Are gro bags suitable for a newborn baby?

[maybebabybee]

Just that really. Really like the idea of grobags as am a massive worry wart but most people don't seem to use them from newborn even though all the literature says that you can - is there a reason for this? has anyone had good/bad experiences with them? Don't want to waste my money :)

I used baby sleeping bags from a couple of weeks old, they're amazing at night - you don't get all tangled in blankets! I think it's about minimum weight rather than age, just check the label and make sure the head couldn't fit through the neck hole.

You can get pristine ones second hand from eBay

I think it just depends how big your newborn is - if they are too wee they might slip down inside. Also, swaddling might be better for settling baby in the early weeks - sometimes having their arms free means they flail around and wake themselves up! But even if you don't use it right away, I still think they are worth it - or try a cheaper supermarket version, Sainsburys are good. Or TK Maxx often have Gro bags at reduced price.

Generally the few few weeks most babies will be slightly too small and can slip down into bag if not big enough head/ arms

You can therefore either buy bag and stitch a stitch in under arm/ head, to make slightly smaller and just cut stitch as they grow, or use a large muslin the first week to swaddle baby first.

Baby needs to be of a certain weight I think its around 8lbs before they can use them.
I personally thought sleeping bags were a gods send.
Only one out of 5 of my children didn't like them.
I will be using them again (if baby likes) for this one.

You can now get something called a grosnug which is for small babies. I plan on getting a couple of them as most baby sleeping bags a baby has to be approaching 9lb to go in them. They may be worth you looking into.

Baby needs to be a certain weight, and you need to get the ones that have poppers under the arms as this stops them slipping down.

Gro do a new product which I think is called GroSnug but might be wrong.
It's a newborn version and can swaddle them if you want as they have poppers on the arms

thanks everyone, the GroSnug looks good actually - maybe will get this for when baby is still small!

I got a tiny little one for my tiny newborn. Lasted for the first 6 weeks and now she's in the regular 0-6 months one.

Mine had such strong startle reflex at the start he needed to be wrapped in a blanket to stop his arms flailing around and waking him up. I put him in grobags from about 8 weeks until a couple of months ago when he was 17 months and he changed to a duvet & pillow.

I'm getting the gro-snug for my little one as I'm a bit worried about blankets

So at least then I can either swaddle or leave arms out

I did, but I had big babies, you need to check the minimum weight requirement. It was great though, I used one from 2 or 3 days old with DD2 and it saved having to reswaddle after a night feed.

Check head is large enough and it's fine. Was far easier than blankets which she kicked off. Also had severe burrowing tendencies - start off feet to foot end up bum to foot so much happier with something that comes with. Swaddling didn't suit mine at all - always slept sprawled out frog legged from birth!

Can I ask what is probably a really stupid question about grobags. I understand they come in 1.5 tog as standard and sometimes 2.5 tog winter ones. I have a 10 tog duvet on at home for the winter and 4 tog for the summer!! Why are they such a low tog? Is the baby warm enough in there just wearing a sleepsuit? Are you supposed to put extra blankets on top as well?

Sorry for the stupid first time mother question!

I did from a week old. He loved it, still does aged 2. I would do the same again.

Just layer up clothes, no extra blanket if cold. So vest if warm, normal - long sleeved body vest, vest and sleep suit if cold etc.

Not a stupid question Me - I also can't fathom how a 2.5 tog Gro bag is sufficient but the important thing is that it is!

I try to layer vests, sleepsuits, maybe an extra T-shirt over the top if it's really cold, but since our house cools down during the night alot I do sometimes add a very small fleecy pram-blanket when I go to bed so that he doesn't get cold and avoids having to wake him to add an extra layer of clothing.

I have a 6 day old at the moment. We've got ten gro bags from preloved selling sites for pennies which are lovely and comfy and great. But, even though he is 8 lbs, I'm not putting him in them till he's 10 lbs simply because I found the newborn swaddle versions of the gro bags much more fitting at this stage.

So, also for pennies, preloved, we've got four summer infant swaddled and Gro swaddles which are same brand as gro bags but for newborns. He's spent six days in these now since arriving in this world and they're just perfect fits.

Will graduate to the comfy gro bags in a couple of weeks I hope.

Regarding the question about togs, read the FAQs on the gro ag website,they have a detailed explained response to this very question which I've completely forgotten now!

I've used them from birth, but babies were over 8lbs. I've got the older version of a Debenhams one which has a small neck hole, no chance of slipping inside. The other 0-6 ones seem to have bigger neck holes. It's this one.... m.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prod_10701_10001_221010946780_-1

Just a tip- txt maxx always seem to have gro-bags for at least half price!

As other pp have said, I think it's to do with them being small enough for their head to slip down through the head hole. I used a zip-up swaddle pod with DD at first...she was a teeny weeny 6 pounder. Then started with grow bags when she was about 4 weeks old

I have the gro snug, it's nice, my DD had really bad startle reflex too and I wasnt confident swaddling her with blankets. The snug has definitely helped. I was a bit nervous at first though, because it seemed quite constricting (altho I know that that's the point!) however she's was 4.1kgs at birth and I put her in it when she was around 3 weeks old , so I don't know what it would be like for a younger, smaller baby.

I found them great once we were out of night feed/nappy change territory. Until then I just found them too fiddly in the middle of the night and small babies don't move about too much anyway. I used them from 7/8mo until about 13mo when DS went into a toddler bed with a duvet and cushion. He ended up not enjoying being so restricted.

I really loved them specifically for night feeds because even half asleep in the dark I could put DS back in his cot easily (kept him in it to BF)

My DD hasn't got the memo about small babies not moving much.. 11 weeks today and when placed in the middle of the moses basket ends up either head up against the top or bum against the bottom. If I try a blanket for a nap it is gone within seconds regardless of how tight I tuck it in or she wriggles up above it. Without a growbag I'd be up all night tucking her in.

Also way easier for night feeds/changes to deal with a zip and a couple of poppers than getting a blanket tight enough