Baby clothes help?!

[applestrudels]

I'm expecting my first baby in 4 weeks' time and I feel totally lost when it comes to clothes. I wanted to keep things as simple as possible, and I figured the baby won't do much apart from sleep the first few weeks so I won't get any fancy outfits (at least for the time being!!)

I got a few hand me downs, and I read loads of lists about what you need for a newborn for the first few weeks. As a result I have:

5 sleepsuits
5 long-sleeved body suits (no legs)
about 10 short-sleeved vests (no legs)
3 pairs of leggings
couple of cardies
couple of hats
a few pairs of socks

Now, my question actually mainly regards the vests. Everything I read and every person I've spoken to said I'll need a load of vests. They made it sound like vests would make up the primary staple of the baby's wardrobe. So I dutifully went out and got some, but now I'm looking at them thinking, but what are they actually for?!

Are they:
a) supposed to go under another garment as a sort of extra layer?
b) need to be worn with trousers and a cardie? or,
c) do they constitute a whole outfit in and of themselves?

Could someone just walk me through a sort of "day in the life of a newborn" in terms of clothing/outfits?

They go inside a sleepsuit. A long sleeved vest can work with trousers or leggings on a warm day but don’t get too many of those unless your baby will be small and need the extra warmth.

I think you have a right mix. Short sleeved vests can last a while if your baby is below the 50th centile in weight. My DS wears 3-6 month sleepsuits but still fits into short sleeved newborn vests with room to spare.

Mine wore nappy, vest, babygro
Added a cardi if house was cool

Honestly for the first 3 months its pretty much babygrows 24/7 - the leggings, tops and little ‘clothes’ are only for special occasions/outings/ pictures within that time 😅
Just get a load of sleep suits and you’ll be fine! And if you really want socks, get knee highs/toddler socks or they’re just coming straight off haha.

My 12 week old still sleeps more than she is awake, and awake times largely consist of cuddles/playing on the floor. As a result I haven’t bothered with putting her in “proper” clothes. So generally speaking she wears a nappy, short sleeved vest and a sleepsuit, regardless of whether it’s daytime or nighttime. When we go outside I add a hat and maybe socks plus a combination of cardigan/pram suit/blanket depending on temperature.

It’s also useful to have vests and sleepsuits in a range of sizes, depending on how big you expect your baby to be. They will always grow into stuff so doesn’t hurt to get e.g. 0-1 or 0-3 month stuff from the beginning.

Mine wore a nappy, short sleeve vest and babygro with a cardigan if it was chilly.

Didn't bother with leggings until they were cruising and babygros made those first steps a bit awkward!

Usually had a blanket of some sort of in the pram/car seat and stole my body heat when using the sling.

Mostly A:
Nappy
Short sleeve or sleeveless vest (no legs)
Sleepsuit
Cardi/jackets/hats when outside with blankets etc.
I rarely use socks because sleepsuits tend to have the feet built in

The long sleeve vests are good for going under rompers/dungaree type outfits generally or can be worn with leggings when it is warmer and you just want 1 layer.

The reason why you tend to need lots of vests is simply because it's the first layer after the nappy and if the nappy leaks or baby has accident then it's the vest that gets dirty first so often needs changing.

All the best with your little one OP!

Thanks for your help everyone, on the one hand I feel silly asking, but then again I’ve been reading loads of stuff about baby clothes and haven’t seen this mentioned anywhere!

And why do they need a vest under the babygrow..? Would they be too cold without it? Do they still need a vest in summer as well?

Baby should have a layer more clothing than you. In summer they may not need a vest.

Baby ds is 6 months and has worn a vest every day since he was born. 50% of days he still wears a vest and sleepsuit as its just easier!

It's just an extra layer to keep them warm. They may not need it in summer or you may choose to use just a vest without a sleepsuit when it's hot. You'll know if your baby is too warm by touching their back/chest area and you can remove a layer to cool them down

Vests are important and you’ll need quite a few of them depending on how often you do laundry.
I think 10 should be enough if you wash every day!

My DS was born in the summer, and during the first weeks vests were practically the only thing he wore, with a tshirt over it.

I have put my newborn in leggings with a short-sleeved or long sleeved vest occasionally - the leggings were a gift, and a lot of sleepsuits were a bit big for him so I saved those for night time as it’s easier to change a nappy. The leggings and socks are a bit of a PITA for dirty nappy changes as you have to take the clothes completely off. Stick with vests and sleepsuits until they’re a bit older!

I'd get 5 more sleepsuits, if I were you. All similar colours so they wash together. Mine once went through four of the things in one two hour shopping trip (three poonamis).

I don’t think you have enough sleepsuits to be honest - they basically live in these and DS threw up so much yesterday that he had 6 outfit changes....

I think you need a minimum of 12 vests and sleepsuits

My rule of thumb is in winter one more later for baby than me and in summer one less.

So if I'm in trousers and t shirt. Then baby in vest leggings and long sleeve vest.

I'd get another 5 sleep suits.

You definitely need more sleep suits - DS mostly wore a vest (either short or long sleeved depending on how cold it was) and a sleep suit, and generally got through 2-4 of these vest/sleep suit combos per day depending on accidents.

His first summer was absolutely scorching so he wore rompers (no vest) or just his nappy round the house.

As pp said more sleep suits. I allow for 3 changes a day on average and want about 3 days worth to give me time to wash and dry. Throw in a few extra for extra sicky days and I think about 12 is a good amount to have.

Another vote for no 'proper' clothes until about 8 weeks+

Stock up on those sleepsuits. If you end up with a sicky baby (common), you’ll be getting through at least a couple a day! Plus poo explosions..

I’ve just washed all my DD1’s clothes for DD2s arrival & I’ve got 12 newborn sleepsuits & about 20 in 0-3 months! And I still felt like I washing all the time last time round..

You’ll soon judge when they need a vest. My DD was born in May & straight into a heatwave. She lived in a short sleeve vest only morning & night as our house was 29 degrees! 😰 but once that passed, we went into just sleepsuits as the weather remained up at 19-22 degrees. When it’s a bit cooler, you can opt for long or short vest under the sleepsuit.

My DD actually wore a lot of the vest/legging combo. It makes a nice change from sleepsuits & is just as cosy & comfy. I very early on did a morning & night routine of getting into & out of our ‘pyjamas’ .. probably silly but our daughter was a good night sleeper from two weeks (& awake in the day), so I didn’t like to tamper with my methods 😂

My little one always wore a vest- especially at this time of year, a long sleeved vest (or short sleeved later in the year) under all sleepsuits and then A cardi over if needed. He still wears a vest now at 18m - it holds the nappy up and keeps 'them together'. All babies are different but I'd say especially when tiny a vest is always required!

Short sleeved vests and sleep suits. In size up to 1 month turned out to be my staple (I had a big baby so the newborn stuff wasn't very useful). That and about 30 muslins are all I needed for her first few months (obviously moving sleep suit and vest size). I would get more than five unless you have time for lots of washing (baby clothes are small, so I would soak them in a big tub of water and fairy soap and then put them in the wash once a day or so, but that meant that I needed quite a few to make the cycle work)

I have only just started putting DD in cute outfits at 3 months really.

Ok, I definitely need a few more sleepsuits then, I’m so glad I asked you lot!

We got quite a few nicer sleepsuits and short sleeve vests as gifts so don't buy lots!

Vests under the grow/outfit help keep warm and the nappies in place xx