Shopping
Newborn or 1 month: the split that avoids never-worn clothes
Newborn is the size you receive most of and the one your baby stays in least. Here is how to split it.
Paul · September 2, 2026 · 5 min read
It is the most common regret of any baby list, and it is close to universal: a stack of newborn-size bodysuits and sleepsuits, brand new, tags still on, that the baby never wore.
The cause is not a miscalculated total. It is a bad split between sizes.
How long newborn size lasts
Two to three weeks for many full-term babies. Some skip it entirely, when their birth weight puts them straight into 1 month.
The 1 month size covers a noticeably longer stretch, and it is the one that is consistently missing from the wardrobe in that first month.
Out of a dozen bodysuits, a sensible split is about five in newborn and seven in 1 month. The same goes for sleepsuits.
The split to aim for
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Bodysuits: about 5 in newborn, 7 in 1 month
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Sleepsuits: about 5 in newborn, 6 in 1 month
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Cardigans, hats, socks: lean towards 1 month, they are less fitted
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Anything being gifted: explicitly ask for 1 month and 3 month
Think about the season the garment will meet
A six-month garment will not be worn six months after you buy it but six months after the birth, which is not the same season. A baby born in November will be six months old in May: six-month cardigans will go unworn, light t-shirts will not.
It is the classic gifting mistake, and it is easy to avoid by thinking in calendar months rather than sizes.
What rescues a bad split
Keep tags and receipts on anything unopened, and do not unwrap everything before the birth. Plenty of shops exchange without difficulty, and within a few days you will know which size your baby actually wears.
Second-hand helps enormously in this exact band too: newborn clothes have, by definition, barely been worn. It is the best use-per-euro in the whole layette.