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Pregnancy

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Original poster

What does a newborn wear

42 replies

TakingTheStairs · 01/07/2013 12:35

I know this is a silly question, but what does a newborn wear?
My baby is due in Nov, I'm not worried about giving birth, feeding and the general taking care of him but what should I be buying for him to wear?

Start me from him being naked...
a nappy,
then a baby gro? Long sleeved I presume for the winter, but do you put a cardigan over that? What about another layer on the bottom half?
Going out in his pram, do I put him in a snow suit or layer him up with clothes and snuggle him under a blanket?

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ClaraOswald · 01/07/2013 12:42

In winter

Nappy
Bodysuit (vest with poppers)
Sleepsuit(babygrow)

Cardigan in the house if it's chilly, I know some people who put tights on underneath the sleepsuit, but their house is freezing

Most people I know stick baby in a snowsuit when going out for walks, if you are doing a shopping trip to an indoor shopping centre then don't stick a snowsuit on, go with a jacket and layers of blankets which you can strip off as some shops have heating at inferno level and baby might get too warm in a one piece snowsuit.

nomoreminibreaks · 01/07/2013 12:44

I was told that they should wear one more layer than you do. So if you're home and wearing a T shirt and a jumper, the baby should be wearing a vest (the ones with poppers between their legs), a babygrow and a cardigan. They shouldn't wear hats inside.

You'll get a feel for it though, my DS was a warm baby so we adapted. If you put your hand down their back or on their chest and it doesn't feel too warm or too cold, they're fine.

workingtitle · 01/07/2013 12:44

Hi Taking, I'm due in Oct and don't have much of an idea but I'm planning a mix of sleepsuits (long sleeved, long legs with feet) to put over a nappies on their own, or babygros (no legs, short or long sleeved) to put over nappies with tops and bottoms (with feet, or socks) over them. I think inside with central heating that should be sufficient but someone will correct me if I'm wrong!
I haven't bought any cardigans as I'll have blankets over the baby while it's sleeping and if it's not sleeping it'll be in someones arms..? I am going to buy a snow suit or two for going out.

Eskino · 01/07/2013 12:45

My dd was born in winter. She wore

Vest (sleeveless more practical than long sleeved, sleeves are awfully hard to get onto a newborn)
Babygro
Wool cardi
Should be enough for indoors.

When outside she wore little leggings over her babygro (easy to remove) and wool socks. A hat. Then we wrapped her in a blanket. She didn't have an outdoor all in one suit as I find them a bit too padded. She was mainly carried anyway which kept her (and me) toasty. But in the pram I found it easier to layer with blankets that I could remove in and out of shops.

workingtitle · 01/07/2013 12:46

Cross posted with others--and corrected! So a babygro/vest underneath a sleepsuit

Original poster

TakingTheStairs · 01/07/2013 12:49

brilliant, thank you so much!

OP posts:

CheungFun · 01/07/2013 12:55

Ohhh a winter baby! :) They look seriously cute in the snowsuits :)

I dressed DS in a nappy, then a sleeveless vest (sometimes called bodysuit), then a babygrow (sometimes called a sleepsuit), then a knitted cardigan. This is for indoors during the daytime and nighttime. I used 4 layers of blankets for nighttime (cellular blankets) although a lot of people like to use sleeping bags for babies like a grobag instead of blankets.

For going outdoors I would dress DS exactly as above but add a snowsuit which is basically coat which covers arms and legs, and a hat and gloves. If it was very cold I'd also put a blanket over him as well in the pram.

My midwife said to dress the baby in whatever you're wearing plus an extra layer and I always assumed the extra layer was the vest. You'll get a feel for it when your baby arrives and if they're too hot they will get a sweaty head so it's best to just keep checking their temperature (back of neck and chest) and adjust their clothes accordingly.

kd83 · 01/07/2013 13:34

Great post! I'm due in early Oct and as a first time mum dont have a clue.

I have quite a few vests and some sleepsuits already, plus a snowsuit we got in the sales the other week, but need to get blankets, more sleepsuits and cardigans.

FYI now is a good time to buy snowsuits if you can as they are all on sale. We got ours half price from John Lewis, and while it says its 3-6 months it doesn't look very big and I think baby will be in it by November especially with all the other layers.

IdaClair · 01/07/2013 13:40

Be careful though as most of the snowsuits are too big and bulky/warm to be used in things like car seats (baby isn't secured properly unless the straps are fitted to their body, not the snowsuit).

My winter babies just went in a sling when we went out so never needed any outside clothes, they just went in in their indoor things and were kept nice and warm by me/DH, the sling and adult coat. I would use the sling as a blanket in the car seat, but better to have layers you can remove placed over the baby in the car, and as little as possible between the baby and the car seat straps.

TobyLerone · 01/07/2013 14:39

A babygro and a vest are 2 different things, no?

Vest.

Babygro.

BraveLilBear · 01/07/2013 15:56

My understanding is that vest is the same as a bodysuit, babygro is the same as a sleepsuit.

I asked this question at my antenatal class last week and didn't get completely laughed out of the room - took me absolutely ages to get my head around the terminology...

TobyLerone · 01/07/2013 16:04

YY, that's what I thought.

GrandPoohBah · 01/07/2013 16:10

DD was born last November. We had her in nappy, long sleeved vest (which has no legs), sleep suit. At night we popped her in a 2.5 tog sleeping bag (she was wriggly and it was much easier!). If we were going outside, she had a snowsuit on over that, along with the cosy toes.

IIRC, newborns don't sweat so you need to keep an eye on their temp by putting your hand on their chest or the back of their neck. Don't use their hands as a gauge as they tend to be on the chilly side.

GiveMumABreak · 01/07/2013 16:16

When they are newly born they arrive completely naked

Jollyb · 01/07/2013 16:20

We bought our daughter a fleecy snow suit from JoJo and it was perfect for the winter. Cosy but not so ridiculously hot that you'd need to remove it in the car etc

DC2 is due in a couple of weeks and I'm panicking about what a summer newborn might wear!

SummerMyArse · 01/07/2013 16:23

Depends on how warm your house is.

Ours was freezing (around 14-16°) so DS wore :

Sleeveless vests (with poppers) until 3 months then long-sleeved vests (my mum advised against long-sleeved vests as a newborn cos she said it's tricky with all the layers and their little arms)

Plus a babygro/sleep suit (long-sleeved/footed thingy with poppers all up the front )

Plus a thick woolly cardigan.

I also often put him in velour babygros which were warmer.

A great tip is putting socks on over the outside of babgros so baby's feet don't ride up inside the legs.

We now live in a warmer place so I probably wouldn't do the thick velour babygros (although they are so snuggly!)

For outside we had a snowsuit and he was mainly in the sling, although I was careful to take him out of his snowsuit whenever in shops/transport else he became scarlet.

Original poster

TakingTheStairs · 01/07/2013 16:24

Thanks for all your help everyone! All the different names for the same items of clothing doesn't help the confusion!

OP posts:

ChippingInWiredOnCoffee · 01/07/2013 16:25

IMO the best 'snowsuits' are the ones that are more fleecy ithen 'outdoor', the really padded ones are a bit too much and are very 'rigid' - if you have a thinnish one over layer and a cosy toes, it's plenty warm enough and easier to undo and open up when you get inside somewhere.

You will find your baby wears a varity of things depending on your mood/what you are doing/what you are given etc

Another thing that's handy for the very newborn stage are these bundlars it makes changing their nappies very easy.

I am very - I want a newborn too!!

forevergreek · 01/07/2013 16:33

Nappy
Short sleeve vest ( with poppers)
Baby gro

I personally find long sleeve bests a pain on baby's as te long sleeve gets tucked up when babygro added and is tricky to pull down again so they aren't uncomfortable

The above is basis for winter baby. Add a cardigan if cold indoors and out. A hat usually ( cotton indoors/ thicker outdoors), and I add some thick baby booties/ thick socks over babygrow feet when outside and cold.

You generally can get away without a snowsuit/ coat for a baby as they will be either cosy in sling or under blankets snug in pram. It means when you go into shops/ cafes that are hot when it's cold out you can just take some blanket layers off easier than waking baby to take suit off

notso · 01/07/2013 16:35

I would recommend a wrap over a snowsuit any day.
They have all the cuteness of a snowsuit but are easier to put on, take off and last longer

BraveLilBear · 01/07/2013 16:38

Ooh Chipping - never seen those bundlers before, they could be really useful...

ChippingInWiredOnCoffee · 01/07/2013 16:42

Brave - they are lovely and there are other ones out there, it was just an easy link to find. They feel like 'proper little babies' in them :)

petitdonkey · 01/07/2013 16:45

I second nomoreminibreaks - I went by the one more layer than me for all of my babies, winter or summer. You have to imagine that if you sat down on the sofa quite still for an hour, would you be chilled and reach for a blanket? Doe that make sense?

I had this which I used for my girls born in October and March. I would dress them in vest (the popper kind), babygro, cardigan and maybe a soft jersey coat if we were going to be outside, then tucked them tight into the hoodie thing. What I liked was that if we went into a cafe or someone's house, I could unwrap a sleeping baby without waking.

petitdonkey · 01/07/2013 16:47

Oooh, cross posted with notso - very similar thing but mine had no arms. Love the bundlers too! I had them in the early days at night - much easier to do a nappy change at 4am!

Mayanbob · 01/07/2013 18:17

Slight hijack- this is all very useful stuff. Great question OP! However my PFB is due slap bang in the middle of August. How do I make sure I don't cook/ freeze my baby?

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