House temperature

[Bluebutterfly90]

Hi everyone,
I'm 38+1 and just trying to finish getting everything sorted. I was looking at one of my sleep bags which I have for the baby, and it has a guideline of when to use the sleep bag.
Its 2.5 tog, and the guide says 20 degrees. So I turned my heating down to 20, as it was on 22. Now I'm freezing and sat with a blanket on to be warm. Which I get is the point because the sleep bag is in place of a blanket.
I dont want baby to be too cold or too warm, am I overthinking this? The sleep bag is good for night but will he be too cold during the day?

Hi, I have found that the recommendations dont really apply for me - or perhaps my house temperature is lower than the thermostat says. I have needed more blankets than recommended...

Take the guide as a just that (and of course they don't want to increase any SIDS risk) - when your baby is there, you'll just need to frequently check baby's temperature by feeling their back, whether they're awake or asleep, to see if they're cold or hot/sweaty and adjust accordingly.

I think it refers to the actual temperate of the room. Our heating is set at about 27 at the moment and according to our GroEgg the baby's nursery is only 18.

Everyone has told me that you will know if your baby is too hot/too cold/comfortable so I wouldn't worry :)

I know the babies room should be cooler than other rooms anyway so maybe you could open the window slightly if it is too warm or turn off the radiator in that room.

Bear in mind the sleep bags arent usually suitable for newborns anyway, until they meet the weight requirement that is usually stated on it (otherwise there is a risk their heads will slip down under the neck opening). Using blankets for a while will help you get used to how warm the baby should be.

Thanks for the advice.
I got a few sleep bags because I was worried about using blankets, but it seems like they're not without their flaws. I hadn't considered about his head slipping into the neck hole. I do have some blankets too, as I wanted to have options.
I dont have a room thermometer for the room the baby will be in because when I mentioned I might get one my mum kinda laughed and said they didnt need things like that when she was having her kids.
I feel like when he gets here I'm going to be watching him like a hawk when he sleeps!
How do you not go mad worrying!

You can get very cheap room thermometers - little cardboard ones come free with Gro bags.

We have a little cardboard thermometer near DD's Moses basket which usually sits between 18-21°. We have her in a short sleeved bodysuit and long sleeved sleepsuit with a thin blanket on top of her. I worry she won't be warm enough or will be too cold but she's so far been absolutely fine and never feels/seems too hot/cold, I'm sure she'd let me know! She's 4 weeks tomorrow.

I'd definitely recommend a room thermometer. It's so helpful to know exactly how warm the nursery is. The Gro Egg ones are also night lights, and they come with a guide which says what clothing and tog sleeping bag should go on baby.

My DS was born over the minimum weight for the bags so he went in one as soon as we were home from the hospital.

My baby monitor/ camera thing has a temperature on the screen. Not a very helpful response from your mum- we also didn't have carseats or even seatbelts as kids, but hey ho! I find this guide quite practical (based on room temp).

Ah, Whatcha, that's the guide I was talking about! I found it so helpful.

Not relevant to the discussion about room temperature but with regard to sleep bags you can get ones specific for newborns. I loved mine as then I didn't have to worry about feet to foot of bed and tucking in loose covers. I also meant I could pick him to feed without unwrapping him and keep him nice and snug to go back down again

gro.co.uk/product/gro-snug/

Reading the comments here I went and checked the gro bag sleep bag I have and it did have a little cardboard room thermometer in it.
I'm considering a gro egg too but wondering is it good as a night light too, as some of the reviews say it's not bright enough. I just realised last night that obviously I'll need some kind of night light for late night feeds/changes.

I keep thinking I'm done getting ready and then I remember something else!

The gro egg is pretty dim - no good as a nightlight, I would say.

I didn't find the gro egg any good as a night light in the early days when you need to see well enough to change nappies.

Gro egg is crap, don't bother. Mine isn't accurate in telling the temp and the night light isn't bright enough

Gro egg no good as night light but spot on for temperature. Wouldn’t be without it.

Room can be whatever temp you find comfortable. The point is that baby should be dressed appropriately so they are not overheating or too cold..

Ah yes, the gro egg isn't bright enough to change nappies etc, but DS is now 2 and we've left it in his room because he likes the light, just bright enough to reassure him but not so bright he can see his toys and play with them!

Also tested it and the thermometer was really accurate.

I must have a dodgy one then. My daughters room is cold and the monitor reads 16C. The gro egg told us it was 20.4! Absolutely no way

Duh, sorry folks - that’ll teach me to MN and text DH simultaneously. Have reported myself 🤦🏼‍♀️

Meant to say that I find the gro egg measures room temp around 1°C warmer than other thermometers. The colour is useful although I developed an irrational irritation with its judgey little sad red face during the summer heatwave.

I have a Gro Egg which I've used and if you go onto the Gro website, there's a calculator there which tells you what baby should wear in different temperatures.

For a nightlight, we have a Gro Light which you can use with a lamp or with the main light. I really like it as you can change how bright it is and I generally just leave it on a low setting during the night, which means I can see DD but also sleep with it on as it isn't too bright.