Is a onesie a good present? An honest gift guide

We would rather sell you one onesie that gets worn every winter than three that end up at the back of a wardrobe. So this guide includes the cases where a onesie is the wrong present, because pretending otherwise helps nobody.

When a onesie lands beautifully

Teenagers

Teenagers are famously hard to buy for, and a onesie sidesteps the usual problem: it is not a fashion item they have to like being seen in, and it is not a gadget you will get wrong. It is for their room, their friends and their sofa. If they have a favourite animal or character, that is the whole decision made.

They are also the group most likely to wear one to a sleepover, which is half the fun. There is more on that in our sleepover and pyjama party guide.

People who are always cold

Every family has one. They wear a coat indoors and negotiate with the thermostat. For them, a onesie is not a novelty, it is the solution to a daily problem, and they will tell you so for years.

Students and anyone in a cold rented flat

Damp British rentals in January are a specific kind of misery. A thick fleece one-piece is a genuinely practical gift dressed up as a silly one, which is the best category of present there is.

New parents

Not for the baby, for the parents. They are up at odd hours in a cold house and cannot be bothered to get dressed. A onesie is the correct answer to that problem and almost nobody buys it for them.

Couples, siblings and whole families

Matching onesies are a photograph that gets kept. If you are buying for a household, buying two or three that match is a bigger gift than any of them individually, and it commits everyone else to the joke, which is the point.

When to think twice

Honestly:

• Someone you do not know well. A onesie is a garment for their private evenings. From a colleague it can read as slightly too familiar. A hoodie blanket is the safer version of the same idea.
• Someone who runs hot. Fleece is warm. If they sleep with the window open in December, this is not their present.
• Someone sensitive about their size. A garment that arrives in the wrong size can land badly regardless of your intentions. If you are unsure, choose something one-size instead.
• As a joke about someone's appearance. Obviously. A onesie should be an animal they like, not a comment.

Buying for someone whose size you do not know

This is the real problem with clothing as a gift, and there are three good answers.

Answer one: go one-size

Lazy robes and hoodie blankets have no meaningful sizing. If you have no idea and no way of finding out, this removes the risk entirely and they are still enormously cosy. Our comparison of the three explains what each is best at.

Answer two: size by height, and size up

Onesies are sized by height rather than by clothing size, which is oddly helpful for gifts: you probably know roughly how tall someone is, even if you have no idea what size jumper they wear. If they are between bands, take the larger one. A roomy onesie reads as cosy. A tight one reads as a mistake. Full detail in the size guide.

Answer three: accept that a swap is fine

We offer 30-day free returns, so a size that misses can be exchanged without cost or awkwardness. Say so when you hand it over. It takes all the tension out of the moment, and most people find it reassuring rather than deflating.

Making it feel like a proper present

A onesie is bulky and soft, which means it wraps into a satisfying parcel and holds absolutely no clue as to what is inside. Some things worth doing:

• Pair it with something small and warm. Slippers, a hot chocolate, a good pair of socks. The onesie is the gift; the small thing makes it feel considered.
• Give it in the evening. Whatever the occasion, a onesie is best opened at a point where the person can put it straight on. Nobody wants to try on fleece at 9am.
• Buy the design, not the discount. The specific animal or character is the entire emotional content of this present. Pick the one that made you think of them.

Occasions where it works

• Christmas. The obvious one, and it earns it. We have a whole piece on Christmas onesie ideas, including the matching-family question.
• Birthdays in the second half of the year. September to February is onesie season. A July birthday present goes in a drawer for four months.
• Housewarmings. Especially first flats.
• Hen and stag weekends. A group in matching kigurumis is a cheaper and warmer version of fancy dress, and everyone keeps theirs.
• Getting well, or getting through something. A soft one-piece is a very direct way of saying stay in, rest. It is a better card than a card.

The test

Ask yourself one question: can you picture them wearing it on an ordinary Tuesday? If yes, buy it. If you can only picture them holding it up and laughing politely, buy something else.

If the answer was yes, browse the collection and pick the face that made you think of them.