It's likely to be really hot here, it often gets into the 30s during summer. There is actually a weather report already if you look at accuweather's extended forecast (aaaah when did that happen???) and it looks like it will be warm, around 20 with showers and thunderstorms around that time. This baby seems to like thunderstorms so we'll see! However this last week has made me remember the heat of the UK in around 20 degree weather and how unbearable that can be! It must be the humidity, as that's the main difference I have noted, so a dehumidifier might be a useful thing to keep in mind as a backup purchase, for anyone worrying about heat. 20-23 really isn't a problem here at all as it's only around 40-60% humidity. It was a bit uncomfortable today at 27 but I didn't feel like I was melting like I did in the UK at 21 with 80-90% humidity before a thunderstorm, and nor have I got sunburnt here sitting in a park!
Anyway if it was high 20s/low 30s (aka close to or unbearably hot) then I was planning on dressing the baby either in rompers, or just a short sleeved vest. Possibly some leggings and a short sleeved t-shirt over a vest with a cardigan for backup, if it was more comfortable. If I was in the UK or if the weather forecast looks as though it will dip again I might get a few more sleepsuits as I think they are great for over vests. So you have the nappy, vest and sleepsuit plus optional cardigan in case it gets cooler. Defo don't bother with anything fiddly, anything which pulls over the head without massively opening at the neck, anything which fastens at the back. Personally I don't like sleepsuits with nothing underneath, I think they need the vest, but a romper is (weirdly!) OK to me without underwear! I think girl babies can be OK in just a sundress too, and particularly if you're doing cloth, a nappy and a t-shirt can actually be an adorable combination, but probably better once they are a bit bigger. Long sleeved vests do make good pyjamas if you're swaddling or using a grobag, but might be too hot for a hot summer night. Leggings defo work over a vest but I don't like the way it looks tucked in. That's me being fussy :)
Try Boots for lovely, bright coloured clothing which is not overpriced. I was seriously taken by a lot of their stuff but I think I will ask my sister to send some once I've totted up what we have and what we'll need (thanks to the person offering but I have LOTS of people to post things!) The boys' section often has unisex items in (IMO). I found Sansbury's selection was very poor and the only other supermarket I got to look at was Asda which had a few nice things but very split again. I also notice anything brightly coloured is either dinosaur or jungle/circus/zoo themed for no apparent reason. There are some nice nautical blue and red things too. I suppose that colour pairing makes sense but it drives you slightly mad once you notice it. I also love fruit themed patterns but these all seem to heavily feature pink or frills (they seem to use the girls' lemon/pink/green palette!) and then as said everything else is either pink, blue or beige. However there is another theme I like this year - a sun/happy theme which is grey and yellow, but seems to feature a lot of writing which DH isn't keen on. There's actually some lovely things in M&S I've seen on their website as well, and lots which break the usual theme/colour scheme associations.
In Germany babies wear long sleeved vests rather than short sleeved ones and then "stramplers" over the top which is a kind of dungaree made out of terry towelling kind of material with feet on. It's quite cute, I suppose? And the overall effect is of course, exactly the same as a short sleeved vest plus sleepsuit, in terms of layers but I just think sleepsuits look much snugglier and more comfortable, there's more leeway in terms of sizing, plus you don't need to worry about matching the vest colour since you don't see it, and it seems less fiddly. You can get sleepsuits here but they are much harder to find, and not as nice IMO. We can also order from Next and M&S online which is nice but only full priced new stuff, no bargain rails! And there is always a minimum spend.
UK sizes go Early Baby ≤ Tiny Baby < Newborn < 0-3 months. They're not always consistent between shops, and anything smaller than newborn isn't consistent at all. (Look at the estimated weights). I wouldn't buy Tiny Baby unless you've a history in your family of very small babies as I don't think most babies will fit in them. They are really designed for babies under 6lbs. DS was 6lb11 and newborn was a perfect fit for him and didn't fit for very long. A good way to think about newborn is "up to 1 month" because this is about how long they fit. You can put 0-3 stuff on them as well. It's baggy but it works. I wouldn't get too much in Newborn, because you won't use it, but it's a good size for the coming home outfit unless you're likely to have a big baby (then make sure you have a backup one in 0-3 as well!)
Nikil - love the clothing pic! I keep saying this but now I have everything I'm planning to buy I'll do some pics soon. I think I might wash the new items first so they don't contaminate the others with smoke smell :(