What does a newborn wear?

[frogalou]

Hello

Do newborn wear vests plus sleepsuits/babygrow?

Is a vest always without a bottom (like a t-shirt)? Can a vest be replaced by a bodysuit?

Thanks!

Yes
I would get bodysuits (with short sleeves or none) to go under a babygro for the first few weeks. They help keep the nappy in place.

It depends how warm it is - I think the rule is that they generally need one more layer of clothing than you. So if you had one layer - like a t shirt - they should have two, so a vest and a babygrow.

A good test is to feel their back or chest under their clothes - it shouldn't feel too hot or cold. And normally if they're too hot or cold, they'll let you know!

Forgot to say - the exception to the rule is that when it's very hot and you have one layer on, they should only have one layer too.

a bodysuit is sometimes called a vest (although it is a vest with poppers at the bottom). A vest/bodysuit is usually worn under clothing/sleepsuit.

I remember being confused by this before my first was born:) Particularly with american friend talking about onesies and stuff as well.

By vests for babies most people mean those poppered bodysuits. In winter you might want long sleeved ones but mostly we used short. Then a sleepsuit/babygro on top unless it's very warm.

Body suit / vest and sleep suits. Nothing else really, other clothes are a waste of time!

Sorry to hijack but what is the story with those little baby booties? I have been given loads of them by people but surely babies wear sleepsuits and surely they don't need booties on top of sleepsuits?

I used to put DS1 in a kind of babygrow without feet and without poppers down the front with socks and booties in the day because I found booties so cute. DS2 and DS3 just wore babygrows with feet all the time.

i think booties is a tradition that goes back to the days before babygrows.

DS was a v tall baby (and now v tall 4 yo) and i used to cut the feet off hos babygrows and put socks and booties on.

IME they wear whatever's clean and suitable for the weather, even if it's that ghastly lime green bobble-knit monstrosity that Auntie Dulcie so kindly fashioned Don't worry they'll probably crap all over it in an hour or so.

Can I ask a question too please?

If Dbaby is born in very cold weather (we're expecting ours in December and it frequently reaches minus 16) would you put it in long sleeved vest, sleepsuit and a cardi? Is that too much?

And at night I want to swaddle, so would it be long sleeved vest, sleepsuit, swaddle muslin? or would you put a blanket on top?

Sorry to threadjack

if it's very cold layers are the key and no a body suit/sleepsuit/cardi combo would not be too much

the big thing about winter dressing though is remembering to remove a couple of layers when you go inside -the amount of babies in shopping centers with snowsuits & hats on is stupid!

can't help with the swaddling, mine were in grow bags :)

CakeBump - depends how high you have your heating. If you need a cardigan in your house then your baby does too. Maybe an extra pair of socks as well.

And yes I agree with workshy - babies lose excess heat easily through their heads, so they can easily overheat if wearing hats indoors. My DS was born in a cold December so when we went out he had vest+bodysuit+warm cardigan+socks+hat and then went in his pram with a couple of thick fleece blankets and the cover on. Much easier to take the cover and blankets off (and hat) in a shopping centre than wrestle the baby out of a snowsuit. And if you did have to lift him out whilst outdoors you could bundle him up in all the blankets.

Thanks for the replies. Our heating is set by the council (sounds daft but we live above our restaurant and its an odd system) so it's difficult to keep the flat toasty.

I'll be buying or requesting knitting friends to make a couple of chunky cardis I think!

Top hat and tails in our house

(Not really. Vest and baby grow)

I was planning on buying long sleeved vests as our baby is due in Feb but friends with babies said getting a newborns arms into sleeves is a nightmare and to get sleeveless ones as they will need changed frequently. Not sure if this advice will still hold true in sub zero temps!

Baby gros and cardis with sleeves to go on top of the vests

H&M do great long sleeved vests which you wrap around the baby & secure with poppers at the sides instead of having to pull them over their heads- SO much easier, especially with newborns... They also have bottoms a bit like high waisted leggings with built in feet which I liked when dd was slightly older.

Short sleeved or long sleeved vests with poppers under...

Sleepsuits....

Add cardi if cold.

I had a winter dd and swaddled her in a large muslin and tucked a second one over the top. When out, I added a fleecy pram blanket over and wedged a hat on.