Better Too Big Than Too Small
I have more 3-6 months thing than newborn things. Look at it this way better to have bigger things than too small things, says tashy1.
I have a few vests seeing as the baby is due in summer. When shes indoors she will be wearing that mostly. And a few babysuits.
But all her 3-6 months clothes are nice and warm as it gets later into the year. Dont buy too many newborn things. If you need to get more after the baby is born, then do that.
Buying Less Clothes Keeps More Money In Your Pocket
Who cares if your baby wears the same outfit each week or same sleeper at night. They wont remember and people dont see your baby everyday. Buying less clothes is more money in your pocket. Remember, you will likely get baby clothes as gifts when your baby is born.
Here is the thing. If your 3 week old does not have enough clothes or you feel like you are doing laundry every other day, you can order some clothes online or take your baby on a little shopping trip and pick some up. On the other hand, if you are like me, buy clothes before the baby is born, but keep tags on and return ones you dont use later. Just make sure you check the return policy and return in time.
Babies grow out of clothes so fast. Personally it pained me to have an outfit my baby only wore once or twice or worse yet not at all. Plus, I wanted my favorite outfits to last forever and see them on my baby often. For this reason, I didnt buy lots of baby clothes.
Health And Safety Checklist
Itâs good to have some essentials at home in case you need to take your little oneâs temperature or put an adhesive bandage on a small scratch. These are some basic items to have at home:
â First-aid kit. You’ll want to have basic items at home like a baby thermometer, tweezers, antibiotic ointment, adhesive bandages, and petroleum jelly, all in one place. You may wish to have another first-aid kit in the car or in the diaper bag so that you have some of these essentials when youâre on the go as well.
â Bulb syringe. This can help gently remove mucus from your babyâs nose.
â Nail clippers or a soft emery board. Your little oneâs nails will need trimming from time to time, and doing this will also help prevent him scratching himself.
â Soft-bristled hairbrush. Even if your little one doesnât have much hair, a brush can help loosen scales if your newborn ends up with cradle cap.
â Sunscreen. Generally speaking, your little one should be kept out of direct sunlight for at least the first six months. However, a little sunscreen may be applied to exposed small areas like the face and hands if adequate clothing and/or shade isn’t available.
â Gentle detergent. This can be used to wash all of your newbornâs clothes and bedding for the first few months. If your babyâs skin shows any signs of irritation, you can try a hypoallergenic detergent, perhaps one designed especially for babies.
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How Many Clothes Do Newborns Need
The amount of clothing your newborn needs varies by garment type, but you will find yourself only need a handful of items in each category. You will want a sufficient amount of pajamas, onesies, pants, swaddles, and much more. As a mom of three, I recommend finding outfits that are easy to get on and off. Newborns can make outfit changing a bit tricky. While it can be tempting to buy an excessive amount of adorable outfits, babies outgrow their clothes so fast that it can be a waste of money to overbuy clothes.
I recommend having at least four pairs of pajamason hand, but you are probably better off with a few more. You do a lot of laundry when you have a newborn, so having a few pairs of pajamas means you dont have to start a wash cycle every time they dirty a pair.
In addition, I want to tell you how much you will love zip-up pajamas over button-ups. There is nothing worse than having to find the correct buttons in the middle of the night while you are changing your baby. NOTHING. I digress, though.
My kiddos lived in pajamas for at least the first few weeks. We werent going anywhere, and it was so much easier to change than any other article of clothing they owned. Having just one piece of clothing to take on and off is so much more manageable than intricate outfits.
The Ins And Outs Of Baby & Toddler Clothes Sizes
There are many things to learn when preparing for baby, and if youre brand-new to parenthood, you know that sizing baby clothes is one of them! While baby clothes are typically sized in a relatively straightforward manner, there are things that you should know before loading up on the basics. In this guide, well help you understand baby sizing conventions so you know how to buy the right sizes and how to prepare for your little ones frequent growth spurts.
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How To Buy Baby Clothes
What do you need for the first 30 days? Honestly, not much. Youll be so busy getting over delivery and used to being a mom that babys outfits will prove much less important than they may have seemed a couple months ago. And remember, babies grow quickly. Shell come home tiny, but newborn sizes wont fit for long. Save the good part of your budget for 0-3 month clothing and up. Resist the urge to buy too much clothing in advance, because youll have a better idea of the sizes and styles that work best for you once baby comes.
Heres a very basic list of what you should have on hand when baby arrives. The numbers for each item are estimates exactly how much you need really depends on how often you plan to do laundry.
2-4 infant gownsStick with these until babys cord stump falls off. Its the best way to keep it clean and irritation-free, and the gowns provide easy diaper access while keeping baby covered.
4-8 bodysuits or onesiesLook for ones with wide head openings and loose legs. It can be traumatic for both you and baby to put things over her head, so if even wide head openings prove too difficult, look for clothing that avoids the head entirely side-snap Ts, kimono-style shirts, etc.
4-8 undershirts or vestsAgain, look for wide head openings or snaps at the shoulder. They should also snap under the crotch otherwise theyll ride up.
2 blanket sleepersThese are safer than blankets at nighttime, but avoid anything with drawstrings, which are a strangulation hazard.
Preparing For Baby: How Much Of Every Size Do I Need
When youre getting ready to welcome a new baby, determining how to stock the closet is a monumental task. Having a rough idea of how much of every size you need will help ensure that youre not over- or understocked. It will also help you guide friends and family so they dont shower you with too much of one size! Remember that there is simply no way to know exactly how quickly your baby will grow or how often he or she will need a change of clothes, so allow yourself to estimate rather than plan exact sizes.
During the early stages of babys life, shes changing at a rapid pace. Shes also making messes more often. In the newborn and infant phases, make sure you have extra Onesies® Brand bodysuits and sleepers. We recommend having at least 15 Onesies® Brand bodysuits and seven sleepers on hand in each size if you do laundry once per weekthat accounts for at least two outfits a day and one set of pajamas every night, which can be worn again without laundering if baby wakes up clean and dry.
Once your little one starts to walk, theres a good chance shell have playdates, preschool and other events where you need more than just a couple of plain Onesies® Brand bodysuits and pajamas. Plus, as baby grows, there will be fewer messes and daily outfit changes, so you can begin to create a more varied wardrobe. Introduce toddler playwear once they start walkingthree per week is good, but purchase based on how often baby will need to dress for playdates and outings.
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The Basics: Babies Grow At Their Own Pace
In general, baby clothing is sized by age. Newborn clothing is marked as NB , infant clothing is marked by month and toddler clothing is marked by age . But there are some hiccups with this convention. Ask any seasoned parent and theyll probably tell you that their babys clothing didnt perfectly match his or her age. Maybe they wore newborn clothing well into their third month or maybe they were already in 3-6M at 9 weeks old.
For this reason, its important that youre paying close attention to other factors, primarily your babys height and weight. When purchasing new baby clothes after baby is born, reference the brands size chart and purchase the size that corresponds to babys height and weight rather than their age. The fact of the matter is that babies grow at their own pace, so youll get a much more accurate fit when you go off your bundles size and not their age.
You already know that a comfy, cozy baby is a happy baby, so finding the right fit is an important part of the process. Make sure that you pick baby clothes and Onesies® Brand bodysuits that are snug but not tightespecially around the neckline and leg openingsso that baby doesnt get irritated throughout the day. When your bundle becomes mobile, its important that you pick clothes that dont restrict their range of motion when theyre dancing, running and spinning in circles at the playground.
Get Those Baby Clothes Ready
Having a baby is such an amazing, exciting, exhilarating and nerve racking event all at the same time. Things become so busy leading up to the arrival of your bundle of joy.
Even though it is exciting to stock up on goodies for your baby, try not to let that overwhelm you. In this article we have given you some insight into the basics that will keep your baby clothed and comfortable for at least the first year of life.
Once your darling baby starts to develop his or her personality, and you start to see what makes him feel most comfortable when it comes to clothes, you will likely adjust the way you do clothing shopping for your little one.
And then, you will probably do this over and over again for years to come. We wish you all the best on your journey into motherhood, it really is a blessing.
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Calculating The Minimal Newborn Wardrobe
This is probably the one question I just cannot find a satisfactory answer to, either online, from books or family and friends.
I accept that there is a large degree of flexibility – your baby may puke every hour or never at all – but I would very much appreciate a simple, clear list of minimum items. Sizing is also an issue: obviously, you don’t want to be rushing out buying more clothing in the first couple of months, so how many newborn, 1-month and 3-month outfits are you supposed to get?
Of course, one option is to be totally minimalist and get nothing. Baby doesn’t care what he is wearing and would probably be perfectly happy wrapped in a clean dishcloth. Once he’s born, you can work out the right size and daily changing needs.
However, this sounds neither practical nor particularly fun to me. I want the first couple of weeks to be about my baby, not about going shopping. And, although my baby might not care, I do want him to look nice.
So lets pare it down to the basics – in order to include mums from cold and warm climates, I’m going to talk about “outfits” rather than individual clothes: if you live in the tropics the outfit might be a vest, if you live in Norway it probably includes more layers. I’d imagine you need the same amount of every layer as baby’s get dirty from the inside and the outside – I guess the only layer that is saved is the middle one!Here we go…
2) It seems clear that you need one outfit for the day, and one for sleeping.
How Many Onesies Do I Need For A Newborn
Onesies are the comfiest outfits. They are quick to put on and easy to change. Despite the season, at least three onesies can be bought in a newborn size. Then, it is better to opt for 0-3 size. Remember that onesies with built-in footies should have sufficient length so that not to prevent your baby from movements. Still wondering how many onesies do I need, buy three pieces. These are the most comfortable outfits for active pastimes, sleeping, and strolls for newborns.
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How Many Times Can You Wear Pajamas Before Washing Them
Pajamas should be washed after 3 or 4 wears . Bath towels should be hung to dry between uses and washed after 3 to 5 normal uses. Towels need to be allowed to dry before they are used again. So, remember to hang up your towel after each use.
Take Age Into Consideration
Of course, youll have to reevaluate your babys sleep situation as they get older and bigger. What worked at 3 months might not work at 6 months, and things will continue to evolve as your child becomes more independent.
For example, you might need to rethink using certain sleep sacks once a suddenly active infant pulls up and stands, or when a toddler attempts the great crib escape.
When your baby hits the big 12-month milestone, you may even get the green light to add a small thin blanket. That said, make this decision with thoughtful consideration, and when in doubt, talk to your pediatrician.
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Dressing Up Or Dressing Down
The amount of clothing you have to buy for your new arrival depends heavily on the season. Summer babies wont need as many layers as winter newborns.
One thing to always keep in mind is your babys comfort. An outfit might look super adorable, or you might feel tempted to buy those teeny-weenie shoes. But, it may not be right for your baby.
Have you made a long list of baby essentials? If you already have kids, is there anything you wish you had or hadnt bought? Share your thoughts and experiences below.
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