What you will need: The Layette

A layette is a collection of clothes and bedding for a new baby. Women used to handmake everything during preganancy, but now most people buy what they need or have things passed on by friends and relatives.

It can be very confusing for first time parents to know what to get and what to leave out, so it's good to have an idea of what you will need.

Clothes for your baby

Cotton is the best material for babies as it is soft, natural and will not irritate a baby's delicate skin. Babys clothes are usually designed to be easy to put on and take off, bt you should look for envelope necks, a type of neckline, which is the standard and is the easiest to use.

• 3 or 4 Cotton short sleeved vests/body suits with envelope necks and poppers underneath.
• 3 or 4 Babygros/sleepsuits/all-in-ones and/or nighties with drawstrings at the bottom: these are very useful for night-time nappy changing and keeping your baby's feet warm.
• 1 soft hat or bonnet to wear outside, if your baby is born in winter, or a wide brimmed sunhat for a summer baby.
• 2 soft blankets both to wrap your baby in and to cover them when asleep.
• 1 all-in-one warm suit (with poppers between the legs) is also useful if your baby is born in winter. this can be worn over a sleep suit and keeps them warm outside.
• 1 or two cardigans to provide an extra layer. Cardigans are better than jumpers because small babies tend not to like having clothes pulled over their heads.
  
  

Bedding for your baby

• Several cotton cot sheets and cellular blankets.

Most parents start off with cotton sheets and blankets as they can be layered and keep your baby at the right temperature. If you don't want to buy sheets you could cut or fold up sheets from an adult bed. If your baby starts off in a carrycot or Moses basket, you can also buy special "pram size" sheets and blankets. You can now buy baby sleeping bags for newborn babies and this is another option.

Useful ideas

• Muslin squares are very useful. They can be used to wip your baby's mouth or face and mop up baby sick as well as being a soft surface for the baby's head to sleep on in the pram or cot. Buy lots!
  
• A couple of small towels or special baby towels with hoods on them are useful for bath time.
  

Buying tips

• Make sure everything you buy is machine-washable!
• Where possible, try and buy everything in 100 per cent cotton. Eczema can be very common. Many of the fleecy polyester jackets and blankets can make a baby too hot and irritate his skin.
  
• Keep all your receipts and buy different sizes. Have a couple of newborn outfits ready but remember, your baby will outgrow these quickly and may be born larger than you think. If you buy an outfit for a baby aged 3-6 months, bear in mind that it may be a different season by the time your baby wears it.
• Wash everything you buy before use in non-biological washing powder, to avoid irritating your young baby's sensitive skin.
• Buy the basics before your baby is born and put aside some money to buy some more later. Friends and family awill probably buy clothes as presents and you can end up with too many clothes of the same size which may never be worn. This is the reason that baby clothes are such good value at nearly new sales.