Idiots guide to dressing a baby

[Mushroo]

I’m a FTM (5 months pregnant) and I seem to have a mental block around dressing a baby. (I promise I’m not normally this dense!).

Baby will be due in Jan so it’ll be cold. So far I have a few babygrows and a pack of sleep suits. But:

• what’s the difference between a babygro and a sleep suit?
• Do I put a vest underneath these? Or is it just nappy, babygro, cardigan (if needed). Can I just stock up on the onesies / babygros / sleepsuits? These are ok for public right? I don’t need ‘outfits’?
• what are bodysuits?! These seem to come in short sleeved and long sleeved. Wtf do I put on the bottom half? Do I need these?
• When I’m out and baby is in the pram, would I put the baby in nappy + vest, plus babygro plus pramsuit?
• Everyone seems to love muslins. What do you actually use these for?
• At night I’ve seen the sleeping bag things and the tog is based on temperature. Surely the temp of the room fluctuates through the night so what do you do?

Thank you from an overwhelmed FTM!

Muslins are brilliant. My DS started 6th form college today and I'm still using ours for all sorts!

This is reminding me of the time DH managed to put the vest on over the sleepsuit. I wish I got a photo of it... no phone camera back then!😂

My baby was born in jan.
I did not use any 'clothes' when he was 0-3 months so I wouldn't buy any.

He was always in a vest with short sleeves and a babygrow/sleep suit with hands and feet. Sometimes I swaddled him in a Muslin and used a thin cellular blanket over this to tuck him in. If I didn't swaddle him then I used a thicker blanket to tuck him in.

I didn't start using sleeping bags instead of blankets till he was about 2m old- you'll probably need 2.5 tog for early spring and a 1 or 1.5 for summer.

He's currently sleeping in just a vest no covers as it's HOT

Omg I thought buttoning the best over a pair of shorts (grandad) was the funniest but this one wins!

Muslins also good to put over their legs in the buddy to protect from sun from May onwards

Thanks for asking this @Mushroo really helpful post! X

@Sprogonthetyne It's getting them out. If the nappy leaks, then the envelope neck opens wide enough to go down over their shoulders, so you don't need to pull poo covered vest over their head. My gob is monumentally smacked! 40 years after having a baby this is the first I’ve heard of this.

DC both lived in vests and sleep suits for the first 3 or 4 months. I did have some with designs that felt more like pyjamas for night rather than day but all essentially the same thing.

Also worth adding that lots of people very kindly buy proper outfits for new babies. We had lots of beautiful gifts but in 0-3 and 3-6 months. With hindsight I should have kept the tags on and exchanged them for bigger sizes where possible as they got very little use.

• what’s the difference between a babygro and a sleep suit? Dunno

• Do I put a vest underneath these? Or is it just nappy, babygro, cardigan (if needed). Can I just stock up on the onesies / babygros / sleepsuits? These are ok for public right? I don’t need ‘outfits’? You don't need outfits. Do put a vest on though, keeps them warm and keeps their nappy secure.

• what are bodysuits?! These seem to come in short sleeved and long sleeved. Wtf do I put on the bottom half? Do I need these? They're just another name for vests. Long sleeved is for v cold weather/under t shirts.

• When I’m out and baby is in the pram, would I put the baby in nappy + vest, plus babygro plus pramsuit? I never had a pram suit. I just put a cardi on and wrapped them in a blanket.

• Everyone seems to love muslins. What do you actually use these for? Mopping up sick.

• At night I’ve seen the sleeping bag things and the tog is based on temperature. Surely the temp of the room fluctuates through the night so what do you do? Open a window if it's hot. Put an extra blanket on top if it's cold.

Don't spend a fortune on muslins. In an emergency you'll grab the nearest tea towel/bath towel/old t shirt...

Three years later, I have no fucking idea what the purpose of a big muslin is

I loved these for cover for breastfeeding and for the pram in the sun, but agree for anything else they were much too big.

Lots of good advice. I laugh at our baby photos now because we must have been terrified they were going to freeze, theyre always wrapped up in so many layers!
My biggest tip would definitely be outfits that can just be pulled down or off without having to go over their head for as long as possible. We were given and bought so many cute outfits that we just didn't use in the end because the amount of hassle it would have been to remove them due to poo/vomit/snot without also getting it all over their face and hair just wouldn't have been worth it.
Small muslin cloths are a life saver - they can be used for so many things! We are still using ours 11 years later for all sorts and still use the same muslin drawer!

Thanks to those of you who reminded me what the envelope necks are for! My poor babies who had to endure stinky sleepsuits being pulled over their heads! Fortunately they seem to have reached their teens relatively unscathed.

Wish I'd started a thread like this - i was totally clueless. I remember being really scared about bathing dc1 for the first few times.

Good luck OP.

Babies typically need one more layer than you.

Start with a vest (bodysuit, it has an envelope neck and no legs)

Next a sleepsuit (All in one baby grow)

A pram suit is essentially equivalent to a coat so use when taking the baby for a walk in the pram for example.

A cardigan can be put over a sleepsuit in a cold house for example. I had two winter babies and that was normally sufficient.

That theory only works when it's cold!!!🤦‍♀️

Our for a walk on the first warm day. Friends baby was sitting smiling in the pram, in t-shirt & shorts
Mine was grumping friend asked what's he got on - one more layer than me body suit, then t-shirt & soft trousers except I'm baking in just a t-shirt.
Whoops had to stop and strip him off!

Yes! I never used a pramsuut/snowsuit. Just imagine how uncomfortable they must be and awkward getting in and out of especially when you need to change a nappy. We just used layers and blankets. A cardigan or soft (not puffy) coat on top, blanket over legs is more practical than a full suit.

You used to be able to get little vests & babygros that open at the front, eith with ties or tie little velcro like fasteners. These are the best as you dont need to put theover your baby's wobbly head - always alarming at the beginning and much nicer for baby.

A pram is pretty warm because its enclosed especially if the hood is up to protect from weather. I think many babies are very overdressed! Just be aware of their tempetature - you'll get the hang of it!

I found soft loose trousers really useful. Some footed some not. My babies lived in them. E.g you can wear on their own or.additional non-bulky warmth over a babygro if needed.

My main advice is get a sling - your body will keep them warm - footed trousers & leggings for legs & feet. You dont want bulky clothes with a sling.

Big muslins are ace for swaddling, using as sunshields over the pram/window etc.

No, babies don't need 'outfits' & are probably much more comfortable in babygros! Any extraneous stuff like headbands etc is liable to irritate them! Don't be tempted to decorate your baby.....

Snowsuit isn’t worth it for the first winter if they will be 0-3 months. They aren’t going to be running about in snow and cold. Can’t use in slings or car seats either.
Just add thick cardigan, hat and soft mittens. Baby warm booties over sleepsuit.
Then cover with blankets in car seat or pram and wrap with blanket over sling if needed. I had sheepskin liner for carrycot part of pram.
With snow suit they can’t use in car seat or sling. And if they fall asleep in pram you can easily remove layers when you go inside somewhere

from 3 months we used long sleeve vest, leggings and cardigan a lot

what’s the difference between a babygro and a sleep suit?
No difference.

Do I put a vest underneath these? Or is it just nappy, babygro, cardigan (if needed).
Depends on weather, vest normally required in colder months.

Can I just stock up on the onesies / babygros / sleepsuits? These are ok for public right? I don’t need ‘outfits’?
Don't need outfits unless you want them, and lots of people will buy you outfits especially if it's a first baby.

what are bodysuits?! These seem to come in short sleeved and long sleeved. Wtf do I put on the bottom half? Do I need these?
Bodysuits are really vests with studs to stop them riding up. I never used long sleeved ones only short sleeved. Both babies were winter babies.

When I’m out and baby is in the pram, would I put the baby in nappy + vest, plus babygro plus pramsuit?
Pramsuits look cute but you might find blankets easier to whip on / off if you are going in and out of shops. Blankets are also better in carseats.
Pramsuits must not be used in car seats. They make it impossible to get the straps tight enough but compress with force. I've seen videos of baby crash test dummies fly out of carseats in pramsuits. Not good.

Everyone seems to love muslins. What do you actually use these for?
Wiping up puke, and putting over your shoulder to keep you clean.

At night I’ve seen the sleeping bag things and the tog is based on temperature. Surely the temp of the room fluctuates through the night so what do you do?
Just don't let baby get too hot. See the information posted up thread.

I was equally confused.
For my October baby, for the first month or so she was just about always in a babygro with a short sleeved vest underneath. Sometimes, if we were unlucky with poo & sick in the early days, we could get through 4 or 5 of each in a 24 hour period! Other days, whenever her nappy was changed between about 8am & 10am I'd change her outfit and then change it again after bath time. Babygros largely come in packs & there's always some you like more than others so mine wore the nicer ones during the day & the ones I didn't like as much overnight. Some people, on the other hand, just stick to plain white all the time. DD was in a babygro/vest combo for the first month pretty much all of the time and then, as she grew into some of the outfits she'd been given, she'd wear those sometimes during the day. By the time she was 4 months, she was always in outfits (with a vest as the base layer). A few people keep their babies in babygros until they're crawling; others are in outfits from just a few days old
When DD was about 6 months old (so April) it got incredibly warm quite quickly and I was completely thrown by the idea of her not being in a poppered vest. I remember an NCT friend and I having a long chat about what to do!
I found giant muslins amazing with DC2. Perhaps because I had to plonk him down on the ground a bit more than I'd had to with DC1 and so I'd put the muslin down under him so it was clean.

The need for outfits varies. I liked putting mine in outfits once they were about a month old but that's because I liked to get up in the morning and get us both changed for the day. For me it was important to distinguish between night and day. Outfits varied though I had a summer baby first so he often was in a romper or vest. With a winter baby he was often in a long romper ( sleep suits with no feet) or dungarees for both as they were easy to layer up or down. Muslims were the best with our first who was a very sicky baby and barely used with our second who wasn't!!

Thank you all so so much - I feel I actually understand now!

@Matildahoney glad it wasn’t just me who needed a guide!

Vest/bodysuit - This is usually the first layer, they keep the nappy in place a bit too.

Sleepsuit - Next layer, usually all you will need in the house.

Out and about just a cardigan cat and blankets depending on how cold it is.

I wouldn't bother with outfits, just a vest and sleepsuit.

My first daughter was a December baby and she spent the first 4/5 months mainly in a nappy, vest & sleepsuit. I had bright colours and patterns for daytime and pastel or plain white for night time.

We had loads of muslins for her but rarely used them. With my second daughter giant muslins we're an excellent investment! They were used to swaddle, to catch sick after a bottle, as a blanket in the pram, even as a blanket on an aeroplane!
My girls are almost 4 and 1.5 now and I still take a giant muslin everywhere with us!

This has been useful as I’m also due my first in January. I’ve mainly been confused about what to use for nighttime in terms of sleep bags and blankets.

Muslins I’ve been told are good for covering yourself/sofa from sick/food, mopping up, for swaddling as a blanket, as a breastfeeding cover, to cover up bare skin from the sun, as a picnic blanket, as a changing mat cover, for the bath to wrap around shoulders of the bathroom is chilly and they’re sat up in a bath seat/support. I got a few from Primark really cheap last week.

i had a boy and I loved those long nightie things (unisex lol) that were loosely elastic after at the bottom. Meant I could do a nappy change in the middle of the night without stripping off the top half, just wheeked up the nightie, job done. I also remember when the teething started that was was constantly changing vests, drying up his chest and chin with muslin cloths because he was a major drooler, you’ll get the hang of it so quickly and they’re all so different, I remember mine was born in the winter and I had so many warm clothes for him but he spent basically six months latched on being fed, cuddled, sleeping on me, that he was always super warm and I didn’t get to walk the length of myself. Short sleeved little popper fastening vests were my life for about 2 years. I could never have enough of them. So excited for you btw! X