Sleepsuits, babygrows, vests???

[Bladesgirl]

Hey !!

This is a strange and maybe stupid question but this is my first baby!

What is the difference between a sleepsuit and a baby grow and when do you change the baby into a sleepsuit as they don't really have a set bed time when they are really little!

Also do babies where vests under everything including sleepsuits or do they just were sleepsuits with nothing under??

I'm trying to work out what clothes I'm still missing and see what essentials I need more of

 

[Lynzeigh]

since birth my son has always worn a vest under his clothes, I find they help to keep the nappy/diaper in place too. I always thought baby grows and sleep suits were the same thing. I know baby grows have the feet on them, maybe sleep suits don't, I'm not sure.

 

[lj2245]

I always considered babygros and sleepsuits to be the same thing. I always put vests on under my sons clothing, whatever he was wearing as they do tend to hold the nappy in place better. Also, if baby springs a leak, it helps contain it All I changed was the length of sleeves (long for winter, short for spring and sleeveless for summer).

 

[Lilllian]

you only need vests in the winter really, for underneath the babygrow, unless you have a cold summer. My little one slept in her babygrows- you may have to change them a few times a day when they are newborn. think sleepsuit is just another name for babygrow. sleepbags are a must- i think anyway- babies kick off covers at night.

I know some people like the idea of dressing newborns up in nice clothes but I would give a tip of just buying a load of white babygrows (john lewis have lovely soft ones) and keep them in those for first few months. they are comfy, it's easy to hold baby and you will be changing them a lot. just a tip.

 

[Bladesgirl]

Thanks this is really helpful well baby is due in march so I guess he will be wearing vests under everything for a while as our weather is so unreliable lol!

I have a few outfits but they tend to be all in one outfits so kinda like baby grows! He's got one or two cute outfits for special occasions!

 

[dizz]

Vests are handy - they keep nappies in place and, if you get an escaping poonami (you will) - it's a lot easier to have a stained vest (that you can hide under clothes) than be fishing it off the inside of "proper" visible clothes-legs etc (and baby cack can be a nightmare to get out of clothes). I'd rather have a 7 for £7 Primark vest wrecked with orange poo stains than a wonderful granny-bought expensive outfit!

To whoever said vests only for the colder months - we had a tonne of denim pinafores handed down for our little girl - she pretty much wore brightly coloured vests under denim pinafores with/without socks/tights for a lot of the cooler bits of last summer... likewise on really hot days when we still wanted her to look presentable - quite often she'd be out in a pair of really thin lineny trousers and just a prettier looking vest in the sling.

I personally did day/night clothes from the start (just very soft clothes but more "outfitty" than night stuff) - we had one heck of a case of night/day confusion when she got home after 2 weeks in hosptial with lights on and blaring a lot of the time and it was part of trying to establish that - but loads of people go for the babygros all the time approach. Just personal choice though (unless you're on Mumsnet where they LOOOVE to sneer at anyone who doesn't just have baby 24-7 in babygros for months!)

Sleeping bags - just watch the minimum weight on them - most of the 0-6 ones have poppers to make arm holes smaller for when they're tiny but I think they tend to start at 7lb or so weight - I know we had a good couple of months of blanket kicking before she was big enough to use 'em... TK Maxx usually have the gro-bag branded ones in heavily reduced (like £12 instead of about £30) or loads of shops do their own versions now. My mum finds some of them hard to zip up as a left-hander - just something to think about (we have a mix of ones where the zip starts at the top, bottom or zippy up the middle ones).

 

[Bladesgirl]

Thanks you that was really helpful!! I do want to dress my little boy up in nice outfits but everyone keeps saying how hard it will be! I don't get it! Why would they sell these outfits if babies don't wear them! I think the vest under most things will prob happen as I don't want all the nicer ones to get ruined! Ill just get him some sleeveless vests for the summer!

 

[lj2245]

I think it's just practicality. When my son was born we had loads of lovely wee outfits for him. Dungarees and wee trousers and the likes. The problem was they didn't all have poppers around the bum area so you'd have a crying baby with a stinky nappy and would have to take off their entire outfit to get to the nappy. I can imagine a wee baby girl in tights or those leggings would be the same. Sometimes it's just easier to dress them in babygros! Personally I love how babies feel in babygros and will keep the baby in them on house days but I will be dressing my baby in other things when we leave the house...just because it's nice I'll also have a special outfit for coming home from the hospital...again just because it's nice

I personally think anyone who sneers at a mother for making personal choices about such trival things ought to have their head examined lol!! I do agree it's easier (lazier?) to keep them in babygros but it's not as if it affects the child's health.

 

[April76]

Thanks you that was really helpful!! I do want to dress my little boy up in nice outfits but everyone keeps saying how hard it will be! I don't get it! Why would they sell these outfits if babies don't wear them! I think the vest under most things will prob happen as I don't want all the nicer ones to get ruined! Ill just get him some sleeveless vests for the summer!

When i was pregnant all i could think of was how my little boy would look in all the nice baby clothes.... how wrong i was! The small baby clothes are cute but, when baby is weeks old it can get a bit messy if baby is sick and maybe has a couple of accident with poo/wee it goes all over the "nice" clothes.

It is easier in the first few weeks to just dress baby in vests with sleepsuits.
I always put one of the short sleeved vest on over his nappy as it keeps it in place and then i put one of the sleepsuits/babygrows with the feet on over the top of the vest.

You will get the hang of it.

 

[Lulu1982]

Ava is a hot baby and didn't wear vests in spring and summer and slept in just a babygro. Sper cheapies are definitely the way to go ... I lost count of the amount of both bests, and sleep suits that got chucked in the bin because the stains wouldn't come out! (I still chuck the odd vest away now!). This time of year she wears long sleeved vests and sleep in them too!x

 

[doggylover]

My baby is due in April and I plan youse short sleeved vests under all clothes all through summer as, lets face it, British summer is unlikely to get hot enough to require anything else! Obviously if pigs fly and we get some warm weather, play it by ear.

And I echo what the others have said about clothes. My nephew has always been in little clothes and they are so fiddly when trying to change a screaming, wriggling 5 week old! I'm sleep suits all the way, but its definitely a personal choice, so do whatever feels right for you.

 

[Bladesgirl]

I have mainly vests and baby grows till about 3 months then he has some cute clothes I have a couple of nice outfits in 0-3 but only like 3 outfits all the rest are all in one outfits or babygrows!

 

[doggylover]

People will buy you loads of stuff as well, so you'll end up with loads of cute outfits for him, for all occasions!

 

[dozydormouse]

Thanks for asking this OP, saves me having to find the same thing out somehow else!

 

[Smanderson]

Great thread Blades and thanks to all the mums for the advice am taking notes x

 

[Bladesgirl]

I'm glad I asked lol I feel a lot better about the clothes I have an what more I need! It's just sizes now I have a few newborn stuff but like 5 baby grows! Hope he's a little bit on the bigger size so all his clothes fit

 

[lj2245]

I'm glad I asked lol I feel a lot better about the clothes I have an what more I need! It's just sizes now I have a few newborn stuff but like 5 baby grows! Hope he's a little bit on the bigger size so all his clothes fit

Be careful what you wish for. My son was 9lb 11oz and didn't fit into Newborn stuff, had to go straight into the 0-3's and they lasted 3 weeks before he was in the 3-6's. Typically, as a first time Mum, I had LOADS of clothes for him and had them all washed and ready. I had to give them to a charity shop!

I think with your first you want to get them the cute wee outfits and dress them in them, but by the time you are on your second you would rather just be practical I was told a million times not to bother with clothes but I didn't listen and I'm glad I didn't. You need to experience these things for yourself and do things your own way. I still have an urge to buy outfits but I will wait til after he/she is born and I know if it's another massive un!

 

[CLH_X3]

I've already had my daughter and I had tons of outfits + sleepsuits for the small ages and tbh I didn't really start putting her in outfits til she was going into her 3-6month wardrobe so I wasted a lot of money, il be buying sleepsuits a lot more this time and way less outfits! Il still buy some but just not as many! ..

 

[Hadynsmummy]

i have my son in short sleeve vest all the time as lets face it in the UK its always cold and im of the opinion if he is hot i can remove layers.

i have lost of baby grows from my son so if its another boy were having well be sorted. I deff agree with the baby grows to start with as i kind think it has to be comfier for them when they are lying all day rather than outfits but for special occasions well be getting a few.

Also i like to change baby from Nightwear to daywear even if it is just baby grow to babygrow as again it get them in to a routine, what i do is as long as its it clean i use the night wear for 2 nights but change the day one every day.

hope that makes sense.

 

[woodr]

Hi

I always bathed my dd around 7pm and changed her baby gro as I wanted a routine from the start, x