How Many Baby Clothes Do I Need?

Five bodysuits or 50? Here’s how to figure out the right number of baby clothes to put on your registry.

For lots of pregnant people, it’s tough to resist adding a million baby outfits to your registry.

On one hand, messes happen—a lot—and having clothing options for quick outfit changes can be handy. But on the other, babies grow quickly, and your little one isn’t going to stay in one size for very long.

So how many clothes does your baby actually need?

How to Build Your Baby’s Wardrobe

There are a few things to think about when you’re trying to figure out how many baby clothes you’ll need and how you should add clothing to your registry.

1. Think About Laundry

Your access to laundry (and how often you actually do it) makes a big difference in how many items of baby clothing you’ll need on hand.

Our list of newborn essentials below assumes you do a few loads of laundry throughout the week. If this isn’t the case, though, you may need more or less clothing. Here’s how to adjust:

• If you’re only planning on doing laundry once a week, multiply the numbers below by two.
• If you will be doing laundry every day, cut the numbers below in half.

2. What About Baby Clothes Sizes

Figuring out sizing and how many pieces in each size to add to your registry can be tricky as it’s tough to anticipate how big your baby will be at birth and how quickly it’ll grow. Keep these tips in mind:

• Think big. Most newborn sizes top out around eight pounds, so if you have a bigger baby, they may need 0-3 months' sizes from the start. (And if they’re on the smaller side, odds are they’ll only fit into newborn sizes for a few weeks anyway.) Pick a few newborn items and then focus on 0-3 months since those clothes will fit babies up to around 12 or 13 pounds.
• Mix it up. Each baby brand runs differently when it comes to sizing. Some brands run roomier and are great for larger babies, while others run on the slim side and work better if your baby is long and lean. Since you won’t know your baby’s body type before birth, try to mix in clothes from several different brands so you’ll have a few different fit options.

3. Stay Organized

Teeny, tiny baby clothes sure are cute—and they sure are easy to lose track of too. Organizing your baby’s wardrobe by size is the best way to know what fits right now and what you have available in the next size when the time comes.

• If you’re storing most of the baby’s clothes in a dresser, drawer dividers are a great investment. They help keep everything in one place (we’re looking at you, tiny baby socks) and can be set up by clothing type, size, or any other way you’d like.
• If you’re using a closet to store your little one’s wardrobe, check out closet dividers. These little sturdy hanging signs separate clothes into sizes (this set goes from newborn all the way through 2T) so you’ll be able to easily see what you have and less likely to forget about clothes before they’re too small.

One more organizational tip: rotate out clothing items as soon as your baby outgrows them. Staying on top of this onerous task goes a long way in helping you manage your baby’s wardrobe. Keep a storage bin (or two) on hand so you’ll always have somewhere to stash them; then you can decide if you want to hang onto them for the future or pass them on to someone else.

Sample Baby Clothing Registry

This list breaks down the standard number of clothing items you’ll want on hand for your newborn’s wardrobe. We’ve also included items to add specifically for summer and winter babies and a few things for special occasions.

Seven Bodysuits or Rompers

Bodysuits can serve as an easy, no-fuss outfit in summer or a basic layer in winter and come in both long- and short-sleeve styles. With seven, if you wash a couple of loads a week, you’ll always have clean ones on hand.

Tip: Add a kimono-style bodysuit(sometimes also called a side-snap bodysuit) or two for babies to wear until their umbilical cord falls off, usually around one to two weeks after they’re born.