Essentials for FTM

[HRP1990]

As the title suggests, I’m a first time mum, baby due in March.
This probably sounds so silly but I haven’t a clue on what I need when it comes to clothing, I guess I’m worried about getting it wrong and them being too cold or too warm! March is still cold but going into Spring which I think is throwing me?
Will I need vests under baby grows? Poppers vs zips? Sleepsuits with feet vs socks? Short sleeve.. long sleeve. There’s so much to chose from!?
I hope that makes sense and I’m not the only one with no idea 😂

Congratulations! It's likely that for the first few months baby will just be in sleepsuits. These always have the feet as part of it and for small sizes they usually have built in scratch mitts. My DS mainly wore sleepsuits until he was about 1 to be honest! I could rarely be bothered to put him in proper 'outfits'. Most come with poppers (M&S ones had a nice feature of one coloured popper so you knew where you were buttoning to!) Zips would be handy I think but I didn't have any like that personally.

Yes to vests. Provides an extra layer of protection against leaky nappies! For sleeve length it's tricky with March and also it depends how warm/cool your house is. My next baby is due in November and our house is on the cooler side. I will be dressing him in sleepsuits with long sleeved vests underneath. I'd get a pack of long and short sleeved in your case.

How exciting, congratulations

I would suggest buying sleepsuits with zips - much less faffing around than with poppers. I doubt March will be cold enough for a pramsuit especially as you’ll probably be mainly at home for a few weeks and venture out more in April. Next have some nice fleecy all-in-one suits which are warmer than a babygrow but lighter than a pramsuit, which you could pop over a vest and sleepsuit with a hat.

I didn’t buy leggings or joggers for DD as a small baby because I didn’t like anything too tight around the tummy, much better for them to be comfy.

You’ve made me want to look at tiny baby grows and hats again now 😭

General rule is that baby wears one layer more than you unless you are a person who really doesn’t feel the cold! I would support the idea of sleep suits. My babies lived in them. I don’t understand why people insist on ‘dressing’ babies in day wear.

Like this OP www.next.co.uk/style/st537552/499142#499142

Zip up suits are a godsend.
A nasal mucus sucker (not the bulb type their rubbish)
Practice swaddling

Thanks so much everyone!
I’m not so fussed about outfits either at first. I just want to nail the basics! I’m sure we’ll be bought lots of lovely outfits he or she can wear later on.
Sleepsuits and vests it is then!

@Glassofshloer that is very cute! I see what you might about being thicker than a baby grow/lighter than a pram suit

I'd go with a hoodies blanket instead of a suit. They are so much easier than anything where you have to get their little arms or legs into

Morning! My LO was born March this year and she lived in sleepsuits with vests until around June/July? They're far handier than outfits (though she did wear a few on special occasions)
We were really lucky that my sister in law sent us loads of clothes which included Bonds sleepsuits. They have zips which open from the top and bottom, and fold over parts for hands and feet. They're not cheap, but are available at next and john lewis as well as online retailers.
A standard first 3 months outfit for her was a short sleeve vest, sleepsuit and then a Cardigan and blanket if we were going out and quite often a wooly hat as it was quite cold until May(ish).
Good luck and have fun buying things!

You'll need vests and long sleeve to start with, buy the supermarket one and more than you think you'll need, but you can wait till baby is born to buy them in bulk so you know whether you'll need newborn or 0-3 size. Just get one pack of each to see you through the first couple of days.

Tip: the envelope shoulders on the vests mean you can pull them down the body to take them off instead of taking them off over the head. This is important information when they do a liquid poo that squirts up the back of the nappy to their neck or vomit all down the front!

Other than that sleepsuits day and night are all that's needed. They have feet and scratch mitts, they are easy to put on and off and they don't have my bits that could dig in or rub and aggravate baby's skin.

It's a good tip waiting until they are here before buying lots of sleep suits. I took newborn and 0-3 into hospital with DC1 but he actually needed early baby. By the time he was in 0-3 it was full summer so needed short sleeved sleep suits most of the time.

@HalfShrunkMoreToGo thanks so much! I was going to buy from the supermarket actually and saw there were lots of variations with the envelopes.. or ties so that’s a great tip!

@MissLC I’ll look into those sleep suits, thank you! I think we’ll get a couple of sleep suits and vests in different sizes and like you said cardigans and hats etc!

@PanicBuyingSprouts yes I’ll buy a few of each size to gauge what size well actually need when he/she is here x

Vests definitely under babygrows and a cardigan.
Get the babygrows with fold over hands and built in feet. The next ones are good.
Whether you need a pram suit probably depends where you live. I'm in Scotland and we used a pram suit in March. If you're in London it might be warm enough not to bother.
I wouldn't assume you'll be at home a lot as a pp said, with both of mine I was out every day from their birth for fresh air and a walk.