How Many 0-3 Clothes Do I Need? | Baby Preparation

Preparing for a new baby is exciting but it can also be quite daunting. Walking through a baby store or looking at all the different “must have” lists out there can rid new mommies with all kinds of anxiety. You may be asking yourself, “What do babies actually need?”. This is especially true when it comes to clothing for baby. All of the clothes are just so cute, how do you not want to buy them all? Especially the teeny tiny outfits! Before you go overboard though, ask yourself, “How many 0-3 clothes do I NEED?”.

There are a few things to consider before buying 0-3 baby clothes:

1. What season will you be giving birth/adopting your newborn baby?

This will be important for any “cute” baby clothes you want to buy. It also includes baby’s take home outfit.

2. How big do you expect your newborn baby to be?

Newborn baby clothes only fit babies that are 7lb or under. If your doctor tells you that your baby is likely to weigh more than that then newborn size clothes may not be necessary. **Also consider the fact, though, that your baby will lose some weight (roughly 7% of their body weight) before leaving the hospital.

3. Do you know the sex of your new baby?

If you have chosen to be surprised by the gender of your baby then you may need to either purchase gender neutral baby clothes or two different collections of clothing for your newborn baby.

Need to know before buying 0-3 baby clothes:

1. Babies can lose body temperature quickly. This is especially true for pre-mature or low birthweight babies that have low body fat and are unable to regulate their body temperature. However, even full-term newborns can have difficulties maintaining a normal body temperature. So even if you give birth/adopt your newborn baby in the summer months, you still want to purchase long sleeve shirts, pants and full onesies for your baby.

2. You lose most body heat through your head. Your newborn baby does too. Not only do they already have difficulty maintaining body heat levels but they also usually don’t have a ton of hair to insulate their head. Baby hats are a necessity for newborn babies.

3. It is recommended that babies sleep without anything else in their crib. That means no blankets. If you choose to swaddle your baby then you will need to purchase swaddles. If not, then you will need onesies with feet for your baby.

4. Babies are MESSY! You will need to make sure that you have spare baby clothes for the inevitable events such as: spit ups, diaper blow outs, drooling, formula/breast milk leaks, etc… **This includes a hefty bib supply.

Tips for buying 0-3 baby clothes:

1. Babies will lose a little weight (around 7% of birth weight) in the first 48 hours. Packing at least one newborn sized outfit for the hospital is recommended.

2. Don’t buy a ton of newborn size baby clothes! IF your baby fits into them (unless they are pre-mature/ low birth weight) they will likely not fit in them for more than a few days.

3. Carter brand clothing is adorable and quite affordable! However, their baby clothing sizes tend to run a bit small.

4. You know how you are having a hard time not buying ALL the 0-3 baby clothes because they are all just SO cute?! It will happen to almost EVERY guest at your baby showers too! Try, if you can, to hold off buying anything but the essentials (listed below) until AFTER your baby shower.

5. The way clothing fits will all depend on your baby body type. For example, My youngest daughter was quite a chubby baby and so shoes would not stay on her at all. It wasn’t until after she started crawling a lot and losing some of the weight (8 months old) that I was able to put shoes on her. Waiting to buy shoes or just buying socks that look like shoes is a better bet until you know your baby’s body type.

Shoes (optional)

6. Don’t go crazy buying too many 0-3 month sized baby clothes. Although adorable, your baby will likely outgrow them quite quickly. It would be in your best interest to go ahead and buy some 3-6 and 6-9 month clothing as well. I have found that most babies stay in 6-9 month clothing for the longest period of time due to their baby weight coming off while learning to move/crawl/stand.

So… how many 0-3 clothes do I need???

Below are a few lists to help you to narrow your list of new baby needs for the first few months. Also included are different baby clothing brands/stores.