Newborn clothes - I accept I am a bit thick...

[Deliaskis]

...so DH and I are starting to get things ready for baby, due Feb (don't want to be doing too much shopping after Christmas when it will be snowy etc.).

And I have seen of course lots of baby clothing items, and more or less have figured out that there are vests (with poppers), babygrow type things (are these also called sleepsuits or is that something different?), hats, little mitten things, etc. and then 'fun' clothes e.g. cuter stuff for when guests come etc.

So what I don't get is, what, and how much, will a newborn wear as a general guide?

Baby is due Feb, so it will be cold outside, but obviously not cold inside, apart from the middle of the night when the heating is off etc.

So if any wise ladies can help, I would appreciate guidance on:

1. What would a newborn wear in a normal day indoors?

2. What would a newborn wear on a walk out in the pram in cold weather (how many clothes and what arrangement of pram linen/bedding) - What if I want to lift him/her out of the pram for a cuddle or to soothe etc whilst outside?

3. What combination would be neither too hot nor too cold for an average shopping trip (e.g. into the car, out of car, into pram, outside for 5 minutes, in a shop for 15 minutes, etc.)?

4. What would a newborn wear in bed (clothes and amount of bedding)? - I have swaddling blankets and sleeping bags already, but don't know if I will also need any blankets etc. for colder nights. And it will probably be quite warm between e.g. 8pm and midnight, and then get colder in the house, and be pretty cold between 2am and 6am when heating comes on again.

I guess I seem to be more nervous about baby being too hot than baby being too cold, but obviously have to be careful with either. There is just so much stuff out there, I can't gauge a 'normal' level of what will be needed.

Thanks in advance, and sorry for being thick .
D

PS completely separate question, we have bought new mattresses for borrowed cot and moses baskets, but have also been given lots of blankets, sleeping bags etc. from my sister. Does using these carry the same risks (in terms of SIDS) as using an old mattress? They've all been washed (twice!) obviously! I was assuming the risk with mattresses was that you can't wash them so 'foreign' bacteria etc. can linger, but am now feeling a bit paranoid about bedding items!

I have NO experience with a winter baby, sorry, but can I add that it is easier to cool down a hot baby that to warm up a cold one.

DD was born in that really hot week at the end of May this year, and the midwives "told me off" for not having DD's hat on and only dressing her in a vest. I'd taken her babygro/sleepsuit off as I thought she would be overheating. They told me what I've just repeated above, and it has stuck with me.

Oh, and yes, sleepsuits all the way!

tbh i kept my winter baby and my tiny preemie autumn baby on my chest in a sling the whole time. gorgeous, like having a wee hot water bottle on. must be a pita in summer.

Thank you Deliaskis for asking this question and to everyone who has offered advice. I recently had to ask my mum to start with the nappy and tell me what the baby wears so so this thread is fab!

Awitch - she was like a hot water bottle, I was a bit scared to cuddle her in case I heated her up any more and she melted!

On a tangent, I'm going to be joining the BLW forum any day now. Anything important I should know in advance? Sorry OP for hijack

Sleepsuits are great and all but if you have a sicky baby, you might find tops and trousers/leggins more useful as you can just change the top half. I got totally fed up of all those bloody poppers changing DS several times a day! Much easier to just pop a t-shirt on and off.

Try and get sleepsuits with built in scratch mitts. When I had DS, it was just Next that did them but I've seen them elsewhere now too.

just that it's only food, fgs, and not to subscribe to anything too firmly as a parent - even BLW.

oh, and Charge Your Camera.

Another thanks for starting this one - am very grateful as I was feeling flummoxed too! I'm still a bit confused about what a 'vest' is - is it a short sleeved bodysuit thing with poppers between the legs, or is that something totally different? (sorry, will look like a dumb question to all you seasoned pros, but as you can tell I'm clueless)!

that's right, diy.

honestly you lot, you are all going to be BRILLIANT at this. it's different when it's your baby, maternal instinct kicks in. (and every female within the mile will be happy to chip in with theirs when it doesn't... )

A general rule of thumb is that babies need one more layer than you would be wearing.

So indoors if warm (ie 18-20 degrees) then a vest and babygrow.

Indoors if cooler (ie 16-18 degrees) then vest, babygrow and cardigan/blanket.

Outdoors - vest, babygrow, cardigan and snowsuit type thing that covers the head, hands and feet. You can always layer blankets if it's very cold.

Also remember to avoid fleece clothing and blankets indoors as they can overheat with fleece, it doesn't let the air circulate between layers as it does with cotton and natural fibres.

Thanks awitch! Had wondered what they were for when I saw them in the shops, was thinking they were 'warm weather' babygros or something

no, you're right, it is confusing. i guess that while everyone in the whole world actually calls them vests, the shops might want to call them something else so that they are not confused with non-popper vests.

Hi,

I just wanted to add that although I used a pramsuit/snowsuit thing for my DD last year I wish I'd seen this BabySnuggle sort of thing because it would have been perfect for the pram. They also have a DinkySnuggle for carseats. You want something that is easy to remove and put back on as you go in and out of shops etc - a snowsuit is a pain for this as they can overheat so easily as a newborn yet often snowsuits aren't the easiest to take off or put on. I used an ordinary Buggysnuggle for DS which lasted him from age 9 months until he left the buggy, but they are only really good once they are in a pushchair because they attach with straps. I got one for my DD this year (she was a December 09 baby) and it is lovely. I can easily just zip the whole front bit off and leave a liner there and she doesn't lose her socks now!

Also, if you want an 'outfit' (or a change from a sleepsuit) but don't want to get something that looks too uncomfortable for a newborn, there are alternatives such as dungarees or trousers with feet which are brilliant like this or trousers with feet this. Soft dungarees are also nice and comfortable with a long-sleeved top which has poppers between the legs.

Hope this is helpful!

Also keep a look out for babaygros with built in scratch mitts that fold over as they cant get lost unlike normal scratch mitts that my dd was forever pulling off! Next babygros tend to have them and whilst they are more expensive than supermarket ones they also wash better with less shrinkage and no bobbling. My dd lived in babygros for the first few months of her life!
Def agree with gro bags, they are fab and really help baby to sleep better as they cant kick them off.
Also we found a swaddle blanket really helped dd sleep well when she was tiny as she couldnt jump herself awake by flailing her arms about!
And yes hats are definitely a neccesity...I find it astounding how many parents take their LO's out in the cold with no hat on...makes me very cross !! And then wonder why baby is crying?? I would cry too if I was so cold! Good luck...it really does become second nature once you get used to it

Well done Deliaskis.....! What a great thread and I think plenty of DH / DP's would find this useful not to mention first time mums....!

I've been picking bits from charity shops and ebay. More and more places now have charity shops just for kids..I've found new born babygrowns with mits for 75p or 1.50 plus, many of them have only been worn for a few weeks, so look great. I will of course wash them first..!
I got a babybjorn on ebay for 8 quid. It's in brilliant condition and a bouncer. Have a good look, you never know what you might find.

Also from what I can make out, lots of people with loan you things, cots, changing tables and clothes etc. Just remember to keep a list you can return the right bits to the right people...!

I have also seen, a light egg room temp thing, which tells you if the room is too hot or too cold by changing color. It's also quite a good nightlight for the baby's room.

I'm sure it will all fall into place...!

xx

Thanks for posting this Deliaskis, my first is due in March and I'm completely clueless on what I need. I really did think that 0-3 months was practically the same as Newborn until I actually read the labels the other day. Then I put them all down and walked away rather confused. I'm sorta hoping to opt out of the baby clothes buying bit hoping my family will do it for me just until I understand it a bit better. :)

Oh, re scratch mismtts: those in-built ones are the best, really, but if you already have scratch mitts, tuck them OVER the ends of the sleeves of the babygro, not under, and the buggers will actually stay on. Took me weeks to work that one out.

Mothercare do the integral babygro ones, in lovely colours. They had monkeys and giraffes and polar bears on 2 years ago...

You need at least one more of everything than you would think necessary, and you will get used to all the poo. After about three weeks the shock of how far up a wall it can go wears off. Which is more than I can say for the wall.

So v jealous - all the best.

My babies were big - I never bothered with newborn stuff, just went straight for the 0-3months clothes. Sleeves can be turned back, and they don't walk so if the legs are too long for a couple of weeks, it's not a problem.

Buy the cheapest, cotton vests and sleepsuits you can find. They will puke, poo, dribble and wee over them so you need plenty to keep up with the washing. But they will grow out of them long before they wear them out.

I had some scratch mittens, but they never stayed on. Ditto socks (I ended up buying Gap socks because they did stay on most of the time). Trousers with feet in were also pretty useless as the baby would sort of kick their way out of them. Oh, and avoid anything which fastens down the back or that has buttons instead of poppers.

Buy loads of muslins - they are the most useful thing ever.

Ooh lots more replies and useful tips and advice. I'm really glad it's not just me that finds this baffling! I think soon-to-be first time Mums are likely to be at risk of buying too much rather than too little, or too many of the thing that they thought they would need, and none of the (far more practical) thing that they in reality do need. We were in Mothercare at the weekend buying more of the 'hardware' stuff and I spetn most of the time saying to DH 'step away from baby clothes until we have more of a clue what we need!'. We've got so much stuff from helpful friends and family as well that we're really trying to avoid just buying for the sake of it.

Really grateful for all the replies and delighted it's helping others too.

Dx

honestly, just vests and babygros. not everyone uses scratch mitts, for example... so i guarantee your pals will have pass-ons for you. same with hats, cardies etc.

don't buy too much. you can't buy too little, in a way, because the shops are still open even if you are having a baby. all these lists in books are predicated on the notion that you will be a single parent living alone on a desert island somewhere.

Where would you recommend getting muslins from? Is it a case of the cheaper the better, or do you get bigger / better if you spend a bit more?

brilliant thread- thank you. All so helpful. Have been wondering this myself.

Just to answer the first responder, yes the link between use of second-hand mattresses and SIDS has been disproved. See here if interested:

www.sidsandkids.org/wp-content/uploads/Second-Hand-Mattress-Use.pdf

STOP BUYING STUFF.

For anyone coveting the Petit Bateau vests, do not buy them in UK. Buy them in France - I buy them as gifts in my local Geant supermarche - I am sure they were 3 for ?15.

If you go to France, or know someone who goes there on holiday ask them to look out for them. I think it is perhaps a special range for supermarkets, but they are lovely.