Woman World Web

March 29th, 2009 by Paula Heron

Anticipating the arrival of a new baby is highly exciting and also demanding. In addition to making sure the nursery is set up and equipped, one major job is to make sure you have enough newborn baby clothes.

The choice of venues for buying baby equipment and clothes have certainly expanded since the 1970s when I had my children. Not only do stores like Target and Wal-Mart have special baby sections there are dedicated baby stores like Babies r Us so it is one stop shopping. Another resource is the internet so you can choose everything for the new arrival in the comfort of your own home.

Buying baby equipment is fairly straight forward you need: 1 crib, 1 stroller and 1 car seat, obviously you are expecting a multiple birth the numbers will increase accordingly. But if you are a first time parent how do you know how many baby clothes your baby will need for the first few weeks?

Whether you are buying baby boy clothes or baby girl clothes there is no specified number of each garment that is essential. It is important to have enough of the basic baby clothes for a day or two so that you don’t have to be constantly worrying about having to do the laundry every day.

Newborn babies can go through a surprising number of clothes changes in the course of a day so garments that are easy to get on and off make a lot of sense. So which clothes does it make sense to have? Here is a list of articles that are practical for the newborn:

* Onesies: you need at least 5 to 10 of these. In the warmer weather the cute colored and patterned ones are great and the plain ones can always be used under other tops and pants in cooler weather.

* Use baby one piece sleeper suits in the first few weeks during the day - you’ll need 5-10 of these.

* For use during those night-time diaper changes, have 4-5 baby gowns because they make the job a lot easier.

* 5-10 bibs - although babies don’t take solid food they do have a tendency to drool and spit up.

* Buy a large amount of burp cloths so that your clothes can last for more than just one burp session!

* 5 pairs of socks - little feet get cold even in a warm climate.

* Decide which type of hat matches the weather you’re likely to experience and get two of them.

* 1 coat, appropriate to the weather and season where you live.

* Make drying baby easier by having two or three hooded baby towels.

* Avoid the scratches that babies are so good at inflicting on themselves by having at least two pairs of cotton mittens.

Every baby’s needs and habits are different so the list of newborn baby clothes above cannot be exact. In particular, the frequency with which you wish to change your baby will add or subtract from the numbers. Nevertheless, I recommend that you use the list as a general guide to make the jobs of diaper changing and baby dressing as simple as possible, then add to it any additional outfits that you want for special occasions.