Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

An idiots guide to baby clothes!

96 replies

Clemmie83 · 04/06/2020 04:55

I'm a first time mum and could do with some help demystifying baby clothes! I'm due in November and trying to put a list together of baby clothes I'll need. I don't even understand the terminology of all the different items let alone what I'll need/how many/when each item is worn etc!

If anyone can give me an idiots guide that would be amazing! ☺️

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Thread gallery
5
Ayannah · 04/06/2020 09:54

Such a useful thread, thanks OP and everyone who has contributed with their wisdom! I’m due early December and was just starting to look at things, but was wondering if baby clothes are seasonal like adult clothes? Do I need to wait until late August to start seeing thicker fabrics and more winter suitable stuff, or is it much the same all year round. Sorry if this is a silly question but I can’t seem to find the answer Grin

Clemmie83 · 04/06/2020 10:11

@Ayannah Good question, I was thinking the same!

Also another question...with Pramsuits if they can't be worn in the car do you literally have to take it off and put it on again at the end of the journey when going out in the car or would you put the baby in something else instead? Just thinking about being out and about in Dec/Jan and what's best to have?

OP posts:
Namechange8471 · 04/06/2020 10:16

I wish I had found Mumsnet when I was pregnant (12 years ago!) I was only 18 and didn’t have a clue!

It’s great you’re asking op, with regards to the pramsuit if you’re just going to and from the car I wouldn’t bother with one. I only used dds when it was bitterly cold and we were out for a walk.

welshweasel · 04/06/2020 10:19

I had two January babies.

White short sleeved bodysuits, lots of babygrows, a star wrap and a couple of hats was all we used.

No need to complicate it!

Snowsuits pointless as can’t use in sling or car seat and in the pram you can just put blankets over - if they are in a snowsuit you can guarantee they will fall asleep as you get home - you’d wake them getting them out of a snowsuit but blankets can just be removed!

welshweasel · 04/06/2020 10:21

@Clemmie83 yes you’d need to take it on and off...hence why I think they are pointless. Star wrap works much better. Or just put them in the car seat in normal clothes and pop a fleecy blanket over them once strapped in

Clemmie83 · 04/06/2020 10:27

I'd never heard of a star wrap before but sounds like I'll be adding one to my list! ☺️

OP posts:
ScarfLadysBag · 04/06/2020 10:29

Pramsuits are crap. We never used ours. YY to Star Wrap. So handy, we've used ours loads. And yes DD wasn't in outfits for first three months really, and then it was just leggings and tops for going out and sleepsuits at home.

I found that for the first three months we used a lot of bodysuits and sleepsuits (and muslins as DD was a sicky baby). Socks are a nightmare but Sock-Ons help, but we preferred not to have to deal with them as much as possible! So she was usually in sleepsuits at home up till six months.

If I was doing it again, I wouldn't buy pramsuits or any outfits for at least 0-3. I'd buy a good stock of bodysuits and sleepsuits, a couple of hats, some cellular blankets to layer over car seat etc, and a star wrap.

Whiffle77 · 04/06/2020 10:31

This is really helpful for me too, thanks everyone!!

Emmagen · 04/06/2020 10:47

I'm due a November baby too! I'm not planning on getting any pram suits, I hate them. I'm also planning on using mostly short sleeve vests unless we are going to be spending a lot of time in the cold that day (indoors is heated after all) and just like my DS I plan on the first 4-5ish months being spent almost entirely in babygrows/sleepsuits. They are easy to use and wash and most importantly comfy for the baby. I only stopped with DS when he could crawl and would crawl right out of the legs and get himself in a right tangle!

The reason I hate pramsuits is that DS was a jan baby and he only wore a pram suit once for about 30 seconds before I took it off and it went into the charity shop bag. I found layering to be a much better option as DS nearly overheated in that 30 seconds and is was Feb and SNOWING at the time. With cardigans and blanket layers it was much easier to adjust to temperatures, go into a shop and take some blankets off, hop on the tram and take some blankets off. Sooo much easier. We also had numerous elderly ladies in my family who love knitting. They loved it when their baby blankets were in so many baby photos as they could see they were really being used.

You should never put any child at any age in the car seat wearing a coat or anything that will compress in a crash. It's really pretty dangerous. So again a pram suit (or coat) would have to keep being taken on and off. Not easy with a pram suit!

You will need a few warm hats though, DS has one that made him look like a little teddy bear Grin hoping that I find that when I go through his old clothes in the attic and it can be used again.

Megan2018 · 04/06/2020 10:47

A star wrap can be used in a car seat so no taking on and off.
Can also be used in a sling/carrier.

Pramsuits are a nightmare to get off, can’t be worn in car seats and if you go from the cold to the warm and they are asleep you are screwed.

I know I sound like I work for them but I don’t, I heard about them on here and they are great. But there are always loads on ebay so I wouldn’t bother buying new.

KRoo22 · 04/06/2020 10:52

It completely depends on your tastes!
I had a November baby and literally dressed him in bodysuits and baby grows for about the first 3 months of his life. It’s comfortable and they sleep so much anyway. I then had numerous different thickness of blankets depending on weather. Others prefer to dress babies in full jeans and jumpers.

An all in one suit (coat type thing) is good for a November baby if you plan I’m going out in the pushchair or baby carrier a lot. Not to be used in car seats as I think others have mentioned.

I would also be wary of buying too many 3-6 month clothes, with both of mine that is the size most family/friends buy as presents.

Baby sleeping bags are great from 3/4 months.

I didn’t use scratch mitts - often baby grows have fold over wrists that double up if you need them.

Socks I only started using when I put mine in joggers around 4 months.

Couple of hats for a November baby too.

And congratulations on your pregnancy!!

Clemmie83 · 04/06/2020 10:57

Thanks everyone, I'm finding this so useful!!

Feel free to add any other tips!

OP posts:
5MikesOut · 04/06/2020 12:11

Yes I agree once babies start crawling they end up with one leg coming out of their babygrows and there is an empty leg trailing/tangled around them impeding propulsion. At the crawling stage you can go for things like tracksuit trousers/leggings/tights and a top. Socks were a nightmare. They get pulled off when babies discover their feet and can grab hold of them. Or they work their way off by themselves. I tried to go for tights or bare feet wherever possible.

I found pram suits useful because I live In the north and went out for long walks with the pram but I agree if you are in a milder part and use the car or a sling a lot they aren’t particularly useful.

Anything that buttons or fastens up the back is a nightmare too. Front fastenings are easiest.

Colouringinbook · 04/06/2020 12:25

Another tip:

Keep the tags on gifts with receipts and "audit" the clothes in the next size up regularly. We got lots in 3-6 months, including three of the same outfit so I spent a fair bit of time exchanging clothes!

chubbyhotchoc · 04/06/2020 12:26

I'm having my second Nov baby. You need lots of vests and lots of baby grows preferably the ones with the scratch mits integrated. Cardigans, some pull on hats and a snow suit. Baby bundlers are very useful at night when you're bog eyed doing changes saves messing with poppers.
www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-partners-baby-organic-cotton-bunny-bundler-white-0-3-months/p1713650
Outfits are a waste of time imo. They tend to look pretty silly and too much of a faff

mobear · 04/06/2020 12:32

Would you dress a baby in a vest under a sleepsuit? I bought several Mori sleepsuits and had hoped these would suffice for the first few months (with a cardigan as needed). Baby is due in October.

Mn345678 · 04/06/2020 12:44

@Clemmie83 Oh In sooo glad you posted! Im also due in November and how no idea where to start with all this - so reading through these comments is excellent!
The only thing is, all the baby vests and grown and etc on Next and JLewis website are out of stock for new born up to 6 months sizes... Im guessing thats because of the lockdown maybe? That they havent restocked on them.. its weird because its out of stock for most items under 6 months.
I've been wanting to buy a few of these just to get excited with the idea of an actually filling it in soon - but no luck with stock!

chubbyhotchoc · 04/06/2020 12:44

@mobear yes you do. The vests keep the nappy on a bit better as well

Clemmie83 · 04/06/2020 12:50

@Mn345678 I'm so glad it's not just me who was clueless about the whole thing! 🤣 I completely agree about stock at the moment, we haven't bought anything and I've been wanting to get a couple of bits online just to get excited but everywhere seems to have stock issues, it's a nightmare!

OP posts:
Mn345678 · 04/06/2020 12:59

There are also long sleeve vests but with no legs ... are these good to go under sleep suits or body grows? Or for November would you recommend long sleeve and legs on vests under growns.

Mn345678 · 04/06/2020 12:59

My god I hate spell checks here! Half of my comments dont make sense!

Mn345678 · 04/06/2020 13:02

@Clemmie83 Im hoping with shops slowly opening now that by the time we actually need to buy the stuff things will be restocked! And then we can get excited... Really want to browse stores too, I like to see and feel stuff before buying. I used to zoom passed baby sections as I had 0 interest but now that I really want to - we actually can't! lol

chubbyhotchoc · 04/06/2020 13:03

Id just get the sleeveless, legless type

crazychemist · 04/06/2020 13:07

My DD was in vest and baby grow for a LOT of the first year, definitely until she was cruising/walking. They are comfy, easy to clean and don’t get in the way of anything - some outfits for girls are a bugger and look silly when you’re strapping them into a 5 point harness on the pram or trying to get the into a carrier. There’s plenty of time for outfits when they are walking, and mine still wore baby grows at night until she was nearly 2 as they keep feet snug and don’t expose tummy (DD was a wriggly sleeper, her pjs end up right up around her armpits now some nights!)

You need more vests than anything else, because nappies will sometimes leak, especially if they do a poo when they are in the pram/car - they wriggle and it gets squished up the back! I found short sleeved ones much easier as sometimes it’s a pain getting a long sleeved grow over a long sleeved vest, so we only used the long sleeved ones on really freezing days.

Snowsuits are amazing, but only once they’re walking. When they’re little, it’s much easier to just layer them up with blankets and such, then you can easily adjust if they are too warm-cold. I had a lovely snug sleeping bag thingy for the pram for when DD was going on on super cold days, all lovely and fleecy so she didn’t have to wear anything extra over her baby grow.

In summer, you might want to just pop leggings on over a vest, but for a November baby id just get newborn and 0-3 months ones in plain colours. You can get multipacks in any supermarket. I’d hold off getting bigger sizes just yet - you don’t know how long your baby will stay in each size, so it’s not obvious what the weather will be like when you move up a size.

How much you get depends on how often you want to run your washing machine. On a poopy day, you can easily get through 3 or 4 vests! Most days you won’t though. My mum advised me to buy enough that I felt I wouldn’t have to run the washing machine more than every 3 days - that way there’s time for stuff to dry without a panic!

I’d strongly recommend accepting hand me downs of things like vests. Nobody will see them anyway, and some of DD’s things she only wore a couple of times because of random growth spurts. It feels like such a waste packing something away that’s only been worn twice!

A nice soft cotton hat or two is worth it. Remember, they don’t have much hair and have sensitive skin, so a woolly hat is probably just going to annoy them.

Socks are pointless for tiny ones. You just lose them EVERYWHERE. Gloves too.

HildaSnibbs · 04/06/2020 13:11

I've just had DD3 and I've never even heard of a star wrap before! They look utterly adorable I might have to get one....

OP we lived in an old cold house when DDs1 and 2 were little (actually still do just a different one...) and in winter I used to put them in a short sleeve vest and babygro for bed, sometimes with a cardigan over on cold nights. Then in the morning (assuming no poo/ sick on the babygro ) just put a pair of soft baby joggers (from M&S or Next) and a jumper / cardi over the top.

This was when they were a couple of months old and would often be on the floor in bouncy chair / play mat and it was pretty draughty so the extra layer kept them nice and warm.

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.

Swipe left for the next trending thread