What size baby clothes for hospital bag?

[ParsleyCake]

Should I pack newborn size? My mother is adamant that I should not have bothered buying any clothes in this size to begin with, but aren't newborns - well, newborn sized? Should I pack a selection including larger sizes?

I'm only 25 weeks, so perhaps this is a bit soon but I was told it's a good idea to get prepared from 6months pregnant onwards and I am the sort who likes to be prepared for every eventuality.

Will the midwife tell me what weight baby to expect?

I am due next week and have been told at my last growth scan my baby was approx. 7lb (about 4 weeks ago) and is on the 95th centile for size but I think they are notoriously inaccurate. I have gone for a few vests and sleeper suits in newborn sizes and a few more in 0-3 months from ASDA. They are cheap and cheerful. We will see what size he ends up and will get some more then.

I have packed a newborn size and a 0-3 month size. DH will go home and pick up more of whatever size we need if necessary.

Not sure if midwife will be able to guess a rough size. I have had two growth scans this pregnancy and been told DD will be a average 7lber so newborn should be fine but scans are notoriously inaccurate so erring on side of caution.

I think its easy to forget just how small babies are though when you are buying clothes. SIL just had her daughter and she was 8lb 7. Still looked absolutely tiny!

My DD was 8lb 11oz and was still in newborn clothes for about 3-4 weeks. 0-3 wasn't huge on her, but definitely not as comfortable.

My babies were 8lb2 and 8lb 11, fairly tall and they wore newborn for a few weeks. Unless you are on target for a bumper baby I'd take those. Make sure you get the ones with integral scratch mitts.

I bought 'newborn' and 'upto 1 month' for my DC1. DH was incredulous and said surely they were the same thing, and a new baby can wear big etc etc.

Anyway, I took both sizes to the hospital, all in packets with labels etc so that if need be the smaller size could go back to the shop.

Well, my DD was 8lb 10oz and looked ridiculous in the 'up to 1 month' size. Her limbs were getting lost!!!

She was out of them in 2 weeks.

I would take 'small baby', 'new born' and 'up to 1 month', just in case.

Yes, newborn size. Check the labels for weight guides though, because while one shop might consider a newborn weighing up to 9lb, others might consider it up to 10lb or more.

My DD was 7.5lb at birth and wore newborn sizes for a little while. 0-3 month babygros would have been gigantic on her.

DS was 9lb 2 so went straight into 0-3 but DD1, 2 and 3 were smaller again every time and did wear newborn for a short time. I'm not expecting this one to be a giant so will probably go with newborn but have some 0-3 in just in case.

One set of vest and babygrow in newborn size and one set in 0-3.

My 8lb11 dc fitted comfortably into newborn size for about 1month. My 9lb5 dc's legs were too long for newborn, and he had to go straight into 0-3, which was a bit too big everywhere else. And my 11lb dc wore an unpoppered vest and a blanket until dh had gone back home to fetch some 3-6m clothes!

Mine were 8,9 and 8,0 and they wore newborn for a couple of weeks before moving into 0-3, def worth buying. Pack a couple of 0-3's to appease your mum, you don't need to agro, lol

I took newborn but sent DH out for some tiny baby as he was 6lb 15 and swamped by the newborn stuff.

I would just take newborn.

You will have 0-3 at home for later than someone can get if a huge baby. Tbh the first 16 hrs ds1 wasn't even dressed, just wrapped in blanket with nappy ( hospital one first, then cleaned him up and in own blanket). It was nice to have skin to skin so just unwrapped blanket and tucked him in my top to feed/ sleep.
Only dressed him as went home and figured naked baby in car seat prob wasn't seen as good parenting!

DS was about 9lb and newborn fitted until he was nearer 11-12lb (not 9lb as they said). He was completely swamped by 0-3!

Buy one pack of newborn for the hospital, if you need anymore you can get them after the birth.

Newborn stuff lasts a week or two so a good idea to limit it, you will need some though as my DD looked weird in her 0-3 months!!!

I just took 0-3 months. If they'd been ridiculously big then dh would have been sent off to the 24hr supermarket to get some smaller ones.

In the event, ds was 8lb 8oz. The 0-3 month were a bit long/baggy on him for a week or two, but he wasn't trying to walk anywhere so I wasn't too bothered!

I got Up to 1 Month from Next and H&M. As it was, the HM stuff sized up small and the Next big, so between them they clothed 7lb 8 DS for a good 6 weeks.

My DS was a distinctly average 7lbs3 and he ended up in early baby clothes for his first week. Everything else was massive!

DS was 9lbs 1oz and he wore newborn size to begin with as the 0-3 month size was too big for him and his arms and legs got quite lost!

Babies do seem to grow quite fast so just buy the minimum amount and I'm pretty sure you'll get extra clothes and outfits as gifts once the baby arrives

I took newborn size and DD turned out to be 5lb 7oz (not premature either and had no indication she would be small), the newborn size just swamped her. My shopaholic mum relished the chance to buy more vests and sleepsuits in Tiny Baby size- they were the perfect fit but in the first week even Early Baby fit.

She's now 10 months and has more than caught up, I saw some Early Baby size leggings in Mothercare the other day and couldn't believe she was that size!

To answer your question, it's prinsbly fine to just take in Newborn size as you don't want a huge cumbersome bag, but make sure you have someone available who could pop out and get bigger or smaller if needed.

I needed tiny baby for my 6lb 2 and 6lb 3 babies, but it isn't so much the weight, there's room for a belly in the small stuff, it's length that's mostly the issue. I'll be taking a tiny baby set and a newborn outfit, because I can always exchange anything too small.

Just reiterating whoever said to look at the size guides. Mothercare 'new baby' is up to 10lbs, but next 'up to 1 month' is also up to 10lbs.

FWIW mine were 7lb15 and 8lb6 and they both fitted 'up to 10lbs' for 6 weeks or so.
0-3 month clothes are usually up to 14lbs, which is double the weight of many newborns!

Neither of mine fitted newborn. They both went into 0-3 months. They were 7lb 5oz (long & skinny) and 9lb 12oz (long and not skinny). In both cases they have outgrown things based on length rather than width.

My DS needed peen clothes, so this time I'm taking a prem, up to 5lbs, tiny baby and newborn

He was 6.13 and 2 weeks 'late'

I would take newborn. I just took 0-3 and DS was swamped by them and DH despatched to buy smaller sizes.

Same as pico2 for dd wasn't very big but she was long and looked uncomfortable from day one in newborn size, she was in 0-3 from the start, they were a but baggy but they fitted in the lenght at least.