Buying basic baby clothes - is the list below enough?

[rainand]

Hi,

Please can you help and let me know whether the following is enough in relation to clothes or have I missed something? I am not planning to buy anything fancy, and I think as its my 1st people will give anyways. My baby is due in May, and I'm planning to buy the sleepsuits from M&S or John Lewis.

Newborn size

6 sleepsuits
3 bibs
1 hat
1 bootees
1 cardigan

0-3 months
9 sleepsuits
3 bibs
1 hat
1 bootees
1 cardigan

3-6 months (should I wait till after birth to buy this?)
6 sleepsuits
3 bibs
1 hat
1 bootees
1 snowsuit

Especially for the newborn size and the 0-3 months, does this feel like really less or too much? Also, is there a need to get vests if it'll be wearing a sleepsuit? Considering the initial months will be in the spring/summer (but then again spring/summer is so unpredictable now).

Does the baby need mittens? I don't like them, as babies tend to look so uncomfy with them on!

Thanks for all your help! :)

Yes, second the 'more bibs' message, we must go through about 5 a day and that's with drying the less minging ones for a second use on the fireguard between feeds or it would be three times that.

Yep. Both mine did. DD1 was 9lb2 though so she definately needed them.

Its better for them to be too big than too small as they grow so quick, theres no point buying newborn and then having to buy 0-3 a few weeks later!

DD2 had turned in feet (cant remember the correct name) so her feet need a but of room too. I often find with baby clothes the arms are too long and the legs too short.

You can put muslins over your shoulder, but honestly, I dont think I own an item of clothing which hasnt been vomited on!!

I agree with short legs/ long arms - if you get separates (leggings/ tops) I think you get more use out them. My 8 week baby is wearing 3-6 month leggings in some makes and has outgrown most her 0-3 stuff - no way will it last til she's 3 months and she's not a monster.

Some really good advice here so I'll just add..
Lots of muslins!!
I bought a couple of bundles of newborn things on eBay, they're only in them for a couple of weeks and I bagged lots of brand new sleepsuits and vests for pennies! My DS was only in the for about 3 weeks but was well dressed!

You need loads more sleepsuits... 18 or so

Definitely definitely buy a few new born sleep suits. My DS was 8.4, and yet the 0-3 were a little too big, and especially in winter you them to feel cosy rather than in baggies. I am now expecting number two, and I have 5 new born vests and sleepsuits. Probably no get a few weeks out of them, but will be worth it for the few weeks of comfort.

Aden and anais do pricey but simply perfect swaddles. Can not recommend more highly. My DS was swaddled from day 1, and only today my dh and I were saying that we really could not ask for a better sleeper in our DS, from day 1, and now 2.4

summer babies sometimes just wear vests and winter babies wear vests under everything! Muslins are useful for wiping all sorts...and laying on things before you put baby down sometimes...

I would say don't go overboard with newborn until you know what size baby is get a few small packs and you can always order more online or get someone to get some from supermarket.

Yes to lots of sleep suits and vests in 0-3m ...can get through loads in a day. You will need vests as a) they seem to hold nappy in place a bit and b) they might want to have a kick around in just a vest if we have a scorching week or two again in the summer.

Don't buy any 3-6m til you know what you like and what you have been given as presents.

Have fun shopping !

No need to go overboard with anything. I'd say 6 sleep suits in newborn then 12 in 0-3. Willbe plenty to start and you can always buy more as required. We never used bibs so again I'd get 6 or do and see.

Get more jumpers

As others have said, vests are essential (and as they're dirt cheap and only need to last a few weeks Id make life easier washing-wise and buy 10 from a cheapest shop, to allow for lots of runny poo/sick incidents). Id also buy lots more cheap basic bibs, and more sleepsuits.

Buy the cheapest white multiples available from M&S or Matalan, then you can afford to spend a bit more on the more special things like a couple of nice cardies and a pramsuit (from John Lewis).

A word of caution though...don't get too many special things in the first sizes, as you'll be showered with gifts of this sort. I was gutted to not get enough wear out of all the lovely things we received. I knew we'd get some stuff, but was staggered at the amount.

Also...don't spend-up buying sizes from 0-3 months upwards (like I did) because you might discover your baby's teensy at birth and suddenly need to acquire a whole set of 'tiny baby' sized (the smallest size) clothes like I did

Hope this helps. Good luck enjoy this most magical of times.

Yes to the vests.

No to the booties.

I had a snowsuit/pramsuit, but only used it once, in the depths of winter when I had the baby in a baby carrier on my front. I think they are totally unnecessary, much more comfortable for a baby to be in a nice cosy cardigan under a blanket, if it is cold, rather than immobilised in a big puffy suit. And a blanket is surely much easier to take off than a snowsuit if you go indoors and the baby is asleep.

And with regard to sizing - my DD1 was in newborn size babygrows until she was nearly 3 months old. My DD2 had outgrown newborn size by the time we left the hospital. They both weighed pretty much the same at birth, DD2 just had longer legs.

I would get mitts or sleep suits with the bit you can roll over just to prevent baby scratching itself.

My Dd was sick on the mitts I brought to the hospital by the time my Dp had brought a new pair up she had ruined her beautiful new face with scratches

Our May baby lived in just vests for a while, it was a hot summer. I think we started with 1 pack of 7, then someone gave us another pack and that was about right. I think we ended up with about 6 sleepsuits in each size, plus random actual clothes people gave us.

I wouldn't bother with socks or mitts, they don't stay on anyway. Even February baby has only just started wearing socks this November! As PP says sleepsuits with foldover hands are good if you have a scratchy baby.

Cardis - if you know anyone who knits, you won't need to buy one!

Neither sicky baby nor non-sicky baby used bibs as a newborn - mine apparently don't sick down themselves, they sick on you/your bed/their basket. So perhaps just have a few bibs and see if you use them or not?

Muslins however we had and used by the dozen.

Remember you'll be given lots of stuff, and if you know anyone with older babies you may well get a bag or two of hand-me-downs too.

Our two were 6lb15 and 9lb8, both wore newborn size for about 6 weeks and would have been swamped by 0-3 at birth. Cardis and things you can get away with more, vests and sleepsuits look a bit sad and dangly if they're too big.

Thank you everyone! This has been a massive help for me, and do keep the comments coming :) I'll be re-compiling my list based on all your feedback! What would I do without mumsnet

Do pick a few different shops and buy a couple of sleepsuits/babygros from each. As someone mentioned above, JL runs big, whereas Next has short legs, Baby Gap is a bit longer and slimmer, etc. After the birth you can buy more (online!) of your favorite.

Thus speaks the woman who stocked up on JL in advance only to have a skinny little girl who always looks to be swimming in her clothes...

My fourth baby is due in January.

I will have:

12+ vests
12+ baby grows
4 cardies
4 pairs of socks/scratch mitts
4 hats
Snowsuit
4 blankets
6+ Moses basket/pram sheets
Loads of muslin squares
6+ bibs
Cute 'meeting relatives' outfit x2

As a basic wardrobe for him. Although even with 12+ babygrows and vests I expect to be doing a lot of washing (exploding poo and sick)

I will get it all in newborn size as my babies tend to be quite small (ds3 was 6lb 14oz and short) and wear newborn for 3 months or so.

Rainand get thee (very early) to the Next sale after Christmas (I know a lot of people can't be arsed with the early start and queuing etc but i think it's well worth it when you know exactly what you're looking for!) Out of all the sleepsuits I got from various shops these were definitely the ones that washed best! I knew I was having a girl which made it easier but there was lots of gender neutral stuff in Next too. The J Lewis sleepsuits were stretchy but didn't wash brilliantly. However their vests are fab, as are the M&S ones. My DD was 8lb 5oz and wore some newborn for a couple of weeks and then moved on to 0-3mths. I regret not exchanging some of the presents I got for more sleepsuits.. DD was given lots of dresses that she wore once!! My mum hand knit a couple of plain white cardis which were brilliant, v easy to put on baby and v stretchy.. DD was born at the beg. of March and I mostly had her in short/long sleeve vests and sleepsuits. During the warm weather in the summer she slept in short sleeved romper suits that I picked up on sale in Boots. We never needed a snowsuit but had a few short fleecey jackets for cooler summer days.

I'd leave the 3-6 month stuff. My dd is 3 months and only being wearing 0-3 months for the past 4 weeks. I actually needed early baby things as although she was over due she was 6 pounds born and tiny. Even the newborn stuff hung off her. Within two weeks she was in newborn. Within another 4 weeks she was in 0-3 months. I think another 2-3 weeks she will be in 3-6 months.

Everyone who bought clothes gifts did the same thing, all bought me 3-6 month stuff thinking everyone else would buy newborn. I had little newborn stuff but masses of 3-6 months. Also as people bought me 3-6 months when baby was born (beginning of sept) it's all summer stuff - most of it isn't going to suitable for dec/jan weather.

You definitely need vests. The baby will feel cold much more than you but mainly to keep nappy in place!

Yes to Muslins- more useful IMO than bibs.

More cardigans to layer up.

Another thing to bear in mind is all shops do different sizing. I preferred mother are sleep suits. Unfortunately the leg length and feet sizes where too small in the right size for my dd. asda where a much better fit but didn't feel as nice. If I could do it all again I'd have purchased a wider selection but only a few pieces until I knew which ones worked best for me then got more of those.

Is there an NCT sale near you? I picked up bundles of 7-8 vests for £1, lovely (never-worn) cardigans for 50p etc. if you don't mind 2nd hand stuff you can save yourself a small fortune.

DD went straight into 0-3, although a couple if the newborn things fitted her for about five minutes a few weeks. Some never did, though and I'd taken them all out of the packets and washed them - what a waste!

I would say, though, take a range of sizes to the hospital - DH had to dash out to the supermarket to pick up some sleepsuits as none of ours were big enough!

Definitely leave the 3-6 month and older stuff til later. You might want to dress them in "mini people" clothes rather than sleep suits by then.
I had loads of older stuff bought and then forgot to check when ds would fit them and some stuff was too small by the time I checked.
Do you family run to tiny/large babies?
My two were pretty large at 8lb 10 and 10lb 7 so newborn was out from the start and they didn't last long in 0-3.

Definitely vests. And some long sleeve vests (v cheap in Tesco) are great for layers when the weather is cold. Thin layers better than thick ones.

Also consider cutting the feet off sleepsuits to make them last longer! Just roll the edges back and stick a pair of socks on when they get tight round the feet... and spend the money saved on nicer stuff !