Could i ask the opinion of any midwifes or health visitors please?

[Mrsshuvel]

I have just been to the nurse for my son's injections. I asked if he should have a temperature should i leave him in his baby gro and grobag or strip him down to his vest and Grobag. She implied that i was some kind of moron for letting my child sleep in a Grobag.

I thought the Grobags were supposed to be a safer way for a baby to sleep. My son kicks up his blanket in the night so is either cold or it's over his head.

I burst into tears as soon as i left and have been made to feel stupid and a bad mum. If anyone could tell me why i shouldn't let him sleep in a Grobag i would be very grateful as i'm not sure if he should sleep in it tonight now.

How odd. Have no professional qualifications, but your nurse sounds like an arse. Perhaps she thought you meant the sort of gro-bags you put tomato plants in

What, exactly, did she say?

Does she know what a Grobag is?

Agree with fp about tomato plant device!

Thanks, you've made me feel a bit better.

I have just found the packaging the grobag came in, where it explains how safe they are. My DP says i should show her it at the next appointment and ask her to alborate on her views.

I said GROBAG - the sleeping bags. She said she knew what they were and asked if my health visitor had seen what i was doing as if i was inflicting some sort of abuse abuse on my child

She doesn't know what a baby sleeping bag is.

She thinks you are putting your baby in one of these

She is a loon. Ignore her.

I think I'd put a baby in a babygro/pyjamas and Grobag, but without the vest. Or you could cool his room slightly - like turn the radiator down, or open a window a crack.

Hope he's ok after his jabs.

Thanks for the advice and for making me feel better

Take no notice! Grobags are the best invention ever. They are very safe and I know that we would never have had a decent night's sleep if we'd left DS1 in sheets and blankets as he was forever kicking them off and waking up cold. As long as you're being careful about room temperature and how many layers you're putting on underneath, you're okay.

Actually, I just had a thought as I clicked on 'post'. You have to make sure you're using the right Grobag for your child's weight. The larger ones aren't suitable for small babies. Could that be what she meant? There are special ones for newborns and small babies and perhaps she's not aware of those. Just a thought.

I used to put DD in her grobag in a long sleeved vest and only put bottoms on her if it was v cold. Thats what the guidelines were on the packaging. Has it changed now?

Do you put your ds in a babygro and a vest? That may be too many layers?

Perhaps she was worried about overheating?

Agree that grobags are superb and v safe.

I discovered gro bags when dd(now 16) was a baby, fabulous invention..babies cant kick off their covers, nor can they overheat..but do use the correct tog for the time of year and babies weight...goodness knows why your nurse reacted the way she did.

The people who make the Grobag brand actually have collaborated with FSIDS, so I'm told. I would take that as a mark of quality and safety. I would leave the legs bare under the grobag after an injection, just because the legs get hot, and I think babygro legs might rub on the plaster a little bit.

Nurse sounds insane.

Thanks everyone. Put DS in a long sleeved bodysuit and grobag and left his legs bare as suggested because of the imms. We have an old victorian house that has very good ventilation so bedroom is normally at 20c. Do you think it's too much to have a vest and babygro under a grobag then?

No, I think when ds was little the packaging suggested vest/babygrow or sleepsuit plus grobag. Depending on the room temperature, of course.

Mrsgboring is right, the grobag people have worked with SIDS charities. The good thing is baby's head is uncovered at all times - no danger of them getting tangled in blankets.

your HV needs shooting. lots of them do. some of them are good and a few are really good. if you search MN threads using the key words 'health visitor / crap' you will see what I mean.

hugs to you.

and yes, grobags are an excellent idea.

hv / crap brought uo over 500 hits

she probably has no idea what a grobag is. I had to explain it to a midwife last week, and she did an impression of never having come across them in her life. She genuinely seemed to think we were using some old sleeping bag left over from a scouting trip, and went off marvelling at this new invention.

Hope LO OK after the injections.

From what I understand, there is a school of thought that reckons grobags are bad, evil, cause baby to overheat etc. You know, like when they say u shouldn't use duvets until they are one year old in case baby gets too hot. She is probably just spouting the latest stupid health and safety advice that professionals have to adhere to but normal people know is a load of bxxxxxxs. I take great delight in ignoring all such advice wherever possible, so ds2 has been in hers all winter. And very comfy she is too!

i would dress your baby in what you think is suitable as long as he is not massively overdressed . my dd will only sleep if she is warm enough, and we use vest and babygro under grobag, if we leave he legs bare she wakes up all the time

you know your baby best, go with what works for you. And [shhhhhh emoticon] we put our dd to sleep on her tummy because she has bad reflux and thats the only way she sleeps.

as for feeling like crap after some stoopid persons comment, my hv told me "you MUST take your baby to see a doctor if she will only sleep on her stomach...don't you know your baby will DIE if she sleeps on her stomach"

i cried that night, and cried more in the morning after a whole night of no sleep. the guilt has left me now though, she is happy, i am happy - surely that is all that matters?