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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Swaddle? Gro Bag??

18 replies

8abyDust · 17/09/2012 12:03

Hi,

Is anyone about to have their baby (like me) or had a september/october baby before? My question is the best way for baby to sleep (mainly at night).....swaddle or gro bag or loose blanket??? There seems a lot of options and I'm not sure which to try first....this is my first baby!

Thank you!

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PeshwariNaan · 17/09/2012 12:05

It's my first too and I'm due in Jan. I got a nice Merino Kids swaddle on sale, I have a few blankets, and I'll probably get a GroBag as well because you can't really swaddle past 3 mos. I don't know whether baby will like swaddling or not, or whether baby will be seriously fussy and need a swaddle, or hate it. Just planning on being prepared regardless of baby's personality!!

SavoyCabbage · 17/09/2012 12:06

I did swaddle when she was tiny and then grobag. You know when they are ready to be out of the swaddle as they start wriggling too much and sort of escaping.

When you are choosing a grobag, look at how it's fastened and how it goes on. You want it to be as easy as possible!

Original poster

8abyDust · 17/09/2012 12:14

Did you just swaddle at night or in the day too?

OP posts:

PollyIndia · 17/09/2012 12:27

I am maybe the same pregnant as you (38+4) and thinking I will try swaddling with light swaddles. I bought these bamboo muslin ones www.adenandanais.co.uk/shop/bamboo.aspx
They are expensive but they are so lovely and soft and I reckon I will carry on using them as huge muslins long after I have stopped swaddling.

Then someone gave me a swaddle pod and someone else gave me a grobag swaddle. So I will try them all and see what works. Then I think move to a grobag after a few months?

Thinking just swaddling at night to try and distinguish between night and day... but no idea if that is right or not.

NellyBluth · 17/09/2012 12:37

I used a Summer swaddleme with a January baby. I can't recommend having a swaddle ready just in case your baby likes it, mine didn't sleep well at all for the first few weeks due to her startle reflex waking her up. Then we remembered we had the swaddle and it was absolute heaven, it worked instantly and she started sleeping well. I swaddled during naps as well (if she wasn't napping on me, which was most of the time...) as it was the only way to get her to sleep.

In terms of warmth, she was wearing a vest, babygrow and then the swaddle, and it seemed fine to us. When it got warmer sometimes she was only in a vest, other times just the nappy if it was really hot. We actually ended up swaddling until she was about 5m!

If they hate the swaddle, a grobag is easier but tbh tiny babies don't move around quite so much so a blanket is fine too. But once they start shifting around at night - and especially once they start rolling and crawling - a grobag is fantastic, you can feel confident they stay warm and don't end up completely under the blankets.

elvislives2012 · 17/09/2012 13:25

Hi. I'm due in a few weeks and plan to swaddle for the first month or si then use a grobag. Underneath I'll probably just use a vest and baby gro and see how it goes.

getoffthecoffeetable · 17/09/2012 13:31

Hi
I'd recommend swaddling for when LO is very little. Their reflexes make them jump and wake them up. Then gro bag after that. Wouldn't recommend loose blanket as you'll only end up worrying that it's over LOs head and won't be able to sleep yourself until you've checked!
Good luck with your babies!

mummy2benji · 17/09/2012 20:46

I'm 34+2 with baby number 2 - ds was born in December (not last December - I'm not crazy!) I used a blanket initially with him but he didn't like having his arms wrapped up and used to fight his way out of any blanket / swaddle. I moved him to a grobag and it was fab - completely safe as it fastens over the shoulders so baby can't possibly suffocate in it, and he looked snug as a bug in a rug and slept much better in it. I'll be using them again for dd when she arrives. Only thing with them is, the smallest size I found last time was for 10lb upwards, so you would need a blanket or alternative to start with for a couple of weeks, unless you can find a smaller one. My tip: get them off eBay - still great quality as babies grow out of them quickly, and soo much cheaper. I bought a couple new and then saw the light and got the rest from eBay. You need 2 or 3 really in case of pukies on them.

imustbepatient · 17/09/2012 21:01

Go-go bags (a New Zealand product available online) are just fantastic. I used them for DD1 born in October 2010 and will be using them again for DD2 due this october.

They are lined with a very fine merino wool layer which is a natural temperature regulator, cools when hot and warms when cool. They are much less bulky than usual gro bags and can be used from when baby either 7 or 8 pounds (can't remember which!) as they have extra poppers under the arms which you use when they are itty bitty so they can't slip down too far into the go go bag. They are really long so last up to 2 years of age. On cold nights when DD1 was little we would bring the bottom end up to create an extra layer up to her armpits. They also wash superbly well. And no I don't work for the company!

GoldPlatedNineDoors · 17/09/2012 21:04

I swaddled til 4mo for all sleeps. I used a Groswaddle and large Aden and Anais muslins.

DD was a winter baby but we had the heating on so same temp as spring \ autumn really.

whatsoever · 17/09/2012 21:13

I'm planning on using blankets in the Moses basket and a gro-bag once baby graduates into the cot. I've got a 1 tog and a 2.5 tog.

BoysBoysBoysAndMe · 17/09/2012 21:30

Mw at the hospital showed me how to swaddle with a cellular blanket.

Swaddled for 2 months then gro bag.

Ds1 born 30 th October and it was freezing that winter!

Did the same with ds2
Shall do the same with ds3

BoysBoysBoysAndMe · 17/09/2012 21:32

Just googled go go bags as I thought they sounded snugly. They're £60 ish!!!

Gro bags it shall stay in BoysBoys' house.

fraggle28 · 18/09/2012 10:49

if you have one near you tk maxx do loads of sleeping bags fro £8, the gro bags ones are about £12 in there too

Orenishii · 18/09/2012 11:02

I got a couple of Gro bags for 0-6 month olds at the right tog for when they'll arrive in mid-October. We plan on co-sleeping so it seemed the good solution for them to lie above our covers - me with the duvet around my waist and a cardi on. We don't have a radiator that works in our bedroom - it's always been that way, so we're used to it, plus the Gro Bags come with a room thermometer to keep an eye things.

I got a two pack from Kiddicare for £35, and they zip around the bottom, and have press studs around the shoulders.

NellyBluth · 18/09/2012 13:57

Matalan is also really good for 'grobags' (own brand) at £10 each, very soft and snuggly.

WantAnOrange · 18/09/2012 14:14

Don't waste your money on special swaddle blankets. A plain, celular blanket does exactly the same thing and is simpler to swaddle with than a shaped, over-priced thing.

Gro-bags on the hand are very good once your baby grows out of swaddling.

Turnipno1 · 18/09/2012 14:17

I've bought a couple of grow bags now in prep for imminent arrival :)
Stupid question, I know they have weight/height guidelines but they are still quite long......do you tuck the extra under the baby so they are effectively lying on top of it??? No idea???

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