You’ll go through many sizes of baby clothing in your child’s first year. Before you buy anything, consider the time of year your baby will be born. Summer newborn clothes should be lightweight and breathable to keep your baby from getting heat rashes, while winter clothes should include hats, mittens, and booties. Baby clothing sizes are based on months, based on the sizes of average babies at certain ages; keep in mind that some babies will be bigger or smaller than average. If the size only gives one month instead of a range, remember that it will be the same size as the higher end of the range; for example, 3-6 months clothing is the same size as 6 month clothing.

As your baby grows from an infant to a toddler, you’ll want durable clothing that will last through all the crawling and falling. During potty training, you’ll want pants with elastic waistbands, so they won’t have to deal with zippers or buttons. Make sure you have enough clothes to get you to laundry day, as well as a few extras, in case of accidents. Toddler clothing sizes are based on children’s ages in years, and you’ll probably only need new clothes once a year at this stage. You can tell it’s a toddler size by the T after the number.

Before you start shopping for kids’ clothes, talk with your children about what they would like; they’re old enough to have opinions about colors and styles that they prefer. Basics, like jeans and T-shirts are good to have, and you’ll want to have a few nicer outfits for special occasions, too. Both girls’ clothing and boys’ clothing follow the same sizing parameters from ages 4 to 6, then split, as the sizes no longer coordinate with age.