How Many Babygrows Does a Newborn Actually Need? Practical Advice for New Parents
June 01 2026 – Lottie & Lysh
If you've found yourself staring at a pile of tiny baby clothes wondering how many babygrows a newborn actually needs, you're definitely not alone.
It's one of those questions that seems like it should have a simple answer.
The reality is that babies have a habit of making fools of all our carefully laid plans.
Before my eldest was born, I bought all sorts of outfits that I was convinced would be worn constantly. Tiny jeans. Little shirts. Matching sets. Things that looked adorable hanging on a clothes rail.
Some barely left the drawer.
The babygrows, on the other hand, seemed to be in a permanent cycle of wear, wash, dry, repeat.
Personally, I had loads of babygrows.
If you've read this far expecting me to tell you that you only need five, I'm probably not the best person to ask.
I loved them.
Partly because both of my boys had eczema, so soft, comfortable clothing became something I paid close attention to. But also because babygrows were just easy. They worked. They were comfortable. They washed well. They made getting dressed one less thing to think about when I was already running on very little sleep.
And unlike the babygrows I remembered from years ago, they didn't look like pyjamas.
The funky prints, bright colours and playful designs meant they worked perfectly as daytime outfits. Add a little jacket, some tiny trainers and suddenly a babygrow looked more like an outfit than sleepwear.
Even when my boys got older, they still wore rompers and babygrows regularly.
So if you're hoping for an exact number, I'm afraid I'm probably not the person who is going to tell you that you only need five.
But after nearly eleven years of making baby clothes and helping thousands of parents choose them, one thing I've learned is that there is no such thing as the perfect newborn wardrobe.
There are simply clothes that work for your baby and your family.
If you're still deciding what to buy before baby arrives, our collection of newborn babygrows is a good place to start. You'll quickly begin to spot the styles parents come back for time and time again.
Start with the useful newborn pieces
Soft babygrows, coming home outfits, swaddles and everyday baby clothes that work for real life, not just one perfect photograph.
The Funny Thing About Newborn Clothes
Over the years we've seen parents buy everything from three babygrows to thirty.
The funny thing is that most babies seem to rotate through the same handful of favourites regardless.
There is usually one that feels softer than the rest.
One that somehow always ends up clean when everything else is in the wash.
One that gets packed into every changing bag without anyone consciously choosing it.
One that appears in half the photographs from those first few months.
Most newborns don't wear every item in their wardrobe equally.
They wear the clothes that make life easier.
So How Many Babygrows Does A Newborn Actually Need?
If somebody asked me for a rough starting point, I'd probably say somewhere around 8 to 12 babygrows.
Not because there is some magical number.
Simply because it usually gives enough breathing room between washes without filling drawers with things that never get worn.
Newborns have a remarkable ability to need an outfit change at exactly the wrong moment.
Milk spills.
Dribble.
Leaky nappies.
The occasional mystery stain that appears despite your baby seemingly doing absolutely nothing.
Having enough everyday baby clothes to comfortably get through a few days without constantly running the washing machine tends to make life feel a lot easier.
That said, I would always rather have ten babygrows I genuinely love than twenty that never quite get worn.
Some babies stay in newborn size for weeks. Others seem determined to outgrow it before you've even removed the tags.
Some of our most popular babygrows are actually bought before baby arrives, particularly by parents keeping the gender a surprise. Those tend to be the pieces that get chosen with the heart rather than a checklist.
If you're currently trying to decide what sizes to buy, our newborn baby clothes size guide explains why sizing is rarely as predictable as people expect.
Nobody really remembers whether a baby owned fifteen outfits or fifty. They remember the pieces that became part of everyday life.
One Thing That Surprises New Parents
People often spend hours thinking about what baby clothes look like.
Far fewer spend time thinking about how they feel.
That changes very quickly once baby arrives.
A babygrow can look beautiful folded neatly in a drawer, but if the fabric feels stiff, the seams rub or there isn't much stretch, chances are it won't become a favourite.
Parents tell us this all the time.
The outfits they reach for repeatedly are usually the softest.
The easiest.
The ones that babies seem happiest wearing.
Many families find that soft baby rompers and comfortable newborn babygrows become the foundation of their baby's wardrobe because they work for naps, feeds, cuddles, visitors and everything in between.
The best everyday baby clothes are rarely the most complicated.
They simply make life easier.
Why Some Babygrows Stay Soft And Others Don't
This is something I didn't fully appreciate until I started making baby clothes myself.
Not all fabrics behave the same way after washing.
Some stay soft and comfortable wash after wash.
Others become rougher, lose their shape or start looking tired surprisingly quickly.
That's often down to fabric quality, fibre composition and how the garment was made in the first place.
At Lottie & Lysh we use OEKO TEX certified cotton blends with a small amount of elastane. That tiny bit of stretch makes a surprisingly big difference to comfort, particularly for wriggly babies who spend most of their day kicking, stretching and exploring the world around them.
You can read more about OEKO TEX here.
Because let's be honest, newborn clothing gets washed constantly.
Probably more than most people expect before becoming parents.
The outfits that end up being worth the most are rarely the ones worn once for a photograph.
They are the ones that become part of ordinary family life.
The babygrow that survives countless washes.
The outfit that somehow gets worn three times in one week.
The piece that gets passed down to younger siblings.
Or folded away years later because nobody quite feels ready to part with it.
I think that's one reason many parents gradually move towards smaller brands and ethical baby clothes once they realise how heavily newborn clothing actually gets used.
If you've ever wondered why some baby clothes feel soft and others feel strangely scratchy, our baby clothing fabric guide goes into more detail.
Zip Or Popper? The Debate Nobody Warns You About
Ask ten parents whether they prefer zips or poppers and you'll probably get ten different answers.
Some absolutely swear by zips.
Others would never give up poppers.
Personally, I think it comes down to what you get used to.
At 2am, when you're changing a nappy in near darkness while trying not to fully wake your baby, simplicity matters more than anything.
There is daytime baby dressing.
And then there is 3am baby dressing.
They are very different experiences.
Packing Babygrows For The Hospital
I also packed far too many clothes the first time around.
I had visions of outfit changes, photographs and introducing my baby to the world looking beautifully organised.
Most of it came home untouched.
What actually got worn were the comfortable basics.
A few soft babygrows.
A hat.
A blanket.
A coming home outfit that felt special.
The second time around, I packed far less and somehow felt much more prepared.
One thing I've noticed from customer conversations over the years is that most parents remember packing too much rather than too little.
Babies have a habit of making even the most carefully planned hospital bag feel slightly unnecessary.
The NHS includes bodysuits, vests, sleepsuits, a going-home outfit, a hat and a blanket in its hospital bag guidance, while NCT also recommends baby grows, vests, muslins, a blanket, hat and socks for baby. Useful, but still, real life usually teaches you which pieces actually get used fastest.
Read the NHS hospital bag checklist
Read the NCT hospital bag checklist
If you're currently packing yours, our hospital bag checklist and guide to choosing a coming home outfit might help make things feel a little less overwhelming.
A relaxed hospital bag clothing guide
- A few soft babygrows in newborn and 0-3 month sizes
- A coming home outfit that feels special but still comfortable
- A hat, especially for those first hours after birth
- Muslins for feeds, dribble and general newborn chaos
- A swaddle blanket or soft baby blanket
- A spare outfit for the trip home, because babies do love timing things badly
Different Families Like Different Styles
One of my favourite things about baby clothing today is that parents have far more choice than they used to.
When I started Lottie & Lysh, it often felt like the choices were either very traditional babywear or very little else.
Now parents are choosing clothing that reflects their own personality and family style.
Some keep things neutral until baby arrives.
Others know exactly what sort of prints they love.
We've always been surprised by how often parents keeping baby's gender a surprise choose the 100 Acre Woods babygrow.
It isn't the brightest print we make and it certainly isn't the most obvious choice, but people seem to connect with it instantly.
Perhaps it's the nostalgia.
Perhaps it's because Winnie the Pooh feels timeless.
The same thing happens with our Welcome Little One outfit.
We originally introduced it as a coming home outfit, but parents regularly send us photographs weeks and months later because it became one of their most worn pieces rather than being saved for a single occasion.
Then there are the prints that seem to attract families who want something a little different.
The Emerald Leopard and Paper Planes designs have always felt like that to me. Practical enough for everyday life, but with enough personality that they never feel generic.
Over the years I've realised that parents rarely choose baby clothes based purely on colour or gender.
They choose the prints that make them smile.
Styles parents choose before baby arrives
The 90s Child print seems to attract parents who grew up in the nineties and cannot resist a little nostalgia.
Mama's Boy has probably caused more "that's definitely coming home with me" moments than almost any slogan we've ever stocked.
And the florals?
The florals are the ones that often come back years later in messages that start with:
"I've just found this in a memory box..."
Which is probably why I'll always have a soft spot for prints like Cherubs, English Blue and Chamomile Rose.
Prints with personality and keepsake feel
One thing that surprised me when I started Lottie & Lysh was how emotionally attached people become to certain outfits.
We receive messages every year from parents who have found a babygrow while clearing out a cupboard or sorting through a memory box.
Not because it was the most expensive thing they bought.
Not because it was saved for special occasions.
But because it became part of everyday life.
Final Thoughts
If you're wondering how many babygrows a newborn needs, the honest answer is probably fewer than you think.
But also perhaps more than the minimalist blogs would have you believe.
After nearly eleven years of making baby clothes, one thing I've noticed is that babies tend to choose favourites just as much as parents do.
There is usually one outfit that gets worn constantly.
One that feels softer.
One that fits just right.
One that somehow becomes part of everyday family life.
Nobody really remembers whether a baby owned fifteen outfits or fifty.
They remember the clothes that became part of the story.
The babygrow in the first family photograph.
The outfit they wore home from hospital.
The one folded away years later because nobody quite felt ready to let it go.
Those are the clothes that quietly become part of family history.
And when you look at it that way, the number of babygrows you buy almost feels like the wrong question.
The better question is which ones are going to become the favourites.
If you're still building your newborn wardrobe, you can browse our full collection of newborn babygrows, including unisex styles, coming home outfits and everyday favourites chosen by thousands of parents over the years.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many babygrows does a newborn need?
Most families find somewhere around 8 to 12 babygrows gives enough flexibility for everyday life, although every family is different and washing habits play a big part.
Should I buy newborn or 0-3 month babygrows?
I usually recommend a mixture of both. Some babies stay in newborn sizing for several weeks, while others move straight into 0-3 months.
Are babygrows suitable as daytime outfits?
Absolutely. Modern babygrows and rompers often look nothing like traditional sleepwear. With the right print and a simple jacket, they make fantastic daytime outfits.
What size babygrow should I pack in my hospital bag?
It can be helpful to pack a mixture of newborn and 0-3 month sizes because estimated birth weights are not always exact and babies can surprise you.
What fabric is best for newborn babygrows?
Soft, breathable fabrics with a little stretch tend to be the most comfortable. OEKO TEX certified cotton blends are a popular choice because they balance comfort, practicality and durability.
Why do some babygrows feel rough after washing?
Fabric quality, fibre composition and garment construction all play a role. Better-quality fabrics generally retain their softness and shape for much longer.
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