Clothes etc - how many of each thing please!

[louisdog]

Having first baby in July, and I have picked up some sleepsuits and bodysuits in the sales in various sizes - Newborn, 0-3 and I think 3-6 months, have also got a couple of outfits and a sleeping bag, oh and some socks and tights.

Please can anyone advise roughly how many of each thing I will need? I think I need less outfits in newborn as baby will mostly be in sleepsuits, but possibly by 6 months she'll be in proper clothes during the day? I am also a bit confused about what a bodysuit is actually for....

Thanks for any advice you can give me!

Congratulations!

With my first he usually went through two vests and two sleep suits a day. Sometimes more if nappy leaks, but generally two. He was in clothes most of the time by 3/4 months.

But my second has lived in sleep suits. He's growing so fast and they are relatively cheap and nice and comfy for baby. I get mine from next but plain white ones for bed I get from tesco or asda, same for vests. And he goes through one best a day now and usually 2 sleep suits as he's usually covered in food by 1pm! Jacks 8 months now and I occasionally put him in clothes but think I can still get away with him in sleep suits.

Good luck! X

Get some decent bibs too, big ones, cheap and plenty as you'll use them a lot.

Don't worry about buying outfits in 3months and older. You'll get so many presents that you probably won't need to buy too much. I ended up having to carefully rotate all the clothes to ensure they re all worn before he grew out of them!

I think my DS was in sleepsuits until about 6 months. When they're still doing so much sleeping (and puking possibly!) it's just easier and comfier for them.

Bodysuits/vests are just an extra layer of warmth when they're wearing sleepsuits and when they're wearing "proper" outfits they stop tops riding up and their back being exposed.

Agree, I would just get newborn and 0-3. Baby clothes shopping is something you can do when the baby is here, and you know how big they are, and you are likely to get presents of clothes.

Body suits can also be worn with little baby legging things (v soft trousers) as a change from sleepsuits. Put either a vest under or a cardigan over for an extra layer. Supermarket clothes for basics are brilliant, if you get presents then they are likely to be posher :)

I would get something like

10 vests (envelope neck) - get some each of newborn and 0-3 if there is any risk of having a big baby, otherwise newborn
10 sleepsuits
2 cardigans / little jackets
6 bodysuits
4 leggings
2 sleeping bags
2 hats
5 pairs socks / bootees
Loads of muslins!!!!

You can top up with anything you need really easily in the first weeks.
Good luck!

It's really hard when you're busy nesting for England but do not underestimate how many clothes you'll be given. Even if people say they're not buying clothes they will, because they just can't resist. Seriously - I have a very clear memory of DC1 getting to about 11months, opening my box of next size up clothes and thinking 'i'm actually going to have to go out and buy clothes for the first time).'

Add onto that Grandparent buying (my DM in particular is a terror for sending fortnightly packages) and the bags of hand me downs which suddenly start arriving in your house (from someone you met once at the bus stop's next door neighbour and equivalent), and you suddenly find you have a lot of clothes.

With DC1 I bought tonnes! With DC2 I had much less. I think you can probably manage with:

A multipack (or possibly 2 if you want to splash out) of sleep suits.

2 multipacks of vests (you'll go through more of these).
Some sort of cardigan/jumper (although again the knitting relatives will go into overdrive)
A hat
2 sleeping bags
A multipack of socks

The other thing is that newborn size lasts longer than you think. Both of mine were in newborn for the first six weeks or so and they weren't small babies. Your newborn stuff will get wrecked (yellow poo stains like you wouldn't believe) and binned so don't spend a lot. It gives you time to think what next and for the various gifts to come in which will mostly cover the next size/s (because people always seem to assume you don't want newborn. Which is right of course).

Hope that helps and good luck!

You've had great advice above just wanted to add that you shpuld get bibs. You may not have a sicky baby but if you do bibs save you lots of washing!

Also a good tip a friend gave me was that I should divide gifted baby clothes into size piles straight away (I used marked plastic boxes) because otherwise you'll end up with it alll mixed up and not using some of it. The boxes were good because when they (I have twins) grew out of that size I just replaced everything back in the proper box for storage.

Good luck!

I would say don't buy too much for when lo is older as all babies are different shapes and sizes. My ds's were very litre round the waste so lots of trousers we had bought/ got for presents just didn't fit. You soon learn where to shop for them and get a feel of what will fit.

Sleepsuits and vests obviously fit most shapes and sizes. I kept my ds 2 in sleepsuits for ages and sometimes just put a little cardigan over the top for eg.

Thanks for all the replies, some great info!

Sounds like I need to allow for maybe two or three sleepsuits and vests a day, and sounds like I need to get lots of bibs!

What might I dress a July-born baby in at night? A vest and grobag? Or Sleepsuit and grobag? What tog? Surely not a vest and sleepsuit and grobag anyway...? I know it depends on the type of summer we have to some extent.

Thanks Boysboysboysandme and Picklesarnie, sounds like I can rely on sleepsuits a lot at first. Bibs! Hadn't thought of them!

Spagbolagain (great username btw :) ) thanks for the list, relally useful as I have no idea what quantities to get or anything. Ooh and thanks for thinking of muslins - everyone mentions those, I am not sure why they are so indispensible yet (no doubt I will learn!) but I will get some sometime so I am prepared!

Thanks Limelight for your list as well, it hadn't really occurred to me about newborn lasting a few weeks - I had it in my mind that it would only last a few days, silly really!

Kadypip, bibs, thanks, will buy! Excellent idea about sorting by age too, I will get onto that.

Dalyrymps thanks I didn't even think about shape of different brands clothes/different babies!

We live out in the sticks so I want to get quite a bit of stuff together in advance. I don't think we'll get much from grandparents - MIL didn't buy as much as a sleepsuit for her own daugheter's two children, and not sure my parent will either, so I may as well stock up a little myself. I am sure I will get lots of fab outfits etc from my lovely friends but maybe not so much the basics.

Great advice, thanks all!

Muslins are cheap at Tesco

Wow they do muslins too? Cool! Didn't occur to me to look there and Mothercare and John Lewis are £££!

If you buy the gro bag brand, rather than a shops own brand, you usually get a thermometer in the pack to out on the wall. Then next to the temperature it says what baby should be wearing.

So for example, if the bedroom was a cold 10 degrees it would say something like, long sleeved vest, long sleeved sleep suit and. A 2.5 tog bag. That's just an example-don't quite me on it!

I would prob buy 20 vests and 20 sleep suits to start with. I light snow suit, maybe some mittens.

Don't pack the snow suit for the hospital though. Just keep it and a blanket in the car then your partner can bring in which ever one you need when it's time to go home. If its hit you'll only need a vest, sleep suit and a light blanket in the car.

My ds2 was born July 5th last year and we just used a light blanket in the car seat. But a light snow suit most of the other times.

Good luck!

Sorry about the lingo in previous post-flaming pre emp text!

I would buy a 2.5tog and a 1.0 tog if you can get 2. Covers the very hot and the very cool then

Aha thanks, the grobag site tells me that 2.5tog is ok up to a room temp of 20C (in which case you'd just have a long sleeve bodysuit under it).

20 vests and 20 sleepsuits sounds quite a lot! But I don't want to be a slave to the washing machine so I think you are right.

I am confused at the concept of snowsuit though - I thought they were heavily wadded and waterproof, am I thinking of the wrong thing?!

Sounds like you had your son similar time to when mine will arrive - I like the idea of a summer baby, even though in practice it'll probably be cold and rainy!

This is what I thought a snowsuit meant www.johnlewis.com/231243/Product.aspx

Oh and it's a common misconception that you need high tog gro bags for winter and low tog for summer. It basically depends on the temp of the room. You're best to have one of each tog for eg: a 1 tog and a 2.5 tog. After all there are cool nights in summer sometimes and in winter you might have had the heating on

You can get gro bags on eBay quite cheap sometimes..

We are usually too miserly to have the heating on much in winter! I guess that will change next winter. :)

Thanks I will look on Ebay, they seem to have lots of good baby bargains on there.

You won't necessarily use a snowsuit at all. DC1 was a summer baby and he wore cardigans or quite often we just used a blanket. If you're a sling user you don't need to wrap them up too much either - lots of body heat.

With sleeping bags I have personally got by with x2 summer and x2 winter weight in each size. I've always used the sleeping bag as the top layer (so no extra blankets) and at most if really cold they've had a vest and babygro underneath. You'll be surprised at how hot it can get as well - I've put mine down in as little as a nappy and vest. To be honest, when they're very tiny, you might prefer to swaddle anyway - sleeping bags can look pretty big in the first few weeks.

And IKEA do great and very cheap muslins. You'll use them constantly and they last for years (my first lot are now dusters).

And lastly I have some sad news for you... you are going to be a slave to your washer especially when your DC is tiny. It gets better as they get older and there's less stinky leakage!

Thanks, lots more useful info, gosh hadn't even considered slings! Or swaddling! IS that something some babies like and some don't?

Good tip re Ikea muslins too, I feel a big trip to Bristol coming on! :)

Noooo re washer - I loathe laundry! And I hate my washing machine too, it's really ropey! Maybe I will grow to love it in July though :)

Swaddling - yes. DC1 loved and wouldn't go to sleep without it. DC2 wasn't having any of it!

Slings - don't get me started. I can bore on for ages about slings. Loads of threads on here it's worth checking out. In a nutshell though if you're going to go that route (which I heartily recommend) don't get a babybjorn (shudder), do get some sort of wrap (moby or the like), think about investing in something which will last into toddlerdom (like an ergo).

Ooh what's up with Babybjorns? SIL offered us hers and seemed to quite like it...

People have different opinions about them but I had one with DC1 which gave me hideous back pain. The main reason however is that I don't think they're very comfortable for the baby - they're sort of suspended rather than seated in it.

And I don't think you can use them for that long. I carried DC2 in a wrap up until she was about 6 months and then moved onto an ergo. You can use a wrap for longer than that (I still use it occasionally) but I started to find the ergo more convenient. She's now 14 months and I'm still not using a pushchair at all - it's basically become a glorified cot for daytime sleeps.

To sling or not to sling (or to do a bit of both) is entirely a personal choice but ultimately I've found carrying DC2 much more convenient. I should add that I was a total pushchair user with DC1.

There's a whole world of sling based politics. You can try out slings at sling meets etc. Have a look at the threads on here for more info.

I keep spare essentials everywhere too, as it's much more convenient.

So,

In the boot of the car I have a small bag containing a pack of wipes, 2 nappies in sacks, calpol and spoon,bib, a hand towel, a small blanket, water, granola bars, raisens, about £10 in change, vest and a gro,carton of formula and a bottle, clean socks, t shirt and joggers for my eldest.

In the changing bag is a bib, wipes, 2 nappies in sacks, calpol and syringe, small toys to keep baby entertained, purse, little flask of hot water, bottles and formula dispenser, snacks such as banana, granols bars.

Next to my bed is a pack of wipes, couple of nappes, a vest and a gro. (baby still in our room!)

Downstairs in a basket next to the changing matt is loads of nappies, pack of wipes, bepanthen nappy cream, small tin of vaseline, vest and gro.

I know the car boot looks a little too much, but I can't tell you the number of times I've popped out with one of the kids and ended up being caught in snow, traffic, etc. And in nice weather we are always out so I need to make sure I have the spare essentials.

So 20 vests and gros sound a lot, but it's not really. And it just saves you worrying about getting washing washed and dried quickly.

And yes, Summer baby is much better than a winter baby. My 1st was born 30th Oct and it was a shock to the system getting used to the lack of sleep and early mornings when its dark, cold and miserable all the time. Much easier when it's at least warm and bright and you can sit in the garden for the afternoon with the baby!

Can't have been that bad for me though as my 3rd is due the 1st November!

I can't get the link for some reason for the snowsuit, but yes I mean what you described. You can get thin non water proof fabric ones for Summer though, and I just prefer them so I don't have to worry about legs and feet feeling cold.

Don't pack one for the hospital though. Put one in the car and a small blanket, and when its time to keave your partner can bring whatever the weather requires!

One of the nurses showed me how to swaddle just using a normal blanket in the hospital, and my babies loved it too, but only for about 3 weeks, then it was time for the gro bags.

The vast amount of knowledge and experience out there is daunting at times, but if you follow your instinct and do what you think is right for your baby, the best way to learn things is through your experiences with your baby. Babies are different just as people are. So what one likes, another won't.

Sorry for such a long post!!

Wow boysboysboys you are organised! I've known to go out with a nappy in my pocket!

I'm not - don't be fooled!

But last summer my baby was about 8 weeks old. We went tothe park for the day so my eldest could play with his friend.

Baby's nappy leaked poo and I had no spare clothes and the poo was literally up his back and down his legs - I needed to take his clothes off. I had a small blanket and it was a hot ish day so it wasnt too bad, but I felt so guilty that i wasn't more organised. We stayed at the park as it was hot, but if it was cold what would I have done? I've even gone out without nappies and formula before! But I have learnt from my mistakes!!

So spares everywhere for me now.

And we are literally out all day if the weather is warmish. At parks, national trusts, beaches, woods, picnics, lakes, country walks, zoos etc - we are never in. So I need to be prepared now!