Sorry if this is obvious, but how do you know how to dress your baby?

[satine51]

Dear Ladies,

I know this may sound like such a silly question, but I keep wondering how you learned about appropriate clothing for your baby?
This is my first pregnancy and I have no childcare experience whatsoever. I am overwhelmed by the amount of different outfits I see, even for newborns. Vests, all-in-ones, romper suits...where do I start? i have no idea what to buy, what needs to be worn underneath what
Do you learn that at ante natal classes? Is it something that you just 'know'? Because I don't and it really worries me!
Also, how will I know if the baby is too hot or too cold?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Lumboo]

Some things they tell you at the ante-natel class but other things you pick up through your own observations and other parents.

My personal advice would be to stick with lots of layers, so they can be taken off if you think the baby seems a little warm. Feel the back of a baby's neck. If it is sweaty they are probably hot. Believe me, you do tend to figure these things out pretty quickly, and your midwife is there to lend assistance in concerns in the early days. Just like you learn each of your baby's different crys, you soon recognise various signs of discomfort. (and they also let you know!)

Don't waste your money on little shoes, as all babies need is socks to keep their feet warm, and gloves to stop them from scratching themselves. I used to have my newborn son in a vest and romper/sleepsuit suit (all in one) at night with a hat covering his head in the early days. During the day he would either be in a different romper suit or a vest, t shirt type clothing, little trousers and socks. He was born at winter, so I had layers to assess how he looked. Oh, and I would reccommend a sun hat if it is spring/summer baby.

The trouble is everything in shops looks so cute you want to go mad. Then you buy it and realise how impractical it is as changing a nappy in the outfit involves undressing your child completely, something which baby hates! Try and buy clothes that will makes this task a lot easier for you both.

HTH Xxx

 

[satine51]

Thanks Lumboo, that's a lot of sound advice! I really appreciate your opinion. It's a bit tricky imagining how on earth am I going to know all these things, but I suppose it's a long learning process!
cheers xx

 

[Rachel_C]

A good general rule to follow is that a baby should wear one more layer than you are wearing, so if it's warm and you're in a top and light trousers, you'd have them in a top and trousers plus a vest underneath. That kind of thing anyway. You can check baby's temperature by feeling the baby's tummy. Don't worry if their hands or feet feel cold, that's common and not a good indicator of the baby's actual temperature. If you're ever unsure, I'd go with risking baby being too cold rather than too hot, as heat is more of a danger.

For practicality, I'd go with the simplest clothes you can find! I bought some lovely little dresses and tops and stuff when we found out we were having a girl and she wore them once each at most. Tiny buttons are fiddly and take too long when you're trying to be quick, and anything with buttons down the back doesn't look comfortable for a baby who will be spending most of their time lying down.

You'll be having a summer baby so you'll probably find that a nappy and a short-sleeved vest is enough during the day, or a romper suit (like a sleep suit but has no feet). My first LO was born in September and for the first 6 months she lived in short-sleeved vests with a sleepsuit over the top. When it started getting cooler, I would put socks underneath her suit and a cardigan over the top. We didn't bother with hats inside unless it was cold, I think I read that they're not normally recommended anymore unless you're outside.

Scratch mitts might be useful but I prefer sleepsuits that have them built in. If you look at some of them, they have like a cuff around the wrist that you can fold over to cover their hands. They don't come off so they're great!

 

[MaisieJune]

For the first couple of months my lil boy was in mainly just a bodysuit and a sleepsuit around the house. I didn't see the need to put fancy outfits on 'cause they only make caring for them more fiddly. Hats are a key thing, especially in the first couple of months when you go outside. Even in the summer.

 

[Spockette]

Can I just add something my midwie told me which I though was quie important. A baby will let you know when it is too cold but won't tell you if its too warm.... x

 

[welshwarriors]

My son was born in august and he wore for at least the first 3 months just vests and sleepsuits and a hat if we went out. I always had at least 2 blankets with me in case it got cooler. You will get a feeling for it after a while.

 

[SullenGrl]

My little fella will scream the house down when he is too hot. I've never come across the case of him being too cold yet. I'm a first time mother and when we can home from the hospital with Caleb we had him in one more layer than we were wearing as this was what we were told. We also had a hat on him as the paediatrician told us to keep it on him all the time. We had fed him and changed him, he'd had enough sleep but was still very fussy. We walked him, did the happiest baby on the block techniques, everything we could think of and still he wouldn't stop crying and fussing. Finally we took off his hat and babygrow and once we did that he was happy again!

Sometimes in the beginning you will have trouble figuring out what babs is trying to tell you, but you will figure it out and eventually you will just know what they should be wearing. What helped us was to get a digital thermometer for the living room to keep an eye on the temperature. here in Ireland the heating isn't as efficient as in the states and we have an open fireplace which can change the temperature of a room pretty quickly. By having the theremometer there we can easily have a look and see if its getting about 21C then he should only be in a vest so that he stays happy. Shoot there are times that I have a blanket over me and he's in just a short sleeved vest!

But as a previous poster said, layers are the key!! Also if it buttons up the front its easier to get on and off instead of things that have to go over the head. At first I was pretty nervous about putting things over babs head and he didn't really like it much. When we are around the house Caleb is in a vest and babygrow. When we go out he's in long sleeve vest and trousers/jeans with socks. We put a hoodie on him as well and loads of blankets so that you can peel the layers back as needed cause shopping centres/malls can be pretty warm and its too difficult to take him out of his pram and strip him down. instead we peel back the layers of blankets and can unzip the hoodie if its needed.

 

[satine51]

Wow, thanks for all the advice ladies, it's really appreciated

 

[Freya]

Just wanted to say I was the same before dd was born! Hadn't even ever changed a nappy! I asked the midwife and health visitor lots of questions so don't be afraid to ask these question! You're definitely not alone xxx

 

[DragonMummy]

yep vests and babygrows for the first 3 months. I would avoid cute outfits altogether unless youre going to a wedding or something. Theyre just a pain in the arse. If it's a hot summer I found a vest and some socks was enough for the house or just a light cotton babygrow. harry got loads of little outfits and things and they all got worn once if that.... Just a couple of cotton hats and cardis for layering and a snow/pram suit if it's cold.

And i was the same before DS was here as well. Didn't have a clue! You just sort of figure it all out....

 

[Racheldigger]

Nobody told me anything at all! What I have learned from bitter experience is:

Any garment with legs (sleepsuit, dungarees etc.) MUST have a full row of poppers up the legs and across the crotch, so that you can get to the nappy without actually removing the entire garment. This also makes it easier to get the garment off when you've had a nappy blowout and you're trying to remove the outer clothes without spreading the poo any further.

Trousers with elasticated waists are a disaster: even if all your baby can do is lie there and wriggle a bit, they still manage to slide down, pulling the nappy with them. Also, the upper garment tends to ride up at the same time, so your baby always has a bare tummy; this also goes for dresses with tights if you've got a girl, though at least tights stay on. Sleepsuits are absolutely the way to go, with dungarees if you want something different for daytime wear.

Always check the washing instructions before buying: there actually is baby stuff out there that can't be machine washed.

 

[satine51]

Just to say a big thank you again for sharing your experiences with me. I've got a lot of very handy tips now. Many thanks to all the ladies who contributed

 

[Rydia]

Although I already have a DS I am still not sure what to put this baby in. When my son was born it was March so he was in sleepsuits with a vest underneath. By the time summer rolled around he was a few months old and could just be in a vest on the hot days. My second is born in August and putting it in a sleepsuit and a vest seems a bit much in the warm weather and the idea of hats,socks seems silly but then newborns do get cold more easily so I just dont know

 

[Chantibug]

i always dressed my boys in the same type of clothing my dh and i were wearing.. we live in florida though and both boys were born in summer (july and september), so they lived in onesies for most of the time.. when we went out somewhere i dressed them up like little play dolls cause i thought it was fun and cute.. dh hated it haha! but both my boys sweat like crazy, and in the summer i even have to turn the air conditioning down to 67F to keep everyone comfortable...

 

[LetsTryAgain]

Im also not used to this my last baby was a december baby. Its going to be strange having a summer one this time! I think im just going to get babygrows, rompers, vests and cardigans to start with. Also some light hats and scratch mits.
Claire due in July xxx

 

[DanniBear]

Everything comes naturally after birth, instincts set in and your get on with it! Don't worry about it to much, you'll understand what I mean after the birth of your baby! X

 

[KandyKinz]

I second the one more layer then what you're comfortable in rule of thumb.

I also find that "outfits" are somewhat of a waste in the first few months. While they are fine occasionally for the most part it tends to be a hassle to get them dressed up in clothes clothes and I really don't think they find things like jeans to be all that comfortable. So my babies tend to hang out in just onesies and sleepers for the first little while.

 

[aimee-lou]

1 more layer than you're wearing is the rule I always followed.

For the first 6 months of his life Earl was in vests and babygrows unless we went out anywhere, and then if it was just to the shops he would be in a snowsuit over his grow lol.

When he got to about 5-6 months and was more mobile I swapped to vest and trousers with a cardigan.

Make sure you've got plenty of socks as they get lost and fall off lol. Shoes are a waste of money before about 6 months, and you'll only need them for outdoors at that stage - Earl didn't get 'shoes' until he was nearly a year. Before that it was soft sandals to stop people from telling me he had lost his shoes! lol

The outfits are the cutest, and it's trail and error really. Earl hated being in dungarees as he is really long in the body and they would give him a wedgie! lol You'll get a feel for it pretty quickly, don't worry. I also hadn't even held a baby before Earl was born, and within a week I was up to speed lol.

Oh, and in the early days (like the first month) don't even try to get anything more than a baby-grow onto LO. You'll be changing nappies and cleaning up sick! They're the best all-around, comfy and so easy to change

 

[Elliebank]

Just wanted to add something about hats - they should never have them on indoors. Babies lose their heat from the head and so they should never be covered as they may get too hot, unless they're outside and it's cold. You may get told to put on LO when it's first born (we did) but that's only cos they may be a little cold when first born like my daughter was and it's just to bring their temp up to normal, otherwise they shouldn't have them on indoors