Baby Clothes: What Do I Really Need?

I had my daughter in my late 30s and this meant that I was lucky enough to get a lot (and I mean A LOT) of hand-me-downs. Before she was born, I was sifting through bags of the cutest little girl clothes that were gifted to us from family and friends. I washed them, folded them, put them away in an ultra-organized fashion and you know what I realized about a week after she was born? I didn’t need hardly any of it.

I’m talking the frilly dresses, the baby jeans, tiny sneakers, jumpsuits with hook-and-loop buttons, and little sweaters. I am in no way saying that I was not completely grateful for everybody’s generosity, but it did teach me a few things about what clothes you really need for your newborn. 

First, you need more onesies than anything else, and I would plan for at least 3 changes a day because babies have a knack for spitting up, and some babies have more of a knack for it than others. It’s difficult to gauge how many you should by in newborn size versus 0-3 months because some babies are born not fitting into newborn size at all but having some on hand just in case can be helpful. That being said, try not to go overboard on the newborn size clothing because, if you are lucky, you may only get a month of wear out of them. There is a company called Basal Baby that helps to take the guesswork out of what to buy and they feature organic clothing bundles that you can set up before your little one arrives. They send you only the clothes your baby needs, when your baby grows, they send you the next size up.

Sleeping bags are also a lifesaver, especially the muslin ones from Aden + Anais. They are super soft and unzip at the bottom making middle of the night diaper changes a little easier. I also really love Baby Legs because when they are paired with a onesie, they keep your newborn cozy and warm but also allow for quick access to diaper changes.

Overall, snaps are your friend and buttons that you feed through a micro slot are not when it comes to baby clothes. Honestly I didn’t even use her zip-up pajamas as she was in a onesie at night either swaddled nice and snug or in a sleeping bag. Whatever clothes you choose, try and keep it simple to make newborn life a little easier.

Lisa is a babywearing, breastfeeding, cloth-diapering mama that will do a lot of things different the second time around.