How much to buy?!

[kariss]

Hi guys,
I'm a ftm and struggling with how much to buy, obviously I don't know how big baby will be..do I go with a few newborn and more 0-3month items?!
How many mittens, towels etc is enough!!?

I'm planning on Bfing so how many bottles etc will I need I'm so useless at this. I'm planning on getting a pump for when baby few weeks old so will need some bottles, I'll still need a steriliser ect!

Here's my list of what I've got so far anyway lol
Is anyone else struggling? How do you plan?
Thanks

 

[justplay91]

It seems really confusing and overwhelming at first, but keep in mind that a lot of the stuff you get, you probably won't actually use. On the flip side, you might end up needing things you hadn't thought you would, and end up needing to make a run (or a few runs) to the store. This time, we've been focusing on getting things we wished we'd had for our son, such as:
A bassinet
Cloth diapers
More sleepers (they spend most of the cold months in sleepers, rather than cute little outfits)
Clothes in bigger sizes (like 6 months and up. Before that they grow so fast it's hard to justify spending money on the clothes!)

And that was really it. We found that a three pack of hooded towels was plenty. You'll be doing laundry all the time anyway. Mittens didn't really stay on our son very well... The clothes with the fold-over thing on the sleeve work much better. I'd get a few newborn sleepers and a few newborn onesies (we put the onesies under the sleepers for added warmth) and the rest 0-3. Burp cloths, you probably want about 10 of. But large wash cloths or old rags work just as well. A 2 or 3 pack of bottles should work just fine if you are breastfeeding. You can always get more if you need them for whatever reason. Let me know if you have any other questions specifically. My son is only a year old, so it's all still very fresh in my mind!

 

[mummytobe_93]

Hi guys,
I'm a ftm and struggling with how much to buy, obviously I don't know how big baby will be..do I go with a few newborn and more 0-3month items?!
How many mittens, towels etc is enough!!?

I'm planning on Bfing so how many bottles etc will I need I'm so useless at this. I'm planning on getting a pump for when baby few weeks old so will need some bottles, I'll still need a steriliser ect!

Here's my list of what I've got so far anyway lol
Is anyone else struggling? How do you plan?
Thanks

I would say definitely get at least some new born unless you're expecting to have a 10lber. Check weights on the clothes as different shops have different weights. Most go up to 10lbs, some go
Up to 8 or 9.

Babies are born really curled up so most even big babies will fit in to new born. The 'average' baby weighs about 7lb 8oz's and would probably be in new born for the first month. I would say get 5-6 new born baby grows and vests then you can always get more if needs be. Most babies get changed a few times a day.

0-3 goes up to 14lbs and would be absolutely massive on the average new born.

If you are planning on breastfeeding it's really your choice whether you decide to buy bottles or not. You could buy one ke two just to be prepared? But I wouldn't think you'd need to go out and buy tons. I breastfed my daughter and am breastfeeding my son and have a few bottles for expressing x

 

[chezababy]

I have a 2 year old but I'm still struggling with clothes because this baby will be born in the winter (my dd was born in the summer and lived in a nappy a lot). Towels a couple will do to start with as babies don't need bathing often but once the start weaning it can be helpful to bath everyday. Muslins as many as you can afford as they are great for so many things. No personal experience with mittens but many people recommend using socks instead as they stay on better. Bottles I expressed and had lots of the little tt bottles so I could express into a new one each time so I had about 8 on the go. If you plan on breastfeeding as well you would probably need less.
Sleepsuits and vests are easiest for the first few months rather than outfits but that tends to be personal choice. When looking for clothes look at the weight rather than the age. Newborn tend to go to about 7.5lb. As my daughter was 8.25lb I'm going for upto 1 month sizes as they are a bit bigger but smaller than 0-3 months. There's quite a big difference in size between newborn and 0-3 so upto 1 month is a good compromise but not everywhere stocks them. I'll be buying a starter set of newborn just in case baby is smaller than expected (normally include a couple of vests and sleepsuits). It's better to get a variety then stock up when baby is born. I'd recommend buying from a variety of places to as some shops the clothes will just never fit. Remember babies come in different shapes and sizes just like adults and adults can rarely buy from everywhere. My dd had to live in matalan clothes for the first few weeks because nothing else fit her.

 

[KandyKinz]

None of my babies fit into newborn clothes. They were 8lbs 3oz, 9lbs 1oz and 9lbs.

With my first I made the mistake of only bringing a newborn outfit to the hospital. The poor boy was so awkwardly squished in it. This time around I will have a few newborn outfits on hand just in case, but not many.

I would also purchase as many Muslin blankets as possible and up the number of vest/sleepers. It's not unusual for young babies to go through 2-3 pairs a day. Babies leak a lot.

The vast majority of baby items on the market are not at all necessary. Some are nice to have, some are simply a waste.

 

[MariaF]

You seem very light on muslins and wet wipes! And vests/babygros. I recommend no less than 12 muslins, 6 vests in 0-3 and 4-5 in newborn and the same for babygros.
Never needed mittens. Or bibs - but then I breastfed and just used muslins. Bibs needed much later when weaning.
Depending on the season you'll also need hats and a snowsuit/warm cardigans etc.

Several tubes on nappy cream - one for house, one for changing bag, one for spares etc.

I did go crazy and baby had something like 2 full black sacks of clothes just in the 0-3 range. She hardly wore anything! But then I couldn't help but buy and don't regret it. This baby be lucky if we get enough newborn nappies in time

 

[MyFavSurprise]

My son was 8lbs 1oz but he was long and thin, he fit in newborn onesies for at least 3 months..definitely outgrew the footed pajamas first because of his length. I made the mistake of bringing only a 0-3m gown to the hospital and he was completely swimming in it.

I go crazy at baby resale stores and clearance, some of which my son never wore, but it didn't hurt because I didn't spend too much on it. I also never used mittens, though I did have some.. My son wasn't a big scratcher, just the occasional small mark, and it seemed to frustrate him having the mittens on his hands.. I did use socks a few times later on when he was cold. I used a ton of bibs but only later on for drool, oh boy he was slobbery..haha

I loved the vapor bath for when he got sick, and even used it myself when stuffy..if I could make only one suggestion it would be to get cornstarch based baby powder as talc can be hurtful to their lungs.

Also something I realized wit my son.. he could go through 4-5 onesies/outfits a day from diaper blowouts or the occasional spit up..half the time the poop was up his back or out the leg hole, and there's just no saving those clothes..no matter what disposable diaper brand I used..it was everywhere.. so even if you have enough for every day, you may need a lot more than you expect to.

 

[KandyKinz]

Cloth diapers are EXCELLENT for avoiding diaper leakage incidents.

 

[Willow82]

I found the sleepers with in built mittens really useful as they couldn't fall off.

 

[MyFavSurprise]

Cloth diapers are EXCELLENT for avoiding diaper leakage incidents.

Agreed! When we used them it was perfect, but all I had was pockets and I realized I hated them.. helped raise my niece in prefolds and loved them. We're doing only prefolds this time and I'm hoping to avoid most of the leakage..it was just so excessive!

 

[whittnie117]

I bought far too much for my son when I was planning. Needless to say, boy or girl, I am set on 0-3 month items. I would start investing in larger sizes now. Clothes get expensive and it's hard to keep up once they're ready for them. Try to spread the cost out over time. Especially the 9mo-2t stage (which is where we are at with our son 2t). by the time they are 2, you'll be wanting to be buying 3t items. They grow so fast. Anyway, you'll want plenty of footed pajamas in various sizes, onsies to put on underneath, and buy more than you'll think you'll need of wipes. You'll need those forever, so just keep stocking up. Buy extra burp cloths. Especially the thick cotton ones. We went through so many and we didn't even have a kid who spit up often. you will also want a few thick cotton blankets for wrapping baby up. And a few extra blankets in different materials for other uses during different weather.

For bath and diapering items you'll want to buy shampoo, lotion, baby butt cream, powder, some soft washcloths, three or four hooded towels, a baby bath of some sort.

For health you will want a thermometer that can be used anally and under the arm and the plastic wrappers that go over it, infant Tylenol (because you don't want to be going out at 3 am searching with a screaming baby who has a fever), gripe water for hiccups and tummy troubles, saline drops for the nose, and a nasal aspirator to get boogies.

As far as other items, a tummy time mat (or thick blanket) for tummy time, a bassinet or cosleeper (whatever your going to use), some sensory toys, some teethers (my son starting teething at 3 1/2 months). Oh, and of course the carseat/stroller.

That's pretty much it. It sounds like a lot, but you'll be so thankful you have it.

 

[whittnie117]

Oh, I didn't answer about bottles. Since you're breastfeeding you are going to want four breast shields in the proper size). A set of replacement tubing, a set of replacement valve/membrane attachments, at least four bottle attachments (at LEAST, I had 8), and a few packages of milk storage bags I always had at least 50 on hand). Pump right AFTER your done nursing baby and you'll start building up not only a really good milk supply in your body, but also a good supply of stored milk. You'll go through that fast.I don't like going out and shopping every time something breaks or wears out. So these are things you'll want to have on hand if you don't either.

Two other things I forgot:

A cold air humidifier
Baby oil just in case baby has cradle cap. I never used baby oil since it doesn't let babies skin breath. But you can use a high grade fruit or nut oil on cradle cap too.

 

[kariss]

Thanks everyone!! I will be taking all the comments into consideration ahha I know I'm no where near done in terms of clothes etc, we are waiting untill we find out the sex then will do more shopping

Exciting I love baby shopping
Thanks again!!
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