What to dress baby in?

[HoneyMum21]

I'm sure this has been discussed before but as a mum-to-be to DC1 in december i'm getting somewhat overwhelmed with what i should dress the baby in.
I know they are supposed to be in one more layer than we are, so obviously a bodysuit/vest to start with. I then thought, at least for the first 2 or 3 months, they'll be pretty much exclusively in sleepsuits day and night (obviously with extra layers for going out etc.) However, we were looking in mothercare today and DH thought we should be going for outfits - like trousers and tops during the day and sleepsuits just for bedtiime. I had just assumed that sleep suits/all-in-ones were the done thing because they are easier to change baby in but am i going to be judged as a bad mother if i don't go for the little outfits?

The best thing I got for a december baby was a cashmere hat, wouldn't have thought of it myself but it was a gift (and they are on sale at the moment), when ds was 5 months in december I bought one of them for him as had worn the other one to death (and it was pink ). If you aren't buying anything else they are soft and cosy and warm. Otherwise go with asda/tesco/sainbury's stuff and if you must do outfits do jersey as they are much comfier but baby grows all the way

My DD hated anything but all in ones until she was about 6m old, Anything with a waistband pressed on her tummy and gave her colic, and she looked soooo cute in the all in ones it didn't matter. You can get more dressy up ones, with matching jackets from places like boots if you are going somewhere special. And they have built in feet, Socks are a real pain unless you get sockons or shimmy shoes.

A vote here for sleep gowns for nightimes.
Cosy, comfy, stylish in a sort of Victorian way and - best of all -no poppers/buttons or zips.

I agree with Msmarple.

Those ld fashioned night-dress things are great for the first few weeks (for boy and irls) and make night time changing MUCH easier.

They are quite old fashioned these days, a bit victorian, but when I had my first in 1979 everyone used them, even hospitals.

I had to hunt them out by the time my last was born, in 2001, but wouldnt be without them!

boys and girls!

oh yes the sleepgowns are great, you can get them in john lewis, they sell them with a start print and also green baby do them and mothercare as well, i think they call them 'bundlers' now! but all 5 of mine have worn them they are soo good for night time nappy changes!

My children wore babygros for the first few months with a soft pinafore dress/dungerees over the top if we were going somewhere 'on show'.

I did feel my first child was a little underdressed compared to the lady next to me on the ward who dressed her little boy to leave hospital in jeans, white T-shirt, leather jacket and mini adidas trainers.

Fiventhree...like sweet pea in Popeye?!! My DD had one as a gift. From GAP.

Oh, there's no shame in having your child in sleepsuits all the time IMO.
Truth be told you may not give a shiny shit what people will think once DC arrives and you are very tired...

I feel terrible as I've been given loads of beautiful outfits that DD has never worn and already outgrown..though on the rare occasion I stick a dress on her she hates it and pulls at it. Come to think of it, I hate it too as I can't get her changed in under 5 minutes..

I really like the Boots sleepsuits but Matalan have some lovely soft ones too.
I'd get some newborn size and a lot of 0-3 as your baby will quickly outgrow the smaller size.

As mentioned on here, a pram/snow suit may also be a useful investment- a simple design with no furry bits will probably be your best bet.

A couple of cardigans are handy for layering when it's chilly.

I also find the leggings and little tops in H&M are excellent if you fancy a break from sleepsuits. The leggings come with or without feet and they are easy on and off. They come in packs of two and are around £5.99 I think. Actually, the kids clothes in H&M really appeal to me as I find them cute, good value and easy to get on and off babes.

I'd get three or four cellular blankets too as they are excellent for cot and pram.

Good luck and enjoy your pregnancy.

I wouldn't bother with outfits. They grow out of their first size clothes so quickly that buying outfits is a waste of money. Also anything with a waistband tends to get tangled up in the top of the nappy which means it gets wet, so all in ones are much better. I don't know if you can still buy vests that don't button at the bottom, but I would recommend these as you don't have to change them if anything overshoots the nappy.

10 vests, 10 babygros. That'll be a good start. You will probably be given more interesting outfits, but these are the easiest. You do not want to be faffing around with teeny tiny socks. Slepsuits are also much cosier in the winter months to cover up those little hands and feet.

That's for the first three months - after that, it's a bit easier getting outfits on and they don;t seem to poo themselves as much.

NOTHING that has to be pulled over the head. Poor newborn will hate it!

Also get a few sizes. DD was 9 15 and only in newborn for about a week - we went straight to 0-3. So many cute outfits wasted!

I'm laughing about the trainers - DD is 5 months and still doesn't wear shoes!

Nightgowns are great, so much easier to change. We were very lucky and had some thin merino wool ones sent from family in New Zealand. Wool socks are great too (DD had long legs and feet in suits didn't always fit), in fact if someone in the family knits, get them started now. Most wool can be machine washed and baby wool is so soft.

Also, don't buy anything with domes, buttons on the back.

Agree with H&M recommendation. Clothes wash well and come in cool colours.

Fantail - can you pls tell my MIL that. Her baby wool is super scratchy. She knits so much for DD and she barely wears any of it! Too scratchy and despite me saying that I'm not into pastels etc she keep coming with the lilacs and lemons!! Still, some LO somewhere benefits as quite a lot goes to the charity shop!

And seriously, who puts shoes on any baby until they're walking?!! Their poor little feet!!

I put shoes on my baby

It's not like I squeeze them in.

"I put shoes on my baby hmm"

Seriously! Why? They just don't need shoes until they have been walking for several weeks. It is entirely unnecessary and not good for their feet. The bones in their feet are so soft that even if you think you aren't squeeaing their feet in shoes the feet will mould themselves in the shape of the shoe. They can also but seriously impede the natural movements of the feet.

So little loose pumps and slippers? Really?

In fact you haven't got a clue what shoes my baby wears. They normally include a shit load of velcro or elastic. And shock horror these soft little shoes I use to put in his feet have had no effect on his little feet!

I think vests etc are probably the best things they can wear. But I have bought quite a few outfits and dresses for DD. She is due in Thursday and after 2 boys it's quite novel having all these cute little dresses and tights.

Give me a week or 2 and she'll be in vests and sleepsuits I bet.

I loved babygrows with my winter born baby. She wore them for the first 6 months, pretty much exclusively. (She had a short sleeved vest underneath, though, she would have been roasting in a long sleeved one. Maybe I just have hot babies). I had her in footless ones at night though, as I can't bear to have my feet covered when I'm asleep, and I worried that my PFB might be the same (she isn't, and often goes to bed in her ballet shoes because she loves them so much) Once the weather started getting warmer in the Spring, I found babygrows were just too hot, both for day and night. So I switched to long/short sleeved vests and soft trousers for the day, and just a vest at night.

For my summer born baby, I dug out all my old babygrows, but she hardly wore them - she was always too hot, plus she's inherited her grandpa's long legs, and none of the babygrows seemed to fit right. So she was straight into vests and leggings. And I actually found soft cotton dresses great for her, nice and cool and airy, no pressure round the waist.

Also have to admit, I do find the poppers on babygrows a bit of a faff.

I was gifted a few pairs of baby shoes which have gone a journey. I just do not see the need. My sister got dd some baby converse which have been on once for a photo and are now hanging like a decoration in her room. I love bare feet and wiggly toes

I got given some baby shoes as well. DD never wore them. By the time she needed shoes they were too small.

Gowns as night, sleep suits during the day. Tis so much easier. If you put babies in leggings you also need socks, which vanish as a pastime.

I keep mine in sleep suits until they start crawling as they tend to get tangled in the legs!

I quite liked putting my two in simple trouser and top outfits during the day and kept the baby-gro's slightly more for evening and night-time. (Though they also had some baby-gro's that I have fond memories of them wearing in the day too, especially in the early days) But the outfits were so simple it was only a very small step up from a baby-gro - just T-shirts and fleecy cardi with legging style trousers for DD and jogger style bottoms for DS (autumn/winter baby) DD had a few little dresses for going out in - tights were a handy addition to go with these
It's all to enjoy ! Do whatever you're happiest with !

Get 7 bodysuits, 7 babygros, two or three cardies, one snowsuit. That's all you'll need for the first size clothing, and 0-3m, and even 3-6 or older if you don't feel so inclined. If your baby turns out to be big you may be able skip newborn size and go straight to 0-3. You can tons of stuff from friends and family or charity shops or local ads barely used. You absolutely do not need to put the little mite in any clothes at all. Anyway, chances are you'll get a lot if itsy-bitsy outfits that will be used about twice as presents- you don't need to buy those.

Babies need to be warm and cosy- they don't need or want fancy fashion clothing. Keep it simple, your instincts are right.