Baby’s Coming Home Outfits: Dressing Your Newborn to Leave the Hospital
You’re about to have a baby; congratulations! As you prep for your big day, you probably have a hospital bag packed with all the essentials for mom and partner, but what about your baby?
The first few days, the hospital will provide a little gown and beanie for your baby to wear, but what outfits should you pack to bring your baby home?
If this is your first time, you may have questions about what your baby should wear as a newborn. The hospital staff will be there to guide you and answer many of your questions, but we’re here to help you pick the right coming-home outfit for your baby girl or baby boy.
Related: How To Save Money on Baby Clothes
So what does new baby wear coming home from the hospital? We have ideas and suggestions to help you choose the perfect coming-home outfit for your little one.
What do babies wear coming home from the hospital?
You have heard the term layette before but are not 100% sure what it means. Put simply; a layette is a baby’s first set of clothes. Many baby clothing and supply stores sell pre-packaged layettes that often include a few onesies, leggings, or gowns and may include a matching hat, mittens, and booties.
Layettes are usually sold in coordinating colors and can be gender-specific or gender-neutral.
A layette makes a great baby shower gift; parents can use items from the set as their baby’s going-home outfit.
What your baby wears home from the hospital will depend on the time of year they are born, if they are a preemie or full term, and where you live.
In general, newborns will wear leggings or pants so that their car seats can be comfortably buckled. Newborns should also wear a hat outside in cooler temps (under 75 degrees Fahrenheit) because their bodies cannot regulate temperatures like ours.
Since babies younger than six months should not wear sunscreen, if it is sunny where you live, you should put your baby in a sun hat to get them in and out of the car.
Layettes We Love
- Burt’s Bees Baby Organic Cotton Ribbed Take Me Home 3 Piece Set
- Price: $22.95
- Colors: Dawn (pink) or Eggshell
This simple set includes footed pants, a long sleeve top, and a matching hat. It comes in preemie size and goes up to 6-9 months.
- ABeCue Baby Layette Essentials 20-piece Set
- Price: $41.99
- Colors & Patterns: Blue Shark, Cornflower Blue, Dark Blue, Dark Blue 2, Dark Blue 3, Green, Orchid, Pink & Blue, Dark Blue Dino, Grey Zoo, Pink Dino, Salmon, Medium Blue, Green Car, Purple Cate
This set includes everything your baby needs to dress them in style for the first week of their life! It includes five body suits with matching pants, hats, and mittens. The colors and patterns are adorable and are perfect for a baby boy or girl!
- Hudson Baby Unisex 4-Piece Preemie Layette
- Price $11.99
- Colors and Patterns: Moose, Orange Fox, Pink Fox, Pink Safari, Royal Safari
If you’re expecting a preemie because of a high-risk pregnancy and/or planned c-section, you’ll want to ensure you have an outfit small enough to fit your new baby. This adorable 4-piece set is perfect for preemies and has a body suit, pants, long-sleeve shirt, and hat.
- The Peanutshell Prairie Floral 16-Piece Layette Set
- Price: $54.99
- Colors: Pink & Navy
This specific layette in the Prairie Floral design is perfect for your baby girl! Our favorite body suit is the one that says “fierce” in the middle! This adorable mix-and-match set has three bodysuits, pants, headbands, socks, and mittens.
Peanutshell sells other styles and designs of this layette set, so to see them all, click here!
- Carter’s Just One You Baby Layette Set
- Price: $50
- Colors: Navy & Green
Carter’s is a trusted name in baby and children’s clothes, and their adorable layette set is perfect for your newborn baby. It includes 12 pieces, including two long-sleeve gowns, three bodysuits, one 3-piece set (hat, pants top), one sleep and play gown, two paints, and two pairs of mittens.
What Clothes Do Newborn Babies Need?
While in the hospital, they will provide a gown for your baby; feel free to pack a few outfits if you wish your baby to wear their own clothing.
In addition to your newborn coming home outfit, your baby will need some essentials at home. Babies don’t need a lot of stylish or fancy clothes, and while at home, you’ll want newborn clothes that facilitate easy diaper changes.
When inside your home, in a temperature-controlled environment, most babies are perfectly comfortable in onesies while awake or playing. My boys spent a lot of time in nightgowns because there were no snaps or zippers involved for diaper changes!
During naps and sleep time, you may opt to use a swaddle, footie pajamas, or a knotted gown to keep them feeling warm and secure.
Babies should never sleep with blankets unless the blanket is used as a swaddle, nor should they wear hats while sleeping to prevent overheating.
Your baby will also need bibs for feeding, pants and long sleeves for heading out in cooler weather, and a hat for cold or sun protection. Some new parents like to use mittens to prevent their little ones from scratching themselves.
Recommended Baby Clothes to Have at Home
- Simple Joys Rompers
- Price: $25.10
- Colors & Patterns: Dots/Floral/Swan, Green/Navy Dots/Pink Stripe, Owl/Unicorn/Kitten, Red/White/Blue, Rose/White/Beige
These adorable rompers with short ruffle sleeves work as a take-home outfit for the hospital and every day where once your little girl is home. Each set is a three-pack in corresponding colors and patterns.
- Monogrammed Baby Gown
- Price: $16-$41
- Colors: Pink, Purple, white
We love this lovely monogrammed nightgown on Etsy that comes in three colors. This one-piece gown is the perfect baby girl coming-home outfit!
She can also wear it to sleep and play, and the open gown design makes diaper changes a cinch! The gown comes with your baby’s name monogrammed down the front. You can also order a matching hat or just the hat!
- Honest Company Organic Cotton Romper Set
- Price: $24.99-$36.99
- Colors & Patterns: Indigo Stripe, Avocado Leaf, White Indigo Stripe, Tiki Scenic, Jungle Jam, Beetle Geo Green
These adorable two or three-piece romper sets are a great baby boy-coming-home outfit! Made from 100% certified organic cotton, parents can trust these baby boy clothes are safe for their baby’s delicate skin.
- Gerber Unisex 4-Pack Sleeper Gowns
- Price: $20.99
- Colors & Patterns: Over 25 options!
I can not praise sleeper gowns enough! And this is the number-one selling set on Amazon in Baby Boys’ Nightgowns.
Patterns and designs are cutest, making the perfect sleeping, playing, or hospital outfit! Gowns are available in preemie and 0-6 months.
- Simple Joys 6-Piece Set
- Price: $26.60
- Colors & Patterns: Mint Green/Animal Dots/Floral, Pink Dots/Floral/Turtle, Grey Heather/Bunny/Dots
This six-piece set from Simple Joys makes a great coming-home option and works well for playing or a walk in the stroller! The set includes two short sleeve and two long sleeve body suits and two pairs of coordinating leggings with a ruffle on the bum!
Outfit Options for Baby Coming home
What moms and dads choose to bring their baby home in will depend on the weather and climate where they live. But in general, when bringing your newborn boy or girl home, you’ll want to dress them in a bodysuit or onesie, pants or leggings, or a one-piece pajama set.
Avoid exposing their legs, as sitting in the car seat could chafe their delicate skin. Plus, seat buckles may be warm or feel uncomfortable. If the weather is cool, put a hat on their head and cover their toes with booties or socks.
Trending Newborn Outfits
- Newborn Rainbow Romper Set
- Price: $12.59
- Colors & Patterns: White with rainbows
Perfect for your rainbow baby, Pride month, or if you just love rainbows! This adorable set includes footie pjs and a onesie in the rainbow pattern, plus polka dot pants, mittens, and a hat.
- Mommy and Me Kimono and Swaddle
- Price: $49.49
- Colors & Patterns: Aqua Floral, Navy Floral, Madison, Aspen, Dusty Floral, Kameron, Rachel.
New moms will love this matching kimono robe and swaddle! This set is perfect for newborn baby and mom photos and for relaxing at home. The robe is available in sizes 0-18, and shipping is free!
- Olive Leaf Newborn Baby Knot Gown and Hat Set from Caden Lane
- Price: $36
- Colors: Cream with olive leaves
This set is Caden Lane’s #1 gender-neutral baby gown and hat set! It is so popular it is sometimes back-ordered, so order ahead if interested! If olives aren’t your thing, check out their new arrivals that range from nightgowns to footie pajamas to ruffled rompers!
- Pottery Barn Kids Pima Cotton Elephant Layette
- Price: $17.99
- Colors: White
Made from the softest pima cotton, this adorable pant, top, and hat set is the perfect going-home or sleeping outfit for your little one. It has footed pants and cuffs that cover the hands to prevent babies from scratching themselves.
- Newborn Boy Coming Home Outfit
- Price: $29.56-$39.16
This adorable navy blue coming-home outfit is personalized with your baby’s name and last initial. It is available in newborn size, 0-3 months, and 3-6 months. You can choose from just the romper or the romper and hat set.
How to Prepare for Baby Coming Home from the Hospital
Before your big day arrives, ensure your baby’s room or sleeping area is put together. Whether you’re using a crib or a bassinet, have it assembled along with their changing table.
When packing outfits for the hospital, pack more than one in various sizes in case your first choice doesn’t fit. Both of my children grew out of their newborn clothes within a week!
Remove the tags and wash a handful of outfits, but don’t take the tags off everything. That way, if your newborn is too big from some of the outfits you purchased or received, you can return them.
Purchase a small back pf newborn diapers, unless you’re expecting a preemie, and a pack of size one diapers. Just like clothing, most babies outgrow or never use newborn-size clothing.
Learn how to swaddle using a blanket or purchase ready-made swaddles.
Bringing home your new baby is exciting, and so is choosing their first outfit! With so many adorable options, it may be challenging to choose just one!
So remember, when shopping for your baby’s coming home outfit, consider the climate where you live, the time of year they’ll be born, and whether or not you’re experiencing a high-risk pregnancy with the chance of a preemie or expect to go full term. Pack multiple outfits in various sizes, and have a hat, booties, and pants or leggings to keep them comfortable outside and while in the car.
For more tips on what to bring to the hospital when you give birth, see our Perfect Hospital Bag Checklist.
