Layette for the newborn baby

22 Września 2021

Layette for the newborn baby and a baby is a topic that often keeps future parents awake at night. What for a layette for a child and what it should look like list necessary products? How much is a complete layette for a newborn for the first days and weeks of life? What is not worth buying a toddler without clear medical recommendations or indications? How, especially with a tight budget, to plan purchases and whether cheap layette for a newborn is it just an advertising slogan? These are just some of the questions and concerns about preparing to welcome a new family member to the world.

When it comes to a layette for a newborn, it is most often a set of clothes and other textiles, sometimes also care products or a supply of hygiene products for a child. You can also come across the concept of a cosmetic layette for a toddler. However, a complete layette for a newborn can de facto mean everything that our child will need in the first weeks of life - or at least what can be predicted. Therefore, it is better not to be influenced by advertisements for ready-made layette sets and not assume that we will buy a complete layette for a newborn immediately, in one store.

A complete layette for a newborn, which is what?

There are actually several types of layette for a newborn - it has to do with the places where the baby is born and the situations in which he is. In each of them, we use different sets of products that we should complete beforehand, preferably with a list in hand, so as not to forget about anything important. Knowing that some things will be necessary before the birth and others a bit later will help you spread your purchases over time and plan your expenses. Regardless of how much the layette costs for a newborn baby, it usually constitutes a considerable burden on the home budget.

How much does a layette cost for a newborn?

Depending on the type of layette, we can have more than just one on the shopping list a lot of small accessories or items that need to be replenished, but also individual items bought once or rarely, but of much greater value. After adding up everything, a cheap layette for a newborn often turns out to be a fiction - even if we take into account the absolutely necessary things in it and we will be guided by the economic calculation when choosing them.

Layette for the newborn baby: to the hospital and back home

The first is a layette for the hospital, because Right after giving birth, your toddler needs first clothes, nappies, textiles and care itemsthat will be used during your stay in the maternity ward. You will find more about the hospital bag, its contents, including the first layette for a newborn, and how to pack for delivery. here. A complete layette for a newborn baby will be easier to prepare thanks to tips on what and when it may be useful, and a ready-to-download list of products will help you shop and organize items you've already bought.

Another part of the layette are things in which the child returns home from the hospital - we also list them here. In addition to clothes and textiles, it is worth paying attention to equipment necessary to transport a baby in a car, i.e. a car seat, because according to the currently applicable law in the field of road traffic, transporting a child by car requires the installation of a car seat (this applies not only to a newborn or infant, but also to an older child).

Layette for a newborn: first weeks at home

A "home" layette, consisting of things intended for care and household utensils, is there the largest item in the budget of future parents. How much it costs depends to a large extent on the expenses related to the purchase of a pram, car seat or furniture for a toddler's room, so it is worth choosing them with special care. There are also products that are used in large quantities, such as disposable diapers. A complete layette for a newborn for the first weeks at home, it is best to prepare it according to the following product groups:

  • clothes and textiles (including a blanket, a swaddle, bedding for a cot, a few cloth and flannel nappies),
  • care accessories (including a bathtub),
  • cosmetics and washing agents,
  • drinking accessories (if necessary, i.e. mainly for artificial or mixed feeding),
  • stroller and car seat,
  • a cot with a mattress and basic furniture (a changing table or a chest of drawers for storing things for a child).

Clothes and textiles 

The layette for a newborn baby must not be complete without clothes and textiles, which we will wrap or wrap the baby around. Detailed information on how to choose clothes for the youngest children can be found here.

Jagna Szulc-Kamińska

Midwife, Expert in issuing opinions on utility products at the Institute of Mother and Child

The expert advises:

A cheap layette in this case may mean a reasonable approach to the quantity (it is not worth buying too many clothes in one size, especially the smallest one, because your little one will grow out of them quickly). The priority should be the quality and safety of raw materials (certificates) and the appropriate cut, as well as a convenient - both for the child and the parent - method of fastening.

When it comes to textiles other than clothes, the layette list is as follows:

  1. blanket - for a newborn, preferably with dimensions of 70 × 100 or 80 × 100 cm, the thickness and type of fabric / knitted fabric are selected according to the needs, season and places where the blanket will be used - remembering that the more natural, soft, skin-friendly material in the composition of the baby , the better (keeping in mind hygiene, take advantage of the wide range of stores and choose a blanket that will withstand repeated washing and stay with your baby for longer).
  2. horn - the first wrapping quilt, in which a toddler can feel safe and experience closeness, even in the hands of an inexperienced parent (more information about the cone and tips on choosing it can be found here)
  3. bedding - to a crib, cradle or a pram (we wrote about the filling of bedding and textile covers here)
  4. a few nappies made of cotton or bamboo cloth and flannel - they will serve as additional pieces of pleasant-to-touch fabric for wiping the baby, placing it under the head in a bed or stroller, and also when putting the baby on the shoulder for venting after feeding.

Care accessories

As for care products, we will need:

  1. bath tubs made of certified material, anatomically shaped, without additional inserts, recliners - the child in the bath must straighten, relax, and the parent should reach all the groin and skin folds;
  2. thermometer for measuring the temperature of the body, objects, air (3in1) - with it we can check the temperature of the bath water, determine if the baby has a fever, and also control the temperature in the room or bathroom where the baby is bathing (the 3in1 model allows you to limit the number of products, but we can also buy 3 separate thermometers);
  3. brushes with soft hair bristles and head massage, natural or synthetic - it is important that it is soft;
  4. scissors for cutting nails with rounded tips, so as not to cut very thin skins on the fingers (it is not recommended to use cutters - precisely because of the risk of injury to the baby);
  5. nasal aspirator in the form of a classic pear with a rounded tip - aspirators available on the market with a long tube for extracting secretions according to the principle of a mammal are too invasive for newborns;
  6. sterile swabs for the care of the umbilical cord stump.

Cosmetics and laundry detergents

Of course, a complete layette for a newborn should not lack cosmetics and care products for clothes and textiles. We should remember that both cosmetics and any chemicals in the care of a newborn are used as little as possible. After birth, the baby's skin is very delicate and without it it is exposed to many external factors. Here list necessary cosmetics:

  1. detergent for infants from the first day of life (e.g. bar soap);
  2. olive for spot greasing;
  3. anti-burn and oiling cream, protecting the skin of the buttocks against physiological secretions;
  4. year-round cream (remember that sunscreen is used from the age of 6 months).

More details on the cosmetic layette for the newborn can be found here.

Washing agents: 

  • soap flakes - recommended especially at the beginning, i.e. in the first weeks of a child's life,
  • washing powder or liquid things for a child - with a positive opinion of the Institute of Mother and Child,

We do not use fabric softeners in the first months of a toddler's life - fabrics can be softened by pressing. You can read more about the safe washing of children's textiles here.

Drinking accessories

In a complete layette for a newborn, sometimes you need to include products that are helpful for feeding. As long as your little one is breastfed, no additional accessories should be needed. However, if your baby refuses to feed, or if there are other problems that cannot be resolved with the help of specialists from the Lactation Disorder Outpatient Clinic or a community midwife, the following shopping list will come in handy:

  1. feeding bottles with a nipple (at least 2 pcs.) - with an outflow opening appropriate to the age of the baby (0-3 months, 3-6 months, over 6 months), with a capacity of 150 or 240 ml (a bottle with a larger capacity will last longer);
  2. bottle warmer - universal (to accommodate a wide-opening one, which will also be useful for heating other drinks, and later soup jars),
  3. sterilizer - unless we want to boil the bottles or scald them with boiling water, because such hygienic procedures are obligatory in the first months of a baby's life.

Stroller and car seat

A complete layette for a newborn cannot do without the equipment necessary to transport a toddler, i.e. a stroller and a car seat. Tu you will learn how to choose your first car seat and whether to buy it with your stroller. We will need the seat when taking the baby home from the hospital, and the stroller will come in handy soon afterwards, as the first walk may take place several days after giving birth. - as long as external conditions allow it. For detailed information and tips on choosing your first stroller for a newborn baby, it's worth checking out here.

Furniture for a newborn

A cot and other furniture for a child's room or a corner is an important element of a home layette for a newborn.

Jagna Szulc-Kamińska

Midwife, Expert in issuing opinions on utility products at the Institute of Mother and Child

The expert advises:

Quite often, questions are asked about the Moses basket or the cot. These are not the necessary equipment for a newborn's layette, but they can work well for parents with a higher level of sensitivity who worry about not having their baby close with them, especially at night. The purchase of this type of bed is also justified in the postpartum period - especially when the mother of the newborn has difficulties in moving efficiently, e.g. after a cesarean section or perineal incision. However, both the Moses basket and the cot are a short-term solution - when the child begins to change position by itself during sleep, it is necessary to refrain from using them for safety reasons.

Considering how often we change diapers to newborns and babies, it's worth thinking about changing tablealthough it does not necessarily have to be a separate piece of furniture - on the market you can find covers for changing your baby, e.g. for a cot. You can read more about the types of changing tables and their selection criteria here.

Among the other pieces of furniture on the layette list for a newborn, it is very practical chest of drawers for storing baby's things. This practical piece of furniture - sometimes also equipped with a changing table - makes it easier to keep the space in which all the necessary care items, nappies and baby clothes must be placed. If you want to learn more about the features of different pieces of furniture or need tips on how to furnish a room for a newborn or baby, be sure to check out here.

What else in a layette for a newborn?

A complete layette for a newborn may include additional products related to the care of the baby, but the need to use some of them should be agreed with your doctor first. Here is a list of them:

  • containers for nipples and bottles - can be made from home sealed containers or bought specifically for these purposes;
  • used diaper basket - not absolutely essential, but useful, especially with low odor tolerance (learn more about baskets here;
  • electronic nanny - may be a solution for parents with particularly high sensitivity;
  • breathing monitor - for children who require constant control due to medical indications (for detailed information see here);
  • baby weight - for toddlers with lower birth weight or in a situation where feeding causes a lot of problems and the baby is not gaining weight properly, and going to the clinic to weigh them every few days is difficult or impossible;
  • inhalator - when it is recommended by a neonatologist or pediatrician (you can read about how to choose an inhaler for a child) here);
  • device for air humidification - in rooms with very low humidity (more information on humidifiers can be found here).

There is never too much about a layette

A complete layette for a newborn and infant is a long-winded topic that cannot be exhausted. As can be seen from the above discussion, the answer to the question, what a layette for a child is the most appropriate, why reach for specific products and what to consider when choosing themis constantly present in our texts and guides. It is worth looking at them to complete the most necessary and safest articles for your child - for the sake of their health, safety and proper development.

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Aleksandra Świeboda

Head of the Department of Assessment and Development of Cooperation at the Institute of Mother and Child

Author

Jagna Szulc-Kamińska

Midwife, Expert in issuing opinions on utility products at the Institute of Mother and Child

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