August newborn - Bedding/Clothing etc? Ramblings of a FTM

[mrsnlw]

So our LO is due 10 August. Hopefully it will be sunny and hot!

I have been reading a few different things and they offer different advice with regards to dressing a summer baby and also bedding etc. I've read baby's room should be between 16 - 20 degrees so we went and got a little digital thermometer clock thingy whatsit for the baby's room and the coolest it's ever been in say Feb was 13 degrees but is regularly 22-24 at the moment.

The NHS say assuming your baby is wearing a nappy, a vest and a sleep suit and is covered by a sheet, at 20 degrees you can use one blanket and at 16 degrees you can use two. A blanket that has been folded counts as two.

If it is very hot during the summer or you are on holiday abroad, your baby might not need anything more than a vest to sleep in and a light, cotton sheet for cover.

I've also read that basically, dress the baby to how you are dressed plus one layer. So if I'm just in a t-shirt, the baby can have 2 layers on but if I have a t-shirt and a jumper, the baby should have 3 layers on clothing on.

Is this about right? And do the same clothing rules apply at night time?

Watching with interest. Baby due in July and I haven't got a scooby on this.

It is confusing but please try to just use your common sense. We obviously live in a relatively cold country (if you're in the UK) and the number of days where it is too hot in your baby's room are going to be minimal.

WRT sheets, babies just kick them off anyway. Gro bags are good as soon as they can get into them as they don't go anywhere. They also come with a little guide. I don't think they recommend swaddling anymore do they? I used a cotton swaddle wrap before he was grobag sized.

I used a short or long sleeved vest only and a 1 tog grobag on a hot night.

In the day, I would do just a vest and a romper or just a vest.

Just use your hand on their body to see if they feel too warm or not and keep them in the shade if possible.

Dd is 8 months, and on warm nights sleeps in a short sleeved vest and a 1 tog gro bag. Grobags are great, but they have a minimum weight limit as small babies can shuffle down inside.

One more layer than you is a great rule of thumb. Remember activity (ie you pushing the pram) counts as a layer.

If I had a newborn now I think they'd sleep in a short sleeved vest and one layer of cellular blanket, tucked under the mattress in all sides.

Yoi may find you don't actually put the baby down very much in the early weeks ...

And yes, keep baby out of the sun at all times. Newborn skin is very thin.

You're due the same time as me!

With DS we never bought a thermometer if I'm honest, we just felt the back of his neck to see if he was too hot or too cold. The general rule is yes, one more layer than you. He kicked off all blankets, even as a newborn (no idea how), and spent many nights in just a baby gro.it wasn't until he was bigger we started using sleeping bags.

"If I had a newborn now I think they'd sleep in a short sleeved vest and one layer of cellular blanket, tucked under the mattress in all sides. "

Hahaha, no they wouldn't. They'd take turns sleeping on you or your DP whilst you try to not fall asleep on the sofa at 1/2/3/4/5 am

I would say do what you think is right....I let my in laws look after my daughter when she was a few months old, they had put her to bed as instructed only wearing a vest, however when I got in (we were out around 2.5hrs) her head and hair were saturated!!! (She was born with long hair, so this probably contributed but still)

I stood upstairs fanning her and with windows wide open, and couldn't help but ask whether they had bothered to check on her....when they said yes I asked what they had been checking!! They don't really like me as I'm quite outspoken but when it comes to my kids they are top priority.

The kids rooms are on the front of my house and get really hot. We have windows locked on vents during the day to try and keep some air in the room.

My m.i.l also wanted a vest on her under sleep suits....I got told not to do that once out if hospital so when I told her the leading cause of cot death is overheating she stopped!!

I've always just gone with what I felt was right. I would say because a Moses basket is quite enclosed anyway in august a vest would suffice. And maybe a thin blanket.

Sorry for the rambling hope this helps

So agree!

DS slept in our arms for 3 weeks before he stopped crying every time we put him in his crib!

My little boy was born Aug 2010 it was really hot n in the day he had on little romper suits with a cardi if out. At night a short sleeve vest n babygro n was swaddled no idea on temp of room was in a crib in our room husband was in tshirt with just sheet over him I had post partum sweats n could have been any temp. Remember post c section being so hot on ward n so sweaty I woke n thought had wet the bed was mortified nope just sweat!!

If baby feels too hot just remove a layer.

Before you know it will be winter and will have opposite worry.

I am due Nov this time night time feeding in cold brrrr

Thanks for all your advice ladies. It really is a minefield out there depending on what you read!

Sense tells me that the baby should be with a short sleeve vest and sleepsuit at night with a thin blanket over them, that way, if it gets kicked off, it won't be too cool and equally shouldnt be too hot either.

I have a grow bag but am dubious to use it for a while, until baby is out of their moses at least. I guess if we take the rule of what we are wearing/sleeping with plus 1, we can't go wrong.

I've just bought some muslin swaddle blankets. Nice and thin for the warm weather.

I'm due 15th Aug:-) I've bought about 3 swaddle blankets (and cooler swaddle muslins) for when he is little and 3 gro-bags for when he gets a bit bigger. The gro bags come with a guide which shows how many layers they need with the bags in certain temperatures. I'm thinking that he'll provably wear a short sleeve vest and sleep suit with swaddle blanket to start unless it's particularly warm in which case I'd remove his vest.

I find common sense is best. If it's hot, they're not going to want socks or tights (the amount of baby girls I see in tights in the sun, poor things!)
When they're tiny they do feel the cold though - you'll work it out!

This is all v interesting to me as a clueless FTM. I've bought two sleeping bags and three cotton cellular blankets, and have a range of vests and long and short-sleeved sleep suits. Think I'm just going to see what the temp is in the room and add/remove layers as appropriate.

The one layer more than you rule is extremely helpful, thank you!

Gembles, Somedizzy I read the one more layer than you rule in either What to Expect the 1st Year by Heidi Murkoff or in First-Time Parent: The honest guide to coping brilliantly and staying sane in your baby's first year by Lucy Atkins (think it was the Lucy Atkins one) and it seems a good rule to go by. The only thing she says is be aware, if you are usually hotter than most others, you may not be able to use this rule x

(By the way, both of those books seem great when I have avidly been reading them)

The lullabye trust have all the most up to date info on safe sleeping