Shopping for Winter Baby

I would like to second one of the other responses about leaving tags on the clothes!! In my nesting instinct, we washed and put away everything we bought or received and didn't wind up using even half of it because my daughter (born in Oct) spent all of her time in sleepers, onesies and sleep sacks. Plus, my daughter was tiny and a lot of it wound up being the wrong size.

The side snap shirts are nice because it can be hard to get clothes over their little heads, but they're certainly not mandatory.

The hospital where you will deliver should have a class on what to expect during labor, how to take care of a newborn and will tell you how to care for the umbilical stump (can take a week or 2 to dry up and fall off). When I had my son (10 yrs ago - his birthday is end of Oct), I had a lot of new born clothes that didn't fit him since he was 9 lbs at birth. "What to Expect While your Expecting" and "What to Expect the First Year" are great books with lots of helpful information. Congratulations!

You will definitely need caps for the head, and a light weight bunting. I always perfer the sleeper style with feet.

For winter babies, sleepers are a godsend. You can always add undershirts and socks for warmth.
You'll need 5 nb, 10-15 0-3m outfits to start out.

Your baby will change sizes every 2 1/2 - 3 months, so when you register think of it like this.

Nov - Jan - nb / 0-3m
Feb - Apr - 0-3 / 3-6m
May - Jul - 3-6 / 6-9m
Aug - Oct - 6-9 / 9-12m

As for reusable wipes... there are somethings that are just better being tossed. There are wipes that are flushable, and some that are made out of environment friendly materials. They should all be available at grocery stores either in the baby section, the 'green' section or the toilet paper aisle.
M.

I had a baby girl in December, and she hardly wore clothes at all! Most of the time, she was in a onesie and a Halo fleece sleep sack with a swaddle wrap. I would buy several of those and not buy 0-3 sleepers if you plan on swaddling. I was told the side snap onesies protect the umbilical cord because they do not brush against the skin as you remove them over their head, instead they wrap like a kimono. My daughter's fell off on the 2nd day home, so I never used them. I have never heard of reusable wipes, so I have no comment about that.
Congratulations on your baby boy!

First of all congratulations! I also have a boy due in November. : ) When it comes to the cord you should cut or fold down diapers so they do not rub the cord (until it heals completely), I seem to remember that pampers makes swaddler diapers with a low front so they don't rub the cord. It is best to avoid elastic pants and any clothes that would rub his belly. I liked using the one peice sleepers that just have a but of elastic at the bottom so they go over their feet like a nightgown. This is nice b/c little newborns keep their legs scrunched up most of the time and anything with pants will be hard to fit, it is also easier to not have to deal with snaps or buttons when you are changing the baby so often in the first few days. Newborns have liquidy poop that tends to seep out alot so be sure to buy enough so that you always have something clean. : )

I would suggest buying "big". Onesies and sleepers shrink a great deal. Also you can always roll the sleeves up or tuck the extra into the diaper. Further don't cut the price tags off anything. It is very hard to tell what size a baby will be or what kind of clothing you find easiest to have him wear. For example, I did not like the sleep sacks. My babies were to wiggly and the sack seemed to get twisted. By keeping tags on you can return or get a store credit.

I've never heard of reusable wipes, although when my child's bottom seemed a little sensitive from wipes I have used a wash cloth.

Best of luck on the first.

Sleepers never hurt my sons cord. I had 4 of those side snap shirts, never once used them. For the cord the most important part is not keep the diaper over it. As far as reusable washclothes, I went to Target and got 3 package (i think they were 6-packs of these very thin small washclothes. Then I got a wipe warmer that you could put water in and just kept them in that. I still have them for our next baby.

I think these are essentially the same ones, they sell them in pink packs, blue packs and a yellow/green pack.
http://www.target.com/I-Play-Boys%E2%80%99-Washcloths%E2%...

This the warmer I have:
http://www.target.com/Prince-Lionheart-Warmies-Wipes-Warm...

Congrats on the baby!!

R.:

Congratulations on your upcoming birth and mommy-hood!

1. It's a stump, not a cord. It has no sensory nerves that I am aware of. It falls off naturally in about 2 weeks - some fall off in a few short days. You don't have to buy any special clothing.

2. Many of the newborn diapers out now have the cut-out for the stump/cord. If not, just tuck the diaper under.

3. Side-snap are supposed to be more comfortable. Depending upon the ones you get, they could be easier to get on and off.

4. Reusable wipes - make them yourself. Buy washcloths, cut them in quarters and sew the edges so they don't frey. Ensure you have a mesh bag to wash them in - the same type that you can wash pantyhose and bras in.

Don't go overboard - your baby will be growing like a weed. Don't buy only newborn clothes and don't get stuck on "it has to be new" - you waste A LOT of money buying new clothes that your baby will never wear - I can't tell you how many outfits my boys never wore!

If you are having a baby shower - let people know you would like clothes in older sizes - 3/6, 6/9, 9/12....this will help you out IMMENSELY!

If you haven't done so already - start buying diapers with coupons and when they are on sale - put them in the closet. Only open the boxes as you need them - this way you will be able to exchange them for the next size if you need to! I bought a variety of sizes - 4 packages of newborns, 10 boxes of size 1's, maybe 5 each of 2 - 5 no kidding! My husband thought I was NUTS - but when it came down to it - he was thankful as diapers are the single most expensive thing you use on a daily basis!! :)

Take care!

I agree with all the previous posts as far as the cord goes...and I got side snap shirts for my first son and also never used them. I loved using gowns for easy diaper changing. I also bought a swaddler for night time and bot my boys loved them. For your car seat I would highly recommend the Bundle Me

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2266846

It fits in the seat like a sleeping bag so you don't have to dress baby in a bunch of clothes. I started out with one that had elastic and just stretched over t he top of the seat, but it would always slip off. I would definitely get some sort of cover because it's unsafe to put them in a lot of poofy clothes and then strap them in their car seat because the car seat straps won't be tight enough against their bodies to work like they should. Best of luck!

Hi! I saw your question, Congrats on the new baby that is coming in November! I have 3 boys and never had a problem with onesies or sleepers hurting the cord. One of mine was also born in November and wore lots of fleece and terry sleepers. The side snap shirts are designed for easier access and some say are more comfortable for baby.
I purchase cloth wipes for the diaper cakes I make and to use as wash cloths for my toddlers. I purchase them here-
http://www.mommyauctions.com/shop.php?user_id=3192
She also sells on etsy. You can contact the seller and she will put together a custom listing for you with your color and print desgin choices.

Hope that helps!

Hi R.! My first child was a December baby, and we got lots of long-sleeved Ts (not onesies) because of the cord stump, and then we never used them. Unless the clothing going over the stump is really tight (which is unlikely with a newborn), it's really not a problem to have regular onesies and sleepers. I'd get a couple of longsleeved Ts just in case, but you'll probably find lightweight sleepers more convenient. I recommend lightweight (not fleecy) sleepers at the beginning because you'll probably be holding or swaddling your little one most of the time, and you don't want him to get overheated. You can always add a blanket when you're cuddling him. You'll figure out what works best for you. Good luck!

Hi R.,

Sleepers are going to be your best friend and as long as you dont grab your baby around the middle too much it wont bother the chord. Since babies are supposed to sleep on their back at first nothing will bother the chord stump unless you touch it when you are holding the baby. New babies also like to be swaddled and once they are all bundled up nothing is going to bother the chord stump.

I have no idea what the side snap shirts are used for and never used them. I didn't use shirts at all really.

I have great re-usable wipes. I bought them off of www.cottonbabies.com it is also where I bought my cloth diapers bum genius 3.0 saved us a ton of money. The wipes I have are natural flannel ones. Although Babies R Us is now carrying some cloth wipes in store. My friend just got some for her new little girl

Congrats on your pregnancy!

I had a Nov. baby and can offer this advice.
Long sleeve onsies work just fine, as well as reg. sleepers. If you are using disposable diapers, you can fold down the top of the diaper. If you are using cloth(more easy than you think),folding down is just as wasy.
Good for you for wanting to use reusable wipes.
There are all sorts of options. Check out some green baby websites. You can also make your own, by just cutting up fabric into squares.
Since you still have plenty of time until your baby arrives, I encourage you to consider using a midwife either in a birth center or in a hospital. Much more mom and baby friendly.
L. M

We had Halloween twins so I have some suggestions on what to have in preparation for the almost winter baby.
1- Lots of sleepers. These can be used even when going out since it is very hard to deal with a winter coat for a newborn.
2- Get the carseat cover if you are using the kind of car seat that snaps into a base in the car. We had these and they were wonderful! In the dead of winter, all we needed was to have the baby dressed (or in a sleeper) and put a light blanket over him then zip up the cover and that baby was nice and toasty and no bulky snowsuit or anything to get in the way.
3- Lots of socks!!
4- You are going to get/buy lots of clothes, just be prepared that they will not necessarily be able to wear it all before he grows out of it. We had a pile of brand new clothes that just never got worn.
5- As long as you fold back the diaper waist in the front and keep the cord stump clean, you'll be fine. It can certainly be covered by clothes. It dries up very quickly and might 'hang' around for a bit but it's really not as big of a deal as you think it is.
6- As far as the shirts with side snaps, (the ones on the shoulder) are so you can pull the shirt over the babies head easier.
7- You just cannot have enough onsies. If you can find the ones that snap down the front, buy them by the gross! These are so much better than the pull over ones because, there is nothing more disgusting than having a diaper blowout all over the clothes and onsie and then have to pull the onsie over the babies head!! Yuck!! The onsies that snap down the front are perfect to just unsnap and lift baby out of, no further mess.

Hope this helps
Julie

You don't have to worry about the cord it's fine. You don't have to do anything special for the cord at all. Just make sure you have plenty of warm clothing and EVEN so cooler clothes as well. Make sure you have the type of clothes you would have for yourself. He should be dressed as you would be, he's a person also and can even get hot if dressed to warmly. The side snapped shirts are SUPPOSED to be easer to get on. Some people are afraid to pull things over the babies head and even some babies aren't to fond of it so the parents don't like to do it.
As far as wipes i do what my mother does. I got some reg. ones from my babyshower but when they run out i keep a baggie in my diaper bag and keep a wet wash cloth in it. I wash it out after i use it out in public and put it back. When i get home it goes in the laundry. It saves a BUNDLE of money. I had my daughter in Oct. So know just how it is. I lived in NY at the time so it was cold. The money important thing you brought up is the cord the answer is Don't worry about the cord it's fine with whatever you do. They also advise not to give it any special attention it will take care of it's self. If you feel the need to do something use a Q-tip and put Alcohol on it. Good luck and have fun. I'm due with NO. 2 in a few days.

I am a NICU nurse and you don't need to worry about the cord. Make sure that the diaper can fold down beneath the cord, but that is just to keep it dry. There actually aren't any pain receptors in the cord, so you won't hurt it by putting clothes over it. Our son was a december baby and he was in regular sleepers and whatnot. The side snap shirts are just like little t-shirts you can put under their sleepers to make sure that they're warm. We use them a lot in the hospital because they're cheap and convenient. No idea about the reusable wipes.

Great questions! My daughter was born in February and she lived in sleep n play outfits...cheap ones from target. One of the brand names was Gerber. They were comfortable for her and me, easy access to diapers, easy to launder, all the important stuff with a newborn. We never had any cord issues. We weren't big under shirt users but when we did use them they snapped at the crotch. Sorry, don't know about reusable wipes. We used diaper clothes and wash clothes and normal wipes for the various messes throughout the day. Enjoy your son, you have so much to look forward to! I just read Cheryl O's advice...and agree with it all. I too stocked up on diapers and it truly is a lifesaver. When I ended up needing formula, I stocked up on that too...I got a great price on Amazon and it was delivered to my house. I never had to run out for supplies. I never bought new. You'll get plenty of gifts for the special occasions. The other thing I would suggest asking for as gifts is books and toys for the 4-12 month range. They get expensive and many people don't think of them. There are only so many 3-6 mo outfits you need!

Congrats on your baby boy. When my daughter was a baby she lived in the sleep sacks unless we were going somewhere where she had to be dressed for the occasion. The sleep sacks also made it easy access when time to change baby's diaper. I have never heard of reusable wipes but I think it is a great idea. I would imagine you can get them anywhere that sells the cloth diapers.

While the cord is still attached, I would recommend just shirts and bottoms, like sweat pants. Once the cord falls off, feel free to go nuts with onesies (at least underneath everything else for a winter baby)

Sleepers will not hurt the cord, nothing can really "hurt" the cord, it becomes basically dead flesh with no feeling as it shrivels and eventually falls off. The only thing you have to be careful of is letting something catch and pull on it, but a sleeper isn't what I mean, I mean older siblings (which you won't have around since this is your first) or cousins, toys etc.

The side snap shirts are for baby's comfort so they can lay on their back or front without laying on hard snaps or buttons, I loved them.

Reusable wipes aren't something you have to buy specifically, if you want to do something like this, just buy a whole bunch of those really thin and soft baby washcloths and carry them around in your diaper bag along with a small bottle of baby wash. Get the washcloth wet, put a little dab of soap on it, lather up baby's bottom, rinse baby and the cloth, pat dry with a fresh cloth and throw the washcloths in the wash when you get home (provided of course that you rinsed them out well). Don't forget to take a large ziploc bag with you for the used washcloths to go into until you can get home.

Congratulations and best of luck with your new baby, this is an exciting time!