the layette - what do you really need?

So we've been buying bits and pieces of baby clothes as we've seen them, especially with the sales on. But I'm just wondering what do YOU think is absolutely essential to have on hand for a newborn and what quantities? I know this will vary if you're blessed with a really pukey baby, but I can be flexible! For instance, I've seen anywhere from 3 onesies (babygrows) to 10 recommended.

going thru the newborn stage again here - LOTS of babygros/sleepsuits.  in our case, it's winter, so she mostly uses footed sleepsuits.  aillidh was born in summer, so she used more of the short-sleeved or sleeveless babygros or 'onesies'.  you can't have enough of these things! 

ditto bibs and muslin clothes.  babies, even breastfed ones, can sick up or burp up some of their feeds. 

a summer baby will go out more w/o needing a heavy jacket or snowsuit, so you may want more 'outfits'. 

we have a fleece coverall for if she's going to be riding in the car, and a full on snowsuit for if she'll be outdoors for her walk.

no shoes just yet, we cover her feet w/socks.

towels!  line your changing matt w/towels.  i forgot, little babies often pee again as soon as you get their nappy off - change in temp does it.

we don't use wipes on roisin - i brew up chamomile tea, add a few drops of olive oil and a few drops of dr. bronner's baby mild soap, then put it in one of those lockable plastic storage containers - and dunk cotton wool in it to wipe her bum.  i keep a stash of face towels - £2 for 10 in IKEA! - to hand to pat dry her bum before replacing her nappy.

if you don't own a filter coffee maker, get one!  instant coffee doesn't cut it for those long night, IMO.

I tended to put onesies underneath her little sleepers, but I got a ton of them as gifts.  I felt they gave a little extra warmth. 

Do they sell sleep sacks over here?  Where you put their arms through sleeves and then their little legs kick free inside of a sack on the bottom?  That's what I put Ellen in for bedtime.  I had a whole bunch of fleece sleep sacks. 

Flannel receiving blankets.  Ellen loved to be swaddled as a newborn and the thin receiving blankets that we had worked the best for this.

Cloth diapers.  We had her in disposables, but we did use cloth diapers when she was a newborn.  Even after she moved into disposables, those rectangular cloth diapers were perfect for catching spit-ups and swiping up other assorted messes. 

We also got a ton of baby washclothes for gifts.  I mean, we had 40 of them at last count!  I thought that those were a huge waste of money and space, because we just intended to wash her with adult washcloths, but no complaints, since they were gifts.  Those turned out to be some of the most-used baby items that we had!  We put them in the pockets of all of our coats, all purses and diaper bags, etc.  They were great to take on the go to wipe a little nose or drooly chin.  We rarely used them in the tub, but used them all the time for wiping her up.

The only time I ever used onesies is for the summertime when its too hot to put them in anything else. Even in the winter I never put onesies under their clothes as they always felt way too hot in them. At night time I would put them in sleepsuits and wrap them in blankets. Receiving blankets are great for swaddling if you can find them here. Jack was too big to swaddle in a receiving blanket but I foudn a lightweight cotton blanket that worked just as well.
I agree with Expat. If you can get to Ikea get the washclothes and also some bibs. I think a pack of ten for £2.
Also I never used store bought baby wipes on my newborns. I used plain water and cotton balls. Expats recipe sounds nice though.

I think you can never have too many onesies.  I put Jasper in one underneath EVERYTHING as an extra barrier for blow-outs during the first few months.  I also found that you can use them for ages - he's two and can still fit into his 18-month onsies.

How many pieces of clothing you get really depends on how often you think you'll do laundry.  Keep in mind that many newborns will go through an outfit or two a day, depending on how often they spit-up or pee/poop through their clothes.

Otherwise, I'm pretty much going to agree with everything JessicaAnne & Expat said.

Oh - good quality cloth diapers are the most amazing tool ever.  For spit-up, wiping little faces, covering little boys while you change them, etc.  Plus, they're the best dusting cloths ever.  My mom still has a couple from when I was a baby!

I would get at least 7 onesies/short sleeve babygros; a few sleepsuits; a babysack is really handy too (someone gave us one - it was from John Lewis); a couple of hooded cuddle robe towels; also when they are first born do get some of those little cotton mitts to stop them scratching; you can get great layette sets from Mothercare, M&S etc where you get 7 or 8 things - baby gro, sleepsuit, hat, mitts etc it's really good to take witth you to the hospital; oh and bibs, lots  of bibs!

I used baby nightgowns with both of my boys, I found them handy.  Bibs, baby blankets, sleepers are all things I think you need quite a few of.  It is amazing how much laundry a little one can create due to leaks, spit ups and so forth.

I had to read this thread just to work out what a 'layette' is!
(can you tell i'm not a mum!?)

In summer, Sarah stayed in onesies, and in the winter I would put her in the footed pajamas. I also loved the long nightgowns for those sleepy diaper changes. I also had one of the sleep sacks, it got to be that as soon as I put her in it and zipped her up she knew it was time to sleep. Also, bibs are necessity. But we kept her in small t shirts and sweats in the winter too. We did not put her in a lot of dressy outfits so we did not own that many. I remember she would go through two or three outifts a day.

Primark, £Stretcher, and the More Store, and other stores like that, all have baby departments and they are great for getting onesies and the like, which you will go through a lot of - no point in spending a lot of money on them as they will be outgrown very fast.

Also, those little snood hats (forget what they are called) the cotton ones, a couple of those are always handy for when you are out and about when they are very little.

The only time I ever used onesies is for the summertime when its too hot to put them in anything else. Even in the winter I never put onesies under their clothes as they always felt way too hot in them. At night time I would put them in sleepsuits and wrap them in blankets. Receiving blankets are great for swaddling if you can find them here. Jack was too big to swaddle in a receiving blanket but I foudn a lightweight cotton blanket that worked just as well.
I agree with Expat. If you can get to Ikea get the washclothes and also some bibs. I think a pack of ten for £2.
Also I never used store bought baby wipes on my newborns. I used plain water and cotton balls. Expats recipe sounds nice though.

Hahaha...I am a onesie person! Especially with a summer baby...that is all he will need most days. I also used baby nightgowns instead of sleepers...the ones with the drawstrings for newborns. So much easier to change diapers! You won't need shoes for a year, but several pairs of socks. If you do buy little outfits, get them to fit this fall (my newborns, except for preemie twins, fit into the 3-6 month size from the beginning, so don't buy anything too small!) and if someone asks you what you need, tell them warmer, bigger clothes for the winter would be most helpful. It is always good to have something in a few sizes ahead as it seems they grow out of one size overnight!

Just a comment... Socks and PJs I seem to be buying constantly!

We got Courtney a lot of onsies. she hate sleepsuits because it covers her feet up. Shes a very kicky girl. One thing I'd most recommend is a bathing chair for bathtime. http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/0981947.htm Its much easier and safer to bath babies that way