Ask the Pros
Birth Plans
Birth Stories
Bookstore
Boy or Girl
Cesareans
Chat Room
Complications
Doulas
Educators
Episiotomy
FAQs
Feeding Baby
Fertility
Finding a Class
Health
Interactive
Labor
Message Board
Monitoring
Newborns
Postcards
Postpartum
Pregnancy
Reviews/Awards
Search
VBAC
Week by Week

Ask A Midwife

Q.We are expecting this March 1999 and I started to buy oneies, stretchies, booties, cap, and receiving blankets.

Question 1: How many of each item I mentioned above would I need to get started for a newborn/infant?

Question 2: What size is most practical for a newborn/infant? Can I start with only the 6-month size so that the baby will grow into it? or must I get sizes that fit perfectly?

Question 3: What fabric should I look for when buy the oneies, stretchies, etc. for the various seasons (spring, summer, fall, winter). there are many fabric to choose from such as polyester, cotton, a blend of the two. Please describe the pros/cons for the type of weaving such as terrycloth, fleece, cotton weave.

A. The answers to these are variable depending on your choice in lifestyle (how materialistic do you consider your lifestyle, how often are you able and do you plan to do laundry?) and economic abilities. Babies themselves do not require much, so really, they don't NEED any of the above. When you think about that, and when you understand the truth in that, you can begin to see how little we need to fret over clothes and sizes. That said, you may WANT to buy all sorts of baby clothes. If that is the case, then do as you want, because it will not matter to the baby at all. All she will desire is your own sweet milk, your loving arms, warmth (which doesn't have to come from any particular type of clothing) and dry diapers (and some babies don't even mind them wet).

I will say cotton is kindest to human skin. 100% cotton is not "approved" by the US government for children's sleepwear as it is flammable--that means it will burn as opposed to the treated polyester which will melt on the skin instead in a fire. My child wore only 100% cotton, however, as it is a breathable, soft material.

Babies do grow fast, so most mothers learn early on to buy clothes in advanced sizes so that they last a bit longer. What size to start with depends. If you have a 5-pound baby, what fits them will be very different than what fits a 10-pounder. It is probably best to start with no less than 3 months-size, but again, the clothing will be awfully large if your baby is 5-6 pounds at birth.

Generally speaking, a new mother will receive for her first baby from showers, many more receiving blankets, onesies and t-shirts than she will ever, ever need. If you anticipate being thrown a baby shower, WAIT to buy. Otherwise, a couple of caps, 5-6 pairs of socks, 6-8 t-shirts are helpful and onesies are clearly optional. I have known families who insist they cannot have a baby without at least 2 dozen t-shirts, and I know families who purchase 3-4 t-shirts for 25 cents each from a second-hand store. So you see, this is more a matter of personal choice than of baby need.

Good luck!

Vickii Gervais is a Certified Professional Midwife who has attended over 600 births.