When it's cold a sleeping bag not enough - why not a blanket as well

[yellowflowers]

All the guidelines say don't use a blanket on top of a sleeping bag but I think dd is too cold without one. Advice?

My baby has not arrived yet so can't tell you from experience but have read that if baby is not warm enough in sleeping bag then have baby in a long-sleeve bodysuit or lightweight pyjama then sleeping bag on top.

Ooh I always have something to add on the "cold at night" threads. Our DS room was down to 11C at one point last winter. Brr.

We used to put him to bed in 2 sleepsuits (would you like your baby double bagged, he's very heavy?) and then a grobag, sometimes the long sleeved variety!

That said I would consider a blanket on top of his bag now and he is 20 months currently.

I think it is because in a sleeping bag their movement is more restricted so if they end up with their face under the blanket they can't get out. Just layer them up a bit more. Fleece sleepsuits are great.

We always put a blanket on top of dd's sleeping bag. IMHO, 2.5 tog is not enough on cold nights, regardless of them wearing two layers. I sleep under a 10tog duvet! I know it is warmer because it is a bag, but still.

They are really cautious with advice because overheating is linked with cot death. But you have to use your common sense.

Oh yeah and all the clothing at night guidelines are for nice modern houses with no draughts and with heating on all the time, the temperature they expect you to keep the bedroom at, honestly it would cost a bloody fortune! Just be sensible. TBH I used to put a blanket on them anyway but made sure that with a blanket they were with their feet at the end of the cot as they would be if using sheets rather than a sleeping bag so they can't wriggle down.

Both my children feel the cold to a ridiculous degree, which is odd as I do not at all.

Dd was born in February and as a new born she would sleep in a vest, a babygro, a 2.5 tog gro bag, a wool blanket folded into four (so four layers) wrapped round her and then all that under our 13.5 tog duvet.

Any less and she was cold.

How old is she? How cold does her room get?

If she wakes up at night and feels cold then I'd either layer up or stick a cotton cellular blanket over her. I did this when DS was 12 months+ as he kept waking up cold despite all the layers. When he was younger he seemed to be alright in the sleep bags

If she just feels cold in the morning, then unlikely to need it (as she would have woken up in the night or early hours)

I read somewhere that what is underneath you when you sleep is almost as important as what is on top of you, in terms of keeping you warm. What about putting a nice fleecy blanket underneath your baby's bottom sheet, so that she stays cosier that way? Worth a try?

what temperature does the room get to and what clothing is she wearing? If it is colder then put a long sleeved vest plus bodysuit/pyjamas on and a cardigan/socks if you feel she is still cold. My 2 slept fine in a bodysuit plus sleepsuit plus 2.5tog bag and their rooms got down to around 13/14 degrees in the winter.

I have always used a sheet and blanket on top of sleeping bag (DD also in vest and babygro) as worried that 2.5 tog sleeping bag is nowhere near the same as my 13 tog duvet in winter (and I wear pyjamas).

Room fluctuates but even when thermometer shows recommended temp of 18 I think it feels cold.

Dd is 10m

DS cot has a blanket, I have used it last winter (he was 10 months) but most nights he was not covered by it as he moves a lot. I layer him using a long sleeves vest, a warm sleepsuit, an over sleepsuit in flanelle and he is in a 2.5tog sleeping bag. His room goes down to 17C at night.

If you are not confident about the blanket why don't you put a small heater on a low temperature that you can switch on at bedtime (or just before) and switch off in the morning (like this less electricity used and no risk for your DD to hurt herself by touching the heater).

DS cot has a blanket, I have used it last winter (he was 10 months) but most nights he was not covered by it as he moves a lot. I layer him using a long sleeves vest, a warm sleepsuit, an over sleepsuit in flanelle and he is in a 2.5tog sleeping bag. His room goes down to 17C at night.

If you are not confident about the blanket why don't you put a small heater on a low temperature that you can switch on at bedtime (or just before) and switch off in the morning (like this less electricity used and no risk for your DD to hurt herself by touching the heater).

I was worried about my baby overheating too as his arms get cold. Just found online grow bags/sleeping bags with sleeves which I'm going to try

bags with sleeves arent recommended for overnight sleeping and could lead to overheating. They are supposed to be lightweight and sleeveless.

Anyone know where I can buy thicker/warmer/fleece sleepsuits?

Wait - you can use long sleeved fleecy sleep suits but not long sleeved sleeping bags? I am being dim, that doesn't make sense?

I would imagine the sleeves on a sleeping bag would be padded like the bag itself whereas a long sleeved sleepsuit would be a thinner layer and less likely to cause overheating.

this tells you about the new British standard for baby sleeping bags and part of that is that they should be sleeveless:

The new British Standard for Baby Sleep Bags (BS 8510:2009) has been introduced to provide a quality and safety standard for Baby Sleep Bags to conform to in the UK. Together with other industry and technical experts, The Gro Company has been involved with a working group for over two years in order to produce this very important Standard to help parents to be confident that they are buying a safe and high quality Baby Sleep Bag. To meet the new Standard, Baby Sleep Bags must be constructed to specific guidelines and tested in accordance with industry standard testing equipment. BS 8510:2009 has been developed completely with a baby?s safety in mind and some of the requirements are as follows:

? Baby Sleep Bags should have armholes, but no sleeves or hoods, to prevent over-heating
? The neck openings have both minimum and maximum measurements to ensure safety
? Zips, buttons and press studs (poppers) have to pass rigorous tests to ensure strength and durability
? Loop labels are not allowed and any embellishments such as embroideries, ribbons and appliqués must pass stringent tests to ensure that they are safe for babies and do not pose risks of choking, entanglement, or entrapment
? Shrinkage and colour fastness are also tested to ensure quality and durability
? Tests are also undertaken to ensure that no dangerous chemicals are present, for example, in the dyes used in the fabrics, or in fire retarding the Baby Sleep Bags
? The Baby Sleep Bag must be labelled properly for the correct age and/or height for the baby
? The Baby Sleep Bag should be a low tog (warmth) rating and must be tested and labelled to show the tog rating and the suitable bedroom temperature.

The New British Standard is voluntary, and not all brands of Baby Sleep Bags on sale in the UK will comply. The Gro Company has always produced Baby Sleep Bags with safety and quality as a guiding principle. BS 8510:2009 is based on many of the recommendations in the previous voluntary Code of Practice for Quality and Safety of Baby Sleeping Bags (2005), which we ourselves were involved in drawing up. We have always firmly believed in the utmost importance of producing a Baby Sleep Bag that can be washed time and again, and that is as safe as possible when you are leaving your baby unattended and asleep for up to 12 hours at a time.

Primark are selling fleece sleepsuits (£5) and fleece long sleeved pyjamas (£7 for 2 pairs).

For those that mention sleep under highh tog duvets. That is irrrelevant as babies and children have a higher metabolism and don't need such a high tog.
OP have you checked your dds back or chest to see if she is warm enough. It doesn't matter if her hands are cold.

There are some lovely thick warm sleepsuits in Matalan at the moment, I just bought ds2 a couple

thanks shoppingstar and shutup, I will take a look.

DS is 8.5 months and his room is generally about 20ºC at the moment, but that's cold for him. He goes to bed in a long sleeved vest, babygro and 2.5 tog sleeping bag. If he feels cold in the night then I pop a cellular blanket on him. He can pull himself up to standing in his sleeping bag so I don't think his movement is restricted! I've bought a fleece sleepsuit from Next for when it gets really cold.