Newborn baby clothes: what do you need and how many?
Updated: 23 hours ago
You do not need a lot of newborn baby clothes. A newborn usually fits size 50-56 for only a few weeks and then grows out of it quickly. What makes the difference is not how much you have. It is whether the clothes go on and off easily and feel soft against the skin. And whether you have enough to get through a morning with three changes without having to do a wash straight away.
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What size does a newborn need?
A clothing size is the body length in centimetres. Most newborns start in size 50-56. That is the smallest size you will find in a regular shop. It is often worn for only four to eight weeks. Babies who are born small or arrive early fit better in size 44 at first. After a very early birth, that is size 32 or 38. Those are harder to find, so it helps to know in advance where you can get them.
Do not buy too much in size 50-56. Two or three sets is enough to start with, and you can always add more. Size 62 is worth having at home already: it usually fits from around two to four months.
How many baby clothes do you need?
You change a newborn six to eight times a day, and some of those changes take the clothes with them. In the first weeks, count on one to two complete outfit changes a day.
A workable basis for the first weeks:
4 to 5 long-sleeved bodysuits
4 to 5 sleepsuits or pyjamas
2 to 3 pairs of socks
1 thin and 1 thicker hat for outdoors
1 jacket or thick cardigan for the journey home
1 to 2 wool wrap bodysuits if your baby is born in winter
More than this is rarely needed. During the maternity week you will be doing laundry more often anyway. Clothes you do not use go straight on to size 62 unworn. If you want to see the whole preparation side by side, it is in the baby inventory checklist.
Which fabrics work best for a baby's skin?
A newborn's skin is thinner and more sensitive than an adult's, and lets substances through more easily. Soft, breathable fabrics therefore work best: cotton, bamboo and wool.
Cotton is sturdy, affordable and lasts. Bamboo feels softer and has more stretch, which makes dressing easier. Wool keeps warmth in and breathes at the same time. That makes it a good choice for a winter baby, even if wool against newborn skin sounds warm.
Synthetic fabrics are not wrong, but they breathe less. With a baby who gets sweaty quickly, you notice the difference.
How warmly should you dress your baby for sleep?
This is the part that really matters. Overheating is one of the risk factors for sudden infant death. VeiligheidNL, the Dutch safety institute, advises a bedroom temperature of 16 to 18 degrees. Add up the TOG values of the clothing and the sleeping bag to work out what is enough.
How those values work, and which one you need, is explained in the article on the TOG value of a sleeping bag.
In practice you check the back of your baby's neck, not the hands. Hands and feet almost always feel cooler, even when the rest is perfectly warm. If the neck feels warm and clammy, there is one layer too many.
Indoors, your baby does not need a hat in bed. Babies regulate part of their temperature through the head, and that is not something you want to cover while they sleep.
How do you dress your baby for the season?
Winter baby. Work in layers: a long-sleeved bodysuit, a sleepsuit over it, and a wool wrap bodysuit or cardigan when it is really cold. Layers are more practical than one thick garment, because indoors you can take something off without starting over.
Summer baby. Thin cotton bodysuits and loose sleepsuits. A baby in the shade often needs less than you think. A rule of thumb many parents use: one layer more than you are wearing yourself.
What should you check for safety?
With baby clothes, safety is mostly about loose parts. Small buttons, bows and appliques can come off, and anything that comes off ends up near a baby's mouth. Look out for cords too: those do not belong in clothing in the smallest sizes.
Clothes that are too tight restrict movement and breathing. You should be able to slide a finger underneath easily, especially around the tummy and the neck.
What makes dressing and changing easier?
Press studs at the crotch and over the shoulder make the biggest difference. A wrap-over design that folds open across the shoulders does not have to go over the head. In the first weeks that is a difference you feel, certainly with a baby who dislikes being dressed.
Zips are quick, but check that there is a strip of fabric between the zip and the skin. And choose clothes you can close with one hand: you will need the other one.
Is second-hand baby clothing a good idea?
In size 50-56, very much so. That size is worn so briefly that second-hand pieces are often barely used. Wash them before first use, and check the press studs and seams. How to wash baby clothes and keep them soft is covered in the article on washing your baby's clothes.
Frequently asked questions
How many bodysuits do you really need?
Four to five per size is enough for most parents. With fewer you run short on a day with a lot of spitting up; with more, clothes stay in the drawer unworn.
Do you need to wash baby clothes before use?
Yes. New clothing carries residue from processing and dye. One wash before first use is enough.
Which size do you buy when you do not know how big your baby will be?
Start with two or three sets in 50-56 and keep the rest ready in size 62. That way you always have something that fits, without a cupboard full of clothes that no longer do.
Does a newborn need socks?
Indoors usually not, because most sleepsuits have feet. Outdoors, and with a bodysuit that leaves the feet bare, yes.
Whatever you end up choosing, you are choosing for two people at once. Clothes that feel soft against your baby's skin, and that you can close with one hand at three in the morning. In the first weeks, that second thing counts for more than you expect.
Love,
Bobby
Sources
Written by Bobby, maternity nurse at Bobby Kraamzorg. Last updated: September 2026.
