Mind boggling baby clothes! Or is it just me?!

[birdybirdbird]

I’m due on 21st September and thought I should go through the (very) few bits of baby clothing we have to work out what else we need. Is it just me or does anyone else find baby clothes mind boggling?! Different shops use different size descriptors and the same size from different shops vary wildly. Is 0-1 month the same as ‘50’ the same as newborn?! Jo Maman Bébé newborn looks huge compared to H&M! And then there’s the garment names - sleep suit, body suit, baby grow. What’s the actual difference?! Add in the fact that September can either be baking hot or quite autumnal and I’m at a loss
So far in newborn size I have: 2 pairs leggings, 3 short sleeve no legs ‘body suits’, 1 no legs long arm baby grow(?), 5 legs and arms ‘body suit’ (but 4 of these look bigger). Then a few bigger looking bits in 0-2 month sizing. I doubt I’m having a big baby - I’m quite petite and both my partner and I were average size 7-7 1/2 pounders. I’m around 60% on the fundal height chart and I’m having a c section at 39+2 anyway.
Can anyone please give me a clear suggestion of what I need and how much? Or a guide to different terms - does a baby grow have legs or no legs?!

No help with how much you need! But baby grows /sleepsuits are both arms and legs! Vests will be no legs and either no arms, short sleeve or long sleeve. Sizes I'm as much at a loss as you! X

You need about

10- 15 newborn vests/body suit
10 babygrow/sleepsuit
Nappies
Cardigans
Hats

Same again in 0-3.

If you are anything like me you'll get so many clothes as gifts that you won't have a clue what to do with them. Then you can buy what you are missing.

If baby is too hot take a layer off.
They tend to advise an extra layer than you are wearing but mines just needed the same as she's always been warmer than me. Vests/bodysuits tend to catch the exploding nappies.

I would wash them all first as some brands shrunk after the first wash. Then lie them all next to each other to work out which are the smallest etc

Jojos babygrows are huge compared to other places. I find Tescos run small too

"Is 0-1 month the same as ‘50’ the same as newborn?!"

0-1 month is different to newborn. Newborn will probably only fit for the first week or so. Most people find it a waste of money to get too much in the newborn size unless you expect your baby to have a low birth weight.
I don't know what 50 is sorry.

"Jo Maman Bébé newborn looks huge compared to H&M!"

If your doing newborn sizes it makes sense to get the larger one. See above.

"Sleep suit, body suit, baby grow. What’s the actual difference?!"

A sleep suit and a baby grow are the same thing. Its an all in one thing that covers the whole body including feet.
A body suit is more like a vest that fastens with poppers under the crotch.

What you've got so far sounds good.
I would generally recommend 6 to 12 body suits, 6 to 12 babygrows, (baby to wear one of each most days)
One or two cardigans
One hat
Couple of blankets
One outdoor snow suit (as you say weather will vary but its nice to be prepared if it does turn cold.
One or two proper little outfits in case you go somewhere posh and want to really show the baby off.

You could actually buy about half of that on the assumption that people will give you stuff as gifts.

As a rule of thumb the baby needs to be wearing one more layer than you.
Good luck.

I hear you, it's a minefield at first.

Mine was born in early Sept. She lived in bodysuits (short sleeve, no legs) with a sleepsuit (long sleeve, covers legs, usually have "feet"). Then if we went out she'd have a cardigan and hat over that.

I'd strongly recommend buying sleepsuits with integrated scratch mitts that you can fold over - some babies will scratch themselves, and integrated ones are far easier / less likely to come off than separate mitts. Ditto for socks - get suits with feet.

Size-wise I'd buy the majority in newborn with the same quantity in 0-3 - if you leave them in the pack until needed you can always return them/re-gift if you don't need them.

Sizing... it's crazy-making. I found Next smallest, followed by F&F (Tesco) with Sainsbury's/Boots the most generous, and Gap skinny but long. I do recommend buying these from a supermarket (personally) - they are in them for five minutes and will bear the brunt of poo and vomit they may face. Get sleepsuits with buttons or zips down the front, not on the back or ones that have to go over their heads - they're faffy.

Wouldn't personally bother with trousers/tights/tops/anything else until 5/6 months (though others do) - the above is for nights and days.

Examples of sleepsuits:
www.boots.com/mini-club-3-pack-sleepsuits-10240682

(Integral scratch mitts up to 6 months)

Examples of bodysuits:
www.boots.com/mini-club-5-pack-unicorn-bodysuits-10240677

All the best with the rest of your pregnancy!

Congratulations! How exciting!

I agree, I find some sizing really confusing.

I bought mostly just 0-3 months instead of new born sizes, we were bought a couple of things at new born size but you’ll get more wear out if the 0-3 of course.

As the weather IS changing through September I would go for layering so at least you just need to add or take off a zipped hoodie or cardigan... personally I love body suit and jogger combos mostly day to day.

I would say you’ll find you need more of everything if you have a sicky or poo explosion baby, just because of the amount of washing you’ll go through... 7-8 of Body suits, sleep suits should be ample.

You can never have enough Muslin squares

Zip up sleepsuits are an absolute revelation- beware of the ones that go over the baby’s head like a tube...

I’m due 21st September also! I’ve got mostly first size and newborn,bought absolutely tons of sleepsuits,vests etc and washed them all xx

Thank you for the collective wisdom of mumsnet! None of my close friends have kids yet so nowhere else to ask. Feeling a bit clearer now - especially with the terms. Crotch poppers and no legs = underwear. Legs and arms = daywear outfit sort of thing.
I think the retailers are missing a trick by not putting together coordinating ‘bundles’ for clueless first timers. A sort of ‘all the clothes you’ll need for the first week’ type deal in one package. Maybe I could start it as a business (once I’ve figured it out!)

Oh, a useful tip is that the envelope shoulders on vests are so you can take them off downwards (not over their head) if you have a poo explosion.

A vest with trousers/leggings is an easy day outfit, with a cardigan/jumper if an extra layer is needed. You can get trousers/leggings with integral feet so no need to worry about socks. Socks often work their way off, but you can get a cunning little invention called "sock-ons" that stop that happening.

My hospital has specified the wrapover/kimono-style fastening vests/bodysuits in newborn size , rather than the pull over the head ones. Not sure if it's easier to put them on a tiny baby?

Lots of good advice on here already.

Re size 50. This is EU sizing and means 50cm. Next size up is 56, then 62. Yes, hugely confusing compared to UK sizing! I live on the continent and still don’t have a clue what EU size my kids need!

Size 50 is basically newborn - most babies born at term are around 50cm.

I find it best to stick to one shop to buy all your stuff for the first few months. As the sizes all come up differently there’s a danger that if you buy newborn or 0-1 in one shop, it’ll be the same size as 0-3 in another. M&S is huge for example whereas French brands like Petit Bateau are tiny.

Personally I really like the wrap over vests with poppers at the sides for newborns - pulling a vest over their head is often a drama! It’s also kinder on their bellybutton. H&M have nice ones in organic cotton (their baby clothes are lovely cotton, whereas their toddler clothes tend to be horribly synthetic). Having said that H&M is rubbish for quality control - often you can buy the same item in two sizes only to find they’re identical. I now lay clothes on top of each other in the shop to compare sizing.

@LeeMiller quite specific but I had a friend whose baby had heart problems, and kimono style clothes were a godsend while he was in the hospital - meant that when it came to checking him over, they could just open up the kimono vest rather than totally stripping him off. Obvs not all babies have these issues, but it probably still makes it easier to do routine examinations etc.

They are a bit easier lee, imo. Lidl does lovely organic ones in their baby event.

50 is up to 3months and 44 is newborn.

Does anyone use a sleeping bag/sleepsack/Brobags?
How about baby night gowns (attached)? which seems like a godsend for nappy changing.
are zips more functional than poppers?

Thanks Chloe , Carlotta and Hummus .. Have seen those organic wrapover ones in H&M, will check out Lidl too, they sound like they'd be handy in nb and the next size up. Making sure sleepsuits are front-poppering (or even better, zip-up) is also a great tip!

(and sorry for hijacking your thread op!)

I’m due on 6th September with my third - I’m too tight to buy anything smaller than 0-3 months!! I didn’t for my previous 2 (youngest is 5, I don’t think they did as many sizes then!!). They’d both grown out of 0-3 months by 6 weeks and they weighed 8lbs 2 and 8lbs 4, this ones predicted to be bigger so wouldn’t fit into newborn things anyway!!

@Viola82 I'm planning on grobags and a grosnug for newborns as my brother is evangelical about them. I also wondered if nightgowns would be compatible with a sleeping bag and make everything easier, or whether they get rucked up nd it's an either/or situation?

I'm 3 weeks on the other side and had no idea what to buy for the baby clothing wise and by the time she arrived I basically had only 0-3 size and a couple of newborn "outfit" hand me downs from friends.

Our little girl popped out at 6lb and the only clothing we have for her (still) in newborn size is a 5 pack of mothercare long sleeve vests, 5 short sleeve vests, 5 pairs of leggings, 3 body suits (long arms and legs), 2 cardis and 3 jojo maman newborn sleepsuit bags (the best!).

She thankfully is not a puker or a pooper so she will be in the same outfit the whole day long. I do a wash every 3 days and chuck her bits in but they often aren't dirty only that she has worn them all day. In hindsight we could have bought more but I didnt want to waste money on outfits she would be in 5 mins (in reality she will probably be in them at least 5 weeks!)

Also nobody bought us newborn clothing we got all sorts of sizes to cover her first year but zilch in newborn size!

Get a couple of basics but I would wait until baby arrives, its so easy to pick up packs of clothes in the supermarket and you can hold the clothes over the baby to check for size!

Does anyone use a sleeping bag/sleepsack/
Yes, though I think it’s advised to wait until their head won’t slip down - 2 months(ish)?

How about baby night gowns (attached)? which seems like a godsend for nappy changing.

A friend swore by them - John Lewis and Piccadilly sell them if you’re keen.

are zips more functional than poppers?

I thought zips would be revolutionary but they weren’t - you swap the fidliness of poppers for the “get the whole leg in, straighten the other leg” of zips - and newborns are scrunchy.

Agreed that Jojo’s sizing is large, it is for children too. I have too many clothes . I didn’t bother with any newborn as my three DC were all big babies so it’s all 0-3 months. I can’t say for a fact how much I have but it’s two big drawers full.

All you really need is ten vests, ten babygrows, a couple of cardigans/jackets, a couple of hats and a snowsuit. I would stick to newborn if you’re certain your baby will be small, you can always order 0-3 next day delivery or send OH out to get some if needs be.

Unless there's a very specific reason for using them, I wouldn't recommend scratch mitts. Babies need their hands for exploring and self- soothing, and scratch mitts stop them from doing this.

@LeeMiller I was told to get those with my 2nd so the fasteners wouldn't irritate the healing belly button area.

With dc1, I bought lots of newborn stuff. He was super skinny and under 7 pounds. MiL had to go out and buy some small baby stuff because everything we had was too big.

Dc2, I had a range of bits. She was a pound and a half heavier than her brother with massive shoulders and long legs. Newborn size didn't last beyond the first week and at 10 weeks, she's been in 3-6 month stuff for the past week because she's too long for the 0-3 sleep suits with feet.

So, I'd suggest a pack or two of newborn sleepsuits and then everything else being 0-3 months.

If your sure baby is gonna be below 8lb get some newborn/first size from next. I hate seeing babies in sleepsuits what drown them xx

Babies vary hugely, our's was born at 7lb and new baby in Mothercare fit perfectly. She's stayed on the 20th centile and is usually an age bracket behind - so up to 1 month in Mothercare until 3 months old!

We got loads of clothes as presents and because people go us up to 6-9 months there's still some she's yet to grow into (luckily they weren't too seasonal!)

I would just get a few things for hospital and then you can buy anything you need (most places do next day delivery or you could get someone to stop at a supermarket) as you'll probably find some garments easier than others etc

Congratulations, so exciting!

Also strongly recommend sleeping bags - Grosnugs are great for newborns