Having a baby in May, please help with my list!

[elm26]

Hi everyone

Just wondering as a first time Mum if anyone can help with my list of clothing/feeding items for baby.

I know I need more short sleeved vests for newborn and 0-3 and more babygrows, muslins and bibs.

My problem is that I'm wondering if it'll be hot, what will baby actually make use of?

I plan on getting 3 sleeping bags in each size is 3 enough? What tog would I need?

My Mum has bought all the items listed as "outfits" these are short sleeved little dresses or rompers and although I'm super grateful and they're beautiful I've asked for her to stop spending her money on "outfits" now as baby is more than likely going to be in just babygrows etc. (she's a very excited first time Nanny and has bought the whole of Jojo Manan Bebe by looks of it 🤦🏻‍♀️).

Less mittens and way way more muslins! They also sleep in sleep suits so not sure PJ's are needed.

Are you looking just for clothes recs or all the other stuff too?

You don’t need 4 hats and 9 mittens!!! 2 hats at the very most and 1-2 mittens max. Newborns have the hand flaps mostly so it’s only an extra layer to put on when out. I honestly don’t think you’ll need that many outfits. They’re a pain to get on and little ones always look so uncomfortable in them. They’re in babygrows due to constant milk dribbles, wetting through nappies. Don’t make your life harder with a newborn!! You’ll need more than 1 babygrow at 3-6m, mine lived in them. Don’t get too many newborn as you don’t know what size they’ll be. I wouldn’t buy too much in advance, mine had so many they grew out of and didn’t even get a chance to wear as they got big quickly. I know it’s tempting, but it’s so much less wasteful to just buy when you need and you’ve a better idea of size.

Honestly I'm the world of next day delivery and nice supermarket kids clothes I'd wait and see how big your baby is and what the weather is like!

Mine were spring and summer baby's and only wore a hat coming home from hospital and never wore mittens. The vast majority of the time they were in babygros or a vest if it was hot for the first 3-6 months.

I would get more muslins. I also found big blanket size muslins helpful for the summer baby as a light cover up in the pram or to lie them on if we were outside in the garden.

Also don't get any dresses in bigger sizes - it's impossible to crawl in them!

I dont buy any mittens
all the babygrows i got had built in mittens.
iv got two hats one for delivery and one for sling use if its cold
iv got one newborn sleeping bag
but when i had my son in may it was too hot and he slept in a vest with a blanket

for now im buying newborn and will buy things as i go along depending on weather. Waste of money otherwise.
and i get through at least 2/3 muslins a day
dint bother with bibs at the beginning

Mine just lived in baby gros. I only bothered with outfits on occasions when the baby saw grandparents etc. They were a hassle to wash and iron in my sleep-deprived state so they didn't get much wear.

Get another pack of muslins.
You'll find you use many or forget where they are so you'll have them around the house, in the pram, in your bag, in the wash etc I think I got a couple of dozen. I used them for swaddling, as bibs, as a changing mat or to cover the changing mat when I went out with the baby, to cover me in an emergency when breastfeeding in public etc There are really useful and you can never have too many!

If your baby is being born in the summer then you'll need a sun hat with a rim. You can use your pram hood as shade as well when you go out.

I think you have enough outfits for the first six months.

I would change the number of mittens to zero and buy babygrows with them built in. Most do now I think? Mittens are an absolute waste of time and stay on for about 5 seconds.

Iv got a 4 month old and a 3 year old. I'd say 15 muslins, 3 hats, 12 babygrows and vests of 0-3 onwards. My daughters both wore tiny baby for the first 6 weeks. Never used any mittens as babygrows have them on the ends of the arms.

Firstly you don't need "outfits". In the summer the baby will most live in vests and sometimes the sleepsuits. Also dresses are completely impractical for babies.

Also 1 vest and 1 sleepsuit is not enough. Baby will sleep in a vest and sleepsuit every night, and will also need that as day clothes. So you'll need 2 sets per day and unless you are washing and drying those 2 sets every day ready for the next day then you need more than that quantity. Clothes washing is relentless and it piles up super quickly, make sure you get lots of the following as they are the only items you need:

• muslins (mostly for age 0-6months when being sick and feeding)
• bibs (mostly for age 6+months when dribbling and eating food)
• vests (enough for one week)
• sleepsuits (enough for one week)
• 2 sleep bags (1 tog probably for the summer, get 2 so one can be in the wash)

What if you went on holiday? You won't be doing washing, you need to get enough of each so that you have spares and enough to get you through a few days.

Also babies don't wear "pjs" especially newborns. Their pjs will consist of vest, sleepsuit and sleepbag. Their day clothes are the same as their night clothes.

Also get short sleeved and long sleeved vests. If the weather isn't that warm outside in the summer then the long sleeve vest will be more suitable than short sleeved.

If you have a sicky baby you might burn through clothes fast. We took 5 vests to hospital and got through them all on day 1 and had to go buy more.

I prefer short-sleeved vests as they are more versatile. For cooler weather I'd dress in a sleepsuit with a short-sleeved vest underneath; sleepsuit without vest if it's a bit warmer; really warm weather might be vest only. I'm not sure I've ever seen tiny baby pyjamas as such - vests and sleepsuits are 24-hour wear at this establishment.

I actually think mittens are useful if your sleepsuits don't have them built in, or if it's too hot for long sleeves. All my babies have been horrendous scratchers, so needed their hands covered until about 6 weeks or so. I've found Boots ones ok.

Thanks everyone.

I know that I don't need that many mittens or hats but they came in gift sets from family and friends.

The outfits are from my Mum, I've told her no more as I know I just want baby to be comfortable so will only use these on day trips out or to meet with friends and family. They are casual lightweight rompers and dresses, no frills or anything just simple.

I'm all about basics, I know I need to add to long sleeved and short sleeved vests and babygrows in all ages and muslins.

Will buy baby a sunhat also!

Thank you!

Also the baby pjs are just cotton tshirt and shorts but could be worn on warm nights especially if we have heatwaves like we did last summer.

List of things to get, can anyone add anything in or take unnecessary items off of this list? Thank you.

I'd just worry about covering yourself for the first month.
You'll receive so many gifts, likely clothes for a girl.

Babies grow out of things so quickly! I've got a 10 week old and she is in her third lot of clothes (grown out of newborn and 0-3mo clothing already, there are some 'outfits' she's never worn.) Newborn size only lasted about 2 weeks!

Have about 5 sleep suits and 5 vests for each age. Baby will just wear these for the first month or more, much more comfortable than dresses etc. You'll want one or two cardigans.

We swaddled with a large muslin for the first 6 weeks rather than a sleeping bag. I wouldn't go buying 3 of every size just get one and see how you like it and you can always get more on next day delivery. You'll be feeding a lot so plenty of time to scroll and purchase!

Lots of muslin cloths, I'd start with 10. If baby has reflux you'll need to double that 😅

No mittens, they just fall off.

Socks/booties are handy if it's cooler. You'll get booties as gifts.

Get yourself a good drink bottle with a straw and cardigans are good for feeding in cooler weather rather than taking a jumper on and off.

Ooohhh hot tip over only just discovered with my second.... sleepsuits with zippers! Try and get these, saves time doing up 15 poppers every 30mins. John lewis have lovely soft ones.

I wouldn't bother with the long-sleeved vests. You could try going with short-sleeved vests and sleepsuits only to begin with. Then if you find yourself thinking, "If only we had some long-sleeved vests!" several times a day, you can get some!

We had a late May baby and he mostly wore vests, thin sleep suits and summer rompers. We went through a lot of socks, bibs and muslins! A sun hat was really handy and a thin cardigan.

Some says he was just in a nappy it was a warm. Halve your baby grows!

We had one set of T-shirts and shorts it was v cute but quite impractical. All in ones were far easier.

My first two are summer babies (June and July) and basically lived in short sleeved vests at home, if we went out, then I'd put a sleep suitor leggings on too, and a thin jacket of it was a slightly chillier day.

Definitely get more muslins! You'll never have too many 😂

Asda (and possibly other places but I've never seen them reliably elsewhere) do lovely leggings with feet in which saves the need for socks that fall off!

A blanket for the pram would be good, then if it get chilly while you're out you've got one to hand. We keep 1 in the basket under the pram in a plastic bag to protect it from getting dirty.

3 sleeping bags should be enough as long as you wash and dry them asap when they're dirty.

We never bothered with bobs as we found they just irritated the skin on their necks when they got wet with dribble.

Id get
10 short sleeved vests and babygrows at each size (not newborn, just 0-3 and 3-6)
Packet of newborn sized vests and babygrows - if baby is too small for 0-3 then you can always order more of these to last the first couple of weeks
5 long sleeved vests and 5 pairs of leggings with feet to go with these
2 cardigans
Tuppence and crumble star wrap
2 hats
20 muslins - you'll want a stash everywhere

Then everything else is nice to have and you'll probably receive as gifts (outfits, booties etc)

Oh and get 2 cellular blankets - my DS didn't tolerate a sleeping bag until he was about 3 weeks old!

My DS was born at the end of April and DD is due end of May. Looking back, when it got warmer DS often wore just a vest or short romper, sometimes with socks. So maybe add a pack of baby socks (and sock-ons!) to your list. He is tall so was straight into 0-3 for the length - so I'd also advise you not to buy tons of newborn/first size as you may not need it.

Hi op reason to avoid pjs (or outfits with firm elastic round waist) is the belly button/cord stump and also can give them more tummy aches from pressing on their newly working digestive system.
As pp said, dresses get caught up under their knees when trying to crawl.

I'd personally not recommend getting sleeping bags in different sizes until you know what they like. Also the tog you'll need will be different in summer compared to winter etc. I'd get a couple of different options in the first size, and then you can buy more in bigger sizes when you know what works for you / your baby.

Also, completely agree with a previous poster re people buying clothes/vests/baby grows - we were completely inundated with stuff, and have had to buy hardly anything clothing wise so far (my baby is 4 months and I'm pretty sure she's sorted clothing wise up till about 9 months just from gifts).