Shopping for baby- part 1: baby clothes

So you are pregnant.  A very big congratulations to you.  Now you’ve got some shopping to do.  Don’t go out and start buying as soon as the wee stick is positive.  Wait until your first scan,

see how many babies you are having and make sure your baby looks healthy before you decide on what you might need.   Babies require a lot of stuff, and there is a lot of choice out there.

After 3 kids, this is what I have learned.  Hopefully it will help you make good purchasing decisions and save you some money.

 

Don’t go out and buy every cute little outfit that you see, as tempting as it is, especially if you don’t know if you are having a boy or girl.  You can buy a handful of items in neutral colours before the baby is born, and then shop for more sex specific clothing after baby is born.  I tried not to dress my babies in yellows and greens too much: I found it insulting when people asked if my beautiful baby daughter was a boy.  Also yellows and greens don’t look nice on jaundiced babies.

You may not need to buy as much as you think.  If you have a lot of family and friends, baby clothes will probably account for most of your baby shower and birth gifts.  Why buy it when it may be given to you.

 

Avoid zip up jackets.  Tops tend to ride up and zips can scratch and irritate delicate face skin.

Singletsuits are great as an alternative to traditional singlets for wearing under 2 piece outfits.  They prevent naked bellies from being exposed to the weather.

Avoid envelope neck bodysuits and tops.  These stretch easily and tend to gape open.  They look horrible after a few washes.  Go for necks with stud closures, as buttons can be fiddly with a squirmy baby.

If buying Bonds brand, I found that their sizing is quite small and these were the first clothes that my babies grew out of.  Having said that, bonds coveralls are great, especially for winter, as they cover little feet and have fold over sleeves that make mittens that don’t fall off.  They are great quality, just buy a size bigger than you need.

Think about sizing when buying baby clothes.  I knew that when I was having my twins, that they were probably going to be small, so I had 0000 and 00000 clothes on standby.  My 3rd baby, however, was born 4.07kg/ 8lb 15.6oz and skipped 0000 altogether, and quickly grew out of 000.

Don’t buy heaps of brand name items.  Babies will only be in one size for around 8 weeks before growing into the next size.  Unless you are planning of having lots of kids, or reselling your brand name clothes (ebay), you might waste your money.

Avoid dresses for girls of crawling age.  I tried to have my eldest girl in pretty dresses when she was crawling, but she just got tangled and frustrated.