How do i shop for my first baby?!

[Jasminexo]

I'm due September 23rd, and I have only picked up a pack of three sleepsuits from mamas and papas, i fell in love with them, so I just had to! They were newborn.

I'm so confused as to how to buy clothes for my baby. Do I buy all new born clothes? or do I buy 0-3 months? If so do I do a mixture of newborn and 0-3? Do I start buying 3-6 months too?

I just need advice and some help... Guidance too...

@ARV1981 that's so helpful, thanks :)

I'd get some cheap packs in the various sizes from supermarkets etc and see how big the baby is then buy more. I was told DS was going to be massive so brought 0-3 but he needed tiny (he was 6lb 9 as I had to deliver early) so you just never know. People will bring clothes to hospital if they are tiny or giant though so don't worry!

It's worth waiting as you'll get a lot of gifts. It's also hard to tell what size they'll be at what point and what the weather might be doing so I just buy as I go.
Saying that though I am in a town with supermarkets and baby shops. Brands like Boots do next day delivery to store too. If you are more remote though you might need to be more organised than I was

Next sale on this sat if you have vouchers!

If you are looking for a sensible, clear and straightforward guide - I found this book has been really helpful. It includes basic lists for the hospital bag, nursery and baby basics and talks you through what you need to consider for purchasing different items as well as answering lots of common questions eg. How to get them to sleep, techniques for stopping crying, how to feed and how to check for illness. Lots of it is common sense but I found it really reassuring, especially if you feel quite alone.

www.amazon.co.uk/First-Time-Parent-honest-brilliantly-staying/dp/0007269447

Have you joined the relevant group on the antenatal club section of MN? It really helps to talk to others due around the same time...

You need, as a minimum-
5x vests (short sleeve)
5x baby gro (the full body long leg long sleeve)
Mitts
A hat
Nappies- 1 pack of newborn
1 pack or cotton wool or baby wipes
A small tub or sudocrem
Muslin sq x3
At seat
Cot of some kind
Sling or buggy

Everyone's different in what they see as essential. I am due in less than 3 weeks. My mum has been banging on about big babies in our family so i got 0-3 size. Took some of it out to look at and they are feckin huge!! So did a dash out for packs of newborn - neither sainsbury, Tesco or next had any in!! Motherland did though so got a pack of 7 vests and 3 sleepsuits in newborn, just white.

Anything else can be bought after.

Thanks everyone! Such great advice :)

Ive got stuff up to 9 months old as picked up some lovely clothes for next summer in the sales. Also i will be hard up whilst on maternity leave so makes sense to me to get his clothes sorted now.

I used the list in a great book called 'First time parent' they err on the side of less is more, so they give you an essentials list and then optional extras which we've found really useful. At about 30 weeks I must say that gifts and people passing on their own baby clothes started happening, so if there is a chance you'll get stuff like that I might only buy a couple of things and then get more towards the end of your pregnancy if you still need them. Enjoy the shopping, it's so lovely to buy all the tiny things isn't it!

You probably do need newborn stuff - we bought loads of 0-3 stuff, convinced that we were having a big baby, but he was 7lb12oz and he's still in 0-3 stuff at nearly 11 weeks old, so the sizes seem to be fairly average.

(waves at nottalotta). Just to complicate things further...there's also an even smaller size called "tiny baby", as some babies can be too small even for newborn size clothes! I never thought I'd have a particularly small baby, but DS1 was 6lbs 9, and I was glad I'd accidentally bought some tiny baby clothes. You could buy a pack in that size from the supermarket and just take it back unopened if you don't have a diddy one....

Bouncy chairs are good places to plonk babies....I got mine from eBay.

My son was 8 lb 8 and we just put him straight in 0-3 months. They were a bit baggy for a few weeks, but we just rolled the sleeves up and he was fine. This time round we have the same plan, and will just send dh to the supermarket for some newborn stuff if baby is really too small for the 0-3 stuff.

You need newborn stuff and 1-3 months stuff too.

I would get about 10x vests and 10x sleepsuits/babygrows for each age range.

I wouldn't personally bother with outfits at that age, but its up to you. You could get a cardi to dress it up a bit and socks to put over the sleepsuits.

We got given a tonne of clothes from friends so didn't buy anything. Of you know any mums it's definitely worth asking about second hand things. DS arrived at 8 lbs 11 and already too big for some of the newborn stuff. I would wait till your baby is here, you can order more of things you like online once you see what's useful for you (you'll be in so won't miss the postman ).

PS ime, people without children of their own buy the cute tiny things and those with kids already buy 6 months +, and people are so generous with babies!

Lots of muslins- no need for fancy ones, just a multipack for a couple of quid. It's amazing how much they dribble/ puke!

6 baby grows and six under vests at least. They are cheap and you don't want to be doing the washing all the time. If you are breast feeding, she'll have runny poo and do it frequently too; chances of seepage high.

You'll need a warm cardi to put on top of grow as it might be chilli in Sept.

Get a good baby blanket made of natural material- cotton or wool.

Couple of cotton crib or Moses basket sheets depending what you're using. I found brushed cotton ones better as you don't get that cold bed feeling when you first put them in (thus startling a sleepy baby).

Cotton wool to wash her with.

BIG tub of Sudocrem! That stuff is the bees knees.

Wipes-lots of!

Get pampers baby dry. Don't be tempted by the cheaper makes of pampers- they're not as good. A good cheap alternative to pampers baby dry in Asda's Little Angels.

What ever you do, do not buy the nappy bins that require 'special' bin bags or you'll end up spending 15 squid a go on buying the right bags!

Get yourself a decent box set as there will be a lot of time spent feeding.

Finally, buy yourself some nice creams and bath things to treat yourself.

Oh and socks are a total waste of time at that age.

I know swaddling isn't for everyone but it worked wonders for my DS. If I have another, I'd be quite tempted to get a swaddle pod. Looks easier than swaddling with a blanket.

Lots of sleepsuits have fold over scratch mits, so you don't need to buy those separately.

A big bundle of muslins is really useful for mopping up milky dribbles.

In general, research what you like now and then order it when you need it. Even if you do next day delivery you'll save so much on what you don't buy that you'll be quids in

Also, babies grow at such different speeds. Dd was in 6-9 month clothes at 3.5 months! You really won't know whether you'll be buying for winter or spring once you're out of 0-3 month clothes.

My babies both wore newborn /tiny, then under 1 month before hitting 0-3 months at about 3 months. I would hold off buying more than the minimum as they both suited different colours / prints. I would definitely get a max of 6 sleepsuits and vests in small size and then you can buy anything else online with fast delivery if necessary. You will be doing more washing than you used to - towels, sheets, muslins etc

A few people have specified short sleeved vests - god yes, when you change a baby frequently, you really appreciate the ease of getting tiny fingers into a little sleeve over long uns.