Baby clothes

Shelby00519

How are you keeping track of the baby clothes you buy? And how many of each size do you plan on getting? I made a list and now that I'm buying all the clothes it seems like wayyyy too much. It's just hard to stop shopping, they're all so cute! 

megframe16

I am stocking up! Mostly off of garage sale sites on FB. Super cheap! We are expecting twins so have to budget effectively. We have dedicated a spot in our home to the pre purchases for the babies! (We buy a package of diapers/wipes almost every target visit) to sort sizes just use the clear storage bins and mark the outside! Or if you have closet space they sell markers 0-3mo 3-6mo etc that you can separate what you have!

PugsandKisses

Unless it is a killer deal, don't buy newborn or 0-3. Most people like to gift those. Plus you have no idea if or how long your child will be in a certain size. With my first, newborn size was so big.  I had to buy premie diapers for about a week (delivered at 39 weeks though). 
My 2nd was in newborn for a few weeks.

I have had friends that went home in size one diapers or in 0-3 clothes. 

TiffRox81

I've been staying away from the newborn size also. We have a few outfits to start and we'll see what people gift us. I had a girlfriend that had a 10lb 11oz baby!

[Deleted User]

Anything I've bought has been size 3-6 or 6-12. I'm not buying too much yet since I'm not having my shower until May or June, and I've also been offered hand me downs from several people. But some things are just too cute! Everything I've bought so far has been basically free after coupons/gift cards, so that helps as well.

Taymiller

I wouldn't buy a ton of clothes because you don't know how fast baby will grow. And if you buy a bunch of stuff early it might not fit for the appropriate season. Like we bought some 6 month winter stuff for our first and it was still summer when he fit into 6 month stuff. He was a chunk

givemepenguinss

I agree with @Taymiller. I know it's so fun to buy clothes, but you'll get SO many as gifts. There are always great deals to be had and it's sad to pack away clothes that were never worn. I'd say, wait and see what you get as gifts, and then return the stuff you don't like in exchange for things you DO like.

It's hard to predict what will fit and when with babies.

(Sorry to rain on your parade!)

oneliloaktree13

I'm buying a little bit of everything, I'm doing that because I said I don't want anyone to buy me clothes. I'm stopping however at 9months, I didn't buy a  lot of nb things because July and I have a feeling we wont be in full outfits, so I just went with 3 5-packs of onsie's and done.

shaylalr

I bought a couple cute things at a consignment store when we found out that we are having a girl. I have 6 items of clothing so far, but I think I will stop now. I am getting a lot of hand me downs (not my style, but good clothes) and I want to wait for my baby shower. 

MamaBish

I haven't bought any clothes yet. I don't think I will because I have a few things from my last pregnancy, my SIL is giving us her daughter's entire wardrobe, and I'm sure we will get a ton of stuff at a shower. I will be purchasing one preemie outfit just in case. I will probably start washing in May and just put the clothes away in her dresser.

Kellyj103

I haven't bought anything either @MamaBish ! I'm sure we will get plenty of gifts. Thanks for all the advice though. If I do buy something I'll make sure to buy bigger sizes! 

calico34

Whew...I haven't bought anything either.  I have a feeling people will gift/donate us a bunch of clothes and I'm a big fan of making most of the goodwill since they grow so fast.

elenabrent

I've bought some things on clearance in 3-6 and 6-9 month sizes. And I buckled and bought a pair of 9 month seersucker pants with suspenders because I couldn't handle how cute they were. I know we'll get gifted things and can't predict how the baby will grow, so I'm not buying much. Thankfully we live in an area that is really hot most of the year, pretty warm a fair amount of the year, and cold for a short period of time. So all of what I bought should be weather appropriate when he's big enough for it, unless he's ready for 9 month sweaters at 3 months. 

jlmartinez517

I bought a lot while Old Navy was running 40% off baby and I could apply my rewards dollars and super cash. So I have various sizes up to 12-18 for hardly anything. I only bought a few things 0-3 months since I know people will probably buy those for gifts. I don't think I'll buy much more until after the shower so I can see what we have and what we still need. 

Weville

I bought a small amount, mostly bodysuits and sleepers at different sizes that were both super cute and very inexpensive. I know we will be gifted a lot but I also know some of my family is talking about not buying clothes since I run a kids clothing store. My mom has knit enough sweaters and hats till last until he's five so I'm not buying those, haha

HoosierTerp

Your baby will live in sleepers and one pieces for awhile. I would hold off on buying too much. I was also told my baby was 7-8lbs and he was 9. Never even wore newborn. 

foxa319

For ds I bought a few things but most was gifted at my shower! I found ppl bought nb-6 month stuff. Once ds hit the 9 month size I noticed we barely had anything! So I would recommend buying bigger sized clothes if you come across sales! Ds was born last June so LO will be wearing all his hand me downs! 

slorbets

I am waiting until after my baby shower to buy clothes, as I know clothes tend to be popular gift ideas. Once I know what I have received as gifts, I will buy what I need. 

Shelby00519

 So this is my pretty obvious I'm a FTM baby clothes list and none of this is including the small fortune I spent online at Carters and the Disney store today. So I'm thinking I should probably be done lol 

oneliloaktree13

Shelby00519 said:

 So this is my pretty obvious I'm a FTM baby clothes list and none of this is including the small fortune I spent online at Carters and the Disney store today. So I'm thinking I should probably be done lol 

I did the same thing but with an excel document . I also, went and then put everything in different wish lists on Carters, so I just transfer what ever month I'm buying into my cart. Your organization speaks to me.

Shelby00519

@oneliloaktree13 Ohhh I didn't even think about doing wish lists for sizes! 

deuxbouledogues

We're probably doing the worst thing possible. We randomly buy what we think is cute in whatever size. No rhyme or reason. I have already attempted to buy the same tiny pair of Seven For All Mankind jeans three times at Nordstrom Rack so I'm glad my husband seems to keep track. 

rakel88

We've bought a few things, mostly onesies and little one off things that were too cute to pass up! Nothing seasonal and we live in SoCal so baby can wear pretty much anything anytime.. I have like one thing 3-6 months, everything else is bigger. Once the baby shower passes I'll fill in with whatever I think might be necessary.

whataboutscience

I found people bought outfits, but not sleepers. I would buy at least a few zip up PJs for baby.

You may be given quite a bit as gifts right after the birth as well (not just the shower). Have enough to be okay, but don't overdo it, because you'll likely get more.

matryoshkadoll

You mostly need onesies and pjs (like those gowns with the elastic at the bottom) for the first six months. 

Buy a few outfits you love for when you're going to go somewhere special or take pictures. In general it is quite frustrating to dress little babies, so the simpler the better for everyday. 

Also so for anyone expecting girls, once they start crawling dresses are really annoying. Don't get carried away until you have a better idea of their crawl /walk milestone range. 

RachelT1234

Being team green has really helped me cut back on buying clothing. I have made some random purchases, such as a cute 6 month top with gold hearts on it for a girl, a little under armor polo, 3 mo, for a boy, and pj's. If I knew the sex, nothing would stop me from going crazy with shopping. 

I really like this excel sheet idea, especially to track what we've received from the shower and gifts, and an outstanding list of what we need to purchase.

LDSJM123

I'm a STM. My oldest was 7.5 pounds when she was born, and fit in preemie stuff for 2-3 weeks before moving into newborn size. For this baby I am doing a little stocking up before my shower because I like to be {overly} prepared. (Please don't burn me at the cross for having a second shower. She was born 10 years ago and my best friend and mom were adamant about me having another shower. This baby is also my husbands first.) My goal is to have 10-14 outfits plus 5-7 sleepers/pj's/sleep sacks in every size from newborn to 12 months. We are team green. I've gotten everything used so far for under $100 total. I am done with NB and 0-3 months. 

MDmomma1217

I'm not buying anything in NB/0-3. My DD was almost 9 pounds, and considering this LO is already measuring 10 days ahead, I think he's gonna be a chunker too. I've already picked up some short sleeve onesies and outfits in 3 month for the summer. I was in Kohl's over the weekend and got an outfit in 6m size for the winter.

john5111

I only bought like two new born things and then my baby ended up wearing it for almost month and he was almost 8 pds.. my mom ended up running to buy me some things when I was in the hospital.. Everyone gives you 0-3 size so avoid that size for sure.

MrsRo731

I'm so weird, but I hated putting onesies on my DD when she was a newborn; I got so freaked out about her floppy little head that I didn't want to put anything on over her head. I probably didn't switch to onesies until she was around 3 months.

This time, I'm going to buy a few newborn one piece rompers since our seasons are completely different (DD was a winter baby). I'm buying newborn because I'm pretty sure this baby will be similar to DD who was a little under 7 lb. 

Also, I agree with PP on the clothes at the shower. Even though I didn't tell many people DD's sex, I still got a lot of clothes, mostly 0-3 and 3-6 months even though I didn't register for any clothes.

holly142

I also didn't like putting on onesies until DD was a little older. I hated putting them over her head! We mostly did pajamas for the first 2 months except for special occasions.  Pajamas were also easier for when she still had her umbilical cord attached. Also, none of the 6-9 month dresses were worn because DD was crawling and couldn't crawl in them. 

I made these to hang in DD's closet to organize clothes. NB, 3 months and 6 months are hanging in DD2's closet. Pajamas, leggings, socks/tights, and randoms like swimsuits are in the dresser.  

Nikko Blue

I also didn't buy anything... Except for 1 "best little sister" onesie after we found out the baby is a girl. With my 1st, I also didn't buy much. I got a lot at my shower. Plus from the grandmas. I ended up exchanging a lot of the newborn/0-3 stuff because there was way too much. 

Keep in mind if you are a FTM, you may find you prefer a certain type of outfit. I found I preferred the snap up pajamas because I could keep DS mostly dressed while I changed him. That's something I didn't realize until after he was born. 

mamafox14

I've purchased a few things here and there, but spread out over different sizes and nothing more than a few dollars. This baby will be the first grandchild on both sides of our family so we are anticipating a lot of clothing gifts from our parents (because they have told us as much, my mom already has a dresser filled at her house). After the shower we will see where we are at before buying too much more. Also, I registered for clothes, not because I necessarily expect that people will buy them because I know people like to buy whatever clothes they want, but in the naive hope that people will see the general style that we prefer and stay close to it. 

melodramatic26

My mom has sent us one outfit. I bought what I think is going to be his going home from the hospital outfit.

other than that, I'm not buying anything until closer to time. I have several friends that are giving me their baby clothes they no longer need/want. I'll wait and see what all I acquire before buying anything.

My other babies were girls. I'm in the process of donating their old baby clothes now that I know I won't need them. I had a huge rubbermaid tub that was all 0-3 and 50% of it was either never worn or only worn once. Little outfits are so cute and tempting, but just not practical. When on maternity leave, both the baby and I were as comfortable as possible so I'm trying to keep that in mind this go around.

quartz02

@Nikko Blue YES! I thought zippers would be easier/more efficient but I was so freaked out about possibly zipping baby's skin, plus the snaps are more beneficial for not rousing a sleepy baby during diaper changes (or just keeping warm in winter time).

STM mom w/ my 2nd girl here and jealous of you guys getting cute baby clothes. The only thing I've purchased was a rainbow assortment of pacifier strap/clips to coordinate with outfits

PhoebeJune1984

I am sticking mostly to only buying pajama type items, in all different sizes. My DD never wore NB clothing, and then the clothing I bought ahead of time, didn't fit according to the season. She was born heavier, and then I stocked up on clearance items for future seasons, only for her to thin out and be on the petite side, and she didn't fit into the correct sizes, during the seasons I had them for. So I learned my lesson the hard way, a lot of money was wasted because I had to re-buy for those seasons. 

noelietrex

@Shelby00519 I have 'notes' for all things baby too! I'm tracking every dime spent since I got pregnant starting with the cost of pregnancy tests up to prenatal massages and health care just to find out what our true cost is I've got one that tracks sales on cloth diapers too lol.

If cloth diapers count as clothing I've bought/made a great stash already! For actual clothing, I've purchased nothing except cloth that I made a few cloth-diaper accommodating pants with in various sizes. We got a ton of hand-me-downs, especially in newborn and 0-3 month size (around 35 outfits in that drawer including PJs and a swaddle sleeper). We received 2 newborn size outfits with hats and booties for Christmas already even. I can't even imagine how over-stocked we'll be in newborn size after the shower! Hoping to be able to exchange newborn size clothing from the shower for larger sizes of the same things at Target and BRU... I'm planning to buy nothing though and we're going to at least try to make gifted and handmade clothing work for 100% of the first year. We'll see!

Pankers

Bought nothing so far  .  We are team green so can't really buy anything.  DD was in preemie size for weeks and we have gender neutral clothing in newborn and 0-3 months plus 3 or so onesies in blue if we have a boy.  I don't plan on buying anything till we have the baby and if it's a boy, I'll send someone out to go buy something.  With DD honestly, she spent a lot of time in just a diaper...classy I know.