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Matching parent and baby pyjamas: ideas for baby's first festive season
Matching parent and baby pyjamas: which animals to pair, which sizes to choose for baby and for you, and how to keep baby's sleep safe over the festive season.
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Matching parent and baby pyjamas make the photo of baby's first festive season: parent and baby dressed as the same animal, under the tree or on the sofa during the réveillon, the big French festive dinner. There's no single style that goes from newborn to adult, but you can match the animal: a Baby Animal Kigurumi in panda for baby, a Family Fleece Onesie in panda for you. Here are the possible pairings according to the shop's product pages, how to choose sizes, and the rules to keep in mind for baby's sleep.
Which animals to pair for matching parent and baby pyjamas?
Four animals come in both a baby version and an adult size: panda, brown bear, dinosaur and giraffe. The Baby Animal Kigurumi comes in twenty-one animals. The Family Fleece Onesie offers five (panda, ginger tiger, brown bear, dinosaur, capybara), and the Giraffe Kigurumi comes in adult sizes.
| Animal | For baby (0–6 months to 4 years) | For you |
|---|---|---|
| Panda | Baby Animal Kigurumi, panda | Family Fleece Onesie, panda |
| Brown bear | Baby Animal Kigurumi, brown bear | Family Fleece Onesie, brown bear with a cream tummy |
| Dinosaur | Baby Animal Kigurumi, seven dinosaur colours | Family Fleece Onesie, dinosaur |
| Giraffe | Baby Animal Kigurumi, giraffe | Giraffe Kigurumi, S to XL |
These are two different styles, which is worth knowing before you order. The baby kigurumi is made of light fleece flannel, lined with the same fabric, with a padded snout and appliquéd eyes on the hood. The Family Fleece Onesie is made of thick fleece, with the animal's ears on the hood and a paw appliquéd on the front pouch pocket. In the photo, it's the animal that ties you together, not the cut.
If you'd rather go for an echo than an exact double, other pairs work too: a baby as a green dragon and a parent in green Monster Pyjamas, for example — two green hoods, two different creatures. Our article on matching family Christmas pyjamas develops this “same theme” idea for a bigger family.
What size for baby, what size for you?
Baby's size is chosen by age, yours by height and weight. The two product pages don't measure the same way.
Photo: sergio santos / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
For baby, the Baby Animal Kigurumi's product page says the style fits true to size: take the size for their age (0–6 months, 6–12 months, 12–18 months, 18–24 months, 3 years, 4 years). Between two sizes, the shop recommends the larger one, as the cut is roomy. The cuffs fold over to cover the smallest babies' hands, and the zip runs down the front, which makes nappy changes easier.
For you, the Family Fleece Onesie gives the height and weight for each size:
| Size | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Women S | 145 to 155 cm | 33 to 43 kg |
| Women M | 155 to 160 cm | 40 to 50 kg |
| Women L | 160 to 168 cm | 50 to 60 kg |
| Women XL | 160 to 168 cm | 60 to 70 kg |
| Men L | 165 to 172 cm | 63 to 69 kg |
| Men XL | 170 to 175 cm | 70 to 79 kg |
| Men XXL | 175 to 180 cm | 80 to 90 kg |
| Men 3XL | 180 to 185 cm | 90 to 100 kg |
Each item is a single onesie: to dress two parents, add each size to your basket separately. The Giraffe Kigurumi, on the other hand, is chosen in your usual size (S to XL), or the next size up if you're unsure, according to its product page. To measure an adult properly, follow our guide to choosing the right adult onesie size.
An older sibling in the photo? The Family Fleece Onesie starts at Kids 8 (90 to 105 cm, 12 to 17 kg). So a 3- or 4-year-old can wear either the baby kigurumi in their age size, or the Family Fleece Onesie if they're at least 90 cm tall. The details of kids' sizes, from 100 to 140 cm, are in our article kids' kigurumi: what age, what size.
Baby's sleep: matching pyjamas are for waking hours
The hooded kigurumi is worn while baby is awake, with an adult keeping an eye. For sleep, you change them. The rule also applies to a nap on an uncle's lap during the meal.
France's Assurance Maladie recommends always putting a baby to sleep on their back, in their own cot, in a suitable baby sleeping bag, with no pillow, duvet, blanket or cot bumper, in a room heated to 18–20 °C (ameli.fr, “How to put a baby to bed safely”, in French). The same page states that adult beds, armchairs, sofas and beanbags are not suitable for a baby's sleep, even for a short nap, and that a duvet can only be used from the age of 3.
On festive evenings, that means three reflexes:
- As soon as baby falls asleep, the kigurumi comes off and they go into their sleeping bag, in their cot. The living-room sofa is not a bed, even surrounded by people.
- No piled-up layers. The Assurance Maladie advises against adding too many clothes so the child doesn't overheat, and suggests checking with a hand on the back of their neck that it isn't damp. Fleece flannel over a bodysuit in a room full of guests and warmed by the oven is often plenty.
- Small stitched-on parts (eyes, snout, horns, spines): check the seams before each wear and take the onesie off if anything comes loose.
For older children, temperature guidelines are in our article on sleeping in a fleece onesie.
Getting the photo of the first festive season right
Take the photo when baby is awake and fed, and keep the session short. A hungry or sleepy baby won't hold the pose, and it's better to change them for their nap than to drag the session out.
A few simple ideas:
- Baby in your arms, both hoods up: the two animals' ears side by side make the photo. Avoid putting baby down alone on a raised surface (table, chest of drawers, sofa arm) to frame the shot.
- Daylight from a window rather than evening lighting: the white of the panda or the bear's cream tummy stands out better.
- A brown bear or panda duo reads well even from a distance. With a dinosaur, choose a colour for baby close to that of your onesie.
- An older sibling in the Family Fleece Onesie alongside, in Kids 8 or 10, completes the trio.
And no lit candles in the scene. The London Fire Brigade reminds us never to place a candle near anything that can catch fire, clothing included, to keep all flames out of children's reach, and presents LED candles as a much safer alternative (London Fire Brigade, “Candles”). Electric fairy lights or battery-operated candles give the same warm light in the photo.
Washing both onesies
Both styles are machine washable at 30 °C on a delicate cycle, then air dried, according to their product pages. So you can wash them together, inside out, with the zips done up.
Photo: Beth / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Air drying takes a while, especially for the thick fleece of the adult onesie: wash them a few days before the photo, not the night before. The details, fabric softener and tumble dryer included, are in our guide to washing and caring for fleece pyjamas.
In a nutshell
Matching parent and baby pyjamas are built around a shared animal: panda, brown bear, dinosaur or giraffe. For baby, the Baby Animal Kigurumi is chosen by age, from 0–6 months to 4 years. For you, the Family Fleece Onesie is chosen by height and weight, and the Giraffe Kigurumi in your usual size. Baby's kigurumi stays a daytime outfit: as soon as they fall asleep, they go into their sleeping bag, in their cot. For a bigger family, see our ideas for matching Christmas pyjamas and pyjamas as a Christmas gift.
Cover photo: Tessa Bury / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)