how many clothes does a newborn need?

amus

I second what others have said, for the first six months mainly babygros and vests (Id have about 10-15 of each per size), the fancy outfits are lovely but I didnt like putting LO's in them as they just dont look as comfy.

I wouldnt buy many of the newborn things as they grow out of these within a couple of weeks, or if you have a baby above 9lb theyre never in them!

moneypuddle

I've definitely over bought (due a baby in 5 weeks) but its really hard when everything is so cute. Baby clothing shopping is a bit of a right of passage sometimes!

Not sure on your stance of buying second hand but it can be really worthwhile to save money - carboot sales, ebay, facebook selling pages. It lessens the guilt about spending and you can pick up some really lovely as-new things for an absolute fraction of the cost

Millie2008_2

ETA - if you don't like tumble drying or don't have anywhere to hang clothes indoors, I'd recommend one of these (or similar). Mine has been a godsend!

http://www.lakeland.co.uk/21736/Dry-...ed-Tower-Airer

Thanks, my friend also recommended this So I am definitely going to get one for when baba arrives!

I will be watching this thread with interest But in the meantime, I am off baby clothes shopping with my friend....

Sid_Wolf

Thanks guys

we've been naughty and started shopping already, so far we have:

5 x 0-1 month vests (with snappers at the bum) (tesco)
5 x 0-3 month vests (same as above) (3 QD, 2 M&S)
3 x 0-3 month sleepsuits (M&S)
3 x 3-6 month sleepsuits (primark)
1 pramsuit (H&M)
2 tiny hats
1 0-3 month hat
3 pairs of socks
1 pair of mitts
2 normal bibs
2 dribble bibs

So we seem to have alot of the basics already. Will we need newborn stuff or will the 0-3 fit? Im not sure how everything will size up, looking at the clothes im really not looking forward to the birth! :eek: :rotfl:

Also whats the difference between normal bibs and dribble bibs? They both seem to cover roughly the same area and if anything the dribble bibs seem thicker so surely betteer for aabsorbing food/puke?!

kj*daisy

Do you know what you are having? I am assuming its too early to know? I would not go overboard buying neutral if you don't know as although fine for boys, if you have a girl you will want to go and buy girly things! I ended up with loads bought for me and lots never got worn!

Monkeynut

We had so much with my first, and I kept it all as we knew we wanted a second, and having 2 of the same sex made that much easier so we didn't have to worry about selling my eldest sons things and buying girls things.
But when we had our second, I only got about half of it out of the vacuum bags, and even that was more than enough.
My 2 both practically lived in babygrows 24/7 for about 6 months, so I'd say it's worth having about 10-12 for each size, so you don't have to worry about having to wash them all the time. And vests, similar amount. But get yourself down to a bootfair before the season ends, or a baby & toddler table sale / gumtree / local Facebook buying and selling group etc (or Ebay of course, but then there's a few £s added for postage unless you just search locally). We got vests for about 20-25p each, babygrows for 20-50p each. Even if you want 'proper' clothes for them - tops, trousers, dungarees etc, there's always people at my local bootfairs or on Facebook etc selling them for 20p-£1 ish. I usually consider £1 for a baby clothing item too expensive! Of course I buy a few bits new in the shops when I see them if it's something I just fall in love with, but as most things are second hand and dirt cheap (although I still only buy things that are good quality), it doesn't matter so much if I do buy a few bits new as we're still getting everything cheaply overall)
It also doesn't matter so much if you have too much as if you find something has been grown out of before being worn, you've only wasted 50p rather that £10!!

Nicki

How big are you and your OH Sidwolf? That might give you an idea as to how big your baby will be. There is a huge range in birth weights of full term new borns, from about 6lbs up to about 10lbs. A small one will need newborn size for a few weeks, and a bigger one may not ever fit in newborn sizes.

Mine were on the larger side when born (but OH is 6 foot and I am also on the tall side) and weighed in at 7lb 10, 8lb and 8lb 10. The smaller two wore newborn for the first 6 weeks or so, but weren't absolutely drowned in 0-3 months either. The bigger one initially went straight into 0-3 months, but lost a lot of his birth weight as he had severe reflux and hadn't actually regained his birth weight by 4 weeks old, so he went backwards into newborn and also wore these for about 5 weeks or so.

I'd say with a baby at the bottom end of the normal size range, you'd get about 2 months wear from your newborn stuff and probably another 6 weeks or 2 months from the 0-3 month stuff. In a way though, it doesn't really matter whether they wear the stuff for 4 weeks or 10 weeks does it? You still need the same basic minimum amount as you will still use the same amount of clothes in a week. Its just if you over buy, you have more option to give clothes an outing if a stage lasts longer than a couple of weeks.

If you think you might have a bigger one, my top tip is only to wash a couple of newborn babygros in advance and leave the rest in the pack unopened. Then if you do have a bruiser, you can just take them back to where you bought them and change them for the next size up. IME, places like Mothercare are very accomodating about this.

dizziblonde

I'd highly highly recommend sock-ons though (mothercare or amazon sell them) - in terms of preventing those umpteen occasions you get back from wherever you've been and find you're one sock short of a pair! We got a good month and a bit out of our newborn stuff, probably a couple of months out of 0-3 - but she was a lot smaller than the norm at 4lb!

From what I remember you saying though - you have dogs - remember stuff for taking baby with you dog-walking - depending on your anticipated season of arrival (although I remember smugly not buying a snowsuit thinking I'd never need one with an April/May baby and then having a frantic rush to try to buy something as the heavens opened for weeks on end - not easy when all the shops are full of pretty summer dresses!)

Bibs - I found I went through a tonne - either I had just a couple that got washed out to oblivion and turned depressingly grey, or they got soaked and I was going through dozens when she went through a particularly dribbly patch and then when you get to weaning a whole new colour pallette of stains opens up to you! I use the dribble ones now (someone bought me some bandana style ones - would have never bought them myself) when she's particularly drooly just to protect her clothes a bit and stop her having a permanently damp patch on her neck.

Sid_Wolf

Im 5'4" and oh is 5'7", both of us where small (6lb) babies

couponqueen123

on my first child i bougtht nothing untill she was about one (that the truth )
i know it seem mad but everyone in my family
and some friends bought me everything i didnt have loads but they grow so quick that you dont need that much expecial if your olny in house sleepsuits and baby grows is basically what my daughter wore untill she was big enough to fit clothes about 5 months she was small born