Newborn Baby Clothing 101
So now you’re beyond the stage of deciding to have a baby. You’re having one and he/she will need clothes! Deciding on what you’ll need, how many of each and what sizes to buy of what can be an overwhelming task. Don’t fret. I am going to share my tried tested and true list of the absolute essentials (the rest are just nice to have). I have shared this list with many new moms who have come back for more.
Since we’re talking about newborns I will only cover the clothes required for the first twelve months of baby’s life. If this is your first baby and your budget is limited, please don’t get caught up in all of the cute clothes that are available at all of the high end shops. You can waste (and I mean waste) huge amounts of money on clothes that are useless but cute. They’ll have snaps and buttons in all the wrong places and you’re baby will grow out of them within a month! They are great to receive as gifts and you will receive lots. If you’re like me, you’ll realize at the end of baby’s first year that you never even used half of them. I mean, who puts a dress on a 3 month old? Unless there is a special occasion that requires a dress, this one will stay in the closet.
So where should you shop? Try not to! Try to resist the temptation. You’ll receive plenty of what you’ll need for baby’s first year as gifts. You’ll be surprised who you receive baby gifts from. I even received one from the woman who does my mom’s nails!
If you must, stick to the inexpensive places. You know the ones, the big box types. Look for fundraising events too. These are the places where you will find the cheapest deals, hands down. These types of sales are typically hosted by nursery schools and daycare centers to raise funds for their facilities. No word of a lie, you’ll find t-shirts for $.25 and outfits for less than $5. Get there early enough and you’ll even find those cute high end brands you’ve been ogling. Another suggestion is to keep an eye out for consignment sales. These ones are organized by a go-getter with a team of volunteers and made up of local mom’s consigning their goods. Great cheap finds at these sales as well.
So there’s no need to spend tones of money on baby clothes. If you’re like me you’ll box up all your stuff once baby has grown out of them, label the boxes according to size, and then put the boxes away for the next baby, or for your friends next baby, or your cousins…