TTMA Baby Clothes! (How many should I have?!)

[ginabini]

For any mommies who have done this before... How many baby clothes do I really need?! I've been holding off on buying much to see what I get at my shower(s), but I'm starting to think about how many clothes I should actually have as we get closer. I feel like, as a July baby, little Miss is going to spend a lot of time in just onesies around the house. Obviously, we'll have real outfits too. I know we'll want to have enough to not be doing laundry every other day after the inevitable blowouts... but I struggle so hard with buying a ton of clothes that she'll be in for only a few months!

So... Do you feel like you had too many or not enough clothes the first time around? What sizes would you recommend? Wash everything now, or wait to see how big she is? How many "real" outfits did you have vs just onesies? TIA!!

[melody330]

This baby currently only has a million onesies. Once baby is here people will buy so so so many clothes!

I had a ton of newborn stuff last time and ds never fit into newborn clothes. He came out wearing 3 month stuff

When they are newborns I plan on doing the same thing I did last time - sleep and plays like this one



I probably has ten that we washed every few days. Between these and onesies, you would be fine. Even babies that don't have reflux spit up constantly and they shit up their backs like champs. I seriously doubt this kid will be in a real "outfit" until the fall!

[melody330]

FFFC ? Maybe? I don't wash their clothes before they wear them.

[cabbagecabbage]

Ok, last time I had a girl so at my shower, I was given about 15 dresses all under 6 month size. Then my mom bought be 20 more. I also got bins and bins of niece's and a friend's clothes. I seriously had hundreds of infant pieces.

This time, I still got second hand stuff from one family but much less. So far, I have about 7-10 onesies in each size up to 9 month. 6 newborn kimono shirts. I have a couple shorts, lots of pants, and at least one hoodie in each size. Then I have cuter "outfits" in each size 3 or 4 of each: rompers, overalls with a shirt, etc. I also have 3 sun hats, a nb swim suit and rash guard, a fleece suit for the car seat in 6-12, cloth diapers galore, so many socks and shoes. Oh, and duh, sleepers. I have about 10 nb/0-3 sleepers. I prefer zippers or sleep gowns since snaps make me crazy.

[jewelsofthenile]

May 6, 2016 11:30:31 GMT -5 melody330 said:

FFFC ? Maybe? I don't wash their clothes before they wear them.

Neither do i

Also i haven't really gone through the boys clothes my sister gave me or the things of DDs that i can reuse. I have no idea what l have of every size. I should do that soon before the community garage sales in two weeks.

[mcktymck]

May 6, 2016 11:35:52 GMT -5 jewelsofthenile said:

May 6, 2016 11:30:31 GMT -5 melody330 said:

FFFC ? Maybe? I don't wash their clothes before they wear them.

Neither do i

Also i haven't really gone through the boys clothes my sister gave me or the things of DDs that i can reuse. I have no idea what l have of every size. I should do that soon before the community garage sales in two weeks.

YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED!



JK, the only reason I plan on washing all the baby clothes is because H has incredibly sensitive skin and breaks out easily when it comes to putting new clothes on straight from the store, so I figure I'll be proactive just in case Sam is the same way. Any of my clothes (aside from underwear and swimsuits because duh) I don't wash before wearing.

[glaze]

I wash everything before wearing. I'm a freak like that. My kids have very sensitive skin too so that's another reason but really I've always been like that.

My other two babies were born when it was colder out and mostly lived in sleepers at first. I feel like the newborn outfits were worn like once if that and my DS didn't even fit into newborn so there were a bunch of wasted clothes there. I've mostly just got a bunch of onsies and sleepers and a couple outfits here and there. Both times I got a ton of clothes in the hospital too from visitors. Also baby clothes are so easy to wash because they're so small you can do a ton in one load.

[cavewmn]

I wash everything. Because of what they smell like and the fire retardant smell.

[roccobabyk]

I would suggest not washing everything and waiting to see how fast she grows. It's so hard to judge. I'm struggling with that this time. DD wore nb clothes for the first three months but I am assuming DS will be a little bigger than she was. But who knows! Babies do what they want.

I realize that wasn't helpful at all. Sorry.

[comicSans]

You can always buy more after the baby is born if you don't have enough.

[housecarder]

DD was in NB stuff for like 2 weeks. And when she was 9 months in the summer heat she was in 12-18 month clothes, and being a Nov. baby all the stuff we received in that size was pants and long sleeves. So I really wouldn't invest in too many bigger sizes until you know what they will be in. 0-3 is what we have the most of. If they are super tiny I can just send my MIL on a shopping spree for preemie or NB stuff.

[harlowjune1984]

Previous to DD, I held off on buying a lot of NB sized clothing because I thought that is what people would give as gifts. But, they didn't, and DD ended up being over 9 pounds anyway....so NB size wasn't really needed. Then I bought things that were on sale, according to the age listed on the tags and what season she would be in, only for her to thin out and not even fit into that size. Like she was still in 6mo clothing her first summer, even though she was 8mo when the summer weather hit, and I had pre-purchased a ton of 9mo clothing. That 9mo clothing didn't fit her until she was 11mo, and that was already chilly fall temps so she couldn't wear them. I found that for the first year, I really had to go off of her weight. Especially after learning the hard way and buying all of those items on sale, just to have to turn around and buy new stuff once we hit the season because they were either too big or too small for her. She was an Oct baby, and this baby will be a July baby, so I bought a few random summer outfits in NB and 0-3mo, but kept the tags on them (I have a lot of friends having babies after me, so if they aren't used, I can pass them on to them). Other than that, I am holding out on purchasing anything else.

[tootsie]

As a STM, I have no idea. LOL. I feel like I had way too much for DD1 and she basically lived in sleepers for quite awhile. However, she was born in December so I'm not sure how to prepare for a summer baby. I don't think I'll buy more than one or two newborn size outfits as DD busted right out and pretty much went straight to 3 mo. SIL has a ton of baby clothes from her July baby, so I'm not going to go too crazy.

Last time I bought a bunch of clothes I didn't really like just because they were on sale, and they never really got worn. This time I'm only buying clothes that are my taste, even if they're a couple bucks more. I've learned my lesson.

[mcktymck]

If I come across a good sale I'll purchase clothing items in the 6-12 month range for things that he'll be able to wear whether it's winter or spring (hoodies, pants, long-sleeve shirts/onesies, etc). I figure most people will purchase newborn and 0-3 month size clothing for the showers but am keeping the tags on bigger sizes anyways just in case.

ETA: Also, I'm going with the same mindset as katelou. It can get really hot here in the summer and I know I'll be wanting to get out and do things with him, so we'll be dressing him in minimal clothing. And then at night even though we have AC the upstairs rooms can still be warm and we plan on swaddling, so he'll most likely be in just a onesie instead of sleepers until the weather cools off.

[sarcaztic10]

It depends on the baby. We have a some NB onsies (like 8 or 9 I think) and some more 0-3 month onsies (12-15) and that's it. I haven't bought any outfits because it is going to be so hot here that I worry about overdressing him. I think I may be done buying clothes for the time being because I have no idea how fast he will grow or if he will be long, short, chubby, skinny, etc.

[lostinfaith225]

I always wash new clothes. I have the super sensitive skin in our family. Haha

Ds was in his newborn clothes for a month to a month and a half. He was 6 lbs 13 oz at birth. He's always been on the smaller side. Soooo, I have no idea about this baby!

I have way more 0-3 months then nb. I'm planning on onesies and sleepers. I have a few rompers too. I loved those with ds. He usually went thru at least 2 outfits a day. He was a messy eater and had blow outs.

[rungirlrun]

I had more baby clothing than I knew what to do with. Between showers, hand me downs, and gifts we got after my son was born (we got a lot), I could have clothed quadruplets easily for many days. I'd hold off on buying clothing - you will probably have more than enough. We had so many things DS wore only a few times. And he lived in sleepers and onesies - I went for convenience for me, not necessarily cuteness with an outfit.

I also don't mind doing laundry often. I'd rather wash the gross poopy spit up clothing sooner rather than later.

One thing I will say with sleepers, get the zippered kind over the button. Your sleep deprived self will thank you!

[madamewaffles]

I always wash clothes before wearing. That said, I will only wash a few baby clothes and leave tags on the rest JIC. I have about 6 NB onesies and 3 sleepers/pajamas and about the same in 3 month stuff and a bunch of random sized things that I have received as gifts. Once I get an idea of how big this nugget is, I will add if necessary. I don't foresee a lot of clothing for summer since it is hot and humid as balls in MN come July/August.

[littlesthobo]

We were given a few NB sized clothes with DS which he wore, but 0-3 was what he wore fresh from the oven. Some onesies were a little big but it really didn't matter because he wasn't running around or anything. And a few weeks later they fit him perfectly.

I've probably got 10 onesies and 6 sleepers, and some random shorts and stuff which I think is plenty. I do a load of laundry every 3 days or so, and baby stuff is so small that I throw it in with my clothes or towels.

Also, I think someone mentioned it, but don't go overboard on bigger clothes because you don't know how big baby will be in which season. My DS was wearing some 2T by the time he was one, but my friend's baby was still in 6-9 months when she turned one. It's a crapshoot.

[beebe918]

Jack was 8 pounds when he was born and still wore newborn clothes and newborn diapers for about 6 weeks. We were given a ton of clothes so he had probably 15-20 onesies and the same amount of sleepers in pretty much every size. He didn't end up wearing them all. He did usually need at least one outfit change each day. I found that even when we were going somewhere nice the cutesy outfits were just a pain and seemed so uncomfortable that he still ended up wearing just a onesie. I did find that I liked one piece rompers the best for when I wanted him to look like he had actual clothes.

[acorn99]

We had way more clothes than we needed. I washed everything and only used maybe 75% of what we got. This time around, I am washing nothing and leaving tags on things that can be returned if she will not fit into them. I felt so bad when I went through J's clothes, getting rid of stuff he had never worn or only wore once. It felt so wasteful. He spent most of his first months in onesies and pants as an August baby.

[TheTuna15]

May 9, 2016 5:59:54 GMT -5 beebe918 said:

Jack was 8 pounds when he was born and still wore newborn clothes and newborn diapers for about 6 weeks. We were given a ton of clothes so he had probably 15-20 onesies and the same amount of sleepers in pretty much every size. He didn't end up wearing them all. He did usually need at least one outfit change each day. I found that even when we were going somewhere nice the cutesy outfits were just a pain and seemed so uncomfortable that he still ended up wearing just a onesie. I did find that I liked one piece rompers the best for when I wanted him to look like he had actual clothes.

+1

Those cute outfits are adorable. They are a major pain in the ass though. Totally not worth the cuteness IMO.

I want to say that we reliably used 7-10 onesies of each size and 7 sleepers in each size regularly (because I only do laundry once a week. I will not apologize) Thats 100% enough to get you through the first 6 months. Other shit: cute accessories, jackets, outfits, etc aren't necessary they're just cute.

[Ray]

i am dragging this thread back up lol

I just went through what I have from the few purchases we have made and the TON of stuff already given to us and in 0-3 month we have:

28 onesies, 19 sleepers, 12 pants, 8 shirts, 3 sweaters, 2 sleep sacks

After re-reading through this thread I am thinking this is WAY too much. I am thinking after my shower next week I will go through and keep the new stuff/cutest stuff out of what we have, give anything gender neutral to my BFF, and sell or donate the rest.

Questions:
Is 2 sleep sacks enough you think?
Realistically, are pants and shirts a PITA?
I'm thinking of cutting the number of onesies and sleepers I have in half. Too much/little?

HALP lol

[housecarder]

Ray if you can you might take some back to the stores and exchange them for a size or two up. Or you might hold onto them to see how big Flint is. My son was smaller and stayed that way so we needed way more 0-3 with him than I did with my daughter.

As far as sleep sacks, are we talking the zip up wearable blankets? Because you can swaddle with recieving blankets too. I think I have three of the sleep sack/ swaddlers for each kid.

I prefer onesies and pants over shirts unless you are layering them because the shirts tend to ride up.

[cabbagecabbage]

I'd cut those clothing numbers in half and be fine. Is anything returnable? I always liked having about 4 sleep sacks. My first wasn't into swaddling at all and I'm a lazy housekeeper. If you're on top of laundry always, two might be enough.

[littlesthobo]

Ray it does sound like a lot, but you could always hold onto the stuff until Flint grows out of that size. That way you'll have to do laundry less frequently!

My DS only had two sleep sacks and that worked fine for us. In the early days though I used the Velcro swaddle blankets (I am the world's worst swaddler!). We had two of those and that was enough as well. I just made sure to wash shortly after a poop explosion so there was always a clean one on hand for the next poop explosion, if that makes sense!

[littlesthobo]

Also, PSA, ikea has awesome sleep sacks for cheap!

[Ray]

May 31, 2016 0:57:51 GMT -5 housecarder said:

Ray if you can you might take some back to the stores and exchange them for a size or two up. Or you might hold onto them to see how big Flint is. My son was smaller and stayed that way so we needed way more 0-3 with him than I did with my daughter.

As far as sleep sacks, are we talking the zip up wearable blankets? Because you can swaddle with recieving blankets too. I think I have three of the sleep sack/ swaddlers for each kid.

I prefer onesies and pants over shirts unless you are layering them because the shirts tend to ride up.

Thanks! I did't even think of just exchanging what we get at the shower - thats a great idea! 

Yes, the zip up ones. I have two in a light material, and two fleece ones that should be good come winter I'm guessing. There was also a couple things in there that had long sleeves and were almost like a dress but with elastic at the bottom hole. I have no idea what they are for but I'm assuming they are for sleeping? idk lol

[housecarder]

Jun 1, 2016 9:12:20 GMT -5 katelou said:

Ray yep they're for sleeping. The idea is that you can pull the gown up to do a diaper change and not have to take anything off.

I have 3 I never put on my kid lol

Haha I loved those for MOTN diaper changes. Everyone is different I guess. The only thing I hated was button up sleepers. DNW to snap 10,000 buttons half asleep.

[Ray]

Jun 1, 2016 9:12:20 GMT -5 katelou said:

Ray yep they're for sleeping. The idea is that you can pull the gown up to do a diaper change and not have to take anything off.

I have 3 I never put on my kid lol

Gotcha so the dressy things are in place of a sleeper and the bag thing/swaddle blanket.