New Mum confusion - NB sleeping bags, swadding, sleepyhead, cots...

[sallysallyn]

Maybe its baby brain. Or there's just too many options out there. But am seriously confuse about where to put my new baby down to sleep - and wearing what and with what sheets!

We've hired an NCT bednest so plan to use that for 6 months. We've also been given a merino wool swaddle, and a Merino Kids NB Cocooi sleeping bag, which apparently has been designed for newborns to use even though I've heard you shouldn't put your baby in a sleeping bag till 3 months. We've also been recommended a Sleepyhead which looks fantastic.

• If we do swaddle then you don't use any blankets, right? So they just go on the bednest mattress?
• If we use the Merino Kids Cocooi sleeping bag then we don't use blankets then either, right?
• What would the baby wear to sleep on the sleepyhead mattress? Or is that not a night-time thing just a daytime portable place to sleep?
• So when do you use blankets? Can you put them UNDER the baby so is nice and soft for them to lie on?

Too many products out there and so much confusion! Any advice from experienced Mumsnetters much appreciated.

A lot of it is personal preference and depends on the baby (DD was a mini-Houdini and would escape any swaddle, for example).

The main thing you need to look at is the temperature in the room where the baby will be sleeping as that will determine the kind of covers you need.

It also depends on what clothes the baby is wearing; just a sleepsuit or a bodysuit underneath?

I would never put blankets under the baby as they're soft, not breathable and are probably considered an additional risk for SIDS.

Have a look here for some combinations.

Someone wise told me that babies should always have one more layer than you would, to cope with the fact they just don't have the same layer of blubber...so if you're in pyjamas and a duvet, then they should have pyjamas, sleeping bag, and blanket over the top, for example. Or instead of the blanket, a bodysuit under the pyjies.

Main thing is to check the room temperature is just right - 18-21.

You have so many things pre baby. Again I echo basing it all on temp- there are many different lusts available online relating temp to layers. Yes you don't really need blankets that much with other solutions. My ds would not be swaddled and sleeping bags are great.
One if the best pieces of info I was given by a dr was that it is more dangerous for a baby to be too got than too cold so always er on the side of caution.
Also my ds was basically un put down able so be prepared for that. I nearly sent myself mad tucking blankets in and getting him in the right position as he would always cry after 5 mins

I have never really used blankets I've always thought the less they have in the basket/crib/cot etc the better, and one thing less to worry about. The sleeping bags you can use from birth sound great. I used Gro bags from about 3 months and in winter a sleep suit underneath. Sounds like you have loads of new things to try out....you'll soon find out what works.... Good luck x

When swaddling you don't use blankets. When using sleeping bags you don't use blankets. Do not put a blanket over a sleeping bag there is far too much risk of over heating.

The one more layer rule is true but that tends to refer to how to dress baby as it is slightly more complicated at night due to the SIDS guidelines and overheating risks. It is more accurate to go by room temp. The lullaby trust has info on this. As others have said too warm is much more dangerous than too cold.

Most sleeping bags have a minimum weight requirement rather than an age limit. Most of them are not suitable for newborns due to this but there are some exceptions. Check and see if the one you have been given has a weight limit. It may be that it does but it is lower than most. However, you need to check this in case baby is small. Also don't think premies are allowed in sleeping bags.

I also wouldn't put a blanket under the baby to make it soft as it will make the baby warmer and skew all of the temperature guidelines.

Blankets could be used before baby is big enough for a sleeping bag, in the pram, or to cover baby when they fall asleep but haven't been put in the sleeping bag, quite likely in early days if they fall asleep on you or after feeding etc.

It really depends on the baby sometimes!! I had to swaddle mine (unfortunately still do at 4 months) because she hits her face all the time. However if they sleep fine and don't have mental arms then I wouldn't bother swaddling.
Babies also have different sensitivity to heat too. My LO feels the cold easily and it disrupts her sleep. I have a very thin swaddle so I just layer sheets over her. That way I can add/take them off depending on how the temperature changes through the night. I know when she gets restless that she's cold!
You're probably best just seeing how it goes. You can't go wrong with good old cellular blankets!

DS loved the swaddle as he had a strong startle reflex. We had the small crib sized cellular blankets and used 2 of these. He went straight onto the mattress. The room was kept between 16-18 degrees.

Plus underneath the double layer cellular blanket swaddle construction, DS would be dressed in short sleeved bodysuit with long sleeve and long leg sleepsuit over the top.

Thanks everyone for the insight - it's a minefield out there :) I've got a few options to try and as some have said its about seeing what works for me and my new little one. I'll just try them one at a time! Thanks again

My twins sleep in sleepyheads day and night. When they were tiny I swaddled them, now they sleep in gro bags.

Just to add that babies often have cold hands and feet, but this doesn't mean they need extra blankets. The back if the neck is the best place to check that they're warm enough - it should be warm to touch but not sweaty or clammy, as this is a sign of overheating. If they're too cold, they will tend to cry and let you know!

My LO is 3 months and wears a vest, long sleeved babygro and a sleeping bag. Then we have to swaddle her because she LOVES to hit herself in the face and knock her dummy out

Then she has 2 blankets over the top! I am always worried about her overheating but we have a cold bedroom and she won't sleep very well unless she is nice and snug. Most mumsnetters would probably gasp in horror at the amount of layers we use but every baby is different!

It was definitely a trial and error process figuring out what worked for us

If you go on the merino kids website there is an faq section which tells you what to put on the baby in what temperature. For example at 18-20° I think it says short sleeved vest, sleepsuit and sleeping bag, nothing else. I've been doing this with my 7 week old and she has never been cold (hands and face aside), even when the room has dropped below 17° she has still been warm enough and her sleep pattern hasn't been interupted.

There is also a really good page in the red book you get from the health visitor which says what tog you need for what temperature and details what tog everything is, blanket, vest, clothing the lot. I found that helpful in working out which sleeping bag to use.

Definitely trial and error. But fwiw, we used a swaddle until about 5 months, sometimes with just a vest underneath, sometimes with a baybrow - but DD was a very warm baby. Then moved to a sleeping bag at 5 months when she finally had control of all her limbs and stopped waking herself up. Again, just a vest or babygrow underneath, no blankets.

Even as a toddler in cold autumn she's still very happy having bare arms. You get to learn whether your baby prefers to be hot or cold. And we've only started using blankets as a toddler for naps! Before that I used to use them in the pushchair, and that was it.