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Want to curate the perfect wardrobe of newborn baby clothes that is both stylish and practical for our crazy Singapore weather? To help make this journey a little easier for you, I’ve consolidated the best of what my baby girl wore in her first 3 months. AND I will also share how many of each category is necessary so you only get the essentials – no overbuying required!
GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NEWBORN BABY CLOTHES
Before I go into each specific category of newborn baby clothes essentials, here are some general recommendations I have.
Materials
When it comes to materials for anything that is in contact with baby, I highly recommend opting for either 100% cotton or bamboo for breathability. Bamboo is usually my first choice because of how smooth and cooling to the touch it is in general which is ideal for our hot weather. However it’s also usually more expensive.
Sizing
This really depends on your baby’s birth size, but if we’re assuming an average of 3kg and standard body type, I would recommend going for 1-3 months sizes for more mileage and just skip the newborn size altogether. The reason? Babies grow really quickly in the initial months and will fill out their clothes fast so don’t worry if it looks a bit loose on them at the get go. Remember, loose is better than tight.
Brands
This is really dependent on your own preferences. I have preferences for brands that are trustworthy in the baby space as I don’t want my kids to break out in rashes if the cloth has any toxic or hazardous components.
Quantity
The quantity per category of newborn baby clothes recommended is based on how frequently you plan to do your baby’s laundry. For me, I did the laundry every alternate day, so it was good to have more on standby. If you are doing less frequently, you should have more on standby. The reason? Puke ups and spit ups occur very frequently at the initial stage and you don’t want to run out of clean attire.
ONESIES / BODY SUITS (4 to 8 pieces)
Starting with a baby staple – the onesie. For first-time parents, onesies are loose fitting garments that cover the full baby torso leaving out the arms and legs. Bodysuits are slightly more figure hugging.
Because of the freeing nature of the onesie, it is my favourite thing to dress my baby girl in the day. Here are the main onesies and bodysuits that she wore in the first 3 months.
Raph & Remy Premium Bamboo Baby Onesie
One of my favourite brands to dress baby in simply because of the soft cooling touch of the premium bamboo material. Perfect for outings in the day. Even now that she’s outgrown the initial sizing, I’ve just been buying larger sizes for her.
The cons however, is that this brand’s sizing runs small, so baby will outgrow it quickly. For this I would skip newborn size entirely. If you wanted more mileage I would say you could even get the 3-6 months from the get-go. Also at SGD 34.90 per onesie it’s not the most budget friendly.
Mothercare Short-Sleeved Baby Bodysuits – 5 Pack
In contrast, the Mothercare bodysuits with adorable prints are incredibly budget friendly at SGD 39.90 for a 5 pack. Works out to less than $8 per piece and could be cheaper with Shopee / Lazada vouchers.
I’ve continue to repurchase these at larger sizing, so yes I’m super happy with these staples.
PULL ON PANTS / LEGGINGS (4 to 8 pieces)
I would like to caveat that this could be completely optional depending on your needs. This is probably more usable if baby is brought to air conditioned places often and you want to wrap baby up more. That was not so for my case so I only bought 2 pieces – which I didn’t really use much of. Only 4-8 pieces if you need them, if not minimally 2.
Mothercare My First Organic Cotton Leggings – 2 Pack
I love that Mothercare generally has really good quality and affordable baby clothes options. Went with these and worked perfectly in matching most of baby’s onesies.
SLEEPSUITS (4 to 8 pieces)
Sleepsuits are long sleeved and long pants one-piece garments usually used in the night or in colder environments.
They come usually either with zip up closure or buttons closure features – both easily accessible for night diaper changes. At newborn age, they do not move around that much, so either works fine – at least in my case. Zip up closures may be faster but you might risk kiaping baby’s flesh in the process if you aren’t careful.
Raph & Remy Premium Bamboo Baby Zippie
Same amazing material as the onesie that we love. No need to worry about baby being too cold as usually baby is in 2 layers at night – a sleep suit and a swaddle.
At SGD 54.90 a piece, it’s in the pricey range but it’s something to pamper your baby with.
Mothercare Woodland Baby Sleepsuits – 3 Pack
Plenty of dreamy baby prints for you to choose from. The cotton material is perfect for keeping baby warm at night.
But the best thing about these Mothercare Sleepsuits are definitely their in-built scratch mitts and enclosed feet designs that means you do not need a mitten or sock that can fall off in their sleep.
At SGD 45.90 for 3 pieces, it’s super affordable for the quality it offers.
SWADDLES (4 to 8 pieces)
A baby swaddle is a practice of wrapping an infant snugly in a blanket or cloth to restrict their movement. This technique is commonly used to create a secure and cozy environment for newborns, mimicking the feeling of being in the womb. It also helps with them coping with the startle reflex, also known as the Moro reflex.
This can be done using specialized zip up swaddles, or simply with a large cloth blanket (also known commonly as swaddles). Confinement nannies tend to prefer the latter, but I personally never figured out how to use it and prefer using the zip up swaddle which was easier to use.
Hands Up Zip Swaddle
A hands-up zip swaddle typically has a zippered closure along the front or side, allowing for quick and easy swaddling. The design often includes sleeves or wing-like flaps that leave the baby’s hands protected and positioned near their face. The hands-up design is intended to give babies the freedom to bring their hands to their face or mouth, providing them with self-soothing opportunities.
Comes in really aesthetic colourways for mums who love to keep things simple. Comes in two material options – bamboo and mesh. I got one of each and preferred the bamboo. I just couldn’t really get used to the mesh texture. It may seem pricy at SGD 44 per piece (for S size), but wait for Sunday Hug sales combined for Shopee sales! With the sales, I managed to get 2 for SGD 33.90. I purchased and used both size S and size L up until baby transitioned out of swaddles at her 3-4th month.
Mum’s & Precious Bamboo Swaddle
Since I needed more swaddles, I also tried out this cheaper bamboo option which turned out amazing too! The material is comparatively thinner to Sunday Hug’s so I preferred using this during the day compared to at night. Or if I’m using the thicker Mothercare sleepsuit, then I’ll use this swaddle at night.
At SGD 11.90 a piece, it’s a steal for sure.
Traditional Cloth Swaddle
A cloth swaddle involves wrapping the baby in a square or rectangular piece of fabric with hands typically tucked inside the cloth. This traditional method requires manual folding and wrapping of the cloth around the baby, securing it with knots or tucking the ends.
Cubble Organic Bamboo Muslim Swaddle Blanket
An affordable plain coloured swaddle option. Was generally smooth and breathable enough. With plenty of pastel colourways to choose from and at just SGD 9.90 a piece, I couldn’t help but pick more than one in pink and mint.
I never knew I would be willing to fork out SGD 51.90 for two pieces of cloth, but the pretty prints and luxuriously soft to touch fabric got to me. Even my confinement nanny asked me where I got this from – while she was shocked at the price, she couldn’t help herself picking these swaddles over and over again to wrap baby in.
Mittens & Socks (6 Pairs Each)
Babies need mittens and socks for warmth, protection against scratching, and to maintain comfort. These tiny garments regulate body temperature, safeguard delicate skin from abrasions, and prevent accidental facial scratches during sleep.
I didn’t really buy many of these as babies grow out of it really quickly so I just mostly used my friends’ hand me downs and those provided by Thomson Medical Centre where I delivered (these were the BEST!). If the mittens or socks seem large at first, you can just use surgical tape to get it snug and fitting so it doesn’t fall out.
Mothercare My First Pink Organic-Cotton Mitts – 2 Pack
These were the only mittens I bought. Nothing fancy, just bought it because I bought many other newborn baby clothes from Mothercare so this was just an add on. Worked as mittens should, no loose strings like I noticed in some other brands.
Burp Cloths (15 – 20 minimum)
Burp cloths are used to absorb and contain spit-up during and after feeding, preventing it from soiling the baby’s clothes or your own. They help keep both baby and caregiver dry and comfortable, reducing the need for frequent clothing changes. Additionally, burp cloths provide a convenient way to wipe the baby’s mouth and face, promoting hygiene and minimizing skin irritations.
While these are not technically newborn baby clothes, we change them even more frequently than outfit changes, so I figured it would be good to include it.
I got a variety of them from different places but here are my favourites in the following order from favourite to least favourite:
Little Rei X Maison Q Bamboo Muslin Wash Cloth 4 Pcs (Favourite!)
Hello from the Woodland 100% Organic Cotton Baby Burp Napkin
Cubble Baby Burp Cloth 100% Muslin Cotton 5-Pack
In fact I liked the Little Rei X Maison Q ones so much I bought 8 of them in total. Why? The material is just unparalleled in softness and so gentle to the touch, perfect for using to wipe baby’s soft face during feeding time. While it may be pricier, it’s the main one I’m still using to this day, 6 months on.
START BUILDING YOUR NEWBORN BABY CLOTHES WARDROBE TODAY!
Want to keep track of your newborn baby clothes purchases? I used an excel spreadsheet during my pre-delivery days that helped me a lot. Simply request for access and you’ll be given access to it within a day! 🙂 Happy Shopping!
Attribution: All Baby Photos Are My Own With Cartoon Baby Face by Freepik
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