What will your newborn wear to sleep in - April time?

[milkyman]

HV cane for the first time yesterday and has panicked me about cot death. 2nd baby due soon. I have bought a Snuzpod but she started saying to be careful with these even though she'd not heard of it, have a sleepyhead for naps but apparently they will get too sweaty in this. Also got a Grosnug and Groswaddle (which she also had not heard of) but said they would overheat.

I was going to try to go for more instictive parenting this time round - I'm 40 and hope i have commonsense but felt a bit chastised after her visit! My first baby did not sleep for over a year so we have invested in things after lots of research.

What are others doing? Are cellular blankets the way to go? I am now terrified and anxious about SIDs but appreciate they are only hear to help.

Sorry for typos!

Also we live in a victorian house that has a steady temperature so neither too hot or too cold despite the season.

First off, how could she warn you from something she has never heard of and has no experience in?

I personally used a gro-snuggle from birth (DS now 16 weeks) in place of a swaddle or blanket. You can get in 2.5 tog (winter) and 1.5 tog (summer) if you are very worried about SIDS I would recommend buying a few cellular blankets (the ones with the holes) that way you can remove layers as and when baby gets to hot.

Get a gro-clock so you are aware of temperatures in the room, 19 degrees is about average, and for me that's two cellular blankets (one folded in half) .

Remember, baby shouldn't be sweating and their stomach shouldn't feel hot (the official advice)

If you are planning on co-sleeping (I did from 3 weeks - 12 weeks) wear your hair in a braid and don't let baby sleep under the duvet. The sleepyhead should solve this problem, just be careful about placement so Your DP doesn't roll over.

Hope this helps!!

Well. It doesn't sound like your HV is speaking from a position of knowledge if she has never heard of the things you're intending to use, so her dismissing them is ignorant at best.

We've got a co-sleeper cot (a Chicco) this time around. Baby will be layered appropriately depending on how warm it is, with a cellular blanket, then will be going into a grobag once they're big enough. It didn't even occur to me to go into that sort of depth about the sleeping arrangements when I had my HV visit - I just said, oh yeah, baby will be in with us for the first 6 months probably, as long as it's not too noisy and she seemed fine with it.

Oh dear, that wasn't terribly helpful of your HV!
I have a snuzpod and love it. As long as you use it as per their insructions with either one side fully down attached to the bed, or both sides fully up (with metal rods inserted) there should be no issue. The mattress is a bit on the hard side but they all are as far as I've squeezed.
In the early weeks I used the sleepyhead as I found she seemed more settled in it. And I still use if for her afternoon naps inside her big cot bed (she's only 4.5 months so will graduate to proper cot bed at 6 in her own room).
DD is a November baby and I put her in long sleeved vest, babygro and sleeveless sleep pod with a cellular blanket on top to sleep in.
We live in a slightly chilly Victorian tenement and have a gro egg to keep track of temp.

Yes i probably told her too much! Where could i get the best quality, soft cellular blankets?

I got mine from Asda last time around which I'm intending to dig out again, but if you want to spend a lot I'm sure the White Company does some (I'm joking - I really wouldn't buy cashmere blankets for a newborn!)

I also just found this picture which I obviously saved some time ago, which gives a guide to dressing baby depending on the temperature of the room and the tog of the swaddle or bag.

I live in a coldish house which will drop to about 15 or 16at night. So a newborn here would be in a poppered top, a bundler, loosely swaddled with a muslin and then maybe another muslin on the top to tuck them in a bit.

My 8 week old wears a short sleeved vest under a baby grow and a gro snug (basically a very thin sleeveless sleeping bag). He sleeps in a sleepyhead inside a snuzpod. Our room is about 17 degrees at night and he's not too hot (hands and face cool, belly warm but not sweaty).

I can't answer your question but wanted to add that I was also worried about SIDS due to family history and found the lullaby trust website really helpful and reassuring so it might be worth a read for you too.

Thanks all xx

My DD sleeps in a sleepsuit in her sleepyhead and has never sweated, despite being born in May and going abroad on holiday (we took the sleepyhead with us). When it is colder, she has a cellular blanket but that is all.

Hi!! I'm a first time Mum so can't give u any experience stories and I'm not due until August so weather will be a little different. But I bought a plug in room thermometer. I'm sure it's on offer in Mothercare at the minute and it changes colour depending on the temperature of the room an inside the box there is a guide to tell you what to put on your baby dependent of the temperature of the room. I plan on relying on this until I get more experience

This is the cheapest I have seen it lately

Many thanks all

In the same position - second baby due next week. Have kidded myself that a proper co sleeping crib (snuzpod too) will be better. I've got 2.5 and 1 tog gro bags, various blankets and muslins and, hopefully, even in half crazy post natal ness, a bit more confidence than last time (DS was born in a heat wave).

Also, this time I have my bullshitometer on with health visitors. It has already been applied, and I'll be ignoring them as much as possible.