How much clothing do you need?

[whizzyrocket]

I'm about 29 weeks pregnant (it's been a while since I checked the calendar) and have just sorted through all the clothing I've been given. It's quite a lot when viewed all together but when split into the different age ranges I've begun to realise that I might need to do some shopping! Shucks!

As yet, I've not bought anything new for my baby as I've not known what I'll get handed down, but now I feel I'm counting down rather than up, I probably should work out what I need to get. So! Vests, babygrows, muslin squares, cardigans... the list goes on, how many do you think I need for each age?

Also can you please write down what you think are the absolute basics needed for a baby?

ok (im nearly 37 weeks)

we dont know if having a boy or girl so have told everyone to buy it clothes when it is born,

I have just bought a loads of white basics
I have 6 small baby vests and 3 small baby sleep suits (with scratch mitts built in) (most babies i know have been too small in newborn clothes at birth so i thought it might be nice to have a few that fit!)

I have 6 newborn vests
8 newborn sleep suits. 3 with scratch mitts built in and 5 without

6 0-3 vests (+ have been bought a few by friends already)
6 0-3 sleep suits (white)
4 gender neutral not white sleep suits (0 - 3) with scratch mitts

20 muslin squares
4 little hats
1 pack of 5 pairs of socks (white)
3 pairs of scratch mitts
10 bibs (5 ikea 5 asda)
1 little pair of cotton newborn shoes / bootie type things. (look cute but im sure they will just be kicked off all the time!)

2 snow suits in size 0-3 (gifts by friends)

SIL's grandma has knitted us 5 lovely cardigens, but not sure if they are small enough for a newborn?

I have one neutral 'out fit' for a newborn. (soft trousers and a top)

and a couple of boy and girl new born outfits.

Also a few irrisistable girly dresses & boy dungaress (all as new, mostly from next from charity shop at 20p per item, and ill just donate back the stuff for the opposite sex )

They don't need much really. I think absolute basics a dozen vests, a dozen sleepsuits with scratchmits, two or three blankets, two cardigans and some hats (they like you to have a woolen one for hospital (or they did at ours). You could manage with less but you'd need to wash and dry every day which can be a PITA and there will come an infamous afternoon when baby runs through eight changes of clothes in two hours, or was that just me?

TBH I had loads of stuff in newborn and 0-3 which was impractical lovely but only got worn once. At 3-6 months I cut it back to the above and it was so much simpler but perhaps a little boring?

Thanks for that. If that's what you think I need I think I'm fine for newborn kit (I have at least 20 vests!) but could be short of 0-3 month stuff. As my husband is 6ft 6 I'm expecting my DS to be quite a grower!

nannyl I love that you refer to your "SIL's grandma"! If she isn't going to be your child's great grandma then your family is every bit as complicated as mine!

You will be given a ton of baby clothes. You really don't need to buy anything in advance other than vests and babygrows and maybe a warmer all in one for going out in for a winter baby. I think I owned about 10 vests and babygrows and one snowsuit when dd was born (in January) and that was plenty for the first 3 or 4 weeks. And she was a 9lb+ baby too.

Just a thought - my DH is very tall and DD was born 9 lb 1 oz and very long. She was in newborn clothes for a few days at most.