If you’ve been finding yourself thinking, “how many baby clothes do I need in each size?” then you’ve come to the right place. Here’s everything your baby needs from 0-12 months.
Preparing for a new baby can be both super exciting and majorly nerve-racking, especially when the “nesting” phase of pregnancy starts to kick in.
We become all too eager to prepare and organize EVERYTHING at home for the baby’s arrival.
Babies grow at an astonishing rate in their first year.
From birth to 6 months, a baby might grow ½ to 1 inch a month and 5 to 7 ounces a week (that’s almost ½ a pound per week)!
Your baby can be expected to double in birth weight by the time they’re 5 months and triple in birth weight by 12 months.
It can be very tempting to overly prep for a baby (better safe than sorry, right?), but the truth is, that’s just not necessary.
Most newborn clothes max out at 8 lbs, so if your little one exceeds this weight at birth, make sure you’ve hung tight to your receipt or at least not removed the clothing tags so you can exchange them for 0-3 months clothing instead.
With the baby growing ultra fast from the moment they’re ushered into the world, there’s no need to fill her closet like she’s the spawn of Beyonce and Jay-Z (although, go for it if that’s what makes you happy).
Or you can save all those extras for your baby registry.
Let’s take a look at just what your new baby actually needs.
This post is all about the baby clothes you need in each size.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Please read the full disclosure here.
BUT FIRST…
With baby clothes, your baby’s weight is the determining factor over your baby’s age.
Each baby clothing item with a specific age tends to include a corresponding weight for that age right on the tag, but not always.
Even if the weight is not listed on the tag, there is still a maximum weight associated with that age range.
The weight restriction will determine the fit of the clothes.
So as mentioned above, even if your baby is brand new and, in essence, a newborn, if they’re born at a weight that exceeds the 8 lb weight associated with newborn clothes, then they will need 0-3 months clothing despite being newborn.
HOW MANY BABY CLOTHES DO I NEED IN EACH SIZE?
FOR A NEWBORN (in size Newborn):
1. A 5-pack of short sleeve Onesies
These undergarments are an essential part of any baby’s wardrobe.
They serve as a snap-crotch tee that won’t rise and bunch around your baby’s torso or under baby’s clothes.
They also help reduce diaper drooping when your baby’s diaper fills up.
Five will be plenty for a newborn who may only fit them for a couple of weeks to a month at the most.
Pair them with pants for a simple outfit or use them as undershirts with other clothing.
Onesies, sometimes referred to as bodysuits, are great to get in the color white in the event of spit-up or explosive baby poos. Here’s why…
You can run them directly under cold water to remove excess poo, then pour bleach directly on the stain, run it under cold water some more to remove excess bleach, hand wash with a bit of soap, and the stain will be gone!
Let it air dry before putting it in the hamper, or immediately transfer it to the washing machine for a proper clean.
If white doesn’t tickle your fancy, these 5-packs come in a wide array of designs and colors based on the baby’s gender.
{Related: Baby Needs vs Wants | 65 Items You Will Need in Baby’s First Year}
2. A Set of 4 Sleepers aka Sleep ‘N’ Play
These sleepers, which are footed pajamas, are wonderful for keeping baby warm and cozy throughout the day and night.
They come in a variety of styles as far as buttons, zippers, or inverted zippers.
Inverted zippers are wonderful because they allow you to avoid completely unzipping baby for diaper changes or fumbling around with multiple buttons from the ankle up to the torso.
Instead, you can unzip your little one from their ankle to their torso, access their bum for changing, and zip them back up in a jiffy.
3. A 4-pack of long sleeve Bodysuits
These undergarments are great for pairing with soft pants for baby.
They include the necessary snap closure as well to keep baby’s clothes secure.
A long sleeve bodysuit, pants, and socks make for an easy, comfortable, go-to outfit for your newborn.
This also makes a great option for baby’s sleep routine if you prefer an open-toed option while baby snoozes in her sleep sack.
4. A 4-pack of Pants
Soft and comfy, cotton pants will pair well with long sleeve or short sleeve bodysuits to make a quick, easy, comfortable outfit.
5. A 6-pack of Socks
Socks will keep your newborn’s feet enclosed and warm during the days that she wears footless pants with bodysuits.
Some days a bodysuit with pants will seem more appropriate or more like a proper outfit for the day than a sleeper (even though sleepers work well day and night).
6. A 2-pack of Sleep Sacks
Sleepsacks were great and very necessary for my firstborn, who slept very soundly and comfortably in sleep sacks.
It is strongly advised to avoid putting a baby to rest with blankets and other loose items to help prevent suffocation.
Sleepsacks will allow your baby to have a wearable blanket that provides a bit of a swaddle-type of feel without the hazard of becoming entangled in a loose blankie.
Two should be sufficient so that one is available for backup in case of any leaky diapers throughout the night or some other accident.
We had a sleeveless sack and a long sleeve sack, depending on how our baby was dressed.
If he was already wearing long sleeves, then we’d put on the sleeveless sack to avoid overheating.
If he was wearing a short sleeve onesie and pants, then we’d put on a long sleeve sack to keep him comfortably warm.
There is also a hybrid swaddle sleep sack if you’d prefer that style.
For these, starting with 0-3 months or even a 0-6 months size was beneficial since it functions as more of a zip-on blanket than an outfit.
Getting one of these sizes also allows baby to get much more wear out of it.
But they can be ordered specifically in size NEWBORN.
7. 4-pair of newborn baby Mittens
Baby mittens (not the kind intended for keeping hands warm on winter days) work great to avoid future thumb sucking that can last well into the adult years for some – I have a 38-year-old cousin who still sucks his thumb – but more importantly, it helps prevent accidental pokes to baby’s face and eyes and inevitable accidental scratches.
We were very nervous about clipping little nails on delicate little fingers with our firstborn, so mittens were our savior.
8. A Set of 5 Caps
The hospital nurses will keep a perfectly fitting cap on your newborn baby’s little head for the duration of your stay in the drafty hospital.
At home, we tend to have fans running in the spring, air conditioners running in the summer, and cold drafts seeping in during fall and winter.
Keep your baby’s head free from the chill with caps that I like to refer to as hospital hats because they fit just as well as the ones at the hospital.
SO, HOW MANY BABY CLOTHES DO I NEED IN EACH SIZE?
NEWBORN SUMMARY (in size Newborn):
In summary, Newborn Baby needs the following 8 clothing items:
- 4 Bodysuits (long sleeves)
- 5 Onesies (short sleeves)
- 4 Sleepers
- 2 Sleep Sacks
- 4 Pants
- 6 Pairs of Socks
- 4 Pair of Mittens
- 5 Caps
HOW MANY BABY CLOTHES DO I NEED IN EACH SIZE?
FOR MONTHS
0-3, 3-6, 6-9, and 9-12
Once baby moves out of the newborn/8 lb stage of life, it’s time for 0-3 months, then 3-6 mos., 6-9 mos., and 9-12 mos.
You’ll be able to get much more wear out of these items – at least 2 months, possibly the entire 3 months – depending on how steady or rapidly your baby grows.
For each of these age groups, you’ll need the same exact items, but for a solid foundation of these items, you’ll want to at least double (or triple) the bodysuits, onesies, pants, and sleepers.
For socks, you can get two 8-packs of 0-6 months socks plus two 8-packs of 6-12 months socks that should cover you the whole year.
For mittens,get a small pack for 0-6 months, or a pack of one size fits all.
For sleep sacks, 2-4 will get you through the entire first year.
You can get two sleep sacks (sleeveless and long sleeves) in the age range of 0-6 months to hold you over for several months (if you haven’t done so already and you opted for the newborn sacks in the beginning).
Another two sleep sacks for the age ranges of 6-12 months will carry you through the rest of your baby’s first year.
If you choose sleeveless sleep sacks, they are readily available in sizes 0-6 months and 6-12 months.
If you also want or opt instead for long sleeve sleep sacks, they are more readily available in 0-6 months or 0-9 months.
6-12 months isn’t as easy to come by for the long sleeve sacks, so 0-9 months would be an efficient choice.
For hats, you shouldn’t need to get anymore.
Baby’s head will still be pretty small, and the hospital hats are relatively stretchy and provide a lot of flexibility, so these can still be used.
By the beginning of the fourth month (if not sooner), your baby will seem to be just fine without the caps and seems less fragile to you (meaning you’ll feel less overwhelmed by how cold or uncomfortable they may be, and baby will seem more independent in this way as well).
SO, HOW MANY BABY CLOTHES DO I NEED IN EACH SIZE?
0-3, 3-6, 6-9, and 9-12 Months SUMMARY:
In summary,0-12 months Baby needs (for each age group of 3 months, i.e., 0-3 mos., 3-6 mos., 6-9 mos., and 9-12 mos.):
- 8-12 Bodysuits (long sleeves)
- 10 Onesies (short sleeves)
- 8-12 Sleepers
- 2-4 Sleep Sacks (this will be all you need for the entire 0-12 months)
- 8-12 Pants
- 12 Pairs of Socks
- 8 Pair of Mittens (this will be all you need for the entire 0-12 months)
These are the items your baby needs, but aside from these necessities, there are some seasonal additions you may wish to acquire (or consider).
SEASONAL ADD-ONS
First Day Home:
- Fancy outfit – for baby’s first venture home
Spring/Summer:
- Swim Suit
- Sun Hat
- Shorts
- Dresses
Fall/Winter:
- Sweaters/hoodies
- Coat (more appropriate for older babies, 6 months and up)
- Snow Suit
- Hat and Glove/Mitten set
- Slippers/Booties
Shoes:
(but not necessary until your baby can walk outside)
- Sneakers (all-seasons)
- Sandals (spring/summer)
- Boots (fall/winter)
Holidays:
- Holiday formalwear
- Costume
This post was all about “how many baby clothes do I need in each size?”
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- 23 Insanely Important Breastfeeding Essentials Every Nursing Mom Should Have
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