How to stock up on baby clothes?

ahernandez16 · February 2016

So we went shopping this weekend and I honestly had no idea what sizes of clothes I should be "stockpiling."

I probably won't buy very many, if any newborn outfits because a lot of the tags said they only fit baby until 7lbs. H and I were both 9lb babies and while I know (and HOPE) that doesn't guarantee a bigger baby, I don't want to stock up on newborn outfits I'll probably never use. I've bought a few 0 - 3 months and my mom has bought us a bunch of cute onesies in a little of everything up to 9 - 12 months. I figure since he'll be a June baby the majority of his wardrobe will probably be onesies in the beginning.

How did/are you ladies doing it? STMs what did your babies stay in for the longest?

I know either way I'll probably end up with an excess of things that will never get worn because he'll grow out of them too fast, I'm just curious what your game plans look/ed like and if there really is a size babies tend to stay in longer when they're small.

WinniethePoohsPants · February 2016

Don't bother with newborn clothes- spring for 0-3 months. My DS was also pretty big- 8.9 so the new born clothes never would have fit him.

Rosehip15 · February 2016

Are you having a shower? Even if you're not, you'll probably get a bunch of gifts and hand-me-downs. Honestly, buy a few things if you want for the cute factor, but if you're the practical sort (like me), I'd hold out and just buy what you actually end up needing at the time, which may be very, very little.

I barely shopped myself & still ended up giving loads of stuff away new, with tags, from my first two.

Emztron500 · February 2016

My baby was (and is) always pretty much right on with the sizes on the tags as she was pretty consistently 50th percentile. I got hardly any newborn as 0-3 fit from birth even if it was a little baggy at first. I wouldn't go too crazy with any one particular size. Maybe try to envision what a week's worth of clothes would look like, and then when you factor in bodily fluids being spewed everywhere, that'll probably last you 3 days before you have to do laundry

Mostly onesies is a good way to go, just make sure you also get lots of pants in the larger sizes (for when weather's getting colder and baby's getting mobile and isn't wrapped in blankets and such so much) and by around 12 months I strongly preferred t-shirts to onesies.

crdo · February 2016

FTM, but I went to a nice consignment shop and stocked up on mainly 0-3 and 3-6 mo onesies, PJs (footed onesies), and a few outfits. Grabbed maybe 2 newborn things just in case. We're team green though, so we will buy gender neutral 0-3 and 3-6 to get started, then purchase more as needed for boy/girl.

Huskerfanz · February 2016

I wouldn't stock up too much. Even if you get sizes figured out, brands can throw it all off. DS could not wear Children's Place clothes because it was too skinny and Carters fit him well. But right away, it was the opposite.

I got some good deals at consignment sales so I could experiment and have some back up and then could buy later what actually fit him when I saw good sales.

ahernandez16 · February 2016

Thanks, ladies! We only bought about 5 things this weekend mostly because I thought they were adorable. The Just Between Friends Sale comes through my way next month, so I plan on hitting that up for a few things as well and then just waiting for my shower to see if we need anything else. I wish the sale was coming through after my shower instead of before. Bummer.

Stockpiling was probably the wrong word to use. I don't plan on buying a lot. I just don't want baby to not fit in something one day and have nothing the next size up so I'm trying to have a few things available at least through the first 9 months or so.

MamaNicoleof3 · February 2016

I'm in the don't stock up too much camp. It'll all depend on how baby grows. Our babies were 7lbs3oz and 7lbs14oz at birth and they both chunked up pretty quickly, so NB clothes are worthless, IMHO. I've gotten 0-3 and 3-6 outfits for now, and will wait to see how he grows and which season we're in!

BPaisley · February 2016

It can be tough - my boys share the same birthday (5/18) and my first was 8 lbs, 6 oz he would grow out of a size when he hit that age. For example, he wore 6 months size from like 3 months to 6 months, and then at 6 months age, he would moved up to 9 months. His brother was 9 lbs, 15 oz and grew exponentially and was in like 9 months at 2 months old.
I definitely wouldn't bother with more than one pack of newborn onesies. My first maybe fit for a week, second not at all. And I'm sticking with basically only onesies for Summer (0-3 and 3 months). All the skirts and shorts are cute, but when you have poop explosions to change multiple times a day, they just become a PITA and create more laundry. When it's super hot out anyway, a simple onesie works best. Likewise, for the colders months, footed sleepers are great and sometimes it's easier to just keep them in those than putting them in a bunch of cutesie outfits when they are so little and floppy.

I've been buying clothes assuming this one will sort of fall in between my two boys in size, but realize that I may end up off some seasons, which is why I'm buying a lot secondhand.

VikingGirl12 · February 2016

We knew my son would be big so we didn't buy a single newborn outfit. He came out at 8lb 12oz and 23 inches long and we only packed 0-3mo for the hospital. 0-3 months swamped him, I guess bc he was sooo long which made him skinny. MIL ran out to target for us to get newborn onesies. He stayed in newborn for 2-3 weeks but I didn't really go anywhere so I was ok with him only having a handful of NB and washing them over.. while they won't stay in NB for long, it's probably good to have one of two things just in case. He FLEW through sizes, skipped 9 month clothes, and slowed up when he got to 18 months. It's so hard to know whether they'll need a lot of one size.. I have friends that have had babies that grew sooo slowly and ended up way off what they thought their seasons would be.

NicknShan · February 2016

I agree it is good to have a few NB things in stock. My babe was 9lb5oz and still did some NB items for a few weeks (onsies and sleepers). Also, if you have any hand me down, know that things shrink. I can't even look at the tags of a few of my items.

Personally, I would just buy a bunch up to 12 months at a minimum - we actually went up to 2T. If you are cloth diapering, you will wear larger sizes faster because of the fluff, so plan for that too.

colesmom33 · February 2016

With my first, I had quite a lot of clothes before he was even born - either bought by me or from our shower. I thought it was nice not to have to worry about it! He was 7.13 lbs when he was born and usually wore a size ahead from where he was. I would buy the most 6 to 12 months. It's hard to know what season to buy, but I figure these two will be in size 9 to 12 months in the winter to early spring months. So now is the perfect time to buy that stuff since most of the winter clothes are on clearance. Also, keep the tags on everything until your baby is big enough to wear them. Most place will return or exchange them. I took things back to Carters almost a year after they were bought. You won't get a lot for them, but hey, money is money!

Rosehip15 · February 2016

Oh gosh, my son was busting out of 0-3 month size at birth. I didn't even know "newborn" size was a thing. I guess I'm a slow learner:)

PBear93 · February 2016

@jaceyannie if you keep your receipts, Carters will actually refund you the original purchase price. And they have no cut off for returns, so you can buy a year or two in advance and still return them if they don't fit.

ahernandez16 · February 2016

PBear93 said:

@jaceyannie if you keep your receipts, Carters will actually refund you the original purchase price. And they have no cut off for returns, so you can buy a year or two in advance and still return them if they don't fit.

Ooooh that's good to know... I have a few gift cards for Carters. Maybe I'll buy some newborn things there "just in case" and take them back if I end up not needing them.

MynaBird · February 2016

Agree with picking up a couple of NB size onesies just in case. I happened upon a 10 onesies for $10 event at a local resale shop, so I tossed in a handful of NB sizes figuring worst-case scenario I'd wasted less than $5. Fast forward to our arrival home from the hospital, where I discovered that our 8.5-lb., 22-inch, giant-headed daughter was just swimming in size 0-3. She ended up wearing those NB onesies in heavy rotation for probably a month, although I don't think NB pants and sleepers would have fit on her Amazon legs.

colesmom33 · February 2016

Carters is the best!! My crazy MIL will take all the tags off and wash whatever clothes she gives us and they are usually too small! Carters will even take those back! Plus, I love the boys clothes there!

purplefan1 · February 2016

When I'm out and find some stuff on sale Ive looked for what baby would probably wear by that time. Old Navy had a big sale on holiday baby onsies so I got two 6-12 month onsies that are Christmas themed. Both ended up being under $2 so even if they don't get worn, not a huge waste. I've picked up a couple of cute onsies in the 3-6 month size. Not planning on buying any nb outfits and will just snag a couple of 0-3 month until we find out how big baby comes out.

michellabanana · February 2016

jaceyannie said:

With my first, I had quite a lot of clothes before he was even born - either bought by me or from our shower. I thought it was nice not to have to worry about it! He was 7.13 lbs when he was born and usually wore a size ahead from where he was. I would buy the most 6 to 12 months. It's hard to know what season to buy, but I figure these two will be in size 9 to 12 months in the winter to early spring months. So now is the perfect time to buy that stuff since most of the winter clothes are on clearance. Also, keep the tags on everything until your baby is big enough to wear them. Most place will return or exchange them. I took things back to Carters almost a year after they were bought. You won't get a lot for them, but hey, money is money!

Children's place had like 75% off their winter stuff, so I bought a few things in 6 to 9 months...(just super cute stuff lol). It was cute. seeing my hubby carrying around a little tutu oufit. Plus I got him some cute little Eagle girl onesies for like only 5 dollars! Trying to get him excited for the little girl.

likeabel · February 2016

DS was a May baby and was 9#14oz at birth and still work newborn onesies for the first two weeks. I switched him to 0-3 because he had a really big head and it was difficult to get them over his head. The clothes fit at that point but were still baggy.

He just wore a onesie during the day and then footie pjs at night (he hated being swaddled) my magic number was 12 onesies and 5 pjs. Pretty much everything was worn but I never HAD to do laundry because there was nothing clean. (You'd probably be fine having less newborn options).

Mainly l didn't have enough clothes for myself! Every time DS threw up it would usually only get on me, not him! And I'd leak milk everywhere.

Also, something I didn't initially know is that 0-3 and 3 month clothes are the same size. 3 month closes should fit a 50th percentile baby until it's 3 months old. You don't want to start wearing them then or they most likely won't fit!

Lyette1206 · February 2016

Some tips I found helpful (some repeated)
- my daughter wore newborn longer than I thought. Probably at least or over 4-5 weeks.
- you'll find that some store brands don't fit the shape of you baby that well. I found carter's fit best because she was long and skinny. Other brands were short and chubby and didn't seem to fit right.
- try to think ahead to what age they'll be/season. I find shower guests are the worst at this, and they'll get you a bunch of "summer" outfits in different sizes
- second hand or mom-to-mom sales often have baby clothing still with tags, or that has clearly only been washed once or twice - baby goes through clothes so fast and sometimes you forget about something in the closet and they're grown past it before you have a chance to put it on them. Quite often I'd put DD in an outfit just to send a pic to whoever bought it for her, and then have to put it away because it was too small.
- which leads me to my last point - don't forget what you have in your closet!!!! I was the worst at this, and I'd go and buy DD new pants, completely forgetting to check my stockpile... Only to find out a few weeks later that I had 8 pairs tucked away!!!!

Sydvicious08 · February 2016

I'm in the minority. Both of my boys were in nb at least a month. DS1 was less than 6lbs (37weeks) and didn't get into any until 1 month and 0-3 until almost 3 months. DS2 was 7lbs and didn't go into 0-3 until a month old. Neither of mine ever chunked up and Carters fit them best. Gerber tends to run small and geranimals also are shorter and wider. Childrens place, baby gap and disney are hit or miss. Also, even in the summer, you might need long sleeve. Dress LO in one layer more than you are comfortable in or in a blanket for the first few weeks bc they cannot regulate their body temp well.

BLM10 · February 2016

My first was estimated 7.5# and born 7.5#. He was slow to grow and wore NB Carters for 2 months, until he was 9.5# or so.

Gerber runs smallest. Carters and Childrens Place run similar and "average" in my opinion. Circo and Garanimals tend to be wider. Gymboree is my favorite but is huge... my boy has consistently worn 1-3 sizes smaller in Gymbo than any other brand.

We got a lot of handmedowns recently and I am pretty happy with my current stash of 7-8 sleepers, 9-10 onesies/shirts and 3-4 pants in each size NB to 6m, plus a few random 'cute' things.

btorgers · February 2016

I didn't buy any newborn clothes and then had a baby that was 4 weeks early. I wouldn't get many newborn outfits, you could always have someone run out or send hubbie to get a few things to get you by. I would get a newborn and a 0-3 month outfit for you going home though and keep the receipts.

Also, you will get a lot of clothes at your shower and from people that want to give you gifts. I wouldn't go crazy buying much until after your shower. I would also think about buying bigger sizes like 6-9, 9 months and 12 as those are the sizes that you don't get as much of at the shower.

I don't know if any of you live near baby consignment sales like "Just for Friends" sales but they are AWESOME. It is a huge consignment sale where people sell there stuff. Super organized. They have gear, clothing, shoes and outdoor stuff.

ahernandez16 · February 2016

@btorgers Just Between Friends is coming my way in March. I'm already registered as a FTM so I think I get in a few hours before everyone else.

I'm very excited! I plan on holding off buying anything else really until after that and my shower in mid April.

NLewis1 · February 2016

In the beginning my son was always in those one size gowns with the open bottom. I freaking love those things! When baby sleeps SO much it's best just to put them in something simple and easy - I loved how easy those gowns made diaper changes, especially at night.

Many son never fit in any of his NB clothes either and came home from the hospital in size 1 diapers and he was only 8 lbs.

i wouldnt "stock up" on clothes at this point - I would get a few PJs and gowns and onesies and call it a day, you can always reevaluate after baby is here and you see what size they are.

Bee112309 · February 2016

My two girls were 7lb12oz and 7lb14oz respectively, and both wore NB sized clothes for 4-6 weeks. I am buying some NB stuff, but not washing most of it, so I can exchange for 0-3 mo items if baby boy is bigger, then getting mostly 3mo and 6mo clothes. I am concentrating on onesies and footed sleepers, since both of my girls lived in primarily those for the first couple of months, with 2-3 cute outfits per size for when we take him out and about.

hockeyfan42 · February 2016

I was told not to bother with newborn clothes. DD was 8lb3oz and didn't fit into 0-3 months or size 1 diapers. Just like with adults, weight doesn't necessarily dictate size. I had to go buy newborn clothes after getting discharged from the hospital. It really wasn't that big of a deal.

I didn't try to stockpile any particular sizes, just bought a few things here and there in 0-3 & 3-6 when I came across sales or cute things. My baby grew true to size all the way until just recently, but there's no way to predict that. Onesies were my favorite thing to have though!

Bear14+ · February 2016

My son was 3 weeks early and wore NB for well over month, maybe 2. He was 6lb 9oz and 18.75in. It was pretty simple to get him more stuff.

TheHauntedHauswife · February 2016

Im a FTM and got a TON of handmedowns. But I also bought a lot before that too. Ive been buying clearance baby clothes for years. I have NB to 24months, and a few random bigger sizes. We have really deep closet in that room and i would like to put most if not all of them in there ready to go so i don't even have to think about clothes for a year+. Planning to re-wash all of the hand me downs and most favorite new outfits, and keeping the tags on some of the new things so there is a possibility to return them at some point. (not a fool proof plan.) We will be getting more hand me downs in larger sizes soon too. But it pretty much tapers off at just having one or two things in 2T/3T.

little_bren · February 2016

MH is a large guy and big babies run in his family but DD was 7#10 and I ended up having to scramble for newborn clothes when I hadn't thought I'd need any. The amount of
clothing depends on how much laundry you want to do. I would go for comfort bc they fancy albeit cute things don't get worn and still have tags on them. DD wore NB size for about a month and the rest of the sizes about 3 mos each. I like to shop at the end of seasons and get clearance stuff for the next cold or warm season. Newborns do get blow outs and spit up so keep that in mind... I think going to get 10 onesies in each size. HTH.

BlueJuice · February 2016

I have a lot of hand-me-down clothing already saved from my previous pregnancy, but my general game plan is to have a small stash of NB sized clothes (really small - probably the baby will only be in this size for a month or less, if that), then a bit in 0-3, 3-6, 6-9. Focus on basics like layering pieces and onesies - my last baby was a winter baby, so I had a bunch of sweaters and warm layers, but I assume this one will be mostly living in onesies for the first five months or so. My shopping game plan is to throw everything I find SUPER ADORABLE onto a wishlist, and try to avoid buying anything until after other people have done their shopping - a shower, if you have one, or anything like that. Then go back later to fill in gaps.

Honestly, the worst part is trying to guess sizes for seasonal stuff, and as much as possible I just don't try. I shop consignment stores and sales in order to try to get good prices on things for the upcoming season (swimsuits, winter coats, rain boots) so I can be sure they'll at least be close in fit. I find it maddening to buy things on sale at the end of a season, only to find they don't actually fit when that season comes around again.

Bear14+ · February 2016

I really enjoyed buying DS's next size up once I moved him to a new size. It was nice to get to shop and pick out new stuff every few months. I'm kind of sad that he's been in 12-18m for so long when we used to go up a size much faster!

It it all started because we barely had any NB size clothes and he ended up being born weighing 6lb 9oz, so was in NB for a month or two. It was nice to get out of the house to buy him clothes.

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How to stock up on baby clothes?

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