Why is a baby’s “going home outfit” a big deal?

[EmAreSea]

DH and I have just been discussing this as I’m 37+6 today and have been packing (and re-packing, and double-triple-checking, and re-re-packing) hospital bags. We’re taking a selection of sleepsuits for baby to wear in the hospital and then started talking about the Going Home Outfit, and both started wondering why it’s a thing? How did that come about? Does anyone know?

DD is 11 days old and I still can't remember what we had her in to bring her home. She boked over all the nice babygrows I brought to the hospital, so pretty sure it was just a handmedown from my Neice that DH grabbed on the way back!

I have saved ds first baby grow and the one he came home in. We were in for a week so and he pooped on the baby grow I put on him to come home so he came home in the last clean one we had. For me I look at them and it brings back the good memories of becoming a mummy and finally getting home after a hell of a time with sepsis (me)

Dd came home in her first baby grow as we didn’t stay in. I’ve saved hers too.

I’ll keep them to show the kids and for my own memories. There is nothing practical about a going home outfit it’s all about emotions. One of my friends has 6 children and everyone came home in the same baby grow which I think is so sweet.

I've heard of it but not known anyone who's actually done it, they always hidden under a mound of blankets and who knows what on earth will fit them!

The other is "here is a specially curated outfit where I've focused on the big deal about coming home and want to dress them up like a doll for the occasion so need them to have a cute outfit and the right matching hat and booties / bow or headband

And theres the sanctimony.

I personally have dressed all mine in proper clothes from day one. Sleep suits are pyjamas that they wear for bed. But I dont judge people that use sleep suits as clothes, that's their choice.

HalfBloodPrincess
As ive already said to another poster, the explanation was only given because I was asked what the difference was between someone taking baby home in a baby grow (that I'm guessing they like because they bought) and planning a special going home outfit to mark the occasion.

I thought the difference was fairly obvious, but apparently it needed clarifying. It's not sanctimonious to point out a fairly obvious difference between buying a special going home outift that's all coordinated etc and taking baby home in whatever baby grows you've bought.

If anything, I would have thought it was more of a thing back when mums were kept in for longer post birth (when I was born in the early 80’s it was two weeks!) so ‘going home’ must have felt like more of a big deal. And yes to the pp who mentioned photos.. pre digital or phone cameras it took much more effort to photograph special moments, so people would maybe be more likely to dress for it. Either way I think it’s a sweet tradition / idea, but not something to get hung up on either.

@HalfBloodPrincess, no doubt it’ll be the dreaded or worse .

Im not sure it was a 'thing' 12 years ago but i did choose a special outfit to bring them home in and kept them both in their memory boxes

You don't love your child more or be a better parent becasue you wear a boden dress and and have your baby dressed in old white babygros or dress your son in his sisters hand me downs.

Amen! So true.

What are memory boxes? I mean, I’ve heard of them in relation to terminally ill people. Is that what people mean? Either they or their child is terminally ill?

daisy
Some people have a box where they out their child's coming home outfit, first tooth, scan photos, first curl of hair, birthday cards etc and they keep it as the child grows up.

A memory box in this context just contains sentimental items.. often the cord clip / hospital bracelet, first outfit / shoes / blankie / teddy / dummy etc... For them or you to look back on in years to come.

I have a box of their hospital tags, cot labels, new baby cards, scan pictures, and first shoes.
Never once in 20 years after me offering to show them all this stuff have either of them been interested at all.
It's all in the loft somewhere.

I did keep all the teeth but realised that was weird and chucked them all out.

I had a newborn outfit - DS’s first clothes ever. I have kept them.

By the time I took him home I was so exhausted I couldn’t have cared less what he wore so long as it was clean and comfortable.

I dressed DD in a little leggings and top combo, I’d bought as a going home outfit. She’d dropped too much weight and we ended up staying in for a week, by which time I just shoved her in a baby grow and legged it 😂

Never heard of it. DC left hospital in a babygro (and a hospital blanket as we didn't have a coat).

I love MN for its ability to be snooty about literally ANYTHING

Yes Ross, and rows breaking out on a thread about a baby's outfit. Only on MN.

@Sparklingbrook I was looking for a pair of earrings in my mums jewellery box a few years ago and found a little box which I opened to discover... mine and my sisters baby teeth 🤢 it's traumatised me tbh!

I don’t see anything particularly snooty about this thread, more curiosity.

@EmAreSea

OK. so, as you started this ridiculous bun fight, I demand you now post some photos of the available options

Please!

I’d demand a photo of the baby but you know...bit tricky just yet 🤷🏻‍♀️🤣

Im not sure when the tradition came about, but I’m guessing when hospital births became the ‘norm’ and walking the baby home from the hospital would mean all and sundry wanting to have a peek at the baby 👶

It’s getting horrible on MN, so many sneery, nasty posts. What do people get out of being so bitchy on what could have been a really sweet thread?

Urgh M0reGin, you could have had a necklace made.

I kept my DC's teeth in an envelope. Seemed reasonable at the time. A few years later-straight in the bin!

I didn't know it was a 'thing' but we did have a special baby grow on one side for DD to come home in. It had little embroidered rainbows on it, with a matching hat. It's in her memory box.

Oh I went all out on DD's coming home outfit. I'd actually forgotten to get one (exhausted from 10 weeks in hospital) so I got a beautiful blush pink Burberry babygrow with matching blanket. I still have it all. It was such a huge day bringing her home considering I didn't think I'd get to bring her home at all.

I just had a nice selection of newborn baby gros and a little baby hat. With both my children I was in hospital 2 nights so we'd already got through a few outfits before we got to go home.

I do remember with DD2 though I did pack a lovely warm padded all in one thing to go over her baby gro when we went outside as she was a January baby. Turns out though that I'd forgotten just how small newborns are and the nice warm outfit was at least 3 times bigger than she was. I ended up just wrapping it around her. 😂