Help me! Newborn clothes

[Lauraw1989]

Can anyone advise me what clothes I need for a newborn and how many I need of each?

I've tried looking on Google but every website I look on provides conflicting information.

I forgot to mention I'm not finding out the sex so I don't want to buy too much because I imagine people will want to get girl/boy stuff once the baby is born.

I'd go for
8 babygrows
8 vests
2 jumper/cardigans
2 cotton hats
1 pramsuit

Maybe one special extra cute outfit for photos.

I got the following

Next Up to 1 Month sleepsuits x 6 ish
Same in vests
Next 0-3m sleepsuits x6 ish
Same in vests

H&m wrap over long sleeved vests in 0-1m and the matching footed trousers x4

2 knitted cardigans from my mum and matching hats

One thin pramsuit

A mass of muslin squares (inc some giant ones for swaddling).

I reckon 8 sleep suits and 8 vests will see you through the first week or so provided you are happy to wash things regularly. I took newborn and up to 1 month into hospital, ds was 6lb 11oz when born so would have been too small for up to 1 month, he was in newborn for the first couple of weeks. I'd be tempted to get both sizes but perhaps leave the newborn size in the packets so they can be returned if you don't need them.

Ds was born in June so I never really used cardigans or hats but if due in the next few weeks perhaps get a couple of each.

Thin, cellular blankets are really useful and muslins, get loads of muslins!

I'm due in July and my two friends with July babies recommended 10-15 sleepsuits and 10 short sleeved vests and 5 long sleeved vests, plus one cardigan, all in newborn. This was based on buying secondhand bundles/NCT sale/charity shop so 50p an item.

If you've got a washing machine and tumble dryer you won't need anything like 15 of each thing. Maybe 5? They'll grow out of them really quick.

I don't have a tumble dryer

I've got 3 tiny baby (up to 7 lbs) 6 newborn and 6 0-3 month babygros in gender neutral designs (and a similar ish collection of white baby vests), 2 white 0-3 mo cardigans and 4 gender neutral hats. They were all bought in sales, charity shops or at the NCT nearly new sale.
I've been given a handful of outfits but mostly in 0-3 months.
I've been advised by friends that the clothes will start arriving from family/friends in person and in the post as soon as baby shows up.
I don't want to buy too much that he/she grows out of really fast but I also don't want all his/her first pictures to be in clothes that are hanging off him/her.

Me neither Laura and I'd prefer not to have to wash constantly so I'd rather go over in quantity. I doubt there's a right answer or a wrong answer really, somewhere between 5-10 vests/sleepsuits sounds reasonable.

I would work on 3 outfits per 24 hours as an average. Depends on how vomity your baby is, how often they have a poo/wee leak and how fussy you are about milk leak stains.

With washing it's worth bearing in mind that newborn stuff is tiny. You'd probably need 50 sleep suits to fill a machine. You can obviously switch on a mostly empty machine but it might be worth thinking about buying clothes that can go in with existing loads. Maybe not dress your baby in black, but I was pleased to have some coloured ones.

If you have a disaster, you can always dress in the next size up, even if it's too big.

I found people mostly bought me 3-6m clothes as gifts. Very few little ones.

Hi,

I'm also expecting DC1.

I have been buying basics in newborn, 0-3, 3-6 and 6-9 i.e. Vests, sleepsuits. Buying the other sizes now while I'm working and won't notice the cost as much, so there is less expense when I'm on maternity pay.

Also bought a bundle of newborn, a bundle of 0-3 and a bundle of 3-6 month clothes from a 2nd hand children's sale / on FB marketplace. This have given me loads.

In each size I've got 2 new packs of vests and 2 new packs of sleepsuits (generally 3-5 per pack). I will use those first but have the 2nd hand stuff as back ups just in case.

I did also buy some trousers, cardis, jackets etc new but got loads of these in each bundle so I shouldn't have bothered. I paid about £20 for each bundle which filled a large reuseable shopping bag (e.g. One of the bags that cost £1 in Tesco, about the size of the smaller ikea blue bags).

On top of this I have a nice new outfit for coming home from hospital in newborn size.

Don't overbuy in the very small sizes, my first was quite big and anything up to 1 month didn't get worn! M&S came up particularly small.

The 2ns hand bundles have given us so many outfit option, many of which are hardly used and some with tags still on. If people buy us clothes as gifts in any of the sizes up to 3-6, if they give us a gift receipt I'll probably return and swap for 6-9 as we just don't need any in the smaller sizes

I hope it won't offend people and I might just say to them, I hope you don't mind I swapped it for the exact same item in a different size as it was so nice that I want baby to get lots of use of it of it hopefully that's not rude!

I'd go with 2 packs of vests in upto 1 month and 0-3 (so about 10 of each)

About 6 babygrows in each size

Then if you have a particularly poonarmi or sicky baby you can use the bigger size until you get them washed or get someone to get more if necessary

People tend to by outfits so don't bother buying any yourself

eBay I picked up some bundles of small sizes for not that much money and they don't ware out in the time they fit

I have got:

6 x sleepsuits
7 x pairs of socks
2 x hats
5 x long sleeve body suits
5 x no sleeve body suits
1 x pram suit
2 x cardigans

Please tell me if I've missed anything out

That will be fine for the first few weeks. Next do next day delivery if you find you need anything else!

Do you have Muslim cloths? Do the sleepsuits have scratch mitts built in? If not maybe get 2 pairs.

Just bear in mind, as a PP has said, that your baby might bypass newborn size and go straight to 0-3. I worked on the basis of 3-4 outfits a day and got 12 of each and that was about right for us, as nappies leak a lot more when you're still getting to grips with them!

My DD was very sicky to start with and got through 5 outfits in a day. But there's no point in going overboard its easy to just order more stuff online for next day delivery if you haven't got enough. Also people bought us so much stuff.

When are you due? Just thinking about seasons- I would think baby will spend most of the first few weeks in a short sleeve vest under a sleepsuit. Long sleeve bodysuits need leggings/trousers to go with.

Get 8 of baby grows and vests definitely. When I was pregnant I looked at every list on the internet and they all said 8-10. I went mad and have got at least 30 baby grows in first size (hand me downs included, I'm not that mad). I had my little boy on Friday and he is 9lb 3oz, so they've all gone to waste because they're too small. Definitely don't go crazy until you know the sex and the size once he's born xx

I bought eleventy billion of everything. You don't need eleventy billion of everything. Even now, two children down the line i still can't seem to control myself. I'd honestly say 8 sleepsuits and vests, a couple of hats and scratchmits are plenty. Plus some weather appropriate things. They grow so very fast.

I'm due in September.

Should I get things in 0-3 months and newborn? I was just going to get things in 0-3 months.

Do I really need leggings in struggling to find any unisex ones online?

I have got 6 bibs + 6 muslin cloths

Most babies will fit in newborn for a few weeks at least. 0-3 Is up to 14lbs. DD was about 5 months old before she weighed that much.

Ds was in newborn for around 2-3 weeks, then upto 1 month for a couple more weeks, 0-3 would have been much too big for him at birth.

I would buy a pack of newborn sleep suits and a pack of newborn vests or see if you can pick up a newborn bundle in Facebook.

You will only need leggings if you want to team them with long sleeved vests. In September it is unlikely that baby will need a long sleeved vest and a sleep suit (I'd expect short sleeved vest and sleep suits) although if you are buying in 0-3 it may be November when the baby is wearing them and a long sleeved vest might work under a sleep suit at that time of year.

I really wouldn't worry too much. You can get vests and sleep suits in just about every supermarket going so as long as you have a few bits you will get through the first few days, then you can go out and get more if needs be. I'd be tempted to buy a few more muslins though, we got through about 3 a day!