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I think no matter what you do, you will buy things you never use, and you will end up having to run out to the store for things you didn't buy or things you need more of. I just think it's inevitable!

That said both my babies were over 8 lbs at birth and wore NB stuff for at least a month. Personally, I mostly did footed sleepers for the first stretch- it was just way too much effort to get onesie AND pants on. (Then again my 9 month old didn't get out of her pajamas twice this week, so....) it's nice to have one or two cuter outfits for company though, or outings.

You need socks even though I hate them. I almost never used those little cotton hats you see everywhere. Sizes are frustratingly all over the place even in the same brand. Carters fleece sleep and plays run a lot bigger than cotton. Gerber runs very small- I found their 0-3 fit just a ought for the first month.

@Goldengirl: my 9 month old is outgrowing her 9 month cotton sleepers but has room to grow in the 6 month fleece ones. That much as least is consistent. It's so frustrating!

Mine was 8lbs even and 20" long and wore newborn for a month. Mostly outgrew length. I buy outfits as well cause I like to have outfits for during the day and sleepers for night.

If I had to do it all over again...

6-7 NB size sleepers
5-6 onesies (kimono style since putting an envelope onesie on a newborn can be scary- we always went legs first, but still)
6-8 socks
2 pairs of mittens

My LO was in NB sizing for about 3-4 weeks. Carter's NB did not fit him, but Skip Hop did. We stayed inside with the baby for the most part and didn't mind doing a few loads of baby clothes in a week.

I would completely skip the kimono style shirts marketed to prevent rubbing against the navel. They always bunched up and I felt his healing navel was even more vulnerable.

DD was in newborn clothes for about 6 weeks. I personally didn't like to keep her in sleepers all the time so I had outfits for her to wear during the day.

@Goldengirl: here's a pic http://www.njfamily.com/images/cache/cache_a/cache_0/cache_5/baby-onesie-imag-ee42c50a.jpeg?ver=1453386897&aspectratio=0.66722268557131

Only my middle baby (8.8lbs) wore NB sizes. My others were ten and nearly eleven pounds though.
I only did cotton jammies. I don't like fleece on young skin, it's just not breathable enough.
We did outfits during the day. Nothing fancy, just leggings and onesies, maybe a cardigan. I never found socks that would stay put so we did Zutano booties.
Didn't really keep them in hats unless we were outside either.

My baby was nearly 10 pounds and 21.5 inches long and newborn stuff never fit. I took a newborn sleeper and a 0-3 month one to the hospital.

For me I had a late October baby and used the thin hats at night for a week or two because our room was cold, but it made me worry that I was going to overheat her even though it was a super thin hat. Other than that I used them when we left the hospital and the house and then upgraded to a warmer winter one a few weeks after for outdoor use. I never put her in actual outfits except for special occasions until after 3 months. Sleepers are way easier I feel, but some people are into the teeny clothes. I also layered a tshirt or long sleeved onesie underneath the sleeper everyday until probably March when winter was ending (but depends on your climate). I have just started using them underneath her shirts again and she's nearly one.

Personally, I hate fleece sleepers and pants for babies especially when they're little, for breathability. I also dislike zippered sleepers, but most people prefer those.

Socks are handy for providing extra warmth, they also can keep your baby's feet and legs in their sleeper if it is a bit large which is helpful for when they're in between sizes. They also stay on hands pretty well if you need some extra hand warmth or for scratch mittens in a pinch.

I'd buy minimal newborn stuff because unless your baby is small then they should still fit in 0-3
Month stuff and you can use the sock trick for their legs. That's just me though-advised by my mama who had 6 kids ranging from 7-9.12 pounds and didn't use newborn clothes.

Someone told me that if stuff is marked 3 months it means 0-3 months and so the 3 months is the top of the range it is supposed to fit. I found that true for my baby. She was in 6 month stuff at 4 months, but she was long and thin. Now at 12 months she is in 12 months tops and 18 month bottoms. Sometimes stores change the way they size. I have hand me downs that should be 12 months size in the same brand as another 12 month item and compared to each other they are different sizes!

@Goldengirl: I like one pieces the most. DD wore a lot of rompers and dresses. She wore tops and leggings the least. Personally I don't think diaper changes are any more difficult based on the outfit. However in the middle of the nights snaps are a pain. I greatly preferred zippered footed sleepers.

ETA: here's an example of a romper I would have bought in newborn size (boy and girl version).

My 8lb3oz baby wore NB for 1 month. My 9lb11oz baby went straight to 0-3 month clothing. I brought a NB and 3 month outfit to the hospital both times.

My boys are summer babies, but I prefer footed one piece sleepers in the beginning. It's hard to put clothing over their heads so kimono style or button down are the best. I like snaps for day and zippers for nighttime.

PS. Janie & Jack has footed one-pieces that zip from the foot to the neck (reverse from most other brands) so baby's chest stays warm during changes.

@Goldengirl: she was permanently in the onesie tshirt underneath a footed sleeper and then in a sleep sack (2.5 tog rating). Our room was around 21 Celsius according to our baby monitor and thermostat. I was always concerned about being too warm and I would constantly feel the back of her neck to see how warm she felt and her forehead. Her hands would be little ice cubes, but the rest of her would stay warm, but not too hot. I never used a swaddle so her arms and hands were always out which probably made her a little bit cooler. Once they start rolling over and sleep on their tummies they are warmer and more cosy. She was never sweaty and I just skipped the hat after the first week or two because it made me worried even though it was thin (which I know is a no no for sleep), but at the beginning they are so little and have been in a warm little pool for a long time. So you do what you're comfortable with and what your baby's body seems to need. She slept beside me in her crib for the first 6 months and so I would just put my hand in there and feel her whenever I woke up. Some babies and kids run hot and some run cold. Mine seems to be similar to me and stays warm but doesn't get sweaty at night or anything when sleeping. Definitely always err on the cool side for sleep though!

I compulsively checked the temperature with our baby monitor and the weather outside at night since that would have some impact on the room temperature. I'm only now becoming more relaxed about what I put her in to sleep. For the summer I put her in a long sleeved onesie or a tshirt onesie with no legs/pants and a 0.5 tog sleep sack. 68 degrees/20 Celsius seems to be the sweet spot for baby sleep temperature in my opinion. In the summer I also turned her ceiling fan on to help keep it feeling cooler once she was in her own room even though we keep our house around 21 in summer and winter. Now that night temps are dropping to 46/8 Celsius she is back in footed sleepers (no onesie underneath yet) and her 2.5 tog sleep sack.

It's tricky worrying about their body temp at night. Easy to let yourself get worked up about it being right as you may be able to see from above.

I had zero newborn clothes. Just sleepers! At 3-4 weeks I switched to 0-3 months and started getting them dressed in the day. I find newborns so flippy and hard to dress in real clothes, lol.

In the early months I found myself getting really neurotic about sleep temps too. I had to remind myself there is a range of good temps, not one specific magic one. I was scared of overheating, but my baby sleeps better when warm. I've found it a good guideline to make sure he is sleeping in as many layers as I am. For example:

70F: zippered footie pjs and a swaddle / sleep sack
74F: a onesie and zippered footie pjs
78F: zippered footie pjs

That's a lot more clothing than is what is suggested often on HB but it works for us.

and just remember, Amazon is your friend! Without fail you can get something delivered to you if you find a product that you need more of or can't live without.

I decided I hated snaps/buttons. All of those cute sleepers that button up the front...ugh. When you're going through diapers every 2 hours, thats a LOT of snaps. She pretty much lived in zip sleepers.

oh and my MVP zip sleeper for all age ranges (she's still in them now at 18 months) is Bonds, an Australian company. All of their smaller size (under 12 month) sleepers have built in mitten cuffs for the hands AND feet, and two way zippers. Not to mention they are cute as heck, wash SO well, and the exchange rate from AUD to USD makes them cheaper than gap.

I bought 2 piece outfits and one piece pjs. I pretty much mostly used the one piece pjs until she was a few months old. I also learned the hard way that the its super frustrating and annoying to have to match up all the buttons on the one piece pjs every 2 hours in the middle of the night in the dark for diaper changes, its all anout the zippered pjs!

@Goldengirl: H&M and carters brand!

http://m.kohls.com/product/prd-2530465/baby-carters-3-pk-lamb-side-snap-bodysuits.jsp?ci_mcc=ci&utm_campaign=LAYETTE&utm_medium=CSE&utm_source=google&utm_product=17999577&CID=shopping15&gclid=Cj0KEQjw4MK_BRC1n6KTtezikbIBEiQA872hYTA79OqfMDdnmz3vx5v78MQQXoqfPB-Y2gqFZ_lzEzcaAlzl8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CKbDkvKHvc8CFUstaQodfEgM9w

http://m.hm.com/us/product/49292?article=49292-D

I haven't seen anyone mention them yet but I liked having a couple of those gowns for nighttime in newborn sizes. We were so sleep deprived and these were the easiest option for us for middle of the night diaper changes. Snaps are a pain but it means you can keep the top of baby covered and zippers are easier but baby's top half is exposed and they lose so much body heat unless you have a onesie on them which we never did.

I loved the H&M kimono onesies, they are organic cotton and nice and thick.

Also, try consignment sales/stores or local bst pages for newborn and 0-3 month stuff especially. Everyone buys stuff they never use and even the stuff you use is used so sparingly that it's super easy to get cheap stuff in great shape.

@Cole: yes this. If I have a second kid I'm going to go the gently used route for almost everything. I didn't start buying off of our local b/s/t until lo was 7 months or so. I wish I had started sooner especially for clothes and all of the short-lived activity stuff like swings, jumpers, , bouncers. I wish I would have gotten over myself and my thinking that she "needed" new stuff... wrong!