress-up, but they just seem too grownup for girls.

I bought my niece some cotton pajamas that were totally safe. The pants were capris, and the shirt was just like an ordinary t-shirt. They were striped and brightly colored, and she loved them. Her mother totally approved of them, too.

Perdido

My favorite type of girls’ sleepwear was always the long shirts that could be worn without shorts. I had several of these, and they kept me cool in the summer.

They were long enough that they didn’t show my underwear when I bent over. Several of them featured sports team logos, and they often had sleeves of a different color than the body. Two of my favorite sleep pajama shirts were gray with elbow-length colored sleeves.

Of course, if you are going to buy this kind as a gift, then you should find out what sports team the girl likes first. It would be terrible to get her one with a logo of a team she can’t stand!

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    • Girls enjoy pajamas with different patterns on them.
      By: Photographee.eu
      Girls enjoy pajamas with different patterns on them.
    • Color and design are often very important to girls, and girls' pajamas come in many different designs.
      By: trgowanlock
      Color and design are often very important to girls, and girls' pajamas come in many different designs.