Hi all! Bit of a long absence from me, sorry-! Had a bit of a rough patch with the lovely hormones, but I seem to have come out the other side now. Also had a bit of a scare as DD has picked up Chicken Pox! Fortunately, we are 100% sure I had it as a child so I should be immune. It's looking like it so far. :)
For clothes and stuff... You'll need a few newborn hats, but mostly for the initial 24 hours or so. I got told off by the MW last time for only having one hat ready, as they popped it on as soon as DD materialised in order to keep her warm, so it got rather wet and mucky. DH ended up washing it out and drying it with a hair dryer while DD was being cleaned up. This time, I have 3 hats ready!
Aside from that, I have a couple of cardigans but mostly just vests and full (covered foot/long sleeved) sleepsuits. Around 6/12 of each, depending how often you want to do laundry! Remember to buy some in Newborn and some in 0-3 Month size. DD was 8lbs 3oz and only wore Newborn size for about a fortnight.
We had a few cardigans, but TBH it's easier to just cover them with a blanket if you suspect they're getting cold. Trying to get a cardigan on/off a newborn (especially if they're asleep in a car seat/pram and you don't want to wake them...) is a bit of a nightmare. But you can whip a blanket on/off easily.
Rough rule of thumb is that newborns need one more layer than you are comfortable in. So if you're comfy in a t-shirt, then baby needs a vest and a sleepsuit. If you need a jumper, then put a blanket on baby. If you're sweltering and would like to strip off entirely, then just leave baby in a vest.
For the sleepsuits, look for ones which popper all the way down the middle and the insides of the legs. Ones which have to go over the head or ones that popper down the side are a bit of a hassle. Remember that you'll be doing a lot of nappy changes, so the ability to access the bottom without needing to strip baby off entirely is very useful.
Also, if you're not comfortable trimming your LO's fingernails right away, look for sleepsuits with fold over sections to cover the hands to stop them from scratching themselves. You can use scratch mits but they will fall off. Constantly. Fold over arms are much easier!
Personally, I just trimmed DD's nails when she was a day or two old. But that is a terrifying job, as they are teeny tiny and so soft it's difficult to tell what is nail and what is finger. Not a job for the fainthearted!
There are sleeping bags available from very young, I think there's a weight requirement. DD was in a sleeping bag from about two weeks. Initially she had a blanket, which I safety pinned to the bottom of her moses basket to stop her pulling/kicking it over her head.
Sorry for the essay, hope that helps! :)