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Original poster

To think I'm weird, as DD doesn't sleep in sleepsuits?

80 replies

rainybow18 · 03/05/2021 12:33

DD sleeps in sleeping bags, and they have always stated on the packaging what the suggestion is for baby to wear in different temperatures. It rarely suggests a sleepsuit, only if it's really cold, like 16 or 18 degrees I think.

Everyone I know seems to use sleepsuits in sleeping bags though. DD was summer born so I was very worried about overheating early on, but I'm wondering if I'm alone in not using sleepsuits for sleep?

Do those of you who use sleepsuits put a vest underneath too?

YABU - nah not weird, we don't use sleepsuits for sleep either
YANBU - the clue is in the name, why wouldn't you use them for sleep?

OP posts:
110APiccadilly · 04/05/2021 07:37

Incidentally, on the "how long have sleeping bags been around?" question - I and my siblings apparently had knitted ones! And I think the pattern my mum used was from the 60s (though we were 80s babies).

dementedpixie · 04/05/2021 07:48

@Micah

No sleeping bags in my day, so vests, sleepsuits and cellular blankets for my 3. Youngest is now 14

My eldest is 17, and sleeping bags definitely around then and found in m&s, mothercare, tkmaxx etc so not some exotic order from somewhere. I used sleeping bags for all mine, including the eldest.

My dd is nearly 18 and sleeping bags were about then as I used one for her and for ds who is now 14
reluctantbrit · 04/05/2021 08:14

DD didn't realise that she was supposed to feel warm/cold according to the grobag chart. She always need an extra layer or would wake up crying.

So, she had a long sleeve vest and then a two piece pyjama most times. We got a winter sleeping bag from Germany which is a two layer one compared to even the thicker Grobags.

She is now 13 and still loves to have lots of cuddly layers in bed, driving DH mad who runs hot all the time.

MaryShelley1818 · 04/05/2021 08:24

DD (13wks) wears a vest, sleepsuit, grobag and then folded blanket just over her feet/lower legs. Born in February and teeny tiny so gets cold.

In the summer months and as she puts on some baby fat I'll probably just put her in a long sleeved vest and the grobag which is what I did for her brother.

EvilOnion · 04/05/2021 08:39

The charts are just a general guideline to avoid overheating. There's no weird/not weird about it Hmm

Most people are able to apply their own common sense... if your baby sleeps fine and doesn't feel particularly hot/cold to touch then they are comfortable - leave them as they are.

If your baby is crying constantly and feels particularly hot/cold to touch then add or takeaway a layer.

My now 15yo was happy in his babygrow, nappy and sleeping bag with a crochet blanket - he still wraps up at bedtime. Whereas my 8yo hated the sleeping bag and sleep so we never really used them with her. She wore a cotton babygrow and vest or fleecy babygrow if it was particularly cold with a crochet blanket.

aprilanne · 04/05/2021 08:56

A bit older generation I think but I cant understand letting a baby sleep in one of those bags with there arms exposed like that .jings I had blankets and a woolen hat on mine as a newborn .ok we didn't have central heating but it just seems a strange way to sleep.

Lemonelderflower · 04/05/2021 08:59

Why? It seems really sensible to me!

aprilanne · 04/05/2021 09:03

Probably because the part of Britain I am from it's always on the colder side and have always slept with arms under cover as have the children .never liked swaddling but liked keeping them warm .as I said its probably the new way .but to me its strange

Lemonelderflower · 04/05/2021 09:07

But that’s why it’s sensible as a lot of babies kick blankets off. If they are wearing a long sleeved babygro which mine always does (might change in summer - ha, if summer ever gets here!)

He hated being swaddled but was fine if his arms were free.

Bumblebee1980a · 04/05/2021 09:14

We used the gro bag sleeping bags. Depending on the temperature we would add a long sleeved vest or short one.

Baby gros for sleeping are so nineties.

You're being sensible - they say to use them to prevent SIDS.

EvilOnion · 04/05/2021 09:18

"Baby grows for sleeping are so nineties"

This is possibly the strangest comment I have ever read on here 🤣

TJ17 · 04/05/2021 09:20

I've always gone by this which is 2.5 tog and sleepsuit and room is usually 19-20 degrees

To think I'm weird, as DD doesn't sleep in sleepsuits?
MrsR87 · 04/05/2021 09:37

Currently, our bedroom is around 18-22 degrees, depending on the weather. My 5 month old sleeps in a 2.5 tog bag and a sleepsuit, no vest. When he was smaller and it was the depths of winter he wore a vest too.
As summer approaches, we will move into a 1.5 tog with either a sleepsuit, long vest, short vest etc, depending on the temperature. I find it really helpful having a thermometer where he sleeps so I can make an informed decision.

PrtScn · 04/05/2021 09:46

My toddler still has a sleeping bag. A winter one, and a thinner summer one. He wears long sleeved pyjamas and a vest with it, and sleeps on top of the bed. In the summer if it’s hot he will be in short/t-shirt pyjamas with no vest. When he was very little in the summer we just had him in his vest. We have no heating unless it’s very cold, and have the thermostat set to 18 degs in the bedroom if it is.

birdglasspen · 04/05/2021 09:51

If she was cold during night she'd probably start waking? I use a vest, sleepsuit and a bag in winter and no vest and a lighter bag in summer. Temp varies a lot though and I can't set radiator on timer due to a problem with heating! I think you would know if she was cold.

Bumblebee1980a · 04/05/2021 10:32

@EvilOnion

"Baby grows for sleeping are so nineties"

This is possibly the strangest comment I have ever read on here 🤣

It was said in tongue and cheek.

However, things have moved on and the sleeping bags are to help contribute towards the prevention of SIDS (obv other things help to prevent it too).

majesticallyawkward · 04/05/2021 10:44

No sleep suits here, both dc are sweaty sleepers. Ds is 18m now, from about 7 months my ds liked to fiddle with his belly button to settle so the sleep suits were ditched. He always hated the sleeping bags too so they've rarely been used, last time I tried he kicked his way out of it.

Right now he's in shorty PJs (long legs/sleeves when it's chilly), we cosleep and he just grabs the blanket when he wants it...

DD was similar, hated sleeping bags and was out of sleepsuits before she turned 1, at 5 she still likes to sleep in underwear only and rarely has a duvet on.

Reinventinganna · 04/05/2021 10:59

You think you are weird for not using sleep suits?
What other crazy antics do you get up to?

Wild!

bluebluezoo · 04/05/2021 12:26

A bit older generation I think but I cant understand letting a baby sleep in one of those bags with there arms exposed like that .jings I had blankets and a woolen hat on mine as a newborn .ok we didn't have central heating but it just seems a strange way to sleep

Do you also not understand why we no longer put babies to sleep on their fronts, use car seats, don’t put rusks in bottles and avoid giving gluten under 6m?

Science moves on. Cot deaths have significantly reduced, for reasons like putting them on their backs, and also that overheating is a contributory factor. It has been shown that babies are safer in bags as they are less likely to overheat than in blankets and hats as you describe.

Heyha · 04/05/2021 12:53

But @Bumblebee1980a one of the suggested items to wear under a grobag in a 16-18 degree room, in a 2.5 tog bag IS a sleepsuit on all the guides I've seen 🤷‍♀️ so clearly not a SIDS risk as you suggest. Are you thinking of something other than a footed baby grow/sleepsuit when you say that?

BlueShrew · 04/05/2021 12:53

As far as I recall, mine was only in a vest inside the grobag in the warmest months, otherwise a sleepsuit as well. Our house was probably around 18-19 overnight though, sometimes lower, and they were a generally cold baby. Even in the hospital, the midwives would check temperature and keep adding more and more blankets to the crib and even 2 hats at some points!

EvilOnion · 04/05/2021 12:58

@Bumblebee1980a I don't think I've ever heard of baby grows being linked to SIDS Confused

The only reason that bags bring risks down is because they keep the cot empty from blankets. Nothing to do what they are wearing.

dementedpixie · 04/05/2021 13:06

Grobags stop blankets going over their face and as they are supposed to have no sleeves they can help regulate body heat. This can help prevent SIDs

EvilOnion · 04/05/2021 13:13

That's obvious fact @dementedpixie but that doesn't explain how baby grows specifically have been linked to SIDS?

Bags replace blankets - not pyjamas

minniemomo · 04/05/2021 13:21

No sleeping bags when I had mine but I can't stand sleeping in a warm room so mine had vests, sleep suits and blankets, room was around 15 degrees typically except midsummer. They are adults now

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