What to buy a newborn

[FirstTimeMumApril19]

So, I appreciate I should probably know this now there is only 9 weeks to go so please be friendly!! What does a baby wear during the day?

I have brought some sleepsuits (I'm assuming these are the equivalent of pj's) and I have some short sleeve vests. Am I meant to be buying sleep suits for daywear too?

Thank you for help.

In the very early days they mostly wear sleep suits all the time although some people dress them up in proper outfits for visitors etc.

The rule generally is one additional layer to what you are wearing so if you have t shirt and jumper you’d also add a vest for the baby- this isn’t written in stone at all and depends on lots of other factors but a couple of cardigans, some socks and a light hat are all also useful.

Ours wears a sleeveless vest and whatever the first clean babygro that fits him is in the drawer. Focus is on having feet, mits and being easy to do a nappy change.

We have nice outfits which are a bugger to do a nappy change in and are rarely used.

He sleeps in the same sort of thing he wears during the day as its warm, comfortable and practical.

DS has a selection of vests and sleepsuits he wears day and night (8 weeks). He has a couple of other outfits but vests and sleepsuits are easiest. A couple of hats for outside. You can get scratch mitts but a lot of sleepsuits have fold-over parts at the end of each sleeve which are far easier and don't get lost!

Get some vests and sleepsuits in newborn and some in 0-3 months as they soon grow out of them!

This would be a normal outfit supplemented with a hat and maybe a cardigan if it's cooler

I found little soft cotton leggings and tops (and dresses for dd) easier for nappy changes personally.

As long as what they're wearing is breathable, soft and temperature appropriate then it doesn't really matter wether you choose outfits or sleep suits during the day.

I would avoid anything with fiddly buttons or that fastens up the back though.

Something for his mum.

In the very early days mine have always worn sleeveless vests and a sleepsuit. If we’re out and using the pushchair I add a pramsuit and blankets. Sometimes they’ve worn soft leggings and long-sleeved vests. I usually get bored of that stuff after about a month and start putting them in little outfits, but still just soft trousers or dungarees and tops.

Sleepsuits, comfy stuff. Only comfy stuff. Dds got lots of dresses as presents and barely wore them, they really not comfy enough.

I would stick to sleep suits with a vest if it's colder. Easy to change and they look adorable. But on a more practical side they are comfortable and allow movement for the little one - it's important not to restrict movement especially around the hips - I was advised by an osteopath that if you restrict movement by putting babies in jeans and the like that it can hinder development and in some instances cause issues further down the line.

I've always stuck to cotton as it's soft and I think it I was lying down all day I would want to be in something soft
Congratulations and enjoy your little bundle he/she will be here before you know it.

Also I would suggest that poppers are your friends for the first few months (or as I found until DS could sit up in aided)

Oh my days!
I read the title as “AIBU to buy a newborn”!!!

Sorry. And to reiterate what others have suggested, sleepsuits and vests are easiest for a good few weeks to start with.

Hope all goes well for you x

Thank you so much, it's so overwhelming! The picture really helps as I now know what I'm looking for.

I've got a 'grobag', would it be sensible to have two or three?

Yes just get sleepsuits and vests. They wear the same day and night, unless you especially want to dress them differently. They spend a lot of their time sleeping, so it makes sense. Vest on as underwear and then the sleepsuit over the top. Blankets if it's cold. If it's hot then take the sleepsuit off and leave them in a vest. At least one hat for hospital but they aren't supposed to wear them once they are home.

I found even though I liked the idea of different clothes in fact I only wanted him in sleepsuits at first because a waistband seemed uncomfortable. Once he was about 3 months old he started moving a bit more purposefully and I felt that tops and trousers helped with that so we did soft, comfortable clothes during the day.

Exciting times!!! I really had no idea at the start either! I made sure we had the minimum the NHS suggests www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/what-you-need-for-baby/. We found that 8lbs14oz DS fit into newborn stuff (up to 7lbs5oz) just fine, for ages maybe because he was fat rather than big. I'd suggest you buy the bare minimum, you will get given soooo much (especially in size 3-6 months, no idea what that's about!) For the first 6 weeks or so DS didn't have any separate day and night clothes, we'd just put him in something looser at night if he'd been wearing something with a waistband. We generally stuck with the one layer more than us rule during the day. When he was big enough for his Grobag, we started following their guidelines on what to wear, as it's really important not to let them overheat. Now DS is 5 months he is generally in one layer less than me, as he screams the house down if he's too hot!

Unless you have a tumble dryer (and are very on top of your laundry), you will want another GroBag. We have two (2.5 together) and have also been using a bigger size sleeping bag. We have a very sicky child though...

*tog, not together!

My little one (4 weeks old on Friday) sleeps under a blanket. Too little for a gro bag. Some lovely ones in John Lewis.

Probably a good idea to have more ans one grobag as they are likely to get sick or poo on them!
The grobags have a lower weight limit so it is a good idea to get some lightweight blankets as well, in case baby is too small.

Sleepsuits and vests are the usual outfit for a newborn. Or soft leggings with "feet" and a vest and cardigan. Mittens are good to keep their hands warm outside but also to stop them scratching their face.

Also, not clothing, but if you haven't got one already I would definitely invest in a stretchy wrap to carry baby in when they are tiny.

I'd stick to one grobag for now, because they are expensive and you don't know if you or your baby will like it. If you try it out and like it, it won't be dirty for a couple of days so you can order more then. Unless you see them at a very good price second hand, then it might be worth picking some more up.

We have 2 of each weight gro bag- because you can guarantee a middle of the night nappy explosion, or impressive regurg of a feed will happen. Babies are good at spreading bodily fluids everywhere...

You will need grobags in different tog rating. Buy yourself a gro-egg, this will help with what to dress baby in at night. I found this useful for night time (gro.co.uk/what-to-wear/)

During the day (especially for the early days) just stick to vests and long sleeve baby grows. Poppers at the bum are your friend. I remember I had one that had poppers at the top by the head which DD never got to wear as I just couldn’t work out how to fit her in it 😂

You can wear both sleepsuits and pretty day wear, depends if u fancy dressing baby up to take them out or if u want them to be in a nice outfit for pics etc. My DD was in sleepsuits most the time unless i felt like dressing her up.

Newborn essentials for me were;

Grobag sleeping bag
Groswaddle incase baby prefers swaddling when sleeping
Not sure if youll need many hats as it may be too warm soon (my DD born April last year and never needed to wear a hat aside from the first 2 days)
Scratch mits
Short sleeve vests
Sleepsuits
A GOOD cellular blanket (i bout a huge Mama Designs one and 10 months later still use it, its the cot bed size so when your BF or even bottle feeding, you can both snuggle in it together, i didnt waste money on the smaller cheaper cellulars)
Best day outfits for the coming months would be rompers and dresses.

My second was born end of April and by the time June arrived he was wearing dungarees and little trousers and tops. All soft cotton or Jersey fabrics. But when very newborn it was vest plus sleepsuits.

Oh, a couple more good tips which I wish I had known in the early days...
If you will be using a Moses basket, fold a muslin in quarters (length ways) and put it where the baby’s head will be at night time. Makes it easy to just remove if there is any spit up (dd had reflux so we went through sheets quickly till I did this)
And when moving the baby into a bigger bead (travel cot or normal cot) put a mattress protector, sheet, mattress protector and another sheet. Makes for easy changes if you get a leak/sick during the night

Be sure to check out the vest epiphany - like in the link below - it makes changing little ones so much easier and seems to be a secret hack lots of people are never told! Best of luck

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/metro.co.uk/2015/11/18/finally-we-know-why-babygrows-have-shoulder-flaps-5510891/amp/