A spring or autumn baby: the easiest layette to get right

March to May, September to November: this is the most comfortable window for putting a layette together. Temperatures are moderate, the wardrobe balances naturally between short and long sleeves, and drying is not a problem.

It is also the window people misjudge most, for one specific reason: the baby will not stay in the season they were born into.

The real question is the trajectory

A baby born in April will spend the summer in 3 month and the autumn in 6 month. A baby born in October does exactly the opposite: through winter in 3 month, reaching spring in 6 month.

Both need the same starting layette and completely opposite purchases afterwards. That is why it pays to think in calendar months rather than sizes as soon as you go past 3 month.

TOG 2 is the default sleep sack

A TOG 2 sleep sack suits a room between 18 and 20 degrees, which covers most well-insulated homes. From March to June and September to November, it is the one that gets used most.

If you only buy one to start with, buy that one. The second comes when the room temperature has actually changed, and by then you will know which way.

Buy little beyond 3 month

This is the most useful advice for a mid-season birth. Sizes from 6 month up will meet a season you cannot yet place with confidence, because the birth date itself can move by a fortnight.

Clothes bought ahead for a season that lands at the wrong moment are the first source of never-worn garments. Waiting costs less than guessing wrong, and you will know within a few weeks.