Sleepsuits and vests

[OliviaL9530]

Hi all!

I'm 33 weeks pregnant and we're just starting to buy some baby bits.

My question is... for winter babies (she's due November 17th) what is she best sleeping in? Vest and sleepsuit or sleepsuit and a sleep sac? Or something else entirely?

It's my first baby and I've really no idea what is best. I know it depends on the temperature of the house but assuming it's the recommended 16-20 degrees what is best for sleeping and general wear?

During the day should I put a sleeveless vest under the sleepsuit or one with arms? Obviously I've no idea haha

The vests with arms are a real pain to get a babygro over - I had a winter baby and bought the long-sleeved vests, then they were really hard to use! The short sleeved ones are more practical.

The baby sleeping bags have a minimum weight, so often aren't suitable from newborn. So check the weight recommendation on them before buying. We had a baby wrap thing (from JoJo) for about the first 3 weeks until DD was big enough for a sleeping bag. Those all tend to come with recommendations for what to put the baby in depending on the temp of the room.

How long you'll need something newborn is v dependent on how big they are when born. Mine was almost 8lb so it wasn't long before she was in next size (she only wore newborn size for ten days).
gro.co.uk/product/grobag-baby-sleep-bag/

Go for a long or short sleeved vest (I would choose long sleeved if the room gets cool overnight) with a babygrow/ sleep suit. You can use a sleeping bag if you want, or just blankets tucked snuggly under the baby's arms. I found my newborn wouldn't settle unless he was swaddled so I bought some velcro swaddle wraps and then tucked him in with blankets to keep him warm and cosy.

We used the grobag swaddle for the first few weeks until baby was big enough for a sleeping bag, highly recommend. Usually dressed him in a baby grow under the swaddle or just a long sleeve vest depending on temp. Once he went in the sleeping bag it was always just a long sleeve vest underneath. Short sleeve vests are handy to layer with a baby grow during the day.

If you search for baby grobag/sleep bags, all the different companies will give you a handy chart to refer to....like this one

www.jojomamanbebe.co.uk/sleeping-bag-guide

Mine wore short sleeved bodysuits, sleepsuits and I used cellular blankets, same blankets did both kids and subsequent puppy.

Short sleeve baby grow, sleep suit and swaddle until they can go in a gro bag. Then instead of swaddle, 2.5 tog grow bag. The rule is, babies should have an extra layer than you at all times. If you're in a T-shirt's, jumper and coat. They need that too plus a blanket etc xx

The general rule is one more layer than you are wearing. Your underwear doesn't count.

Newborns usually are too small for sleeping bags as they must be big enough that they don't fit their head through the neck hole. Swaddling is popular - JoJo Maman Bebe do some with Velcro which is very useful! Then for winter it's a 2.5 tog. At the moment our house is about 19 at night and we do a sleepsuit and a 2.5 tog. When it gets cooler we'll add a vest underneath.

In the day it'll be a vest under a sleepsuit and a pram suit when it's cold when you go out. Little cardigans are also useful and a hat. Hats shouldn't be used at night!

@TheBeastReleased

Thank you, I thought you couldn't have blankets in with baby overnight? Or can you use the breathable blankets?
Once I have the room thermometer I'll have more of an idea what I need.
I know the sleep bags go on weight so we really don't know what need until she's here 😂

@sylbunny

Yes that's what I thought about the sleeping sacs.

I've tried to find swaddles but all that come up are Muslin blankets 😭 I'll have to have a look on jojos and see what I can find.

I didn't have winter babies but definitely have a few things and try them out. Short sleeved vests and sleepsuits/baby grows are a must anyway and I would use both at night as I would in the day. If you search you can get picture guides to start you off.

Small babies (under certain weight) can't use sleeping bags so have blankets ready.

Temperature is always a worry when you have a new born and to contrast what we are advised to do at home they wrap them up so much in hospital (even though I was sweating in a cotton nightie).

I would get a love to dream swaddle like this lovetodream.co.uk/products/swaddle-up-warm-2-5-tog-white.html
My little boy is 7 weeks old and I so wish I’d bought these before he was born. We faffed about with swaddles wrapping him up during the night then he’d manage to get an arm out and wake himself up. The whole thing was a nightmare. At about 2 weeks enough was enough and I saw someone recommending those bags online. He’s used that until about this week (think they’re up to 2 months) and he’s now moved to the big sleeping bags. He goes in a 2.5 tog sleeping bag with a sleepsuit underneath, no vest. The temperature in my room is around 20 just now. If it drops lower on colder nights I’ll put a vest on him too. I’m just conscious not to carry him about the house in just his sleepsuit when he’s not got anything else on so I’ll keep him in his sleeping bag or put his dressing down or a blanket on him if we’re going downstairs in the morning.

During the day it just depends. For the temperature just now he’s wearing a vest then whatever outfit and a cardigan usually. Most of his cardigans have hoods which aren’t ideal when he’s so small. I’ve found the jogger sets from H&M have been quite good if we’re going somewhere in the car or not doing much that day so I’ve not had to worry about putting cardigans on. I took it all very literally before he was born but you really don’t worry about it once they’re here. I’ve seen a lot of things saying they’re better being too cold than too warm so I just try to make sure I don’t have too many layers on him, mainly in the pram or car seat

I was too scared to ever leave him with a blanket, the only time we do is in the moses basket when we’re beside him. I used the aden and anais swaddles to swaddle him in the first 2 weeks but if I was doing it again I’d definitely save myself all that hassle and just go for the swaddle bags

I just saw your note on Muslins and swaddles. Don't be put off by thinking a swaddle is complicated. Once you have a done it a few times it gets easier. Best to use a large muslin though.

My last baby was a January baby and we used a large muslin to swaddle till about 8/9 weeks and then moved to a love to dream swaddle bag. They are amazing! Really recommend. It felt really wrong in the middle of winter to have a newborns arms and hands out and in these bags they are really cosy.

All my babies, including my current 4 week old wear a short sleeved vest, sleepsuit, then at night I swaddle him in a woombie swaddle which all my babies loved. It’s got a bit of stretch to it and supposedly mimics the sort if movement they have while in the womb, plus it zips up so is super easy. If it’s particularly chilly at night then I pop a light blanket over him too but only from the waist down.

We have sleeping bags ready for him to use soon.

As a side note this baby was 7lb 5oz born and I needed to go out and buy some tiny baby bits as the newborn size stuff I had absolutely swamped him. Whereas my previous baby was 8lb 6oz and wore the newborn size bits for only a matter of days before I needed to put them in 0-3 size stuff.

Mine was a November baby. We used a mix of long sleeve vests and sleep sack and short sleeve vest, sleep suit and sleep sack depending on how cold it was. It was a bit of trial and error and occasionally adding a layer during a night nappy change.
We had some gro company swaddle things that were designed for the bit when they’re too small for sleep sacks.
My little boy never liked having his arms in so we just left them out. I liked using those types of swaddle sack because it zipped up and I wasn’t worrying about it being loose.