Conference moira::parenting_v3

    
    Ah, the joys of first time motherhood!  I have a November baby and
    she was only 6lbs at birth.  Yes, the 0-3 months were huge on her,
    but by 6 weeks or so she was okay with them.  Unfortunatly, unless
    you go with premie stuff you're stuck.
    
    Anyway, I found the one piece numbers to be fine.  I'd put her in
    one of those and maybe a sweater for hanging around the house (we
    kept it fairly cool).  If we went out, a sweater suit (leggings
    and sweater) or one of those GREAT sweat suits they make.  For those
    you do need socks usually.  Occasionally, she'd wear a dress with
    hose and little booties.
    
    I ALWAYS put a undershirt on the kids (the snap-on type).
    
    Mittens probably won't stay on.  Most of the under 1 year snow suits
    have closed up parts on the end of the sleeve to keep the hands
    warm (what are they called???).
    
    The general rule is, dress the baby as you would want to be dressed.
    If you're cool, the baby may be too (although they're usually warmer
    than you are).  But, a BIG mistake is to overdress.  If they're
    sweating, take something off them.  That's a good way for them to
    get lots of colds and stuff.
    
    
    						jean

    My son Alexander was born a November baby also and this is how I
    dressed him.  Alex was 9 lbs 7 oz when her was born and he was waring
    3-6 months size clothes when he was born. his pedi told me to dress him 
    with one more layer than I would ware.  So I kept him mostly in the 
    nighties (the ones with the drawstrings on the bottoms) 
    and one of those onesie tee shirts on underneath the nightie.  And when
    we went out to visit or to the store I would put on one of his
    sweatsuits or one of those sleep-n-play one piece suits, the only time
    he had socks on was if I put him in one of his sweatsuits.  When he got
    a little older he had overalls, and more sweatsuits(these sweatsuits
    come in handy and they wash well too).  I always put a hat on his head
    underneath the hood of his snowsuit and if he got to hot then I would
    take the hat off and just keep the hood on him.  This year when he
    turns a year old I am going to have to buy him the 2 piece kind of
    snowsuit because he will want to go out to play in the snow with the
    other kids at daycare and it will be easier with a 2 piece instead of a
    one piece.
    
    
    Liz 

    We brought our first home from the hosp. in Sept., but it was a
    cool/cold fall, so we felt more like we had a winter baby. It's amazing
    how quickly they'll outgrow thsoe 0-3 mos clothes...even though they
    may look pretty big at first! We pretty much kept him in all-in-one
    style undershirts (called "onesies" by one brand...Gerber, I
    believe)...these snapped at the crotch and didn't ride up, which was
    nice on drafty cold days. Then we'd put on a "stretchie"...one of those
    terry-cloth sleep and play sort of suits. Usually no socks are needed
    under those, unless you notice baby's feet feel cold to you. Certainly
    2 or 3 pairs of teeny socks is enough. We did have some "real clothes"
    for going out...little downscaled versions of kids clothes...and they
    need socks with that. I'd second the "no mittens"...snowsuits usualy
    have closed up or close-up-able sleeves. We did use a hat under the
    hood though. As far as quantities, I'd say we had about 8-10 onesies,
    and maybe 6 or 7 stretchies. And about 3 or 4 "nice" outfits. You'll
    find yourself doing laundry more often than you may have been
    accustomed to, so this is enough.
    We were also advised to dress the baby as we would dress ourselves.
    But, beware one of the previous reply's....newborns do NOT sweat! They
    are incapable of this for at least 1-2 months, some longer. This is
    completely normal. You will also notice they do not cry tears at first.
    So waiting for the baby to get sweaty to tell if its too hot, is not a
    good idea. Feel their skin to see if they are cool, warm, etc.
    (obviously adjust for temp of your own skin! If you're cool, they'll
    feel too warm, etc.) If the baby is not fussing, then its a safe bet
    its not too cold or hot. They fuss when they are uncomfortable.
    The nighties with the drawstring bottoms are nice, too, with an
    undershirt underneath, but our kids always grew long really fast, and
    outgrew these quickly.
    Have fun!
    --dave--

    We also had a winter baby.  Lexi was 9 lbs 1 oz and 23" so she never
    wore 0-3 months clothes.  I had a preference for nighties with
    drawstring bottoms or one piece out fits with snaps down the legs plus
    a onesie tee shirts.  Think in terms of warmth, but also remember that
    you will be changing a lot of diapers, so that the clothes should be
    easy to take off.  The best outer wear that we had was a one piece down
    sack that had legs but no arms.  Lexi would fit into the sack and then there
    was a drawstring that pulled the top around her head like a hood.  I
    would put a hat on her also.  LL Bean in Freeport, Maine sells them,
    but there must be other places that sell them also.  If it sounds
    interesting to you and they are not available in the UK, I would be
    happy to send you a catalog.  I would offer you mine, but we have
    another winter baby on the way!
    
    Good luck - and don't buy too much, you will get lots of gifts.
    
    Penny  
     

    I second the advice not to buy too much, but not because you'll
    get gifts (though that will be true, too) but because if you have
    a large baby, it's liable to be too large for the newborn stuff. 
    Steven was 8 1/2 lbs. and left us with a drawer full of nice stuff
    that wouldn't even snap they were so small . . . 
    
    I always preferred the one-piece "sleepers" for a newborn -- the
    kind with feet, long sleeves, and snaps up the front.  They come
    in varying weights of material for different seasons; my favorite
    is stretch terry, which is absorbent, comfortable, and easy to
    wash.  The baby's much easier to pick up in a one-piece outfit. I
    never found a need to put socks or underwear on underneath these
    outfits, and we do keep our house cool, especially at night.  
    
    One thing we found that helped the baby learn the difference
    between day and night, by the way, is to dress the baby in
    something different for the nighttime than for the day.  It
    doesn't matter if it's a different kind of clothes or if you just
    change from one sleeper to another, or one nightie to another, but
    the act of changing at night and then getting dressed in the
    morning really seemed to help the baby learn the day-night cycle.
    
    --bonnie

    Hi Ruth,
    
    Many congratulations on your nearly-here baby!
    
    I had my first here in the UK just over a year ago, so didn't
    have a winter newborn. However, I thought I could add my two
    cents (umm, two pence) -- as an American living in the UK, I
    needed to translate all the names of clothes from American
    to British before I could figure out what to buy. In case
    you aren't sure what other replies are talking about:
    
    American        British
    ________        _______
    
    "undershirts"       "vests"             [short sleeves, snap at bottom]
    "sleepers"      "stretch sleepsuits"    [usually with longs sleeves and
                                             feet]
    "onesies"        ? also "vests"         [same as undershirts, actually]
    "pants"          "trousers"
    "underpants"     "knickers"
    "t-shirts"       "shirts"
    "diapers"        "nappies"
    "sweaters"       "jumpers" or "cardigans"
    
    Also, as far as equipment goes:
    
    "stroller"        "pushchair"
    "crib"            "cot"
    
    That's all I can think of for the moment as far as translations.
    
    In regards to your questions, I was in the same state as you;
    really didn't know what I needed or how much. Before the birth,
    my mother came to visit and she took me out shopping -- we
    went to Adams and Mothercare and she just picked out three of
    these and six of that, hung the clothes (on their little hangers)
    on my finger, and then I went off to pay for them! It was terrific!
    We mostly bought sleepsuits and vests. We assumed people
    would give "nicer" outfits, which was exactly what happened.
    Note that we bought a few 0-3 month sizes, and a few 3-6 month
    sizes, and both sizes came in *very* handy in the first few months.
    
    The things that I still needed after Sarah was born, I
    figured out then and sent my husband out to get. It worked out
    quite well.
    
    I didn't really know how one dresses a baby, and just played
    it by ear -- I soon figured out (from talking with other
    new mothers) that you just put on the nappie, then put on
    the sleeper or whatever. No need for knickers or plastic
    pants at all. 
    
    You don't need to put socks on the baby if s/he has something
    to cover her/his feet, like the sleeper outfits. But if you
    put the baby in trousers, you'll want socks and booties.
    
    You *will* need several little baby cardigans; these are wonderful
    to use like a robe over sleepwear, after the baby gets
    to be too big to wrap like a bundle in a blanket. If you
    can go to a nearly-new sale, you can pick these up quite
    inexpensively. 
    
    Once the baby is out of that "bundle" stage (I can't remember when
    that is exactly, but seemed to happen really quickly, like in
    a month or so) you'll want trousers and shirts sets, to start
    differentiating night and day, and because these outfits are
    so darn cute... 
    
    If you want to discuss any of this, stop by.
    Say, if you'd like someone to do a clothes shopping with, give
    a yell! Reading at lunchtime?   :-)
    
    All the very best, Barbara
     

    Many thanks for your replies -- and thanks, Barbara, for the
    translations and the offer to go shopping - I may take you up on that
    sometime!
    
    So far I've bought two vests and 3 all-in-one suits, but I think I'm in
    danger of buying too much if I'm not careful because everything looks
    so cute!!
    
    I aim to get a couple more vests, one more bodysuit, a cardigan, and a
    small-size bodysuit just in case.....  I won't bother about mittens and
    socks just yet from the advise in this note.
    
    [Ruth]

    Hello Ruth, and (a belated) CONGRATULATIONS
    
    I too can remember wandering round Mothercare, not knowing what to buy
    and wishing someone would tap me on the shoulder and say "you don't
    need anyone those, but buy two of these...".   I had my baby during the
    heatwave of 1989, no I've no practical experience of winter newborns,
    but here's my two-pence worth anyway.
    
    I think I had about a dozen stretch sleepsuits and six vests, and did
    not find I had too many!  Newborn babies tend to sick-up a little bit
    of milk at each feed, but a little can go a long way, and also, even
    with nappies on, newborns tend to leak a bit at the other end, so I
    found that I was changing Alison's clothes three or four time a day at
    first.  Don't worry - this stage doesn't last for ever!  I bought about
    half a dozen sleepsuits from nearly new sales (do you live in Reading? 
    There are two NCT nearly new sales in Reading in October - please mail
    me if you would like details), and I was given several sleepsuits as
    well.
    
    For a November baby, I would put a vest on under the sleepsuit, but
    they don't need knicker over the nappy.  If you have a little girl who
    wears dresses, sometimes it looks neater to put knickers on over the
    nappy, but it's not essential.  Come to think of it, in the winter I 
    would put tights or leggings on Alison, if she was wearing a dress, so
    you wouldn't need knickers as well.
    
    You don't need socks with all-in-one (I was trying to avoid that phrase
    :-{) sleepsuits, but I found that Alison grew out of the legs before
    she grew out of the top bit (does that make sense?) so to make the
    sleepsuits last longer, I unpicked the toe seams, hemmed them, and she
    wore them with socks.  
    
    Little cardigans are useful, but if you have relatives who can knit,
    you will get given lots of these.
    
    When Alison was newborn she hated having clothes pulled on over her
    head, so I found the little vests that tie round the tummy really
    useful.  For the same reason I didn't really like stretch suits that 
    you put on over the head, with poppers down the back.  Also, if you get
    anything like dungerees, try to get ones with popper up the inside leg
    - it makes nappy changing much easier.
    
    I didn't buy any first size (60 cm 0-3 month) clothes, but I had a tiny
    (5lb) baby and 3-6 months clothes were ENORMOUS on her, fortunately I
    got given a lot of first size suff.  I think she wore first size until
    she was about 9lb (about 2.5 months old), so I can see that if you have 
    a big baby, you can completely miss the first size stage. 
    
    Sorry to ramble on - have fun on your shopping trips, and good luck for
    the future.
    
    Cheers
    
    - Janet                              

    
    To the author of 303.3...
    
    	I don't know about your babies, but MINE sweat through the top of 
    the head when they were too hot.  In any case, dressing a baby too
    hot is as bad (or worse) than too cold.
    
    	To the base noter - I know what you mean about wanting to get
    everything under the sun since they're all so cute!  It was really
    difficult for me to hold back!
    
    	Good luck!!!
    
    
    					jean

    One thing I found that was extremely useful was a tiny pair of mittens
    which I put on my newborn son to keep him from scratching himself. They
    didn't have a divider for the thumb, just a small sock-like item with
    elastic around the end.  
    
    Sarah
    

The only different thing I can add is perhaps what we call receiving blankets
here.  These are used to bundle the baby and I think babies like this for the
first couple of months.  I got the biggest ones I could get; and for my last
baby I made them the size I wanted. I made them out of cotton flannel, which 
keeps them very warm.

Did you know there's a brand of disposable diapers here called "Nappies"?
It was fun hearing you (seeing you?) using the term.

If you feel like buying more stuff, you could buy bigger (I always bought
6-9  months for starters), or even 12 months.   These will be big, but the 
baby doesn't care and they will last longer!

Good luck,

Mari

    I did a search and could not find anything like this.  If I overlooked
    it, I apologize.
    
    I would like to know if there is a propoer time to start buying things
    for the nursery (crib, bassinet, monitor,etc.) and for the baby (layette,
    etc.).
    This is our first and I don't want to buy things too early or too late.
    Any help would be appreciated. I am currently 5 months.

    Start looking now and narrow down just what you want.  Start pricing
    them at different stores and write down all the information.  Start
    researching (in here is where I did a lot) for what might be the brands
    you want, etc.  I would say around 7-8 months is a good time to start
    getting the things and finishing up the nursery.  We did the painting,
    etc., about your stage (5 months).  But before you know it, your last
    month is going to be here!!!  Do the running around while you have the
    stamina to do so!  Good luck, and enjoy.

    What we did...
    
    Started furniture search at around 4-5 months.
    Selected nursery decor at 6 months and ordered wallpaper/borders,etc.
    Selected furniture at 6-7 months (6 week delivery leadtime...not all do).
    Decorated the nursery 7 months. 
    Started making lots of list of what we needed/wanted, and when we would
    need it (for instance we didn't even bother selecting a high chair 'til
    the baby was 6 months old and we could try her out in it. Ditto for a 
    walker). Keep this list handy...I know one woman who sent a xerox copy 
    to her sister for her shower (at sister's request). She got almost
    everything that she wanted! 
    After the baby shower (at 7 1/2 months), bought all the linens, clothing, 
    etc. that we didn't get at the shower, and all the miscellaneous 
    accessories (that we would need right away).
    Recieved and assembled the crib/changing table,at 7 1/2-8 months.
    Made curtains, bought lamps/medical supplies, etc. between 8-9 months.
    
    Note: I used the "What to expect when you're expecting" book's
    guidelines for supplies. I adjusted for the season that my baby was 
    to be born in. Also, if I wasn't sure which style I'd like best (for 
    instance... pullover tee shirts, onesies, or snap front tee shirts.)
    I bought 1 (or so) of each and tried to buy on the low side of my estimate 
    for what I'd need. This allowed me the chance to try them out later
    with the baby and then suppliment my supplies with what really worked
    well for us. 
    
    
    

    	My advice?  Wait until after your baby shower, if you are
    	having one, to buy anything large. 
    
    	Some people will undoubtedly disagree with me but in my
    	instance money was extremely tight and I wasn't all that
    	particular on brands, etc.  What was sturdy would be what
    	we'd buy if that were the case.
    
    	In any event, I ended up getting a carriage, umbrella
    	stroller, crib, mattress, playpen, walker, dressing table
    	and many many many accessories ranging from clothes to
    	blankets to toys.
    
    	/Kim

    
       >>My advice?  Wait until after your baby shower, if you are
       >>having one, to buy anything large. 
    
       Can one be sure that one will be the recipient of a shower? 
       and when? Although I agree with the budget part of it, I am
       not so sure that waiting for an event that may not happen is
       a great idea. (just my opinion...)
    
    Monica
    

    
    
    	RE: .16
    	>Can one be sure that one will be the recipient of a shower?
    
    	No, hence the reason I said "if you are having one"...
    	I was going to put in all the "if's" and "in my
    	siutation"'s but I figured it'd make the long rather
    	long in order to get one point across.
    
    	/Kim

    I had everything bought by the end of my 6th month.  It's a good thing,
    too, since my water broke the day after I finished buying everything,
    and I delivered my twins at 28 weeks.  I found that some of the baby
    stores have lists of basic layette needs, so I adjusted that to fit
    twins.  I bought the basic linens, lots of thermal blankets, and a
    bunch of sleepers and onesies.  I figured that the babies would really
    live in sleepers the first few months, so I didn't need any cute
    outfits.  I didn't finally buy little outfits til after they were born
    and they were ready to come home which also gave me something to do
    while they were still in the hospital.
    
    I picked out all the big stuff very early in my pregnancy, and just
    watched for sales on the particular things that I wanted.  That helped
    to spread the expenses, and I got exactly what I wanted.  Also, I knew
    there would be no baby shower, and all the grandparents and aunts and
    uncles gave us money since everyone is out of state.  I usthat money to
    buy the big things, and then just told folks what they had bought for
    the babies.  Everyone seemed to like it better that way.
    
    Have fun shopping.  I know that I really enjoyed getting ready for my
    twins.
    
    Cathy

    After reading all the responses, I talked it over with my hubby.  Looks
    like we will wait until January to buy anything.  We have made a list
    of all the things that we need/want. We are in the process of getting
    brand names (thanks to this conference) and prices. 
    
    Does anyone know of a discount/outlet for Simmons cribs? name brand 
    bedding?
    
      

    For discussions of cribs and other furniture, please check the
    FURNITURE keyword listing located in note 13.18, and continue one of
    the existing strings.
    
    For discussions of bedding, please type DIR/KEY=BEDDING and continue
    one of the existing strings.
    
    Thanks,
    Laura
    co-mod

    I moved my question to 284.38.  Thanks for the pointer!!!
    
    Yolanda