Onesies and t-shirts for newborn.

[etwahl1]

DH and I are trying to stock up on everything before he leaves as much as possible, so that I'm not going crazy shopping by myself just before the baby gets here. We plan to wait until after the shower on Saturday, but then we only have a few days to get the other stuff we need.

Just wanted to know what your experience deemed necessary for the first month or two with regards to clothing:

- how many onesies -- what sizes to buy
- how many t-shirts -- what kind? over the head? side snap? type that snaps at crotch?
- what are favorite clothing brands?
- socks?

Anything else I've missed? All the information possible you can give would be very, very much appreciated. Thanks!

Tammy,
EDD March '03

[KathyO]

I don't feel qualified to comment on numbers of things (I had a baby who mysteriously never spat up, so she didn't require vast amounts of extra laundry), but I will suggest a couple of things.

For t-shirts - avoid the kind that pull over the head. They're awkward and annoying, particularly in that first couple of months when you already feel like a ham-handed idiot handling a little china doll. In fact, generally avoid clothing that doesn't do up the front. Life is so much easier when you can lay down the outfit, lay baby on top of it, and do it up from there.

For sleepers - only get a few of the really teensy newborn ones. Baby outgrows these in a couple of weeks.

Make sure that you have a slightly stretchy blanket for swaddling - the stretchy ones give better "hug", and don't come undone as easily. A crocheted or knit one can also do.

Unwrap and set up everything in advance wherever you can (DH might also enjoy helping with this!) This way when you get home it's all ready to go - diapers and wipes and vaseline/whatever all right at hand at the changing table, clothing pre-washed and in the dresser drawers, etc. He could even pick out the going-home baby outfit you're going to take to the hospital...

And a few dozen casseroles/frozen pizzas/whatever in the freezer are also a valuable accessory to have!!;)

All the best,

Cheers,

KathyO

[Magda]

I would buy a pack of three of each and see what you need. The only time time we use opsies is when DS's outfits are a shrit and pants. We never ues tee shirts any more (DS is 6 mo. old). When he first came home from the hospital he lived in side snap tee shirts and a diaper,but it was June.

The socks from Target come in packs of 6 and that is what we have now. That's a good place to start.

If I were to dress a newborn in early spring (keep in mind I live in MI) I would rely on sleepers and gowns. I like gown or the fleece sleep sacks from Carters because they make diaper changes a snap. I'm somewhat inept with snaps at night.

I know your husband is deploying soon (so sorry. If I lived nearby I would help out)if you don't have someone to come help out, buy more so you don't have to worry about laundry.

Elaine

[nohomama2]

I wouldn't recommend buying anything smaller than 3 months. Babies grow so quickly!!! All of the newborn sized things we received as shower gifts Lola outgrew within 3 weeks. The 3 month size wasn't too huge and we ended up getting much more wear out of them. Sizes do run differently from brand to brand and that'll have a effect on how much wear you'll get out of a peice of clothing too.

Lola was born in early September when it was still warm, so for a number of weeks all she wore was a onesie or a t-shirt and a diaper. I probably had a dozen onesies and something like 9 t-shirts (3 over-the-head, 3 side snap, & 3 side tie). As the weather got chillier, I layered over them.

If you receive more than a dozen of each at your shower, hold onto the difference until you're certain you don't want/need them. If you receive less, you might want to go get some extra to have around in case you need them. You can always return or exchange them for a larger size if you don't. You'll need more or less depending on how often you do laundry. I counted on Lola going through 3-4 outfits per day when she was newborn and did laundry every 4-5 days.

I found Carter's onesies to be softer than the Gerber brand. If you have an Old Navy store near you check them out (you can also buy from them online). My local store didn't carry any of the layette items before Lola was born and when she was young. If they had, I would have stocked up on onesies and tees there. Another brand I like is Baby's Own. I haven't found them in any local stores in my area but you can find them online.

HTH,

[CherylT]

I think I have about 9 onesies and have never gone through all nine before I did laundry. I have never used a t-shirt for either of my kids - onesies are just t's with a snap at the crotch IMO. I suggest buying white so that you can use them for multiple kids - I was so disappointed when I pulled out DD's stuff and was only able to salvage one white 1-3mo size onesie, all the rest were 'girl' patterned or colored, plus you don't have to worry about the pattern underneath an outfit with white. I also must confess that for both kids I put the onesie on from the bottom instead of over their head (and especially take them off that way in the case of a blowout). A package of 6 booties/socks will probably be sufficient. I also like gowns for the first few weeks, when it seems that you are changing a diaper every 10 minutes. I too suggest buying the 3 month size (maybe 1 newborn outfit for pictures) - newborn stuff will be outgrown in a matter of weeks. With regard to brands, I also don't like the feel of the Gerbers - very rough. I use Carters and Target brand, but definitely prefer Carters. I also do not use the Miniwear brand (BRU brand) as I had a problem with the snaps coming off the fabric when DD was a baby (I would find pieces in her crib - scared me silly, but BRU was kind enough to take back ALL of the Miniwear onesies I had, even though they were used and even though not all of them fell apart - to this day I never buy any Miniwear item with snaps). HTH

Cheryl (aka CT)
SAHM to Lilli 9/20/00 & Alec 10/21/02

[Rachel 3]

Onesies: I used about 6-8, some long-sleeved, most short-sleeved. Carter's makes good ones that run a little large. Abigail can still squeeze into the newborn ones. Miniwear also makes good ones.

I only used t-shirts (side snap) at the beginning. You need them for before they baby's cord falls off, when a onesie snapped at the crotch can irritate the belly. They're sort of a pain otherwise. Again, though, Carter's makes decent ones.

Favorite clothing brands: Carter's, Little Me (although watch out-- lots of their stuff snaps up the back, which is a pain), Gymboree, Baby Gap.

Socks: Carter's newborn booties, Miniwear socks, any of the fold-down socks from Baby Gap, Gymboree, Old Navy. The stretchy Gap newborn socks are useless, but the others stay on pretty well.

Other essentials: nail clippers, baby soap & shampoo, a sweater, hats (although you'll probably get a bunch of these as gifts), etc. You will just rock and nurse for a good while at the beginning, but I think you'll be surprised how quickly you'll be able to run an errand if you need to.

HTH!

Rachel (used to be Rachels)
Mom to Abigail Rose
5-18-02

[BethG]

Sarah lived in sleepers for the first several months. Either that or long-sleeve onesies and leggings. I had a bit different experience from a lot of people because Sarah was slow to gain weight. She used all her 0-3 month clothes for the full 3 months. In fact, no one gave us any 0-3 month stuff so I had to go out and buy a bunch because that's all she could wear!

My favorite brands were Target brand, Carters, Old Navy, Baby Gap and Gymboree, but I didn't buy anything at full price! If you have a Costco near you, I saw that mine had a TON of Carters and Little Me sleepers today for good prices. I did get several sleepers from Costco that I have been very very happy with. I didn't like the Little Me brand much because they tend to snap up the back.

I never used any undershirt type T-shirts or onesies really, regardless of style. It just wasn't how I liked to dress her.

You do need several pairs of socks, but if you get sleepers with feet, you don't really need them.

I got a TON of receiving blankets as hand me downs and I really did use them all. I was quite surprised.

I would say to have at least 10 outfits (in whatever combination you choose) and more like 12-15 if you don't want to do laundry every other day.

HTH,

[nohomama2]

I'm amending what I wrote a little bit. I just went into my stash of Lola's outgrown clothes and looked to see what I actually had. I did have a dozen onesies but half were 3M size and half were 6M size. There was a period when she hadn't outgrown the 3M size and the 6M size wasn't ridiculouly huge so I was able to use both (thus having a dozen onesies).

I did, infact, have 9 t-shirts in the beginning. All were 6M size and worked fine from the get go. Three of the tees were the over-the-head variety and short sleeved, the rest were long sleeved and snapped or tied on the side.

Other stuff I'd recommend having on hand are Weleda Diaper Care products (available at health food stores, Whole Foods Markets, or online at www.vitaminshoppe.com among other sites). Also gas drops, infant tylenol and/or motrin (to be used under a ped's supervision), and a fast reading digital thermometer.

[suzska]

Okay, I can be pretty anal sometimes, and I remember that I had typed up this list of everything Evan had. I'm storing things in Rubbermaid Roughneck Containers, and wanted to know what was in each container. A lot of these things were gifts (most of the outfits and caps). I don't think we used a lot of the caps, because Evan's head was too big for them by the time we received them. Anyway, Evan was born March 11 and was 7 lbs 1 oz at birth and has run pretty true to size ever since. So here you go....

Container 0-6 Months:

Size 0-3 Months--

Blue/White Baby “Bonnet”
Navy Stripe Playsuit
Hockey Bear Footed Outfit w/Cap & Jacket
Blue Stripe “Gap” Outfit w/Cap
Duck Cap
Pooh Fleece 2-Piece Outfit (Jacket & Pants)
Pooh Cap & Booties
Carter’s White Side-Snap Undershirts (6)
Gerber White Side-Snap Undershirts (3)
Target Baby Print Jacket
Target Baby Print Pants
Target Baby Print Cap & Booties
Target Baby Print T-Shirt
Target Baby Blue T-Shirt
White Newborn Socks
Blue Stripe Newborn Socks
Lands’ End Yellow Print Cap & Booties
Over-the-Head T-Shirts:
• Yellow
• White
• Yellow Star/Moon Print
Long-Sleeve Side-Snap Undershirts
• White
• Print
Sleep Gowns:
• Blue Cloud Print
• Cream Giraffe
Fleece Bunting
UPMC/Magee “Boy” Cap (cap from the hospital--we used this one a lot at home)


Size 3-6 Months--

Blue/White Stripe Sweater & Knit Hat
Yellow “Emu” Playsuit w/Bib
Short-Sleeved Snap-Bottom Undershirts:
• White
• Blue
• Blue Stripe/Print
Short-Sleeved Side-Snap Undershirts:
• White (2)
• Animal Print (2)
Sleep ’N Plays:
• Yellow/White Knit Animal Print
• White Knit “Hush Little Baby” Print
• White Knit Bunny/Bear/Duck Print
• Blue Knit Puppy Solid
• Mint Knit Bear Solid
• Cream Knit Giraffe/Animal Print
Yellow Baseball Bunnies Playsuit w/Booties
Ivory Ribbed-Knit Hooded Jacket
Transportation Print Footed Playsuit
All Star Bear Print Footed Playsuit
City Scene Print 2-Piece Outfit (Jacket & Pants)
Soccer Dinos 2-Piece Shorts Outfit w/Sandals
Fishing Bear Hooded Jacket & Pants
Green Bunny Bottom-Snap Shirt
Striped Puppy Bottom-Snap Shirt
Baby Blue Pants
Mickey Basketball 2-Piece Shorts Outfit w/Shoes
Precious Moments Playsuit
Pale Green Knit Shortalls
Solid Ivory Shirt
Turtlebug Print Shirt
Ivory Bear Outfit w/Jacket, Pants & Hat
Pooh Bear Unionsuit
“Grandma Loves Me” Outfit w/Jacket, Pants & Booties
Blue OshKosh Bugs Shortalls and Shirt
Construction Bear Print Long-Sleeved Shirt
Pooh Ivory Shirt/Khaki Shorts Set
Puppy Print Playsuit w/Bib
Lands’ End Yellow Print Cap & Booties
Barney Sleep Gown
Short Rompers:
• Oatmeal Helicopter
• Sleeveless Baseball Bear w/Hat
• Pittsburgh Penguins
• Sleeveless Blue/Gray Stripe w/Hood
• Red Soccer
• Blue Boat/Duck Print w/Jacket & Booties
• Carter’s Green Stripe
• Carter’s Blue Solid
• Blue/Green Stripe
• Pittsburgh Pirates
• White Boat Scene w/Hat
• Green/Blue Football
• Blue/Red Soccer
• Blue/Green “H is for Horse”


I don't have the 9M or 12M stuff typed in yet (I think I started this list when he was in that size, so I wasn't packing things away and making a list, yet). It's all written down somewhere.

Anyway, HTH!

[parkersmama]

I'd have to agree with those who said they didn't use t-shirts much. They are just very impractical to me; both the over the head & the snap/tie kind. Onesies/snap-at-the-crotch t-shirts are great, though. With a winter baby, they give a nice extra layer especially when they are dressed in a two-piece outfit. For a summer baby, they are good for days when you're not going anywhere to use as an outfit. Still, I don't think it would be wise to get too many of these (maybe 6?). Of course, I was like someone else who said they were fortunate to not have a spit-up baby...neither of mine did much of that and frequently wore the same outfit all day. For some reason, I've always felt it necessary to actually put them in clothes/outfits rather than just Ts for daytime. Don't know why...maybe I'm just anal!?

Two recommendations that I have...gowns with elastic bottoms and plenty of receiving blankets. From my experience, the gowns are just THE way to go for nighttime. I'm always sad when my babies have outgrown them (they only go up to about 6 mos.) and we have to switch to jammies. With a newborn, you will be changing a diaper with just about every feeding and maybe some in between. That can really add up and it gets hard when you're sleep deprived and it's 2 a.m.! I found that gowns made it very easy to just slip up the gown, change the diaper, and pull gown back down without having to deal with snaps and/or zippers. Also, both my boys were terrible about pulling their legs up and their feet would slip up into the legs of the footed sleepers. When they went to stretch their legs back out, they'd be stuck and they couldn't get their feet down into the feet part of the sleeper again. That would always wake them up and that got really frustrating! As for blankets, the flannel ones are nice but I'm really talking about the nicer ones like from Gymboree, BabyGap, Old Navy, etc. Soft cotton, double-layered, with soft edging. They are cozy and so darn cute! Them seemed to have endless uses and I used them until the kids were about 9 mos to a year so they got plenty of use. Gymboree is my favorite brand of blankets.

As for clothing brands I like Gymboree, BabyGap, Little Me (but do watch those up the back closures like someone else mentioned...a real pain!), and some Carter's. With my 2nd son, I ordered some newborn stuff from Lands' End (I was already addicted to their toddler clothes at the time!!) and loved, loved, loved them! They were the softest things we owned and they washed beautifully. The only problem is they are sometimes spotty in whether they have layette sized clothing. Fortunately it goes on pretty good sales on their website's overstocks section and it's totally worth the money for their quality. As your child gets older (passes into toddler sizes), I'd have to say that my absolute two favorite clothes sources are Lands'End and Gymboree.

Have fun with all the shopping!!


Denise
mom to:
Parker, 9/1/1997
Wesley, 3/9/2000
and #3 (a girl!) due 4/29/2003

[shopaholic mom]

One of the biggest mistakes I made was buying everything big...even a "big baby" - my daughter was 8 1/2 lbs at birth, still swam in the 3-6 month sizes that everyone insisted we get no smaller than! So, definitely get a few newborn things, event though they're outgrown quickly, they are needed initially. If your baby is on the small side...6lbs or so, then he/she will be in the smaller size for longer. Here's a guideline of whats good to have, IMO. FYI- I believe that it is better to have a little too much than not enough...you can always return what you don't use or exchange for another size...but stinks to be stuck without enough when you don't feel like doing laundry

Side Snap Tees: great b/c its one less layer to undo for diaper changes. The only down-fall of these is that they ride up and end up near the baby's chest and not by their belly when you pick them up, etc. They are great to sleep in and the first week till the cord falls of.
Quantity: I think 6-8 of these in 0-3 mo size are enough. I have only ever seen them in short sleeve
Brand: Baby Gap or Carters

Side-Tie Onesies: These tie on the side but snap under the crotch so you don't have to put them over the head but they stay put under the body once the cord is gone.
Quantity: 6-8 0-3 and 3-6 mo sizes
Brand: Petit Bateau - they're on the more expensive side, but can be bought on sale at dept stores or at discount places like TJ Maxx or Filenes or Century 21 (if you're in NY)

Onesies /bodysuits that snap under the crotch: These are great - from about 3 month size up. They're a good layering piece in plain basic white (I had a January baby so lived in these plus stretchies or outfits initially), or in cute colors or patterns they can stand on their own with little jeans or leggings, etc if its warm.
Quantity: 10-12
Brand: Baby Gap or Carters

Sleeping Gowns: Babies either love them or hate them - I bought 4 of them all excited abt how great it would be not to have to undo another layer of snaps at night, but found that my daughter wasn't happy in them. We brought them to the hospital and then tried them several times at home but she slept much better once we put her into stretchies that separated her legs and covered her feet. I have friends whose babies have also not been crazy about them. So, try them out -- very convenient if your baby seems to be content in them - just be warned that some are not.
Quantity: 2
Brand: Gap, so you can return easily

Stretchies: I love these to sleep in and for casual/at home daytime wear. The ones with the snaps by the butt are MUCH easier than the ones that snap down the front IMO. The ones w/snaps in the front require that you undo and redo 10 snaps whereas the ones w/snaps by the butt only require 2 snaps and you pull the legs out -- sooooo much easier.
Quantity: 8-10 (combo of cotton and terry, velour if its cold)
If you get ones without feet, you can buy a bigger size and roll up legs and take them down as the baby grows -- you'll get more wear out of them this way.
Brand: Gap, Petit Bateau, Ralph Lauren, Absorba

Receiving Blankets: You can never have too many.
Brand: Carters Waffle Weave are the best (at babystyle.com for 3.99/blanket) -- they are stretchy so perfect for swaddling and cheap enought that you can use them as burp cloths too. I am a big fan of these.
Its also nice to have a few pretty ones that match outfits (gap does good coordinating ones as does ralph lauren (always on sale at dept stores) for when visitors come.
Quantity: 10-12

Socks: they never get dirty so you don't need a lot
Brand: GAP, gap and more gap...newborn baby gap sweatsocks are the only ones that actually stay on the baby's feet AND they work great as scratch mittens (most babies nails are sooo long and its scary to cut them at first so just put these on as mittens to keep them from hurting themselves or you by accident).

2 piece outfits: I loved dressing my DD in separates from about 6-8 weeks. Found that she looked like more of a "person" than in stretchies. Lots of little cute jeans and sweaters or leggings w/matching tops, etc. I got a lot as gifts.

HTH and enjoy your shower. Hope you get lots of good stuff.

[etwahl]

Wow, thank you so much for the very thorough list. I love that you included brands, numbers, etc. It makes it VERY easy for me to shop from this list :)

Tammy,
Mom-to-be Mar 8, 2003!

[suzska]

Well, I'm one of those people who didn't like the sleep gowns. I just gave one to my cousin (due in May) that we received as a gift and never used. I had bought a couple to try, and they just didn't seem right to me. We went the side-snap shirt with a footed sleeper route for the first few weeks. It took almost a month for Evan's cord to fall-off, so we were using the T-shirts that don't snap at the crotch a lot longer than some people might.

One thing that isn't on my list, is cloth diapers. I can't remember if you're CD'ing or not. We didn't, but used the diapers for everything from burp cloths to "pee shields" for diaper changes to snuggle cloths (Evan liked them over a blanket to snuggle with for a while). Evan also had pretty bad reflux (not severe, but bad enough) for the first 6 months or so. We had two dozen cloth diapers, and could go through them in a few days from using them to catch/clean up spit-up. They were also nice the one time Evan got a cold--used them to wipe his nose with.

[etwahl]

What kind of cloth diapers should I order for these purposes? I've decided not to venture into the world of cloth diapering (although I admire the heck out of those who do) but would definitely like to get some for all the other reasons people have suggested. But just not sure what kind to order or what's the best place to order them from. Plus, how many should I get?

Tammy,
Mom-to-be Mar 8, 2003!

[egoldber]

I also was not personally fond of the sleep gowns. They always seemed to ride up on Sarah and leave her "exposed" if you know what I mean.

Target and BabiesRUs generally have two different types of cloth diapers in packages. (Both are Gerber brand.) One is called a DSQ Prefold. These are pretty thick and are nice if the spitup is thick and copious. The other type is called something like "birdseye weave" or something. These are MUCH thinner and are nice if your baby is a light spitter or when baby is older. I had a package of both and liked them both.

FYI, if you do choose to CD someday, DO NOT use these to CD with!!!

HTH,

[etwahl]

Definitely got you on not using them to CD with. Are there better ones for spit up and such that I should consider ordering online?

Tammy,
Mom-to-be Mar 8, 2003!

[egoldber]

I think the cheaper the better for spit up!!! :)

[Momof3Labs]

The ones Beth mentioned work just fine for spit-up - we have a spitter, too!

Lori & Colin 9/28/02