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Incase it's of interest I just ordered a load of 1 month clothes on vertbaudet - some organic. I also bagged a nice newborn sleep bag. I got 20% off my first order and free delivery. I'll let you know what they look like when they arrive. Here is the sleep bag - which I got for £8 instead of £27

http://www.vertbaudet.co.uk/newborn-baby-nest-white-light-striped.htm?ProductId=702743037&FiltreCouleur=6348&CodBouw=313835087&t=2

Msbluesky32, you are very welcome

Hi rainand I'm glad someone has posted this question because I'm in a similar situation - totally overwhelmed by the whole buying clothes process! Thanks for posting!

Sounds good. May be on a separate list but don't forget the sleeping bags. Invaluable!

My goodness! Thank you so much OP! Another May baby expected here and you've totally sorted me out. What a helpful post!

Sensible advice and amendments!

Just to add to the newborn size debate, my baby is 10 weeks now and only JUST getting into 0-3 month stuff. She was 6lb 14oz on delivery and full term so not particularly tiny! I guess some people might consider 10 weeks not worth it for buying newborn clothes but it was nice to have stuff that looked cute on her, you know? (I even bought (after I realised she was swimming in newborn clothes) 1 set of tiny baby (7lb) clothes and that lasted her till 6 weeks.)

I found booties totally useless (which is a shame as loads of people gave me them as presents) - and I don't think I've once dressed her in an outfit, it's been vest + sleepsuit all the way. I haven't needed more than about 10 of each, but I don't have a particularly sicky baby.

Have never used a bib

I have found blankets very useful, have about 5 of those, but it is winter at the moment. Again I found padded sleepsuits good for an extra layer when out and for sleeping but you may not need them in May. Giant soft coloured muslins are a very welcome present - bit pricey but much nicer to use - if someone wants an idea for something to buy you!

Congratulations and good luck with the rest of your pregnancy!

Loving your revised list

steals it for herself

Thank you everyone. I've been told babies in my family are not on the larger side, so I suspect I will need newborn size. Based on your recommendations, I've made a revised list now (in case it helps anyone reading this in the future):

Newborn size
6 sleepsuits
6 vests
6 bibs
3 hats
1 bootees
2 cardigans

0-3 months
12-15 sleepsuits
12 -15 vests
6 bibs
3 hats
1 bootees
2 cardigans

Other must needs:
Plenty of Muslin cloths (12-20)
3 shawls
Swaddle x 2/4

Some good advice here .

Just wanted to say that my DD was not very sicky and with reusable nappies we didn't have all that many leaks. DD also loathed her clothes being changed so we only changed her if she was very wet, not just if she was a teeny bit sick.

So we only had about 8 sleepsuits and about 12-15 vests I think.

Love the bandana style bibs as they sit higher at the neck and avoid damp seams chafing neck skin.

Last summer our house got up to 28 degrees, so 3 month old DD was in just a vest for sleeping, or just a nappy on the hottest days!

Vests definitely essential. John Lewis sizes are quite big. Cardigans often still fit with just the top button done up when other items are outgrown! Layers are much better than bulky snowsuits etc. and don't forget socks!

Good luck

Definitely vests. And some long sleeve vests (v cheap in Tesco) are great for layers when the weather is cold. Thin layers better than thick ones.

Also consider cutting the feet off sleepsuits to make them last longer! Just roll the edges back and stick a pair of socks on when they get tight round the feet... and spend the money saved on nicer stuff !

Definitely leave the 3-6 month and older stuff til later. You might want to dress them in "mini people" clothes rather than sleep suits by then.
I had loads of older stuff bought and then forgot to check when ds would fit them and some stuff was too small by the time I checked.
Do you family run to tiny/large babies?
My two were pretty large at 8lb 10 and 10lb 7 so newborn was out from the start and they didn't last long in 0-3.

DD went straight into 0-3, although a couple if the newborn things fitted her for about five minutes a few weeks. Some never did, though and I'd taken them all out of the packets and washed them - what a waste!

I would say, though, take a range of sizes to the hospital - DH had to dash out to the supermarket to pick up some sleepsuits as none of ours were big enough!

Is there an NCT sale near you? I picked up bundles of 7-8 vests for £1, lovely (never-worn) cardigans for 50p etc. if you don't mind 2nd hand stuff you can save yourself a small fortune.

I'd leave the 3-6 month stuff. My dd is 3 months and only being wearing 0-3 months for the past 4 weeks. I actually needed early baby things as although she was over due she was 6 pounds born and tiny. Even the newborn stuff hung off her. Within two weeks she was in newborn. Within another 4 weeks she was in 0-3 months. I think another 2-3 weeks she will be in 3-6 months.

Everyone who bought clothes gifts did the same thing, all bought me 3-6 month stuff thinking everyone else would buy newborn. I had little newborn stuff but masses of 3-6 months. Also as people bought me 3-6 months when baby was born (beginning of sept) it's all summer stuff - most of it isn't going to suitable for dec/jan weather.

You definitely need vests. The baby will feel cold much more than you but mainly to keep nappy in place!

Yes to Muslins- more useful IMO than bibs.

More cardigans to layer up.

Another thing to bear in mind is all shops do different sizing. I preferred mother are sleep suits. Unfortunately the leg length and feet sizes where too small in the right size for my dd. asda where a much better fit but didn't feel as nice. If I could do it all again I'd have purchased a wider selection but only a few pieces until I knew which ones worked best for me then got more of those.

Rainand get thee (very early) to the Next sale after Christmas (I know a lot of people can't be arsed with the early start and queuing etc but i think it's well worth it when you know exactly what you're looking for!) Out of all the sleepsuits I got from various shops these were definitely the ones that washed best! I knew I was having a girl which made it easier but there was lots of gender neutral stuff in Next too. The J Lewis sleepsuits were stretchy but didn't wash brilliantly. However their vests are fab, as are the M&S ones. My DD was 8lb 5oz and wore some newborn for a couple of weeks and then moved on to 0-3mths. I regret not exchanging some of the presents I got for more sleepsuits.. DD was given lots of dresses that she wore once!! My mum hand knit a couple of plain white cardis which were brilliant, v easy to put on baby and v stretchy.. DD was born at the beg. of March and I mostly had her in short/long sleeve vests and sleepsuits. During the warm weather in the summer she slept in short sleeved romper suits that I picked up on sale in Boots. We never needed a snowsuit but had a few short fleecey jackets for cooler summer days.

My fourth baby is due in January.

I will have:

12+ vests
12+ baby grows
4 cardies
4 pairs of socks/scratch mitts
4 hats
Snowsuit
4 blankets
6+ Moses basket/pram sheets
Loads of muslin squares
6+ bibs
Cute 'meeting relatives' outfit x2

As a basic wardrobe for him. Although even with 12+ babygrows and vests I expect to be doing a lot of washing (exploding poo and sick)

I will get it all in newborn size as my babies tend to be quite small (ds3 was 6lb 14oz and short) and wear newborn for 3 months or so.

Do pick a few different shops and buy a couple of sleepsuits/babygros from each. As someone mentioned above, JL runs big, whereas Next has short legs, Baby Gap is a bit longer and slimmer, etc. After the birth you can buy more (online!) of your favorite.

Thus speaks the woman who stocked up on JL in advance only to have a skinny little girl who always looks to be swimming in her clothes...

Thank you everyone! This has been a massive help for me, and do keep the comments coming I'll be re-compiling my list based on all your feedback! What would I do without mumsnet

Our May baby lived in just vests for a while, it was a hot summer. I think we started with 1 pack of 7, then someone gave us another pack and that was about right. I think we ended up with about 6 sleepsuits in each size, plus random actual clothes people gave us.

I wouldn't bother with socks or mitts, they don't stay on anyway. Even February baby has only just started wearing socks this November! As PP says sleepsuits with foldover hands are good if you have a scratchy baby.

Cardis - if you know anyone who knits, you won't need to buy one!

Neither sicky baby nor non-sicky baby used bibs as a newborn - mine apparently don't sick down themselves, they sick on you/your bed/their basket. So perhaps just have a few bibs and see if you use them or not?

Muslins however we had and used by the dozen.

Remember you'll be given lots of stuff, and if you know anyone with older babies you may well get a bag or two of hand-me-downs too.

Our two were 6lb15 and 9lb8, both wore newborn size for about 6 weeks and would have been swamped by 0-3 at birth. Cardis and things you can get away with more, vests and sleepsuits look a bit sad and dangly if they're too big.

I would get mitts or sleep suits with the bit you can roll over just to prevent baby scratching itself.

My Dd was sick on the mitts I brought to the hospital by the time my Dp had brought a new pair up she had ruined her beautiful new face with scratches

And with regard to sizing - my DD1 was in newborn size babygrows until she was nearly 3 months old. My DD2 had outgrown newborn size by the time we left the hospital. They both weighed pretty much the same at birth, DD2 just had longer legs.

Yes to the vests.

No to the booties.

I had a snowsuit/pramsuit, but only used it once, in the depths of winter when I had the baby in a baby carrier on my front. I think they are totally unnecessary, much more comfortable for a baby to be in a nice cosy cardigan under a blanket, if it is cold, rather than immobilised in a big puffy suit. And a blanket is surely much easier to take off than a snowsuit if you go indoors and the baby is asleep.

As others have said, vests are essential (and as they're dirt cheap and only need to last a few weeks Id make life easier washing-wise and buy 10 from a cheapest shop, to allow for lots of runny poo/sick incidents). Id also buy lots more cheap basic bibs, and more sleepsuits.

Buy the cheapest white multiples available from M&S or Matalan, then you can afford to spend a bit more on the more special things like a couple of nice cardies and a pramsuit (from John Lewis).

A word of caution though...don't get too many special things in the first sizes, as you'll be showered with gifts of this sort. I was gutted to not get enough wear out of all the lovely things we received. I knew we'd get some stuff, but was staggered at the amount.

Also...don't spend-up buying sizes from 0-3 months upwards (like I did) because you might discover your baby's teensy at birth and suddenly need to acquire a whole set of 'tiny baby' sized (the smallest size) clothes like I did

Hope this helps. Good luck enjoy this most magical of times.

Get more jumpers

No need to go overboard with anything. I'd say 6 sleep suits in newborn then 12 in 0-3. Willbe plenty to start and you can always buy more as required. We never used bibs so again I'd get 6 or do and see.