How many baby grows do I need?

[sweetdreamtennasee]

No idea where to put this thread so, chat it is

Expecting our first baby in July and we’re not going to find out the gender until birth.

I’ll obviously be buying some baby clothes beforehand so would just live to know roughly how many and of what I should be buying?

Long sleeve, shirt sleeve, I’m conscious it will be fairly warm in the summer.

Looking to have the first few weeks covered until I buy more specific clothes going forward!

I preferred baby gowns for night time, no poppers to deal with during the night and they sit for longer

John Lewis sell them too

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Simple-Joys-Carters-Sleeper-Nightgown/dp/B073WMK3MC/ref=ascdff_B073WMK3MC/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=430730958213&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=884800719324872032&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006585&hvtargid=pla-575298241116&psc=1&th=1&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=99798783963&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=430730958213&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=884800719324872032&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006585&hvtargid=pla-575298241116

It’s probably not worth buying too many until baby is born, as the size of newborns can vary massively.

Before DS was born we had a 3-pack each of short sleeved and long sleeved vests in both newborn and first size (upto 1 month) and the same for sleepsuits. In the end, he was 9lb13 and went straight into 0-3, so I was glad we didn’t buy much! Baby clothes are readily available in supermarkets etc, so there really isn’t any need to ‘stock up’ in advance IMO.

I'd get at least (at least!) 5-6 short sleeve and long sleeve bodysuits in 0-3, and a couple in newborn (they grow out of those really fast though). You'll likely end up with multiple outfit changes as they puke all down themselves. I put DS in sleepsuits only for the first 2 months, so much easier when you're changing then all the time - get zip ones! Faffing around with buttons is a ballache especially when it's the middle of the night.

Highly recommend buying second hand on Vinted, you can get all these bits for about £2-5. Best of luck with your baby!

I would probably get a multipack of 5 or 6 newborn size long sleeve gros and the same short sleeve. Both my babies were July born, with v hot summers both times, so I also had some sleeveless vests too.

You may well find that friends and family will gift you a reasonable amount too, and most large supermarkets will have a range of baby clothes too if you unexpectedly run out. I also got a chunk of second hand clothes from friends and family, which were good for extras too.

You can’t have too many in my experience. I would buy 15 per size - newborn, 1 month, 3 months. Vinted means you don’t have to spend a lot 😊

Tricky to know as it depends on how big the baby is. My first was full term but small, so she was in "tiny baby" size for a while and then newborn until about 10 weeks. My friends baby on the other hand, never fit newborn and went straight into 0-3 months.
For this reason I wouldn't bother with buying enough for the first few weeks, just buy a small number - 3 sleepsuits and 6 vests? - in newborn size and 0-3. Then send someone to the supermarket to buy whichever is the right size once they arrive.

I had about 12-15 short sleeved vests and 12-15 sleepsuits for all Dc and one was a July baby. Lightweight blankets I had about 6-7 and cotton hats.

With Dc1 I went with newborn & 0-3 months size however he was tiny and Dh had to go to Asda and get lots of tiny baby size.
If you get a baby that throws up a lot you may want more.

Our LO needed 8 changes a day in the first few weeks! Between sick, nappy leaking (you don't know how big your baby will be), me leaking over everything etc. We had hand me downs so were able to manage without washing, so I would suggest getting at least one 5-pack babygrows and one 5-pack bodysuits in newborn size (then you can buy bigger if bigger baby) plus maybe one cute outfit? Definitely pick up a free knitted cardigan from your hospital/midwife and/or a hat (ours was June born) as they can't regulate their temperature yet. Zips are better than poppers if you can find them!

Ah brilliant thanks so much all for your advice!
Really helpful and much appreciated :)

You should get a better idea of baby's predicted size nearer the time so on the basis of that I'd get 7 in that size. For example, mine ws predicted at 9lbs ish so I got the up to 1 month size. I got some newborn size but she was only in the for around 2 weeks. Footless zip up rompers are good, baby was very long so they were ideal and lasted longer as I could put socks on and she wasn't busting out of them!

Get quite a few. More 0-3 months than newborn. If you find any with zips then snap them up!!

I'd get 14, 2 a day. You won't change baby every day but more clothes means less washing cycles because you've run out of clean clothes

This. When my eldest was born he wouldn’t fit into the ones we’d taken to hospital 😱🙄🤷🏼‍♀️🤣

If you live somewhere where someone can nip to a shop in the first day or two, don't get too much in advance, nothing smaller than 0-3 months. My baby was big and didn't fit into the sleep suits I packed (which I think were 0-3 months but came up small) and was in a nappy and blanket for the first day until his dad brought a bigger outfit from home. It was fine, the maternity ward was like a sauna! If you have a small baby someone can pick up a few outfits in smaller sizes.

My SIL very sensibly, dragged me to a charity shop in late pregnancy and got me a big range of very cheap, used, faded, baby grows in various sizes. And vests ( popper ones)
they were the most sensible idea- I could chuck in dirty laundry at each nappy change if needed. Didn’t fret over matching outfits, poo on nice new ones etc. if they got really bad in an accident I could even bin them without worry as I’d given them a good”life”. I would constantly be on lookout in charity shop right up till they were toilet trained for spare play clothes, nightware where it really did not matter what they were in.

I had a very small range of special ones that were bought as gifts or by me when we were seeing someone.

DC2 has to wear her going home outfit as it didn't have feet, she was 10lb 6oz but hugely long rather than chunky.

DH loves the sleeping gowns as he found the tiny poppers very difficult and fiddly with his huge hands.

Ok, exactly how did you, oh miracle mother, manage to keep socks on babies?
I have always believed that baby socks were invented to keep knitting nans happy and have no practical purpose whatsoever as babies can’t keep them on🤷🏼‍♀️

Newborns don't tend to move much and I put them on right up as far as I could before the romper went on.