Clothing preparedness question

[Nicole915]

I'm due November 25th with my first... and in so many ways have no idea what to expect. Can some of you wise women tell me how much of what I'll need? I know it will vary depending on how often I want to do laundry, but I'd like some sort of baseline. My goal is to shop the garage sales now to save some cash later... but I don't want to go crazy and buy too much or wish that I had more.

How many sleepers?
How many onesies?
How many outfits (pants/shirts)?
How many pairs of newborn socks/hats?
What about things like bibs and blankets?

Thank you so much for reading, and for a reply if you have the spare moment.

Nicole

[impromptukiss]

i'm the wrong person to ask - i go a bit overboard.

the one thing i will say it grab a few different sized things. we were told kayleigh would be 7-8 pounds, and all my friends/family said buy 3-6mo only! they only wear the small stuff for a few days. well, i had a full-term-peanut. she was in a 3-6mo dress on her 1st birthday! so we had a TON of wasted clothes.

the next one i bought a bunch of preemie stuff for, and he was HUGE! couldn't even stuff him into it once. more waste, lol. so with #3 we had a big variety, lol. and good thing ... she was a chunker, too, and flew through the sizes!

i am a blanket hog, too. we have a TON. and i keep buying more, lol. i like ones that have a little stretch to them. we love this fleece one we have. norah wraps it around herself now at 18mo when she's ready for a nap. cotton knit and soft crocheted ones are great, too!

we don't use onesies, ever. pants were not my fav because they felt too tight with the cloth diapers. i totally overdo the hats. my favs are by babysoy & zutano for winter babies!

i love one piece rompers like this one, from the gap or this one from babysoy. 2 piece sets are nice, but the tops always ride up, ect. when you're picking them up. we always have a few, but i stick mostly to one piece rompers when they're newbies.

we've never used bibs until they were closer to 8 months & starting solids. just never found a need?

i like to have about 5 sleepers in each size to begin with (0-3, 3-6, 6-12). maybe more, even. but i don't like it when i HAVE to do laundry, lol. esp. when i realize it too late & we're out of diapers or something, lol..

i'm sure you can get by with less, but baby stuff is a weakness for me!

oh - and socks! i would only buy a few, and different brands. we found the baby soy ones to stay on the best. and carter's ones fell right off all three of my kids!

[ExuberantDaffodil]

I would say, as a basic baseline, you could plant for 2-3 outfits per day. I like to have at least 6-12 receiving blankets, too. If you don't want to bulk up on "newborn" sizes, I would just pick up a few onesies and be prepared for lots of swaddling. My son was born in May, and he wore onesies and was wrapped lightly in a blanket for his first few months of life, with just a few "showing off" outfits for when we were out and about. I know this new little one will be born right when the weather is getting cooler, so I might have to adjust my mindset a bit. I'll probably focus on at least 6 onesies, 6 long-sleeved shirts (that don't snap at the crotch) in a slightly bigger size, and about 6 pairs of baby pants, both wool for diapering and cotton for just wearing. I also have a stack of girlie little things that were handed down that can be used for "showing off." I tend to be a minimalist, though, so my guidelines might seem way off to everyone else.
As far as diapering goes, I think I need at least 24 prefolds and 12 covers to aim for doing laundry every other day.

[Nov_momma_Jen]

Well my DS was born in Nov 06 and wore mostly 3-6 month clothes becuase he was a big boy. I used onesies because it gets cold here (below freezing most of the winter). I loved the one piece because yes the shirts ride up easily. I also used lots of bibs becuase he was a spitter upper. All the time and it was easier to change bibs every hour than it was to change entire outfits. I had about 15 one pieces and onesies that way I didn't have to do laundry all the time. If you don't use the bibs now, you will when they start eating later. Along with the spitting up I used the receiving blankets for burp/spit up rags and the others just didn't seem to have enough absorbancy. lol
ETA: My feeling is if you are getting them at yard sales (as I did with DS and am now too) if you only pay .25 for it and don't use it you can get your full .25 out of it at your next yard sale! But if you don't get enough and have to go buy more in Dec and pay full price well, that just plain sucks.

[notjustmamie]

Well, it depends on how you want to dress your little one. DD wore virtually nothing but onsies and sleepers for the first six months. We didn't buy any other clothes. She was given a couple of outfits and one friend lent us some clothing that we put her in for church or whatever, but just for around the house and errands, it was footy sleepers all the way.

If you want to be dressing your LO in "real" clothes regularly, or if you'll be changing outfits every time there's a bit of spit up, obviously you'll need a lot more clothes. On the other hand, if you only change clothes after a bath or a diaper blow out and don't use much in the way of "real" clothes, you won't need nearly so much.

Our theory was to just have a few items (I think we had two packages of onsies and three of sleepers, so about 6-8 of each) and when it seemed like we needed more overall or a different size, we went out and got more. If you're planning to go the garage sale route, I agree with PP, at 25¢ a piece, if you end up with "too many" clothes, you haven't really wasted much, and you can always sell them at your next sale.

[maisiedotes]

I had a baby girl in Nov 2007 and found to be a matter of personal choice. We ended up with so many clothes, most of them she never wore because I wanted her to always be in the coziest stuff. She was in newborn stuff till she was 2 months- then she was in 0-3 months for another month). She was 6 lb 15 oz at birth.

For us, I loved:
~footed cotton sleepers- not fleece and not footless (she wouldn't keep socks on)
~gowns- we had about 6 of these
~lots of little hats
~never bothered with bibs or tee shirts. I could not stand the tee shirts because, as a PP said, they ride up.

I never put her in fleece even though we lived in Maine and it was a long, cold winter. I was too worried that she would be too hot in it. We had maybe 6 onesies of each size, quite a few blankets for swaddling, and the sleepers. We had lots of cute things like jeans, dresses, etc that she NEVER wore. We snuggled in the house all day. Comfort was key. We never had to change her more than once during the day and I like doing baby laundry.. we didn't need half of what we had.

[jess152]

Originally Posted by notjustmamie

Well, it depends on how you want to dress your little one. DD wore virtually nothing but onsies and sleepers for the first six months.

We did the same with our LO. His skin was so soft and lovely, I can't imagine putting him in jeans! We wanted him to be comfy and cozy all the time, even though a few people commented, "Oh, he's still in his pyjamas" (duh!)

And shirts ride up no matter how well you tuck them in. And cuffs of pants ride up to expose little legs to the cold. It was sleepers and onesies all the way. And we had numerous diaper explosions out the back, so it was better for us anyway, to toss a onesie in the wash and put on a new one, rather than have some sweet little shirt absolutely ruined from a stain.

We did have some bibs for drool. He started drooling fiercely around 5 or 6 months, even though we didn't start him on solids until a while after. It was easier to change a wet bib and no discomfort for baby to be wearing a shirt with a wet front.

Some of the things we had no use for: socks...until 6 or 8 months I guess. Hand mittens...I read that babies need to discover their hands, and they can't with them covered. Trim fingernails while they are asleep, skip the mitts. Hats...we did have a few for going outside, but why do all baby outfits come with hats? It's so weird.

[Nicole915]

You ladies rock, thanks so much for all the awesome advice. At least now I know what is (and is not!) reasonable to prepare for. I just keep looking at the baby clothes and thinking "Wow, I'm going to have a baby that is going to wear that.". It is a very strange feeling.

Thanks!!

[crunchy_mama]

WE are minimalist here. With number one I did a ton of gowns, but didn't w/ #2, who knows this time. I have about 6 or so I think around. I HATE onesies and avoid them if at all possible. 1- I find them ugly-2- I hate having to button the buttons and -3- they generally don't fit well w/ clothe diapers. I don't do anything like jeans w/ a little baby. I explicitly tell everyone cotton. I do some outfits for going out, but we don't go out a lot and I keep it pretty simple- just a bit of the more cute stuff and plain stuff for at home. This will be my first winter baby so I will be interested in how it goes. I do have 6 blankets maybe. I don't own bibs- or baby utensils for that matter. No mitts. Socks yes- I haven't generally used them w/ the other babies but probably will since this will be in winter.

[mysticmomma]

We do laundry every day, and have a washer and dryer in our home. This is our third. In addition to your list, we also have about 5 gowns. Those are my fav for night time in the early weeks.


How many sleepers? I have about 10
How many onesies? I have about 10
How many outfits (pants/shirts)?I have 2? We don't really do outfits until baby is mobile. Sleepers are just easier.
How many pairs of newborn socks/hats? I have 20/5
What about things like bibs and blankets?No bibs until we start solids, and we have probably 12 receiving blankets and a few warmer/fleecy type.

[mommy2two babes]

Both of mine have been Oct/Nov babies so far.

Both of them have been in sleepers and onsies 90% of the time because of the cold. I love nice soft warm blankets and get way too many.

Never really used bibs with either of my two so far and don't plan on getting any for this one. Neither were spitters and we didn't do pureed baby food.


I will get maybe 2 outfits and 5-6 pairs of socks.
2-3 hats and 7-8 recieving blankets.

[C-Momma]

My son lived in gowns for the first 3 months. They are so convenient for diaper changes (and the ones for older babies were perfect when we start EC) They also fit for a really long time.

Socks were the bane of my existence...he always kicked them off, we always lost pairs, my dogs probably ate (and pooped out) at least 20 pair of them, so when he worse pants I bought the footed ones if his feet were going to get cold.

We never cared for bibs. Ds didn't drool much (he didn't start teething until 11 months) he was a bad spitter, but the breastmilk never stained and we did child led solids when he was much older and I just removed his shirt for the mess that ensued.

We had a lot of hats and used a lot. I loathe onesies and ended up cutting most them into shirts...when they were too stained or small to use any more I cut them again and they became cleaning rags. (most of our onesies were yard sale finds so I was happy finding two lengthy uses for something I paid very little for)

With this baby I plan to stock up at yard sales and buy as many shirts, pants and gowns that I find. My last baby was born in August so we didn't contend with the cold until he was 3 months but I always found that he stayed cozy transitioning from the outdoors to a home when he was carried in my arms and bundled with lots of blankets, regardless of what he wore underneath.

[Doberbrat]

Some depends on lifestyle & weather as well.

Dd was born in late Oct. she lived in sleepers and undershirts till 6+ mo. I had a few dresses for Thanksgiving & Christmas etc but other than that I’m about warmth & comfort. My house is cold so we’d put socks under the sleepers. We also were out and about hiking, going to the dogpark, walking etc so I needed a fleece snowsuit and warm hats. And lots of blankets in varying thicknesses b/c, well, my house is old and very cold.

#1 recommendation is flannel sheets for baby. Wherever you’re putting her down, your bed, a crib, bassinet, etc make SURE it has soft warm sheets. NO BABY wants to go from snuggling into a warm body to cold scratchy sheets.

[kcparker]

We are pretty minimalist, I don't care about looks that much, and we had a summer baby with the first one, so take this for what it's worth.

How many sleepers/onesies/outfits (pants/shirts)? 10 shirts, 3 pairs of pants if you do laundry once a week, more if you like to do laundry less often. We used about one shirt or onesie per day with DS with the occasional change if he spat up all over the place. We ECed, so having him wearing no pants or hanging out in a sleep-sack with an opening at the bottom was more convenient for around the house, but I would say one top per day plus a few extras would be enough. We just used pants when out in public if it seemed necessary. We had I think three sleep sacks and one of those sleepingbag-vest things, and that was enough for night-time, and much more convenient for diaper changes than anything with legs and 10 snaps.

How many pairs of newborn socks/hats? Two or three pairs of socks, preferably all exactly the same so that if you lose a sock, you still have a bunch of others that match it. Honestly, they don't walk, they don't sweat, so you can reuse the socks for a week at a time and it's not a big deal. Hats - useless unless they have a chin strap. We never found a newborn hat that stayed on very well.

What about things like bibs and blankets? We had about 6 flannel receiving blankets, and three other nicer receiving blankets too. That was good because they get spat up and pooped on, and it was nice to just chuck them in the washing pile and not worry.

For colors, I recommend NOTHING white. Bold prints, yellows, browns, camouflage patterns are all good for hiding stains.

[SunShineSally]

I personally only am buying sleepers for this bean it will be winter here until almost April and here you never know I wore pants a few days ago and needed to bring Ds a coat to the park yesterday!!! Ds was also born in April and he wore mostly sleepers until he was around 3 months old. I feel they are warm and cozy for 9 months and that they need to adjust. I used newborn hats with Ds and had no issues with them but my sister did with her youngest I had and used about 5 different hats I used socks on Ds only if his feet were in sleepers (had about 6 pairs) because if not they fell off : I had found a pair of baby slippers I think at carters that never fell off!! I hope to find them but i probily gave them to someone! I plan on having at the very least 15 sleeper for this bean in all different sizes probily up to 6-9 months. (I hate doing laundry) I do thrift store shopping mostly so it will not be pricey, I still like to pick up new things also I am actually going to go get hats and a few sleepers in about a half hour I swear by swadleing and I like to have at least 10 to 15 recieveing blankets. I also agre with a PP about fleece/ soft flannel sheets Here it gets so cold I am going to get one of those bunting things for the car seat no little baby wants snow in their tiny faces I did not use bibs as Ds barely spit up and was not a drooler but had them on hand incase he ended up being that way and I had about 8 I think and I just ended up useing them when he started to eat instead.

[Nicole915]

Thanks again, you're all so helpful!

Doberat, any tips on where to find flannel crib sheets? We're planning on co-sleeping, but I'd like to have some crib sheets in case the co-sleeping doesn't work, and for nap times. Am I going to have to put my dismal sewing skills to use, or are there some reasonably priced flannel sheets on the market?

[ShwarmaQueen]

Originally Posted by mysticmomma

How many sleepers? I have about 10
How many onesies? I have about 10
How many outfits (pants/shirts)?I have 2? We don't really do outfits until baby is mobile. Sleepers are just easier.
How many pairs of newborn socks/hats? I have 20/5
What about things like bibs and blankets?No bibs until we start solids, and we have probably 12 receiving blankets and a few warmer/fleecy type.

: Sounds about like what I have (except for the socks- I hate keeping up with them!)

We went overboard w/ DD and had a lot of stuff left over with tags still on it. Sleepers and gowns just rock for newborns!

[notjustmamie]

You didn't ask me, but we found flannel crib sheets at Target. As I recall, they were about $8 apiece, or about half that if you can find some on sale.

[Nicole915]

Originally Posted by notjustmamie

You didn't ask me, but we found flannel crib sheets at Target. As I recall, they were about $8 apiece, or about half that if you can find some on sale.

Thanks so much Notjustmamie! I'll keep an eye out at Target, the one here doens't have any currently, but that probably has a lot to do with the fact that its July.

=)