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Original poster

Gro bags, sleeping bags!!! Any opinions/recommendations please?

31 replies

Oooggs · 12/07/2004 21:13

Our 7 month old ds has learnt to crawl in his cot to the top end of the cot in the night. He then gets cold etc... and several times in the nigyht be moved back down the bed. I have thought about those gro bags things (or something similar) so that when he moves about he is 'covered'.
Anyone used them? What about the tog ratings? Are they safe? Please help!!!

OP posts:

mummytosteven · 12/07/2004 21:17

Theoretically grobags are safer than blankets/sheets as grobagsw can't go over their heads. There is a range of tog ratings - 0.5 for high summer/summer holidays abroad, 1.0 for summer, 2.5 for winter/spring any time except for high summer. The grobag should could complete with instructions for appropriate level of clothing with the grobag. In summer usually just nappy and short sleeved vest, in winter just a sleepsuit. Asda do cheap ones (about at tenner) for Grobag ones or Jonelle ones expect about £20 - £25. I got one for DS when he moved into his cot bed at 3.5 months - I think they are fab.

bundle · 12/07/2004 21:17

not just safe, they're fantastic.

cas73 · 12/07/2004 21:28

They're wonderful - couldn't do without one!!!
Dd1 was in one from 2 months and dd2 from 5 weeks!!!

Hayls · 12/07/2004 21:58

I'm a fan too! I found Grobag to be the best although I do have one from Asda as well. Go for it!

Portree · 12/07/2004 22:08

Ds has been in his since he was about 8 weeks old, now 8 mos, and we all love it. No kicking off the covers. And it's also a great sign to Ds that it is sleep-time. I use it for his naps too. Good also if away from home and in unfamiliar surroundings. 3 cheers from me. I've now got 1.0 tog one for the summer. First one was Mothercare which was excellent and this one is Grobag.

honeybunny · 12/07/2004 22:12

Both of mine have been in grobags, ds1 from 6weeks and ds2 from birth. Both great sleepers despite roaming around the cot...360s every night! and always warm/cool enough. I go from a 2.5 one in the winterto a 0.5tog one for high summer or abroad holidays. If you prefer pure cotton bags for the winter months (ie not filled with polyester as some of the grobags are), try this

Original poster

Oooggs · 12/07/2004 22:17

You lot are quick. Are you on commission or something???!!! Well it looks like I will be hitting the shops tomorrow. Cheers and any more info will be gladly received.

OP posts:

cas73 · 12/07/2004 22:33

THe cheapest ones I've found are on kiddicare.com (although haven't tried supermarkets..)

muffinchops · 12/07/2004 22:33

I have used grobags on my ds from when he was approx 4 months old as I despaired of him constantly escaping from his covers and worried about him waking up cold. I think they are an excellent invention and the different tog ratings give you peace of mind.

I find that ds (now 10 months) knows the drill for bedtime and zipping him into his grobag calms him ready for sleep. They are also great if you have to get up to them in the night as well as there is no messing about with covers etc.

I also think they are really good for travelling as it helps them settle in a strange environment and Grobag even do travel Grobags for the car!

As you can probably see from my uncontained enthusiasm, can't recommend them enough!

poppyseed · 12/07/2004 22:43

If you buy direct from Grobag they give you a nursery thermometer and a chart to recommend what tog rating you have and also what your baby wears underneath them. I used them with DS when he was a static sleeper - although when he moved around I found that they got taffled up around his legs and woke him up...it was a bit like me and nighties actually, you know when you wake up and all yer bum is showing??!!!(Too much information me thinks..)

zeebee · 13/07/2004 12:21

See lyndap's recommendation of a website selling grobags cheap - www.uptofive.com i think. In a thread in products entitled Bargain Grobags... a couple of weeks ago.

Whoever invented them should be nominated for Noble prize I reckon. A future MN campaign??!

MrsDoolittle · 13/07/2004 12:42

I had heard great things about Grobags. Okay, I was prepared to accept the fact they might be pretty useful but fantastic? A bit OTT, I thought.
Well, I put dd into a grobag at 10lb (about 9 weeks) and strangely the grobag coincides with the little love sleeping through for 9pm til 6am.
Bizarre!!

foxinsocks · 13/07/2004 12:53

Just to add a comment - I tried grobags on mine when they were around 6-8 months (and hadn't used them before then which I think is where I went wrong!). Both mine absolutely hated them - they would try and jump around the cot in them (they looked like they were in the sack race!) and used to try and pull their feet out. It definitely kept them warmer but I think it used to make them feel like they were in straitjackets so I had to give up on them.

Just wanted to let you know in case you bought loads of them and found ds didn't like them!

mothernature · 13/07/2004 12:55

Tchibo do two at the moment romper bag £3.49 code 0153 23 ideal for babies upto six months and a sleeping bag £4.99 code 01 53 22 suitable for children upto three years. Both made from pure cotton.

frogs · 13/07/2004 13:00

Agree with all the positive comments. Get them wherever you can. They are safe -- most of Europe has been using them for years, and I've had some ancient ones handed down that are still going strong.

Tchibo have a lightweight one for £4.99 if you have a Tchibo near you, or they do them online (bigger baby size rather than little one). I've got an H&M one too that was passed on to me.

Wouldn't worry too much about the tog rating -- you get a feel for what to put underneath depending on the temperature. We've got a couple of thicker quilted ones for winter (cold house!) and some thin ones for summer. But you can mix and match vest and jimjam combinations to get what's right for you.

frogs · 13/07/2004 13:00

Beat me to it, mothernature!

slug · 13/07/2004 16:13

An added plus is if you are travelling. The grobag seems to signify sleep so strange beds have never really troubled the sluglet.

bundle · 13/07/2004 16:21

dd2 has one of hers at nursery, stops her from shoving her legs through cot bars & getting them stuck

geekgrrl · 13/07/2004 16:24

i've heard that in some areas they're giving them out to new parents in hospital in an attempt to cut cot death - countries where sleeping bags are very commonly used, e.g. the Netherlands or Germany, have markedly lower cot death rates.
I'd recommend getting one with a zip down the front rather than poppers at the top & side-zipped. We've got several different styles and my ds keeps undoing the poppers on side-zipped ones by kicking hard.

lyndap · 13/07/2004 17:49

Thanks, Zeebee.
Yes, gro-bags are fab and if you go to www.uptofive.co.uk you can save almost £10 on regular prices.
There's also something nice about "unwrapping" your wee one from their bag in the morning to get a cuddle.My DD looks like a mermaid in hers as I've had to get an extra huge one to accommodate her long legs...

zeebee · 13/07/2004 18:10

Yes, my dd loves to rediscover her feet in the morning upon unzipping - and we have fun zipping them up at night too!

lyndap - when your dd is a leggy supermodel on the milan catwalk, remember your friends need front row tickets too!

lyndap · 13/07/2004 18:25

ROFL

Jasmum · 13/07/2004 18:57

I used these grobags for a while but prefered the fleecy sleepsuits which i think are so snug & cosy. I think Mothercare do a range - when it's warm I jsut use a nappy & if it's colder then I use a vest & or a babygro.

I only wish they did them in my size!

Personally I'm not sure how safe the grobags are when they start standing up & walking around their cots...

Original poster

Oooggs · 13/07/2004 21:06

Thanks again gals. Foxinsocks - very interesting. I had never thought that starting ds late may be a problem. I will buy one to try.

OP posts:

Original poster

Oooggs · 16/07/2004 19:19

My grobag arrived from Kiddicare this morning and ds is in cot asleep in it now. I will let you know how the night goes. Fingers crossed!!

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