Baby clothes - where to shop?!

[glueandstick]

It's time to sort out some clothes (due in a few weeks) and I'm at a loss as where to shop. Plain baby grows are fine but struggling to find nice cardigans and 'baby' things that aren't terribly gender specific (the sheer vileness of the pinks out there make me feel sick and the blues are all a bit 'oh look I'm such a real man') or just awful. I have a real hatred of Next and Mothercare but don't know where to go for nicer things. Petit Bateau will be visited in the week but apart from that- help!

I'm not a massive snob I promise, I just can't find anything I really like online (that is easy to get! There are some lovely European bits but they'll wait until it is older) or in real life. There must be lots of hidden gems out there but having had no children or contact with people with kids I've not been let into the inner circle of knowledge. Help!!

I agree with bluewisteria on baby groups. I soon learnt that the days we went out were far easier than the days we stayed in and as much as I wasn't looking for Mummy Friends (hate that term) it was nice to be able to talk to people with a baby at a similar stage to yours. As it happens I did make two new friends from different baby groups who I had lots in common with and have remained friends with.

White Company. Lovely neutral stuff.

I'm not a fan of supermarket clothes and don't have any near me that sell clothes anyway. I also hate the very gendered stuff. My daughter was mostly in yellows and creams to begin with. I liked mamas and papas for vests and babygros. I mostly kept her in babygros when she was small. From about 6-9 months, when we started putting her in clothes everyday, I shopped in Baby Gap, Zara, John Lewis and Next mostly. I hate next adult clothes (nasty cuts and cheap fabrics, imo) but the baby stuff can be great. It is worth digging past the slogans and obviously gendered stuff for some lovely bits.

George @ Asda for plain white vests and plain white sleep suits. They wash very well.

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet, but I find the Vertbaudet sizing to be quite small. I love their stuff, but generally buy a size up after 6 months or so.

Also, I know you've said you don't want supermarket or much high street stuff but Tesco's white baby vests are lovely, lovely quality and wash extremely well. They feel very soft and comfortable. John Lewis's packs of baby vests are good too, although I think the coloured ones fade after not many washes.

Re wrap vests vs the more normal style: I prefer the normal style because they tend to have a higher neckline and are thus warmer. I live in Scotland, though, so it might be more important up here. The envelope necklines are excellent when there's been a nappy explosion because you can just take them off from the top down instead of pulling dirty clothes over the baby's head.

You can also find a lot of cute boutique baby clothes shops online. They tend to have more interesting things.

glueandstick don't worry I don't think you are a snob you sound like me. DD is a bit older now but I found a lot of the high street stuff not to my taste - pinks too pink, glittery or with patterns, bows and motifs that I loathed.

We did (and still do) get a lot of Baby Boden stuff (although with DC2 on the way I'm a bit dissapointed by their current selection of newborn neutrals).

Petit Bateau is good.

We also had some nice baby grows from the following:
www.pigeonorganics.com
www.piccalilly.co.uk
www.littlechickie.co.uk

The only high street store I ever found much in was Baby Gap - lots of things I don't like but a few nice neural bits.

White company (as suggested) - v lovely grey and white stuff. Boden - although most of it is gender specific but good when baby arrives as it's not all sugary pinks for girls and has some lovely little boy stuff (without too many tractors etc) and there is always a significant discount code around. Boots?!? Try it... I got some lovely blue and yellow flowery babygros for my daughters (dcs 2 and 3) there but, obviously that was gender specific. I think newborns look nicest in white babygros with cream/grey cardies - you can online order when the baby arrives and you know the gender! Doesn't mean you have to go for super-flowery or logo-ed stuff. Or look at 'mini and George' online. Lots of Liberty fabrics but funky batman or angel wing logos (tastefully sewn on to white baby vests etc), trousers/bloomers and cashmere cardies with amazingly sweet hoods. She will send you stuff.

Ooh yes love pigeon organics

shirking I too love white and cream on tiny babies. When I think my 17 month old is getting too grown up I dress her in a white sleep suit for the whole day. Makes her look a lot more like a baby than a little girl.

H & M wrap vests in organic cotton are great for newborns to avoid having to wrestle stuff over the head. Other brands you may like (I think we have similar taste; I buy a lot on eBay) include Boden and Joules. John Lewis stuff is really lovely.

Things I wish I'd known before, which would have helped in relation to clothes:

• Newborn poo is vile stuff, you'd think you fed your baby turmeric (sorry if that's a horrible image!). You can usually get it out if you cover the offending item in Vanish while the stain is wet, and wash almost immediately. Soaking in Napisan, then washing, may also work.

• I would recommend not buying beyond newborn size, bar maybe a few bits in 0-3 in case you have a larger baby than expected, until you know what size and shape baby you have. Mine has long legs and a short body, and is rather slim. John Lewis and H & M work well on him; Next doesn't (but fits well on babies with shorter legs and longer bodies). Sleepsuits with integral feet aren't great for him either as he busts out of the legs before he's filled out the body. Also, some sizing is very variable and may not fit your baby "to age".

• You will almost certainly receive quite a lot of clothing as gifts. Our experience was that people were very thoughtful in buying bigger sizes but some outfits weren't suitable for the weather by the time they fitted, eg I know it's a mild winter but I wouldn't usually dress DS in a romper in January. Next time, I'll be more proactive about quietly exchanging for something likely to fit at the right time of year.

Enjoy shopping! I'm not a massive clothes shopper myself but I absolutely love buying baby things; it was one of the highlights of later pregnancy for me and made it all very real.

Early baby poo - ie before solids - also bleaches out easily in the sun. Plus line drying, if you can, keeps the lovely baby smell in the clothes. It makes folding baby washing a joy, IME.

Try Polarn o pyret. Lovely durable bright stuff and their sale is on at the moment.

I absolutely hate stereotypical pink girls' clothes and dislike most high street things. Have a look at Mini Club in Boots and Little Bird in Mothercare. I was very surprised that their stuff is actually quite nice. Lots of bright colours (purple, red, jade, turquoise) for girls. No pink fluff in sight!

I hope OP comes back to this thread...!

You might like The Bright Company, Om Baby Clothing, Sly Fox Threads, The Milk Collective, Coco & Wolf - all on Instagram, or just google them.

Try loveitloveitloveit.com - gorgeous Scandinavian brights
Lanabambini.co.uk do lovely wool/merino/silk stuff that wears really well.

You really don't have to give in to the gender colour stuff - my DD is two and I dress her in all colours. You do have to look harder though.

So glad I read this as I've just found some new brands to look at. I'm 36 weeks and have more baby clothes then my baby could ever wear and I have 0-2years! I have everything in huge plastic boxes by age. It took me 3 loads just to wash 0-3months!

I am a snob about baby clothes but about quality. Baby clothes need to be soft for me, so much has been put back because it is too rough! No fastenings up the back either. Plus I prefer to buy organic and only cotton/natural fibres!

Quality wise my basics/vests are from John Lewis, Gap, petit bateau and mothercare. I check the feel of everything in the packet before I buy. 90% of what I buy is discounted/sale/2nd hand. I will only pay full price for something I desperately want and know will sell out before the sale. Being a baby clothes snob doesn't mean having to spend a lot of money.

Those Lanabambini clothes are adorable.

Thank you for all the lovely recommendations. There has been some shopping over the weekend. I have also located some knitting needles and started some jumpers that I've copied (a little... Mostly design not colours) that were not in the right size. Also have plans for some blankets. Have realised that there is more than one way to get around not finding what you want- it just might take some time. Between that and some lovely basic pieces I think I may be sorted.

Making some bits has also given me a bit of a sense of being worthwhile again and achievement. I will admit I'm struggling to get into mother mode and find the whole baby scene utterly depressing. Never have I felt so transparent and utterly redundant. I did mention it to the midwife but was inundated with 'helpful' things like 'oh but you're having a precious little baby who will be your whole world', that I should go to more baby groups so I can play with other people's kids and an offer of group therapy with other 'mummies'. I decided at that point it wasn't worth mentioning it further. I'll work through it in my own isolated quiet way.

M&S have gorgeous things but might be too gender specific for you!

OP my DD is 18 months and has never worn pink. I prefer brights. I buy a mix of H&M, Boden, Mothercare Little Bird and stuff from independant facebook sellers (rainbow baby and sewing cricus are fab).

I find mixing up some really lovely unusual pieces with plain cardis, bodysuits and leggings etc means my daughter doesnt look like all the other gilrs out there, now does she look like she is dressed in head to toe Boden. She looks like herself.

If it helps I also struggled to come to terms with motherhood. I did force myself to go to baby groups once DD was born but I mainly just carried on doing my own thing with DD in tow.

PS - if its chilly where you are in winter I recommend the extra thick leggings from JoJo maman bebe. We have the Dinosaur and rainbow ones and they are unisex.

*nor not now.

Also forgot to add I get the bight basics from supermarkets and next. Check out john lewsi for bright coloured plain babygrows. Sadly in the boys section as the girls is all pink.

Little bird range at mothercare its designed by jools Oliver. Its full of bright rainbows, gnomes, etc.

As well as all the scandi brands - marrimekko, maxomorra, etc

The leggings are lovely. However like the rest of the South UK I have no idea what the weather is doing but may get some on standby just in case winter finally arrives. Holding off buying a pram suit thing until I find out if I need shorts or thermals. The weather is crazy.

As it's starting to finally get cold in London, well coldish, when we go out in a sling later DS has on navy girls tights under his blade and rose leggings!

If you decide to use a sling, remember they will get very warm from you so you don't need to put them in a big pram suit or similar.

It's awesome you can knit - if love to do it but I can only manage a long straight strip. I have many scarves!