An idiots guide to baby clothes!

[Clemmie83]

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! ☺️

Yes you do want vests under sleepsuits, I prefer the short sleeved ones as the long sleeve ones can be a pain to thread under the sleepsuits arms. I only stopped with vests in mid summer.

A general rule I've come across before is that baby needs one more layer than you do. There was a wonderful story a few years ago on here of a mum who realised as she was leaving the house that she was wearing the same number of layers as her baby and as changing baby is obviously harder she just took one of her own layers off

@mobear yes vests are like underwear so go on under everything always, unless in extreme heat when they often just wear a vest on it’s own.
Short sleeved or sleeveless are easiest under a sleepsuit.

I agree with pp..get vests in plain colours as not on show. After 3 I would say keep them in a pretty baby grow and cardy as long as possible rather then finickity outfits. (I didn't do this with my first but by two or three had got fed up of wrestling a baby into uncomfortable clothes). Get loads of vests and baby grows and cardigans for the first 6 months and then decide what you like for after that. Next sleepsuots are more expensive but wash beautifully and have in built scratch mitts. They also sell on second hand sites well. Congratulations! Making a little set of baby clothes was one of my favourite bits of being pregnant

I see it’s been touched on above, (also due in November) but will short sleeve vests under sleepsuits be warm enough?

@crazychemist Thanks so much.. all this is so useful. Im glad I stumbled across this post today :)

So useful! Thanks to OP for starting and to everyone who has contributed.

Such a useful thread! Mine will be an August baby though so I guess fewer layers when it's hot..I'm so clueless it's embarrassing...

OP don't make the mistake I did - bought lots of 0-3months size babygrows etc for my (average sized) newborn then was surprised when they were too big - thinking as he was 0 months old, they should have been ok! I bought some 'tiny baby' outfits to make up for it.
Should've just realised there's a 'newborn' size and got a couple of those.

I had a winter baby. Bodysuit under babygrow/sleepsuit is perfectly fine for the first 3 months or even more. He's a little baby, sleeping loads, and dressing them in 'outfits' all the time is awkward ime. Some people do seem to think this is their 'pyjamas' but I never heard that when my first dc was a baby, and find it baffling to be honest.

If you see something really nice I'd get it in about 6-9 or 9-12 month size as they grow out of everything so quickly! And people will buy you loads of newborn stuff.

By the way as no-one has mentioned it as far as I can tell - envelope-neck bodysuits can be taken off upwards or downwards - useful to know if they've had a poo explosion and you don't want to take it off over their head!

I see it’s been touched on above, (also due in November) but will short sleeve vests under sleepsuits be warm enough?

For daytime, yes. You can always add a cardigan if you need to, but generally centrally-heated houses don't get too cold even in the depths of winter and if you're going out you'll bundle them up anyway. I did tend to use long sleeved for overnight as the heating goes off.

@Clemmie83 Never realised how much I needed this thread- thanks! I’m also a FTM due November, I live in Scotland so could be really cold!

Hello sorry to jump on the thread. I'm die in december, my second baby but my first was a summer heatwave baby. What should I put the baby in if I were using a sling or carrier? I'm thinking of using one often as I'm trying to resist having to buy a double pram until the baby can sit up in an upright seat

I had an October baby and never used a pram/snowsuit. I found them a faff to get on and off, especially as they can’t wear them in the car. I just used a thick cardigans and then lots of blankets. I think pram suits are only really useful in a baby carrier but I never carried my DS as he hated it.

I never put long sleeved bodysuits under sleepsuits, I just used short sleeved ones. For day wear I tended to go with a long sleeve bodysuit, leggings (with feet if I could find them) and then a cardigan or jacket over the top.

If you guys have Pinterest and look up terms like baby clothes layers, stuff like that, some good guides tend to come up on terms of what to put them in based on temperature and stuff like that. Like others I was told to generally go by the 1 more layer rule.

I found short sleep vests under babygrows were easiest as my little boy would get quite warm, also with sleeping bag and stuff it evened out x

Mine just lived in short sleeved vests and babygros for his first three months, plus a cardigan or snowsuit if we went out.

I used a Bundlebean with my sling in the winter - basically a waterproof fleece lined cover that goes over the sling/carrier. I particularly liked it because if I went indoors and he was asleep then I could just take it off and leave him in the sling, rather than have to take him out to remove extra layers. You can buy babywearing coats too but they’re more expensive.

@Clemmie83 wow. Thanks so much for starting this thread. Turns out I had no idea about bodysuits/vests being made to go under babygrows! I thought same as you, they’re so pretty I thought they were just for summer bubs. Looking forward to making my Jan due baby super snuggly ☺️

@OrangeJ No worries, glad it helped so many others! There was me worried I was asking a stupid question...🤣

It wasn’t a stupid question at all. It’s a lot to get your head round and the amount of choice is bewildering.

I had to go to a book shop and look up pregnancy symptoms with DC1 because other than late or no periods I had no clue. The first night home from hospital DC1 woke up just after midnight and I ended up phoning my Mum because I couldn’t think why she was up! When my Mum said had I thought she might be hungry and had I tried a bottle I was like “Oh yes I’d forgotten that”. If every anyone needed MN to have been in existence when I first got pregnant it was me.

Someone may have already told you but, in the case of a poonami i.e. exploding poo, you can pull baby vests down instead of up to ensure their face remains poo free!

Lots of short sleeved all in one vests, lots of Babygrows (we got gifts of mini grown up clothes like jeans etc which were a real faff and weren't that comfortable for them), cute leggings, several cardigans, forget socks and mittens, just get babygrows with fold out mitts and the feet are covered. Hardly ever used snowsuits despite one being a winter baby. They are so restrictive, especially in the car. Layers much better. We had a special blanket for the car but I can't remember what it was called. Sleeping bags are fantastic.

@5MikesOut Thanks, that's reassuring! Sometimes I wonder how people know so much about babies?! I'm 36 so it's not like I'm young, I've just never really been around too many babies before so it's all a little bewildering! 🙈

@Clemmie83 great thread! As a FTM I've had all these questions too. It's so confusing!

Thanks for all the tips to the ladies who have imparted their knowledge...any other tips for a Nov baby welcomed..please teach me x

@FourPlasticRings thank you!

I had a winter baby. Find yourself a knitter and get some lovely woolen cardigans, hats and booties. Babies are so cosy in wool. We also had merino bodysuits for under sleep suits and merino socks, so nice.

If you use a sling you need less layers as they have the sling layer and your body heat. As it's gone slightly cooler i have baby in vest and sleepsuit and in the pram i add cardi and blanket. Sling, i don't add anything.

Socks you can tuck trousers into to keep them on!

When they're a bit older they're adorable in their sleepsuits especially if they're also holding a teddy 🥰