How Many Baby Clothes Do I Need?

Wondering how many baby clothes do I need?

Then let us help you decided just how much baby clothes you need!

Expecting a baby is obviously an incredibly exciting time for both expectant parents, such a joyous moment in people’s lives can lead us to forget the reality though. Baby’s are messy. Very messy.

Yes, unfortunately it is rare that a baby’s outfit will last the whole day without being turned into some kind of expressionist art. Avante garde some would say.

It’s difficult to stay mad when they ruin their onesie for the day because after all, they’re just doing their thing, that being said it doesn’t change the fact that it does leave parents in a difficult situation, if you have found yourself asking how much clothes do I really need and have found it difficult to find something that calms your nerves then look no further. 

We get it, sometimes it’s not even your babies fault, they just grow, really fast and really quickly so it’s never a bad idea to have a couple of options at your disposal for when you need a quick outfit change and don’t worry, it’s normal to feel like you’ve overbought or over prepared, we’re here to tell you that when it comes to babies, there’s no such thing as being over prepared.

We’ve compiled, somewhat of a list to remind you of everything you’ll need to think about when you are buying clothes for your newborn.

This post contains affiliate links. See our full disclosure here

How Many Baby Clothes Do I Need

Here are our recommendations for your baby clothing checklist:

StyleQuantity
Onesies6-8BUY NOW
Sleepers4-8BUY NOW
Pants3-5BUY NOW
Socks5-7BUY NOW
Hats2BUY NOW
Add For Winter  
Winter Coat1-2BUY NOW
Sweaters or Sweatshirts 2-3BUY NOW
Mittens2BUY NOW
Slippers or Booties2BUY NOW
Additional Sock2BUY NOW
Add For Summer  
Sun Hat1BUY NOW
Lightweight Blanket (For Shade)1BUY NOW

How Many Newborn Clothes To Buy

So, how many baby clothes do you need for a newborn baby?

Obviously, the number of baby clothes you need will depend on a few things like weather and laundry as discussed in more detail below, but here’s what we suggest based on the different types of baby clothes.

Onesies / Bodysuits

Realistically this is what your baby is going to spend most of their time in, they’re perfect for the hotter conditions in summer and during the winter act as a perfect first layer of clothing, ideally you want 6+ but you’d be overdoing more than 8. Depending on the climate you may want to choose short sleeve or long sleeve or a mix of both.

This ensures that you have enough to change into if any unexpected spills take place but also won’t be back and forth to your washing machine every day. 

Sleepers

Obviously you’re not forced to only put your baby in their sleeper at night time, they’re great for the colder climates as they allow complete coverage for a baby in the colder months.

You want to own around 4 to 6 of these allowing you to change up every so often but that also doesn’t leave you doing your washing every day. 

04/17/2024 04:03 am GMT

Pants 

Really throughout the summer you may find that you’re leaving the pants out and sticking to the cooler body suites.

However, those cold winter months are long and hard so it’s a good idea to be prepared with about 3 to 5 different pants, this allows you to change your baby’s style every now and then whilst also leaving you enough room to be prepared for any food stains they may pick up.

04/25/2024 01:03 am GMT

Socks

Regardless of winter or summer you’ll always want to make sure that your baby’s feet are tucked into a cozy pair of socks, some may go missing only to be found months later. That’s why we’re recommending you to purchase around 5 to 7 pairs of socks.

04/24/2024 02:03 pm GMT

Hats

Luckily when it comes to hats your baby may find it difficult to make them messy as, well simply they will be above the babies mouth. For that reason you wouldn’t find yourself scarce on hats with just purchasing around 2 of them.

04/23/2024 09:03 pm GMT

Additional Baby Clothes For Winter

Winter Coat

If you live in a cold climate and plan to head outdoors you’ll want to invest in a warm winter jacket or if cold enough a full-body outerwear/snowsuit. Layering your baby clothes is a great way to make sure your baby stays snug in any weather.

Sweaters or Sweatshirts

When there is a chill in the air a sweater or a zip-up hoodie is great to keep your baby warm. Plus it is easy to take off if baby gets too warm. In cooler climates, you’ll want 2 to 3 so you can have one to wear, one to wash, and one spare.

Mittens

You may already have a pair of cotton mittens to help prevent your baby from scratching themselves, but come winter you’ll need at least 2 pairs that are more heavy duty to keep your little ones fingers warm and cozy.

04/22/2024 06:03 pm GMT

Slippers or Booties

Just like mittens, you’re going to want at least 2 pairs of slippers or booties to keep you’re baby’s toes protected from the cold weather.

Additional Baby Clothes For Summer

Sun Hat

If you plan to head outdoors in summer, you’ll need a sun hat to protect your baby’s face and neck from the sun.

Lightweight Blankets

In the warmer months, you’ll want to keep your baby cool whilst outside, but you’ll still need to keep them protected from the sun. That’s where having a few lightweight blankets are really handy as you can drape it over your stroller, car seat or carrier to provide protection from the sun. Just make sure to leave plenty of room for air to circulate.

We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
04/15/2024 11:03 pm GMT

How to Decide How Many Baby Baby Clothes You Need

You Baby’s Size

It’s no secret that your baby starts to grow immediately, so to be prepared for the clothes that they will be wearing is nothing but a good idea. It’s important to remember when buying clothes that each brand may not exactly fit your baby to a tee.

Some may just be a little bit roomier at first which in the long run is great as you are ensuring that at least for the next few weeks/months (Depending on the rate that your baby grows) that you’ll have the right outfits to fit them.

If you’re looking at newborn sizes then it is good information to know that most of those sizes max out at eight pounds, so if your newborn is a little larger than that, they will most likely need to go straight into 0-3 month old clothes.

The positives of that is that at least for the next three months you should be able to scrape by without purchasing much more in regards to the size and rate that your baby is growing, however each baby is different you may find that clothes that fall into the right size may be a little bit too big or a little bit too snug.

Obviously it’s pretty impossible to know exactly how big your baby is going to be before the date of arrival so you should definitely try and mix in a few on the larger side of things just to give you a little bit of insurance. 

How Often You Want to Do Laundry

This may sound a little weird at first but you’ve got to remember a baby is a walking target (maybe not literally) for all types of spills and messes.

Meaning that if you do your laundry a couple times a week anyway then the amount of fresh clothes your baby will have at their disposal will be more than say if you just did it once a week.

That being said You really can’t be over-prepared with the amount of clothing you have.

What Season Your Baby is Arriving / Where Do You Live

If you have a summer baby or live in a hot climate, you’ll probably find you won’t need as many warm clothes.

For example, you probably will have no need for a baby jacket if your baby is born in summer in Hawaii.

However, if you have a winter baby in Alaska, you may want to look at getting one or two warm jackets depending how often you plan to go outdoors.

Final Thoughts on Baby Clothes Needed

Although there’s no exact science of how much clothes you should buy for your baby it’s important to take into account your everyday schedule, whether that is the fact that you and your baby are active and always out and about where they can pick up stains from anywhere or whether your baby is just an incredibly messy eater and or player, we  believe that if you’re aiming for  in and around this amount of clothing you shouldn’t at any point find yourself short handed.

This won’t leave you under exposed and gives you enough time in between washes. With the rate that a baby grows you should also remember to maybe buy a size up as to limit the risk of none of your baby’s clothes fitting after a week.

Here are our recommendations for your baby clothing checklist:

StyleQuantity
Onesies6-8BUY NOW
Sleepers4-8BUY NOW
Pants3-5BUY NOW
Socks5-7BUY NOW
Hats2BUY NOW
Add For Winter  
Winter Coat1-2BUY NOW
Sweaters or Sweatshirts 2-3BUY NOW
Mittens2BUY NOW
Slippers or Booties2BUY NOW
Additional Sock2BUY NOW
Add For Summer  
Sun Hat1BUY NOW
Lightweight Blanket (For Shade)1BUY NOW
how much baby clothes do i need