cot bedding help

[surfmama]

oh hello... turns out I am going to be a mum soon (still can't believe it!) and anyway have been given a cot, will get a new mattress, but looking for bedding.

1. does anyone know of nice soft cellular blankets as they all seem a bit scratchy?

1. I have two fittted sheets from tesco - guess that will do for the beginning

1. do i need a horrid plastic sheet? was planning on getting breathable mattress/organic non chemical thing so seems odd to cover it in plastic!

is that all I need? do babies sleep swaddled at night time? due june so will be a complete heat wave of course!

We just have cellular blankets. Babies temp can change a lot so u can just add/remove layers. We had specific Velcro swaddling blankets which were great for a few week but dd has to sleep with their arms out! As for soft cellular blankets ours are from matalan & wilkinsons nice n soft & cheap

I would get one of the horrid plastic sheets (mine was £5 in Tesco - also have the Tesco flanellette cotton sheets and they are perfectly nice and do the job IMO). DD had a nappy 'incident' a while ago and her mattress would have been in the bin if it weren't for the horrid plastic sheet - you can always put a couple of extra flat sheets over it and under the fitted sheet to make it less sweaty - although it has never stopped DD from sleeping.

I didn't swaddle DD, she didn't like it. Depends what your baby likes, (s)he will let you know!

You could get a mattress protector instead of a plastic sheet. My 10mo has never had any incident that would require a plastic sheet but that might just be luck.

I swaddled him for the first few weeks or so (born in June) then moved on to baby sleeping bags.

Hth.

If you get a mattress from babymattressesonline then you can get one with a removeable 'cool max' cover which is breatheable and seemed to cope well with ds vomiting on it/leaky nappies etc as it absorbed enough that it didn't soak through to the actual mattress and you can just unzip it and pop it in the washing machine. Ds is now in a single bed and I've got a mattress for that with the same type of cover. I worry about the plastic sheets because of the heat/breath ability issues and SIDS (my dm almost lost me to SIDS when I was a baby so I was hypersensitive about it).

Would recommend you have more than 2 sheets - if you have a phase
of leaky nappies they can go through more than that in a night!

Ds was 6mths before he went in his cot and by then I was using baby sleeping bags/grobags - they are excellent.

Congratulations! - IKEA do good matresses and also have a cover that takes a while to soak through, so can take the odd 'incident'.

Also, Grobags do sleeping bags from newborn size (realistically from about six weeks in age) and TK Maxx are great for inexpensive bedding sets (fitted sheets & cellular).

Definitely need a minimum of three of everything, just in case...

DD didn't go in her cot until 10 months - so SIDS less of an issue, I wouldn't use one in a moses basket or crib (DD slept in the pram carrycot for the first few months, then briefly in a travel cot then in bed with me til 10 months).

She didn't have an incident requiring plastic sheeting til she was about 18 months, and has had several since then!

Sorry, meant to add, we are only planning to introduce the waterproofing layer once small child starts on toilet training / nappy free sleeping.

Hi surfmama. I am a bit unsure about bedding too, but have got a couple of flannel covered waterproof sheet-toppers from IKEA. They're not fitted, just sort of lay across the mattress and tuck in underneath. Thought I could put them under LO's body (under the fitted sheet), but not under their head IYSWIM to try deal with any accidents. Not sure if this is any less of a risk w.regards to SIDS though or even if it'll work?
Have got a couple of mattress protectors too, which is probably overkill. Cannot find soft cellular blankets for love nor money; all mine are scratchy. Would a light flannelette or soft cotton sheet underneath the blanket be any help?

Personally I'd say plastic mattress cover is essential! My DS isn't particularly sickly but if we've had an 'incident' (from either end!) I just change him while DH changes the bedsheet and gives the mattress protector a quick wipe. No idea what you would do at 3am with a soaking wet mattress, couldn't put DS back in there though!!

I never got on with cellular blankets, sleeping bags are loads better IMO.

Agree you need more than 2 fitted sheets!

John Lewis do baby mattress protectors which are effective without being plasticky at all

We have DD aged 5 days in a Moses basket, just using sheets so far as I didn't think to get a mattress protector...although now thinking it might be an idea.

We started out with about 4-5 sheets, but these were nearly new so managed to get a good bundle of bedding stuff cheaply.

However DD did a spectacular sick this morning which went onto the frilly Moses basket cover...which we only have 1 of, naturally. This has now got to be washed & dried in a day so it's clean for tonight...& where is she going to nap in the meantime?

Am thinking I might just sponge down the sicky bit, or is that a bit of a manky thing to do?

Re bedding: we have used cellular blankets so far but DD likes being swaddled so might switch to keeping her in a swaddle sheet. We have grow bags for her for later on, but she's much too small for them at the moment!

Hippychick mattress protector. If you want to save costs you could get the single flat sheet and adapt it by folding it for cot. We however just got cot bed size one as it will be converted into a bed at some point.

Grobags- txmaxx have proper grobags reduced. Just make sure whatever ones can be tumble dried- Essential if you have a sicky baby. I like the sleeping bags that open in the middle- much easier to get a sleeping baby into if the have fallen asleep as they open right up.

You will get given blankets by well meaning friends so only buy one or two in case grobags too big.

marshmallowpies I would wash it and just put her in bare basket with mattress sheet on of course.

I have been given some cellular blankets used by SIL and they are lovely and soft. Maybe they go like that after a few washes.

I'm planning on putting muslin on top of Moses basket sheet as that can be quickly changed if there's an accident in the night.

oh thanks so much everyone, there is so much choice and I don't want to make an expensive mistake. so have this in mind: mattress VYSSA VINKA from Ikea (don't want a foam one and would like an organic one as am a hippy but they are a fortune!).

Bloom Alma Cot Mattress Protector - like the look of these. Did like the Hippy ones also lagoon so will get one of each maybe.

grobags for when a bit older - thanks will check out tk's for these, but will just get a swaddling thing for now and see if that works!

Is it okay to buy second hand mattress protector and blankets if they have a 60 wash? or is that mankey?

If you are using a Moses basket an ordinary pillow case can be used as a sheet in an emergency.

Grobags are great and you can be sure that you are using the right number of layers for the temperature. My DS now has blankets though as the bags were impeding his night time wriggles, but he is nine moths old now.

Mammas and pappas cellular blankets are really scratchy but the ones I got in mothercare are nice.

Second the recommendation for the hippy chick mattress protector, not plasticky at all and withstands all kinds of wet explosions.

Congratulations by the way!

We have a VYSSA, so can recommend that one . Also, the grobags claim to be non-tumble dry, but I have always ignored that and had no shrinking / lumpyness issues.
On the swaddling, before buying a specific one, ask your midwife or someone else with baby experience to show you how to use a standard blanket to swaddle - it's v.easy and means you won't have wasted money if new arrival doesn't like to be swaddled.

hi quick quick thanks not using moses basket unless have to, planning on using cot straight away and pram carrycot. thanks moonlight that's good to know, will get my ikea list together and head over! arr yes my friend swaddled in a muslin i think, will give that a go. okay that's me all sorted i think in the bedding world...