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Original poster

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

257 replies

EmAreSea · 09/10/2019 07:23

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?

OP posts:
30to50FeralHogs · 09/10/2019 09:58

My 3 all wore the same babygro as their first outfit. Only DS1 actually ‘went home’ though, as the other two were born at home. I like the fact that their first ever photo matches, but it does make it difficult to tell who’s who Grin

30to50FeralHogs · 09/10/2019 09:59

Oh and that was 15-20 years ago so we’ll before I was on SM

HoppingPavlova · 09/10/2019 10:01

Yep, was a thing when mine were born so over 20 years ago and no SM.

I think it was because it was traditional for DH to bring camera and take pics of baby leaving hospital/going home. No mobiles to easily snap away in those days. So you made an effort with a half decent outfit.

It was moot in our case as by the time we had PFB dressed and in capsule they did an enormous poo which rocketed right up their back, out top, out legs and all over baby capsule. So just changed them into whatever else we had and had to clean capsule on first use, we sponged and hospital gave us disposable mat to cover it until we could get home and chuck inner in the wash. So no photo, that went by the wayside as we both stood there staring at baby, capsule and each other thinking WTF just happened.

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littleduckeggblue · 09/10/2019 10:02

I've kept all of my baby's special clothes. Stuff that reminds me of a moment. The special stuff I've kept will be turned into a patchwork quilt in a few years once I've gathered enough "special items". The rest of her clothes obviously go as hand me downs and charity shops

LaMarschallin · 09/10/2019 10:06

Oh dear.

Given my elder daughter is wedded to SM, I probably should have bought some wonderful outfit for the coming home photo.

It was... um... whiteish. I think.

Everythingseemsfine · 09/10/2019 10:06

I kept the first babygro that he has worn. That was my treasure outfit. It was nothing special, just a regular one from Tesco. But it means so much for me.

HoldMeCloserTonyDanza · 09/10/2019 10:13

I didn’t give much thought to it. It was a sweet outfit but I think all baby outfits are sweet, so.

What I do love is that I used the same outfit for each child so now we have basically the same photo of them each at the same moment, and even though they look and if course act so different now, in that image all you see is how alike they are and that’s rather lovely.

Passthecherrycoke · 09/10/2019 10:14

everythingseemsfine people who buy going home outfits don’t think their baby is more special than anyone else’s. They don’t care about other people’s babies, exactly as you profess not to. So there is no problem is there?

Passthecherrycoke · 09/10/2019 10:17

“I think it was because it was traditional for DH to bring camera and take pics of baby leaving hospital/going home. No mobiles to easily snap away in those days. So you made an effort with a half decent outfit.”

Exactly this- I actually see it as quite an old fashioned tradition, like having a going away to honeymoon outfit at the end of your wedding. Or being carried over the threshold. It’s a way of making a big deal of welcoming your baby into its home

Sagradafamiliar · 09/10/2019 10:17

It's a thing for everyone, unless all these people claiming to have 'never heard of a going home outfit' are taking their newborns home in just a nappy. It's what you dressed your babies in when you took them home, literally.
I didn't dress mine in anything extraordinary, just babygros and a nice matching hat. Little cardigan and blanket. The blankets are what I'd be most excited about.

Tweetingmagpie · 09/10/2019 10:18

You can still get nightdresses for babies, John Lewis and not on the high street do them and I have a couple of vintage ones too, much easier for in the middle of the night nappy changes!

Everythingseemsfine · 09/10/2019 10:21

Passthecherrycoke, my responce was to you saying you hate the threads that people pretend and you think they are dim. They don't. Nothing wrong with how they do things, or how they want to celebrate their newborns. That was my point.

Cookit · 09/10/2019 10:21

When it came to it I had been stuck in hospital for so long and so desperate to leave, when we got the discharge papers I just chucked ds on the car seat, bundled up with blankets and ran for it.

This. My first was discharged from intensive care when we weren’t expecting it so I had nothing with me. DH had to drive home to get the car seat even. With my second I was still in for a few days. I had a few special baby gros- eg first one I’d bought in the pregnancy or one that I saw in a shop and couldn’t forget because of pregnancy hormones or whatever but by the time we went home DC had worn all of them already.

Passthecherrycoke · 09/10/2019 10:26

Well then you’ve misunderstood what I’m complaining about. Posts where people are claiming they don’t understand the concept. Either they’re pretending, or dim. It’s really not that hard to understand

Ludos · 09/10/2019 10:29

Special occasion. DC1 was born before SM was a thing and we still had a special outfit.

Everythingseemsfine · 09/10/2019 10:32

Well then, you don't understand either, Passthecherrycoke. I had my dc 11 years ago, and never heard of going home outfit. Am I bieng dim not heard of it?
For not understanding the concept, there could be many reasons. Mine was, he was born half dead, so, what he has worn the day he left hospital didn't matter for me.

RachelEllenR · 09/10/2019 10:32

I just packed babygros I particularly liked for the hospital - so whichever one they were in when they came home is what they wore. I can remember what my first was wearing but not my second.

HotChocolateLover · 09/10/2019 10:32

Aww, it’s not a big thing and not something to sweat over. I reckon it’s more of a thing for first time parents, especially if they have family waiting at home and they’re dying to show off the baby.

Glitterfisher · 09/10/2019 10:36

I think it has been a 'thing' for many years, my nan who was in her 90s when DS was born 13 years ago specifically bought him his 'going home' outfit. It is supposed to be their first outfit I guess, that's why it's special. Doesn't actually matter what it is.

It's no big deal, it is a lovely memory for us though as it was a cute little white outfit with Winnie the Pooh on that is in his keep sake box and we think of my nan when we see it.

TBH on MN you are looked down upon if you dress your 0-12 month old in anything other than a plain white babygro.

Sparklingbrook · 09/10/2019 10:38

I didn't realise the pics of the father carrying a car seat down the hospital corridor with his back to the camera was a thing. I have seen a couple of them.

Celebelly · 09/10/2019 10:40

My baby was born full of mucus and spat up on everything so she just came home in whatever sleepsuit was clean Grin I can't remember which one, although I think we do have a picture

Passthecherrycoke · 09/10/2019 10:42

I’m sorry that you son was born half dead but not really sure what that has to do with it? If you understand the concept of a going home outfit, then my post wasn’t about you

LaMarschallin · 09/10/2019 10:45

Passthecherrycoke

Well then you’ve misunderstood what I’m complaining about. Posts where people are claiming they don’t understand the concept. Either they’re pretending, or dim. It’s really not that hard to understand

What if they understand the concept, now they've heard it's a "thing" (like - say - a bride's going away outfit) but genuinely didn't know it existed before? So, like me, they might say "Oh. Right then. I've learned something."?

I didn't know it existed before reading this thread and I don't think I'm dim.

Ah now...
Don't disillusion me and tell me I am dim.

I'd feel so sad.

IthinkIsawahairbrushbackthere · 09/10/2019 10:45

When my oldest was born (nearly 31 years ago) it was a huge thing, partly I think because mostly babies stayed in hospital gowns until they went home. It would be the first "proper" thing the baby wore. My parents drove miles to Mothercare to buy a specific outfit for him!

The baby had to be dressed by a nurse, not mum, and carried to the car by the nurse. Then she posed for pictures before handing him over to the parents. And if you were well organised you sent the nurse a copy of the photo!

It was the same when my second was born but by the time number 3 came along we had to take everything to hospital - baby clothes, full changing bag etc and when you were ready to go home you strapped the baby into the car seat and walked out.

Because of the fuss that was made with the first two with their going home outfits I made sure I had something specific for number 3 (and subsequently numbers 4 and 5 as well) but no big fuss about photos in the nurse's arms or anything like that.

Everythingseemsfine · 09/10/2019 10:51

I totally agree with LaMarschallin. Yes, I do get the concept, and there's nothing wrong with it. I think it's lovely. But there are people who has never heard of it, and others who did but didn't care. They are not dim, nor pretending. That was all I wanted to say.

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