Grobags or blankets for new borns?

[aliceemma]

What you reckon is better for new borns / young babies - grobags or sheets & blankets? Grobags look good but are they a lot of hassle to keep clean?

They're very easy to clean as they machine wash. The reason I didn't use them on my two as newborns was purely cost. They are expensive and they wouldn't get much wear out of the newborn size. I waited till they were in the next size up which lasted for about a year, I think.

If you have a local branch of the NCT, find out when their next Nearly New Sale is. They almost always have grobags really cheap and often hardly used.

Depends on the baby I think. My DD would not stop moving and constantly kicked covers off - wished I'd heard of grobags at the time. As it was I used to bundle her up tight and re-arrange it all on a regular basis.

DS - very laid back boy who didn't really need them as he wasn't quite such a major wriggler. Now 6 mths on, he's much more active and I find them really good.

I think grobags they are fine myself - not too tough to keep clean (you chuck em in the washing machine) and at least you know they are always covered.

PS - No need to spend a fortune on the actual Grobags, you can get perfectly good ones from tesco, sainsbury, matalan etc for half the price.

For newborns I'd say sheets and blankets are best so you can swaddle them. Or you could buy a special 'swaddle-me' blanket.

After around 3 or 4 months when DD moved from the moses basket to the cot I used a grobag. Sheets are a faff by then as they just get kicked off. They are easy to wash and dry, you could probably manage with just two unless you have a very sicky baby.

MyCat is right about cost - branded Grobags are around £25 but I got some just as good in Asda for a fiver.

Baby needs to weigh 10lb before going into a grobag so it would probably be a few weeks/months before you can use one anyway.

I used them for both of my DSes and I think they're great! No need to worry about them getting cold in the night. DS1 hated them from about a year onwards because they stopped him from standing up in the cot. DS2 still loves his, though, and he is now 18 months old.

I saw some in Wilkinsons (of all places!) this week for only £8.99. They had a tog rating too.

I preferred to use blankets when DS was little as we co-slept and I found it easier to adjust his temperature by removing or adding a layer of blanket.

Now he rolls in his sleep, grobags are so much easier, but I've never paid more than £10 for one, by shopping around - so far I've bought from TK Maxx, ebay, and the clearance rack in Boots.

Hi I think i'm going to go with 2 growbag type things got one in John lewis for £10 in sale and will wati and see if anyone buys us another if not get a 2nd one.

They wash and dry really well, mine have all benn used for 2 children and still look brand new.

You can start using them from 7lb now, not 10lb, that was the old style.

I love that if they wake up you can get them back to sleep/feed them then lay them back down and they are still all snuggled in their bag.

They are also great when you are staying somewhere unfamiliar, as they are a constant from home.