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Re-activateYour new baby will need clothes, but how much and what to buy can vary widely, depending on how much you want to purchase yourself, and what you can expect as gifts. Our advice is to buy very little and wait for the baby bounty to arrive from friends and relatives at a baby shower, or after your little one arrives. Don't worry. Even if this isn't your first baby, you're bound to get clothes (gift-givers can't resist the adorable duds). In the meantime, here's our just-the-basics list--the minimum to have on hand so you'll feel prepared:
• Four sleeping outfits or one-piece sleepers with attached feet. Sleepers and sacks are preferable to covering a baby with blankets, which can be a suffocation hazard. Snug-fitting cotton and flame-resistant sleepwear are the safest choices for children. Loose-fitting sleepwear that's not made of flame-resistant material is a fire hazard.
• Six side-snap T-shirts.
• Four to six one-piece undershirts that snap around the crotch.
• A small baby cap (although the hospital will probably give you one).
• Six pairs socks/booties.
• Two to three soft, comfortable daytime outfits.
• Cotton sweater or light jacket.
Summer babies
• Brimmed hat with elasticized chin strap to keep your baby from batting it off.
Winter babies
• Snowsuit.
• Warm knit hat with elasticized chin strap.
See our full report on baby clothing for shopping secrets, what's available, and recommendations.
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