anxious dad to be with stupid questions

[pacstreet]

My wife is due to give birth end of Feb and I am slightly confused with what we should be doing. We have classes that we will attend in Jan which may help.
I am hoping you guys can help.

Moses Baskets
We are planning on using a Moses Basket for the first 4 -6 months. I am worried about what sort of blankets to use for the baby at night.

Would a vest, babygro (a nightsuit) and the mini duvet which comes with the Moses Basket be enough to keep the baby warm at night?

Should we use as cellar blanket as well, so the baby will have duvet plus a cellar blanket? Or is a cellar blanket better than a moses basket duvet

On a few websites it suggests that you can use 2 - 3 blankets depending on the temp but this seems to me to be too much....

We have brought 3 blankets, one to use with the pram and 2 for indoors - for when he has naps etc is this enough?

I would chuck the mini duvet - it's totally pointless and for show, as far as I can tell!

I would get a few cellular blankets (good to have spares for the car seat, in case they get picked on etc) and use that instead. Remember that if you fold it over it becomes another layer. There is guidance somewhere (for the life of me I can't remember where!) that tells you how many layers to use for what temperature. I think on the mothercare/gro bag/ boots websites?

That should probably be enough if the temperature of your room is warm enough. The gro egg thermometer thing is great - you can instantly see the temperature (doubles as a night light) and know whether to add or remove s layer.

Hope that helps. And congratulations!

www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/Pages/getting-baby-to-sleep.aspx

help.mothercare.com/help/products/nursery/nursery_temp

You must be buying a huge Moses basket if it will last until baby is 6 months! Most babies are too long/shuffling about to much by 12 weeks to sleep in a Moses basket.

Cellular blankets or sleeping bags are good - you may want to swaddle baby in a thin cotton blanket (like a large muslin) and then lay the appropriate number of blankets over the top.

Congratulations on the imminent arrival!

is it ok to swaddle a baby and then put it to sleep, don't babies like having their arms free?

I wouldn't use the duvet which comes with the Moses basket at all. I think that the recommendation is that babies under 1 year shouldn't use duvets at all for safety, my 2.5 year still doesn't use one. I found baby sleeping bags much easier to use but still have blankets to use with the car seat and pram/pushchair.

Also, just to mention that most babies which I know grew out of their Moses basket by 4 months so you might want to think about options for when they have outgrown it if you still plan to keep them in your room until 6 months. We used a travel cot for this period because we thought that taking down and then re-assembling the cot in our room was too much hassle.

Congratulations and good luck for the rest of the pregnancy

When they're really tiny they do this bizarre startle reflex thing where their arms shoot up in the air. It scares them and they wake crying.

We bought a couple of swaddling blankets (they have velcro strips to help secure them) because we were a bit chicken about swaddling with a real blanket as DD was born in a hot summer.

For us the gro bags were great, they come with a tog rating which you can then compare with the suggested room temperature.

Never use the duvet whilst the baby us in the Moses basket it is dangerous and only for show.
In February either a sheet and two cellular blankets OR a 2.5 tog baby sleeping bag should be fine.

I had my first baby in a moses basket for 6 months! Don't know what I was thinking though she could practically jump out of it by then.

Anyway if you buy cellular blankets from Mothercare they tell you how many blankets you need depending on what temp on the packet.

I think they have recently changed swaddling advice but both of mine liked being swaddled to sleep. Check current advice though.

Reminds me of when I found my pfb dd snoring on her back with arms and legs hanging out of the moses basket at 4mo. T'was time to put the cot together.....

It's lovely you are thinking of this DP points to me with anything baby related and returns to playing :)

DS didn't like being swaddled so I just tucked his blankets in under his arms until he was big enough for sleeping bags/sleepsuits. The most useful advice I've been given his go with the babies temp at the back of the neck and tummy both mine get very very warm when sleeping so while I've got my thermals on hiding under 6 duvets they have sleepsuits and fleecy suits with no covers. I am a big fan of fleecy sleepsuits for over normal sleepsuits in the winter because I think their little arms are always cold with a sleeping bag DN is 6 and still wearing one because she doesn't keep her covers on!

www.amazon.co.uk/Fleece-Sleepsuits-Store-Months-Themes/dp/B00G6I9DWQ/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1387756754&sr=8-2-spell&keywords=fleecy+sleepsuits+0-3

hi - can I just say also, relax You will figure all this out when your baby is here.Feel the back of their neck to check temp, or get a thermometer. All babies vary in terms of liking to be "free" or swaddled. If they are too hot or cold, they'll soon tell you. I am a bog fan of cellular or crochet blankets because they allow airflow as well as well as cosiness. They'll be LOTS of questions like this as you go along, and I THOROUGHLY reommend MN as a place to get a good cross section of advice

sorry, BIG fan, only one one "as well" and reCommend!!

oh FFS, ONE "as well" (sorry, bit pissed)

Id say to make sure you have plenty of bottom sheets for it as accidents happen eg nappies leaking, baby been sick.

Like others have said dont use the duvet i dont know why they are included as i dont think anyone uses them. I have always used the sleeping bags on my 4 they are great just make sure you get a couple so you always got 1 spare, only problem is they grow out of them quick but ive always found mine have sold well on the sale sites after.

Make sure you have a few of those little fleecy blankets aswell they come in handy fo use as an extra layre in winter

I like sleeping bags you put the baby in......you could get a co sleeper cot second hand that you put next to your bed...frankly i wish we had done this first time round in stead of faffing about getting out of bed for a moses basket/cot.
Swaddling really helps most babies sleep- we followed this guy's advice- the 5 S.sss- really helped us but every baby is different!
Good luck- happy times ahead.

www.happiestbaby.com/

DD is nearly 2 but still sleeps with a sleeping bag on, even as a newborn she would kick once and was uncovered in no time. If you decide to put the baby in one then she/he will not need another layer.
No duvet for a newborn.
Moses basket is good for a couple of months but I think after a while babies will need more space while asleep.