As every parent knows, babies come with a lot of stuff and it never seems to slow down.  First they need a layette, then they need toys, then they need more clothes and more clothes and then they need every electronic gadget known to mankind.  Okay, maybe the last is my husband but my kids sure share the sentiment and I am bombarded on a weekly basis for the latest game consoles or the latest in MP3 technology.

But I digress and this is about that cute little bundle of joy that will soon be joining your family. That new baby will need a layette and it is important to realize that you don’t need as much as you think or will eventually have.  I know my layette for both of my kids was enough to clothe about 10 babies but most of the items were gifts or hand-me downs.  If you are purchasing a layette for yourself you can keep it things to a minimum and still survive without having to do laundry every hour of every day (don’t get me wrong though, the amount of laundry that you have to do will increase).

Generally, a layette for baby consists of several areas, not just the clothing, and these are broken into categories like clothing, nursery (including the furniture), bedding, bath time, travelling with baby, and feeding baby.  For the sake of nerves, I’m going to break the layette up into a few posts with a full checklist at the end.  This should help in keeping you from panicking and thinking, I have so much to get and so little time.  I know I suffered from this several times when I was pregnant with both of my boys.

So today, let’s look at clothing and since we are looking fabrics, I am going to mention diapers for those of you who are planning on using cloth.

The Clothing Layette:

• 6-8 onesies:  these little undershirts are a must and are great for an extra level of warmth for baby or in the hotter months as an outfit to keep cool in.
• 3-8 sleepers: I personally couldn’t have enough sleepers for my second.  He had a problem where he would push too hard to make a bowel movement and would spit up several times a day.  This ran into a lot of sleepers used during the day and night, as well as clothes for me, and I kept him in clean sleepers most of the time when we were at home to preserve his outfits from becoming stained.  You can make due with 3 but it depends on both you and your baby.
• 4-6 outfits:  You will probably have more outfits than your baby can wear so don’t fret if friends and family bump you over in the outfit quantity.  Just enjoy everything you can put him or her in.
• 4-6 pairs of socks:  Not much to explain here but try to have a few extra pairs since washing machines are notorious for devouring baby socks.
• 1-2 sweaters:  Something to put on baby when you are going out to keep him snug as a bug.
• 1 snowsuit:  If you live in colder climates, like I do, and your baby will be born in the winter or fall, you will want to purchase one of the infant snowsuits to keep her warm.  If she is born spring or summer, wait until the following fall to purchase a snowsuit so you are sure of the size.
• 1-2 scratch mitts:  I had two pairs myself, both gifts, with little rattles in them but scratch mitts are completely optional.  I kept nails trimmed and rarely had to put anything on my kids hands.  When I did, I just used a pair of infant socks (my kids hated the feel of the rattle).  This eliminates one thing from your shopping list.
• 1-2 pairs of booties:  Another optional item since babies should not wear shoes before a year of age.  I know there is a big draw for Robeez but they are not necessary and if you are interested in saving the money, don’t feel pressured to produce a pair of soft shoes for baby, socks work just fine and more often than not, your baby is going to pull off those booties anyways.
• 4-6 receiving blankets:  Like the sleepers, I couldn’t have enough of these with my second, in fact I think I had about 12 to 15, double what is recommended but again most of them were gifts.
• 1-2 blankets:  These aren’t the crib blankets but are blankets that you can use for swaddling.  This is another favorite gift purchase so before you buy any blankets look at how many you get for gifts.  I didn’t purchase a single blanket and between my first and second babies, I ended up with close to a dozen blankets, many of them going to goodwill so I would have enough space in my linen closet.

The Diapering Layette

• 24-48 cloth diapers:  This may seem like a lot but if you only buy 8 cloth diapers, you will need to launder them once or twice a day.  Have more than enough and you won’t have to worry about running out.  You will also only need to do laundry every 3 days.
• 2-4 safety pins:  This depends on the type of diapers you get.  There are some cloth diapers with snaps or Velcro and they are already pre-shaped and ready to use.
• 1 box of liners:  You can purchase disposable liners to make cleaning much easier.
• 4-8 waterproof diaper covers:  To keep the diapers from leaking, you will need these waterproof covers.
• 12-24 washcloths:  For keeping baby clean, you can use disposable wipes but if you are trying to be eco-friendly by using cloth diapers, it is better (and more cost effective) to use washcloths.

And there are the clothing and diapers.  I will have the other categories soon so please check back over the coming weeks.

Sirena Van Schaik

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Tags: baby blankets, baby booties, baby layette, baby outfits, baby scratch mitts, baby socks, baby sweaters, buying a layette, cloth diapers, clothing layette, creating a layette, diaper layette, new parent tips, newborn layette, onesies, onsies, parenting tips, receiving blankets, sleepers

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