questions about what needed for Oct. newborn

[anita]

We tryed to register today, but the clothing part was too overwhelming. I have a lot of questions for those of you who are experienced.
What should I expect a newborn to wear in the winter, days, for first 4 months? And what is the difference btwn a romper, sleeper, overall, coverall??? Does a fall/winter baby need heavy sleepers for daytime, or are cotton ones ok? How often during the day does a newborn like to be swaddled? Are onesies the same as bodysuits?
And are these worn under sleepers? Do newborns generally wear T-shirts at first, b/c of healing cord stump, and then bodysuits substitute for the T's later on? Finally, how many 0-3 month sleepers (or whatever footed one-piece outfits are called) does one need for a fall/winter baby? Is there any chance of needing 6-9 month outfits or bodysuits before the baby is 6 months old? Also, if baby is in footed outfits all winter, why would booties be necessary?
Thanks for bearing with all these questions. As you can see, I'm in major need of advice!

Anita

[sweetbasil]

Anita,
Congratulations! It's all a little daunting at first, but you'll get it! You might mention what part of the country you're in, as that can play a big role in answers to your questions. I'll defer to those in cooler climates on the winter clothing questions. :)

Lots of people define these clothing items differently, and use their names interchangably, so here's how I understand they differ:

Sleepers can be one-piece footed or unfooted (Carter's are a good example)- they usually snap all the way up and can be made of anything from terry-like fabric http://store.babycenter.com/product/clothing/essentials/carters_basics/6443 to fleece http://store.babycenter.com/product/clothing/sleepwear/Carters_Sleepwear/6801, depending on how cool your part of the world is.

Another great type of sleeper is a gown...these are for boys and girls, and can really make late night changings easy, as they don't have lots of little snaps to line up! They can be 100% cotton, knit, etc. and have an elasticized opening, ribbon-tied opening, etc. (See http://store.babycenter.com/product/clothing/essentials/carters_basics/6467)

Lots of mommies/daddies here also recommend sleep sacks, which come in cotton and microfleece (see http://store.babycenter.com/product/nursery/necessities/nursery_safety/6101)

Overalls are usually a tank-top style with pants, like this: http://store.babycenter.com/product/clothing/boys/zutano_boys/1263 and can be worn with or without a shirt underneath, again depending on the climate.

I picture a romper as something like an overall, except usually with sleeves. They snap in the crotch but have legs, where onesies do not have legs. DS#2 wears lots of these- I really like one-piece dressing, as it (feels like it) makes for less articles of clothing in the laundry.

Bodysuits/onesies can be short-sleeved or long-sleeved (and turtlenecked/not), are usually a stretchy knit, and snap in the crotch. (see http://store.babycenter.com/product/clothing/essentials/carters_basics/6424) These can be worn under clothes in cooler climates, and at our house, serve as pjs for our baby in the summer. Some people stay away from onesies until the stump has fallen off (we did), some don't find them to cause a problem. You might also find that bodysuits with a snap or two at the neck are a little easier to dress newborns in than those with really tight neckholes (as floppy baby heads can make it tough to get some clothing on initially).

We found side tie t-shirts (http://store.babycenter.com/product/clothing/essentials/carters_basics/6432) to be great for the hospital with DS#2, as they didn't have to pull over his head. He was (and is) a really big baby, and the hospital-provided onesies barely made it over his tummy, so we were glad to have brought the side-tie ts along, even if only for him to wear for a few days. Of course, there are always others who find them to be a complete waste of $, so you might decide whether that's something you'd find helpful.

My first son was born in the winter (in Houston) and wore lots of sleepers those first few months. He always slept much better when swaddled (at every naptime, regardless of the time of day/night), and his big brother has never liked to be swaddled, so that might be a preference that you and your baby work out, or something that you just do until baby outgrows it.

Finally, there IS a chance of needing 6-9 month outfits before the baby is 6 months old. Our new baby, now 2 mo. old, has blasted past 0-3, 3-6, and is already in 6-9 mo clothing. Funny, as our first son followed clothing sizes exactly with his age. You just never know- so the best advice is to wash as few items as possible before baby arrives, keep the tags on as many things as you can, and keep all your receipts, and you'll have a much better chance of modifying the wardrobe to suit your baby's needs early on.

I hope some small part of this is helpful, and know that much better advice will come after this post ;)

Wishing you and baby all the best,

[stillplayswithbarbies]

It's best if you can wait until baby is here to buy a lot of stuff. If not, keep the tags on and the receipt. (if things are bought off your registry, you can usually exchange them even if you don't have a receipt.)

What I have found is that the type of clothes I wanted for a girl was totally different than for a boy. My son lived in footed sleepers when he was a newborn, or "sleep n play", which is a stretchy footed terry outfit.

But my daughter, I wanted to play dress up and put her in "real" clothes, so I didn't need as many sleepers and rompers. Every morning, I took off her pajamas and put on a dress or a one piece outfit, with a onesie under it.

As for sizes . . . it depends on the size and the build of your baby. My son was 9 lb 8 oz at birth and he went right into size 3-6 month, and was in 6 month sizes soon after. My daughter was 8 lb 6 oz at birth and fit into newborn sizes at first and then 0-3 month for about 3 months and then 3-6 month sizes. At 5 months, she still fits some of the 3-6 month and also fits into some 6 month sizes.

I know this wasn't much help and probably confused you even more. Believe me, it is much simpler once your baby is here.

[amp]

I agree with what other posters have just said, but also let me add my 2 cents on a couple of my experiences...

Gowns are an item that people seem to love or hate. Thought I would hate them, but ended up loving them for the first couple of months. We have a son, but I loved not having to try to master snaps on sleepers in the middle of the night when we fed and changed diaper. We aren't using them anymore, since he kicks out of them and they got a bit small on him. Also, I am more proficient at the snaps in the dark now.

I LOVE one piece dressing, whether it be a sleeper/playsuit (footed or not) or what I consider a romper (a one piece shorts/short sleeved outfit) or onesies/bodysuits (short or long sleeved that snap at the crotch.) We received lots of shorts and t-shirts, but I can hardly stand to use them. First of all, the shirts ride up, and secondly, I hate taking off the pants to change diapers. So we have all these CUTE 2 pc. outfits and I just don't reach for them very often. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE 1 pc. dressing!

Finally, my son is almost 3 mths old and is wearing 6-9 mth clothing. He was big when he was born (10lbs 9 oz) and he barely wore his 0-3 mth clothes. He was able to wear 3-6 mth clothes right away. So yes, depending on the size of your child, you may need 6-9 mth clothes before the child is 6 mths old, (or in my case, before the child was 2 mths old!)

Congrats & Good Luck!

[anita]

Thanks for all the wonderful advice and explanations about whats what!
It all helps a lot. I decided to register for just basics (T's, onesies, sleepers), several in each size, and two gowns, b/c it sounds like they are worth a try. I may not have enough warm sleepers on the list (I'm in TN btw), but I'll wait and see what size he'll be in Dec./Jan. and then maybe get more. I guess that a lot of this is just learn as you go!

Anita