Cot Bedding and What to Wear... Help!

[lilwelshyrs]

Hi all,

Our first baby is due on November 16th and one of the things we've avoided buying so far is any night wear or bedding! So now that we're finally looking at what to buy, we're finding it all a little confusing.

Bubba will start out in a moses basket (theoretically) and we have bought that second hand (new mattress, clean sheets etc). We have a cot bed in the baby's room so when they're no longer in the moses basket then they can go in there...

Now, what do we need for the cot bed? The obvious ones are sheets... We've got them ordered! And I was going to get a mattress protector but I was reading that we don't need to get that for a while yet... Is that right?
Also cot bumpers - I've read that babies shouldn't have them in their cots when they're able to roll over, so prior to that, if they can't roll over then what's the point in them?

Do I just need bubba in a gro-bag thing for the time being? And what tog am I supposed to get? How many should I get? When will they need a duvet/pillow etc? I have some lovely knitted blankets which were made by my next door neighbor... They're suitable as swaddling as a newborn, right?

So many questions haha... So confused! I wish there was a clear way of shopping online that means it doesn't feel as confusing

Thanks for reading :)

We just got sheets and grobags we mostly use the 1.5 tog as our upstairs tends to be hot. Could be worth getting a 2.5 for the spring if you turn your heating off early but you can wait and see. Just pop a blanket (cellular) over the 1.5 if needed beforehand.
Most are safe to use from 5kgs (before they are too little and their head can slip down into the bag), I just put an extra stich in the neck of mine and used them from birth (4kgs).

How many depends on your washing set up- if baby is sick and uses a second bag how long until the first is ready again? Can you make do with blankets until it is? We had two, as it takes about 8hrs to wash and try a 1.5tog in our house.

Mine hated being swaddled but i think its more normal to use a sheet or light blanket and then put the knitted one over if needed.

We swaddled to begin with. Then cellular blanket folded over, then gro bag when dd figured out how to kick blanket off!!

Mattress protector - we got it from get go. Our dd was out of moses basket quite quickly as she is long. But she was still quite sicky/refluxy so mattress protector definitely needed here.

Bumpers - my understanding is that they are not recommended as increased risk of SIDS, air can't flow quite as easily. Although I believe you can get ones with a mesh type material that is breathable

No duvet and no pillow.

Good luck!

We swaddled to start with, using the gro-swaddles, but there are lots of other brands or you can just use a large muslin. I wouldn't swaddle with a knitted blanket (unless it's a very fine merino one). Instead, you can keep them warm by layering their clothing - e.g. vest, sleep suit, etc. Sometimes we would put a very light cotton blanket over swaddled DD if it was very cold. If you don't want to swaddle, or baby doesn't like it, I'd just use cotton blankets to start with. So put baby in moses basket, feet at bottom so they can't wriggle down, then tuck a blanket around them. The reason, though that people swaddle (as well as it making baby feel secure and womb-like, is that they often kick off blankets. So, just to make it more complicated, I think you can also get sleeping bags suitable for newborns.

Once you're no longer swaddling (about 3 months for us) then sleeping bags. We used merino wool ones from Bambino Merino and Merino Kids (preferred the former) because they're one-size (fit up till about 18-24 months) and you can use them year round. No need to faff around with togs and sizes. We just got the standard weight ones.

Re. cot bedding. We just used a fitted sheet. We did/do use a mattress protector underneath as if baby is sick then it's quick to whip it off and replace and you don't have to wait for mattress to dry.

No cot bumpers. I've never understood the point of them.

We didn't start using duvet and pillows until DD was about 2 as she was very happy in her sleeping bags. Although I think they're considered 'safe' from 1 year.

So, potential list of what you need:

• Fitted sheets for moses basket
• Something to swaddle baby in if you choose that route
• A cotton blanket or two
• Fitted cotbed sheets
• Cotbed mattress protector
• Sleeping bags for 3 months +

Duvets and pillows you don't have to worry about until they are at least a year old - DS was still in grobags until 1.5-2 (I think).

They can only wear grobags when they reach a certain size, make sure you read the instructions.

We never had cot bumpers, I don't see the point.

I'd say, for the beginning, just get some cellular blankets, you can layer up according to temperature by adding clothes layers.

Don't get bumpers, they are dangerous.

All you need are blankets (cotton), and geo bags for when baby is older (over 6m). I would get a mattress pad, rather than a protector, as it needs to be breathable.

Baby should not be in their own room before 6m because of SIDS.

My dd hated swaddling. She started off in the crib with cellular blankets. However, despite saying I wouldn't, we mostly Co sleep so during the summer, as a Newborn, didn't have any blankets. Now it's getting colder (our room is already down to 16 degrees) and she is now 5kg we are using a 2.5 tog sleeping bag (she just wears a long sleeve vest). We bought 2. We also bought 2 crib sheets.

I bought puppy training pads from £ shop when pregnant to protect my mattress in the event my waters broke and also to sit in the car on the way to hospital. I had loads left so use them in the crib as they are just the right size.

No bumper. They are just decorative albeit I know a lot of people who still use them

I have mattress protectors on the cot mattress, and bog standard fitted sheets. Baby #1 was swaddled for a few weeks as it was the 'done thing' in my area. It was a right faff and we swapped to a little newborn sleeping bag (not in the UK so not sure if the options but I had bags that kept their arms inside and they looked like little angels). Baby #2 went straight into the bag. Then Gro-bags from whenever size appropriate.

Although it says not to, I chuck cellular or stretchy cotton blankets, or just a sheet over the sleeping bags. A midwife actually suggested tucking them in with a sheet to make it feel nice and cosy.

Thank you all!
I've bought some second hand gro-bags of various togs and sizes... Cant believe how expensive it can get if you buy new !!

I've just been given some swaddling things so hope that's covering all the options!

I'm hoping things will become clearer once bubba is here... All the stuff feels like such a minefield!! So glad there are forums like this and I dont have to rely on adverts or bias recommendations!

Xx

It depends on how hot your bedroom is. A room thermometer is helpful although not necessary- we got one from mothercare which is also a bath thermometer. For the first 10 weeks or so we used 2 shawls (breathable ones). Then DS started moving about a lot more and shawls started creeping up so we put him in sleeping bags. We bought a few (cheap from TKMaxx) as DS is quite a sicky baby and they take a while to wash, dry and air. The GroBag make is good when baby is small for the size you're using as they have an extra popper under the arms to keep baby at the top of the bag and prevent it covering their face, but we also have other makes.

Be careful with swaddling, it's recommended that baby's arms are left out to avoid over-heating.

I thought the point of swaddling was to imitate being in the womb and so arms would be in the swaddle... The bit to be careful about is the feet and hips so that they're not restricted??

You can get waterproof mantras covers. We got them from mamas & papas and were very very handy