Baby clothing - what’s essential?

[hopeful4us]

FTM with baby due early April. I’ve read the advice on the NHS website but still not sure how much/what to buy.

• How many newborn v 0-3 month sleepsuits would you buy?
• Advice on footsie v rompers?
• Should I get long sleeve vests as well as short sleeve ones or will it be warm enough in April to do without?
• Is it worth buying any separates or easier to stick to sleepsuits in the early months?

Would also love to hear everyone’s favourite brands!

Also, would you buy a pramsuit for a baby born in April?

Hi,

I'd advise having some newborn, but a lot of 0-3 you can just roll up the sleeves or legs a bit if not footed.

Also bear in mind if you expect any gifts from friends/family, those items will likely be in these sizes; personally I think I only bought 2 things in 0-3 as we were gifted quite a bit.

Rompers we found better from about 3 months, keeping socks on a newborn is a trial and their feet do get cold. With sleepsuits, I'd recommend the ones with the foldover mittens.

Brands wise, Claybear was also really good, as they have fold over feet too so it can be both, but they are a bit pricier to start with. Next are good quality and wash/last well too.

Re pramsuit, I bought one for my LO who was born March and we got a fair bit of use out of it, April can still be pretty chilly and one with a hood is a lifesaver if your child ends up like mine and refuses to keep a hat on

Hope that helps

Knew I missed one point out- seperates I used, it is easier if you have a very dribbly baby to just change the top I found and I liked the sense of us being 'up and dressed' for the day, but I think it's very much personal preference

My baby was born in April last year.

We had about 10 Sleepsuits and vests for when he was first born. Depending on how much washing you want to do you might need more as they can have a few changes per day in the first weeks with explosive poops and inexperienced nappy changes!

Then we used a few cardigans to keep him warm as well as some cellular blankets. I ended up buying a jacket as some days were chilly but we didn’t need a pramsuit as I would layer him in the pram with blankets. If you use a sling, your body heat counts as a layer. I had a couple of outfits for photos but they were a faff to get on. Hats were handy if it was cooler outside.

For a newborn proper sleepsuits with feet are much better as their feet can still get cold, especially in April. Socks are a nightmare to keep on. Most Sleepsuits have mittens built in to the arms. A mix of short and long sleeve vests are fine.

Have you got any indicators on baby’s size? I had a very small baby so had tiny baby clothes. By the time he was weighing 7 or 8lb we were into newborn. 0-3 months is quite a bit bigger than newborn, so I would buy some newborn if you can.

I started dressing him in separates after a couple of months when he got a bit bigger. When he was first born he hated being changed, would scream the whole time and was quite curled up and squirmy, after a couple of months he grew out of that stage and getting him dressed was easier.

Favourite brands are Next and M&S, good quality and not too pricey. John Lewis also ok although I found their sizing huge. I love JoJo Maman Bebe for special outfits but get a lot of it on Vinted. Mamas and Papas is lovely if neutrals are your vibe. Mothercare in Boots is also good quality.

I bought a lot from Sainsburys as it’s the closest supermarket to me and we needed more clothes quickly. I like Asda but thought Nutmeg in Morrisons was quite poor quality. I dislike Primark and H&M.

FTM mum here due next month, I may have overdone it but i’m trying to avoid buying anything while on maternity leave + unsure of baby’s size! I got long sleeve and short sleeve bodysuits for each age group. they tend to come in packs of 5-7 so just got a packet of long + short

For sleep suits I did similarly, ASDA have packs of like 5-10, I got maybe two packets maximum in new born and more maybe 3 in 0-3, 3-6 etc

Outfits, I got a lot of 0-3 months onwards, but I got no more than 10 in newborn. For newborn they’re just the matching leggings and bodysuit outfits with the built in socks from H&M, with one or two rompers

I have two pramsuits one in newborn and one in 0-3 months. I think even if you have just one it could come in handy with the weather being so unpredictable!

For me I bought loads of outfits...never used them 😂

I found footed sleepsuits and short sleeved vest were easiest for layering and managing temperature and the zipped sleepsuits easiest for all the nappy changes.
Your baby will be entering summer so footless would be useful if it's really hot.

I wouldn't bother with pramsuit, if he's born in April you won't get much use. With my baby i just wrapped him in different thickness blankets to go out (obviously layered vest, sleepsuit and thick cardigans depending on weather) and our buggy had a fleece warm cosy. You would have to take it off everytime you put baby in the car, so depending on your lifestyle it is more of a hindrance.

I did get a baby monitor with a room temperature sensor and used the online guidelines posters for temperature and layers.

For first few weeks I found swaddle blankets a lifesaver to settle him, then sleepbags as soon as he started moving more at night.

I second NEXT. I got an account with them, they have so much variety and different brands too. Even organic 100% cotton (my eldest had awful eczma and as she's got older she's allergic to everything, put her in certain fabric and she's gets rashes)

As for how many. Depends on your baby. My boy had colic and would be sick constantly so would go through so many sleepsuits in a day. At NEXT they do multipacks so I would grab couple of those for around the house and then the cute ones for going out.

• How many newborn v 0-3 month sleepsuits would you buy?
• Advice on footsie v rompers?
• Should I get long sleeve vests as well as short sleeve ones or will it be warm enough in April to do without?
• Is it worth buying any separates or easier to stick to sleepsuits in the early months?

1. CONGRATULATIONS!

I think we had about 7 - born in march. When DS was tiny we used them all the time, although later I actually found it was easier to use a vest and separates as you could pop the trousers off, unpopper the vest and roll it up to get to the nappy. Saved stripping everything, especially in a public toilet where it might be chilly and someone else might be waiting. (Yes sometimes the willy went up and he peed everywhere, but when he didn't it was easier!) I often did vest and then cardigan or jumper and trousers.

I love buying baby clothes but if I was a FTM again I would buy less until baby is actually born. My baby ended up being much smaller than planned so I did a big shop on M&S and Next whilst in hospital for next day delivery which was actually fine and showed me I didn’t need to panic beforehand. We also got a lot of clothes as presents so ended up with far too much.

Also depending on the size it’s hard to predict what baby will be wearing and when. I had bought lots of summer 3-6 outfits but he only grew into that size in late Autumn!

Agree with this. Sleepsuits have their place but who would want to put their baby in sleepsuits, day in day out for months and nothing else? I would never feel that they were "ready for the day" and there are so many cute, comfortable (and practical) little outfits out there and I think part of planning for your baby is the pleasure and enjoyment in buying the little outfits and planning, not just buying a job lot of sleep suits.

Most people have given great advice but just a quick point - I personally wouldn't bother with newborn at all if I have another baby! Next (and some others I'm sure) do a great 'up to 1 month' size which lasted my baby at least 6 weeks, whereas newborn he grew out of in a blink. Remember, most newborn clothing weight ranges are only to about 7.5 pounds which is also average baby weight at birth in the UK!

Also, can't stand 2 pieces on small babies.. in my experience the trousers are always falling down and every time you pick them up the tops get bunched up at the back. Socks always fall off. So babygrows/onesies all the way.

Look out for babygrows with fold over feet. Bonds is an amazing Aussie brand, Next sometimes stock them. Bit more expensive but so worth it. They last much longer because when baby gets too long for them you can flip the feet off and add socks. Look for fold down mittens too for those claw like nails scratching their face in their sleep😂 much easier than adding separate mittens that fall off.

I only had my newborn in Sleepsuits all the time for the first 6 weeks ish though. I found it much easier when picking them up etc that clothes weren’t falling down. I also had a csection and had to rely on DH to get clothes from the wardrobe for me, he would have struggled matching up vests and trousers for outfits 😂

Don’t bother with a pram suit, get one of these. Total game changer www.tuppenceandcrumble.com/star_baby_wraps

Thanks for all the replies!

@Sunshineandlollipop our baby is the first grandchild on both sides so definitely expecting some bits to be gifted. Hadn’t thought about the dribbling - will get some separates (leggings/vest/cardigan) and then see what I prefer!

@Pinkstuffs Hoping to babywear lots and hadn’t thought about cellular blankets instead of pramsuits, like this idea. Also doing lots of Vinted searching, so much still with tags on!

@remaininghopeful23 I’ve found the ‘up to 1 month’ bits now and will definitely incorporate these. Trying to buy from a range of places as I know sizing will vary. Bump was measuring slightly small at 16 week midwife appointment but grown lots so we’ll see at my 28 week appt on Thurs.

@hopeful4us you can also use the cellular blanket to swaddle baby in the first few weeks, especially if they’re on the smaller side as they might be too little for a sleeping bag.

I had an April baby, didn't use a pram suit but did use a star wrap which were so much easier and less cumbersome. It's actually quite hard getting tiny arms into a pram suit and then if you're in a coffee shop it's then too hot, star wraps are so easy!

Get a few rompers as well as onesies. Mine absolutely hated onesies so being able to have rompers was a lifesaver. Next have gorgeous up to 1 month ones if you need them straight away.

Came on to echo previous posters suggesting a Tuppence and Crumble Star Wrap as opposed to a pram suit.

We had a newborn in October and this saw us through winter all the way to the end of spring. Doubled up with blankets in winter but much easier and more adaptable/roomy than a pram suit.

Having an early March baby and will be doing the same thing :)

www.tuppenceandcrumble.com/?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADxEYaQ83n20UTzEo2flTHPTEjh4C&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIh4jPs4LyigMVaZhQBh1cjScCEAAYASAAEgItl_D_BwE

Newborn didn’t fit mine at all. He was 53cm long born and newborn is 50cm.

I liked the 1month with feet.

May baby, didn’t new use snowsuit at all or even the following winter at 6-12 months as they aren’t easy. You cant use in sling or car seat, and in pram I used blankets so I could remove easily when indoors ( often would walk baby to sleep, then back inside). If cold you can add baby cardigan, booties and hat, then tuck blanket around sling so warm and easy to remove in shops, home or cafe

Knitted thick socks over the top of sleepsuit the first month as feet always cold, even when adults in t shirt weather

I didn’t buy any newborn cardigans, 0-3 with sleeve folded the first week or so was fine

no long sleeve vests. Trying to put sleepsuit over them with newborn is hard. Short sleeve easier and you can layer up with cardigan if cooler

My baby (8lb4oz at birth) was in newborn for 4 weeks and 0-3 for 4 weeks (had a massive growth spurt from 2ish weeks on and got into 3-6 months pretty quickly). They do usually lose a bit of weight at the beginning and can sometimes take a while to regain it so I actually found newborn clothes very useful. I also had my baby pretty much exclusively in babygros and cardigans (and the star wrap already mentioned / blankets in the pram if cold) until recently, he's 5 months now. I would get a few special newborn babygros and 0-3 babygros - other people will give you clothes but you might not like them - then a couple of packs of simple babygros from next / supermarkets / John Lewis. My baby was sick loads and so we had to change him up to 6 times a day 😂 and when you're tired you don't want to do lots of laundry. And similar for vests. Maybe a total of 15 in each size or something. Cardigans need to be changed much less often, I agree you could just get some simple ones in 0-3 (I loved the John Lewis plain white ones). Good luck and congratulations, so exciting ❤️❤️❤️

I'd recommend Asda first size to start with. It's 6-9lb so should cover most newborns. My daughter was 6 lb 13 and she was in it until 8 weeks! If you are expecting a baby 6lb 8 or smaller there's probably a benefit in looking at tiny baby with other companies or 8lb or higher Sainsbury's do up to 1 month which are up to 10lb.
We got 1-2 pack of vests in first size and 0-3 months. A pack of sleep suits in each size. Once she arrived and first size was the right size for us we got more sleep suits and vests in Asda first size and Sainsbury's up to 1 month. She was in the up to 1 month until 10 weeks.
We got some clothes on eBay and it turns out I hate sleep suits with a passion! She did 20 poos a day and wrestling 4 limbs back into the sleepsuit every change was painful. I'm was much happier when we switched to leggings and tops or vests, tights and dungarees for day time. She was also quite a sicky baby and it was easier to swap out just the top/bottom depending on where it went than changing the full sleepsuit.
Avoid buying too much in advance as you don't know how quick/slow they will grow. My daughter was slow growing. She had some beautiful summer dresses bought for her in 9-12 months when she was born which was her age in her first summer but she was only in 3-6 months clothes and I was disappointed. Luckily she grew even slower over the following year and fitted I them the following summer at nearly 2!
Try to do a mix of companies as they fit slightly different and it smooths out transitions. They grow in little bursts and clothes that fit one day might not fit the next and this helps avoid them out growing everything at once. I found Asda ran small and Sainsbury's ran big so used a mix of these two for the majority of her clothes.

I personally would buy a 7 pack of newborn body suits and a packet of newborn sleep suits then a pack of each in 0-3 initially. Once your baby is born you will know whether you need more newborn or if your baby is already nearly into the next size. I ended up in Asda the next day buying the tiny baby size and my dd was unexpectedly born small

Second baby here due first week of April.

I'll be buying sleepsuits & vests newborn & 0-3 months, cardigans, probably a pram suit, few outfits!

They honestly don't need as much as you think, I'm also buying new with tags in Vinted, my first had lots of hand me downs, I have no issues with it, they don't last long x

I had six newborn sleep suits and six 0-3 to begin with. My baby was 9lb 4 so only in newborn for a few weeks. I think footed sleep suits are much better, baby socks are a PITA. Suggest you go for short sleeve vests and add a cardigan if they need extra warmth.

I mostly bought bundles off Vinted, Next baby clothes are nice quality and last well