What does a newborn wear (I know this sounds stupid)?

[Minstrelle]

So, I am starting to think about what to buy and I've looked online and in some shops and I'm a bit confused by what's on offer.

There seems to be 3 things (mainly) for newborns - vests (no sleeves, sometimes with poppers under the bum), bodysuits (mostly shortsleeve, with poppers under the bum) and sleepsuits (longsleeve, mostly with feet). But I keep seeing references to babies in babygrows - which of the above (if any?) are these ones?

My second question is, as the thread title suggests, what do they normally wear in the daytime (assuming I don't bother with "proper" outfits) just around the house/out for a walk in the pram/carrycot thing - is it a combination of the above and if so, which? I can see the sleepsuit working (on its own/with something else?), but what do they wear on their bottom half if they're in a body suit? Presumably for nighttime, it's a sleepsuit - do they normally wear something underneath this?

Sorry if this sounds ridiculous - this is my first, and I've never really had to think about this before! All advice much appreciated!

Agh, posted too soon! Meant to as that baby clothing sizes are my very standardised. They vary all over the place! Your baby can fit a 0-3m in one brand and still be in a tiny baby in another or in 3-6m in yet another. It's all a bit chaotic really and you don't quite know until you get to know the baby which brands fit best. DD was right on the 50th centile (but a little short), and we found she was still always about 3/6 months behind the age on the baby clothes, eg. she was wearing some 3-6 months clothes around 5-8 months and so on. We found M&S to be true to size (also Gap and Tesco), John Lewis and Asda quite big, Vertbaudet & other French brands v v small, Mothercare slightly big and Polarn O Pyret bloody massive (must be sized for giant strapping Swedish babies )

*not very standardised. Autocorrect chaos!

Do people still knit for new babies? I was given 32 matinee jackets (as they were called) when DD1 was born . I stuck to white babygrows (or grobags as they were known in our house) for night and prettier ones for the day. People gave us lots of lovely 3-6 m ones,(they grow out of first size quite quickly) so I'd stick to buying very basic ones yourself, and friends who'd sprogged before us lent us lots (you need loads, as they tend to throw up and leak ). We got some dresses too, which was lovely for going out- until they crawled...

PS My Dds have reached the age when friends are producing and they love buying cute outfits for new babies. Wish I knew someone to buy for!I'm sure you'll get given lots

Post I've got a few knitted things - I've made a couple of hats and a cardigan myself, and my mum and friends have contributed a couple of bits. I was wondering whether they'd be too warm in May but I don't know that they would after having read this.

One of the hats I made is huge though, it won't fit the baby til it's a year old probably

What a baby wears depends entirely on the time of year.

The rule of thumb is one more layer than mum (apparently studies show mum is more in time to temperature changes than dad). If you're walking (ie with the pram) that counts as a layer.

For a girl, an alternative to vest and sleep suit is vest, tights and soft long sleeved dress. Or long sleeved vest, tights and soft dungaree style dress.

Daytime they do cute little tops/trousers, dresses etc, or you can just put them in a sleepsuit still with a bodysuit & socks under in cold weather, if you go out & its cold a snowsuit on top, or a coat & blanket, they need 1 more layer than you so if ur wearing top jeans jumper & coat, do bodysuit, top, trousers/dress or bodysuit & sleepsuit, cardigan, coat or snowsuit + a blanket x

Useful thread for a ftm. Baby not due until July, but in Scotland so anything is possible. Also live in a freezing house (with no heating on just now, it hovers just over 10 degrees) so I think I will be a layer up from the rest of you! Someone mentioned cloth nappies. I plan to use these, how would that impact vest/sleepsuit sizing?

My mum is desperate to get knitting so I might get her started on some cardies :).

Thanks for so many helpful posts.

Cloth nappies are bulkier so you will usually need a bigger size of all the clothes.

My babies grew out of newborn size by the end of the first week so I'd only buy 0-3 months.

I'm pregnant with dc3 but there's a big gap and I've given everything away so I'm going to have to baby shop again.

I'd recommend buying the very minimum, people (esp grannies) like buying tiny baby clothes so you will most likely be given loads that will never get used. I bought lots in charity shops as newborns don't wear stuff out so its all great quality. If you know anyone a few months further along you may get lots of hand me downs to whether you like it or not

My eldest baby is now nearly 6ft tall! Loving reading this and thinking 'aww'. Don't forget to buy socks to use as mitts at night. Keeps their hands warm and stops then scratching their face. They're also longer than normal mitts so don't slip off.

Hellkitty, someone thought of having little turnover cuffs on sleep suits to cover their hands at night since you had your kids .

Yes turn over mitts are now in sleep suits and pram suits. No more lost mittens

I had two colder weather newborns but they never wore cardigans or pram suits because they never went in a pram, always in a sling with me in my coat, super snug. They got some great hats though. But wore basic baby gros pretty much constantly until walking in outdoor shoes. I have a 2.5yo in a babygro (footless) sat next to me

At night if you have a baby who hates blankets (and my newborn DS did!), then Mothercare 2.5 tog wadded sleep suits are a god send, I kid you not. Bloody awesome. Using them on both DC. Also means they can stand up in them when they're older.

www.mothercare.com/Mothercare-Mummy-and-Daddy-Walk-In-Sleeper/LC5870,default,pd.html

Oh and please remember babies can not and should not wear snow suits, pram suits or any bulky outdoor clothing when in the car seat, as they can be ejected from the seat in an accident. Babies in the car need to wear close fitting clothing, with blankets tucked over them after they have been strapped in.

As such it is worth thinking about how practical a snowsuit etc might be - fine for a walk outside, not fine if you are going to be in and out of hot shops, in and out of the car etc - unless you are constantly undressing and redressing them.

Thought I'd add my bit - don't rule out buying supermarket packs of vests and sleep suits, I find Sainsburys and Morrisons (Nutmeg) good sizes, and they wash and wash and wash without growing. All my last lots of Mothercare ones pulled holes round the poppers with mucho use.

And a pair of socks under a babygro helps to keep very kicky feet inside the foot bit (I had a DD that always ended up knotted up in the body bit), took me ages to work out the sock trick.

You may well be given stacks of very cute outfits from friends and family, so I'd just stock up on the basics. And if you can or have a relative who knits, tiny cardis in a yarn that washes and tumble dries (like sirdar snuggly) are brilliant.

Oh good grief! I feel so old

idstillratherbeknitting thank you. I'm still a semi-beginner knitter (have to google instructions for some of the more technical stuff) but am keen to try a cardi or something. I am not ready to buy baby stuff but if I start knitting Something, I can just consider it technical practice . And now I know what yarn to buy!

MuddyWellyNelly There's loads of super yarn (stash the size of a wool shop here), Stylecraft special is great, as is Rico baby so soft, both wash and dry well. There's some super blanket patterns out there too! Never have enough blankets here (N Cumbria, pretty freezing here too).

I wouldn't fuss making bootees, very cute, but they never stay on!

My son was April baby and did need a pram/snow suit it was freezing!

Sleep suits were for night time.
Clothes for the day

We get changed in the day, so so should he otherwise it looks like you can't be bothered imo. All easy access poppered up under the bum for easy access

My DS was 6.13 and was in prem clothes for a month, early/tiny baby for a month then 0-3 and has made up for it since!

I also washed all of his stuff in normal persil, vanish, comfort fabric condition stuff. Made no difference but was more expensive.

I've had some lovely babygro's from Sainsburys. And they're great for kids clothes generally.

Even sitting next to someone who uses scented fabric conditioner makes me sneeze, I wouldn't be using it on baby clothes!

Couldn't tell you what comfort Jojoba smells like tbh smells like nothing to me.

Daz on the other hand, would be the last thing I use on my worst enemy the smell makes me gag