Gro bags sleep bags

[Staryeyed22]

What age can babys go into a sleep bag/ gro bag? And which size would they need?

I did the newborn size from when we got DS home from the hospital. I was too sleep deprived, exhausted and in shock to be faffing with a hospital style muslin swaddle. These we the arms-in kind. Then we used a transitions bag when he was a bit bigger where you could take off 1 arm then the other. Then when he started rolling we used a normal arms out sleeping bag.

I wouldn’t use them personally as sometimes the tog info can be mislabelled and you could be risking a younger baby’s life. Far better to use layers of waffle hole blankets (the kinds with large holes throughout so baby can see / breathe if they go over their head). Kepe them no higher than the waist & don’t tuck them in.

We started using them from around 8 weeks I think. I’d always go for a proper branded Gro bag. They are recommended by the lullaby trust - check out the website for safe sleep guidance. We got given an unbranded one just from a supermarket I think and the head hole seemed to big and I didn’t agree with the tog rating when I compared it to the gro bag ones so we never risked using that one.

I've used the Asda ones for 3 babies. If concerned about temp, adjust vests etc accordingly.

Yes you do need to be careful with head hole size in early days.

I swaddled for the first few months for all of them. The velcro ones are super handy. I only ever swaddled cos thats what they did in the hospital. Midwife gave me into trouble with DC3. PP above saying sleep bags are dangerous. Lullaby trust says use sleep bags. Sorry OP sleep stuff for your first is a mine field. I remember feeling sick about it.

Size wise I used 0-6 months when I transitioned at about 3 months.

We also started at about three months. The head hole felt too big and risky before then. Swaddled until 3 months. We were always cautious with tog and temp, would rather she was a bit too cold than too hot from a risk perspective.

@Staryeyed22 I believe each brand has a minimum weight guideline so you probably need to check that 😊 I can’t remember off the top of my head. We used some Gro ones and Love To Dream when DS was small.
I remember seeing quite a few unbranded ones from TK Maxx etc being recalled over head hole size and tog rating so personally I’d stick to things like Gro bags - especially when they’re still little 😊

My DD is 9 weeks old and for the first 3 or 4 weeks we used cellular blankets with the holes in. I found it awkward as she'd waken when you tucked them in or she'd kick them off and i worried about them going over her face even though they had tbe tiny holes in them. That was until I found the purflo swaddle to sleep bags they are for newborns to 4 months and I wouldn't be without them now. I had her arms in for the first few weeks so she was nicely swaddled and she definitely slept better, I'd highly recommend them. Also they have information on how to dress baby when wearing the bag.

Each one with have their own minimum. And then just check their head doesn't fall down the head hole and its fine.

We used the smallest size from birth for a couple of weeks but our bedroom is so warm (never seems to go below 20 even with the radiators off all day) so he tends to just sleep in a babygrow now.

I used the gro swaddle blanket for swaddling and when colder a cellular blanket if needed laid flat or folded double, not tucked tightly, ( I used to tuck it in under the mattress by their toes only so they could kick it off but not pull it over their face) while they were in the moses basket. Once baby might roll soon it'd be time to move to a cot and I would use a gro bag of the appropriate age, usually 3-6 months.

Gro bags can come in 3 month increments or 6 months, eg. 0-3 and 3-6 vs 0-6 months . The 3 month are a better fit in the first year, though of course you have to get it twice, it's worth it.

I still used the cellular blanket at times with the gro bag if it was a thinner one and not a warm night.

If you're going straight to a cot I'd use an official grobag new baby/0-3 size and check the weight on the label. I'd go for 1 tog and pair with a footless longsleeve babygro or vest underneath. No blanket. If the room is very warm then 0.5 tog

It's better to keep the room temperature correct and not need layers on baby though. A gro egg can be useful for that.

When my son was born I got size 0-3 months (Grobag), when he got bigger moved onto 0-6 months and then moved up sizes as he grew.

There's a chart on the Grobag website that tells you the sizes, which tog to get and how to dress baby according to the temperature of your room.

I have always trusted the branded sleeping bags and never had any problems with them. Be careful of the cheaper ones, one of the supermarkets had to do a product recall on theirs last year, Tesco I think due to a tog error.

We used a grosnug for the first few weeks, even though my DD was fairly big it didn’t feel safe putting her in a sleeping bag. She slept amazingly in it too.

Love to dream snuggle bags. They are great and can be used from new born. They position the baby with arms up

We used the merino wool ones. They come in one size from birth (unless a tiny baby) to 18 months. They seem expensive, but grobags require you to buy so many sizes and togs, the merino ones work out cheaper in the long run.

Our youngest was in them within a couple of weeks of coming home, a couple of our 0-6mth asda ones have adjustable arm holes. We have a few brands which we have accumulated over the years with different children, sizes range between 0-18mth I think.