Newborn baby bedding - no clue or experience

[Ryooki]

Our first child is due next year so I have little to no experience with most things baby related. Please excuse my ignorance.

I bought a quilt for the baby's cot because I liked the look of it, but when I looked closer at the labels at home it said it wasn't suitable for babies under 1 year old. I just figured that when the baby went from their moses basket to the cot when they're around 6 months that you could put a thin quilt on them, much like a fleece blanket? I never knew this was wrong so I'm wondering what else I should be aware of.

Please could you help with some practical advice on do's and don'ts for baby bedding, based on your experiences? An 'idiots guide' if you will!

I guess the only obvious thing I know for sure is not to use pillows or allow any bedding to slip over their head so they don't suffocate.

Thanks in advance

Yea no duvets or quilts until a year old.

Ideally you want baby lying on their back on a firm matress st the foot of the cot with no loose bedding. However not all babies are happy about being on their backs
Gro bags and sleeping bags are useful to.keep baby warm however be mindful that their head can't slip down into them . Always do them up properly and read the weight guides on them

We'll be using a gro-bag as soon as she's but enough, they come in different thicknesses so suitable for all weathers. No suffocation risk or chance of them kicking the covers off and getting disturbed. Also don't buy cot bumpers as they're a huge SIDS risk. You'll be fine mummy :)

Thanks for your responses!

Timetogrowup, you mentioned not all babies like sleeping on their backs - does that mean they're not suited to Grobags? Or can they comfortably sleep on their side in them?

I'm your mama, are cot bumpers really that bad?! Why do shops still sell them?! I already have a couple because they were gifted to me in bedding sets but I won't be using them now.

Most people I know (who don't co sleep) have baby in a cot, beside crib or Moses basket with:

• firm mattress with mattress protector and cotton jersey sheet stretched over
• cotton swaddle OR baby in the age- appropriate sleeping bags, winter tog all year except for hot nights in summer, when they're in summer tog.

Cellular blanket on top of necessary, tucked in the end of the cot and both sides so baby can't wriggle under it.

No cot bumpers, although you can get net breathable ones which have lower suffocation risk.

My dd is 20months and sleeps comfortably in her grobag in all kinds of weird positions - legs up the side of the cot, bum in the air etc. They're fab!

In January, 18-20 degrees, I'd put the newborn baby in a cotton sleeveless vest, cotton sleep suit and a large thin muslin wrap swaddle.

Some babies feel the cold, others don't. My baby eouldn't aleep without a swaddle, others HATE the swaddle. My advice would be to watch a few YouTube videos on safe swaddling (ie to prevent hip dysphasia or whatever it's called).

Okay, another first timer here and I'm going to have to ask, what do you mean by a cellular blanket?

Op, I think I could be more clueless than you! I walk into mother care, get frightened by all the options and leave empty handed...

Here's a cellular blanket. They have holes in!

Marking place! I was going to post thus very same question

Another first-timer here, due too soon to probably be asking this...

Could someone please tell me what a swaddle is? I thought it was a way to cuddle and soothe the baby by standing up and sort of swinging it!

A swaddle is a way of wrapping your baby up in a blanket so it's very secure. Arms on or out. Not all babies like it!

I could be wrong but I think you're not meant to put a blanket on top of a sleeping bag. They have guides with the sleeping bags to say what baby should be wearing for each temperature (a monitor which also tells you the temperature is handy here).

You are all wonderful for being so helpful! Thank you again!

Also, I'm not revelling in other people's lack of experience but it's nice to know I'm not the only one who doesn't know what I'm doing! We'll all get there I'm sure!

imperialBlether I just ordered that blanket you shared a link to. It's lovely, safe, unisex and a bargain! Good find!

Another mum to be here... What about hats?

I've heard they should have a hat on as they lose heat out of their heads, but does this apply at night too? Or is that then a suffocation risk of it slips/ comes off?

I was told at NCT group never to put a hat on a sleeping baby indoors, so I never did. Presume it's a suffocation risk as you can't see it if it slips off.

Hats are only for outdoors.

I recommend you buy Gro bags! I've used them from about 6 months onwards (when they start rolling out of their blankets) Mine have always slept on their front and are still fine in gro bags.

Thank you was expecting something a bit more technical!

Thanks for starting the thread OP!

I'm sure they'll tell you this when you leave the hospital, but no hats inside, especially not to sleep in as they can overheat.

Baby bedding is pretty simple. Sleeping bag, stretchy fitted sheet, firm mattress and nothing else. Swaddling can work well fior the first few months.

We have a room thermometer and the Gro website tells you what tog + clothing combo for what temperature. We used 3 sheets and 2 Grobags on constant rotation. 2 x 2.5 tog for most of the time and 2 x 1 tog for the summer.

The Aden + Anais swaddling muslins were great for when my DD was small. TK Max often sell them half price.

I wouldn't bother with much else.

Good luck!

Thanks, this is really helpful!

This is so useful, thank you.

Can you go straight to gro bags from day 1 or do I need to swaddle?

My mum is knitting blankets, can I get use those to swaddle? Or do I need cellular ones?

Life savers - I'm a bit embarrassed as I am being induced in less than 2 weeks and still know none of this

So essentially newborn babies just need sleep suits and a cellular blanket, placed and tucking them in? With a waterproof sheet and normal fitted sheet upon mattress?

I feel like such twat asking but I genuinely have no idea and never had antenatal classes as my midwife mucked the dates up.

I think your baby needs to be 8lbs+ to use a sleeping bag, but you can swaddle/use a Grosnug before that. Some blankets are better than others for swaddling, depends on the stretchiness.

Babies need different coverings for different temperatures, I'm sure there are handy websites. I'd definitely use a mattress protector and sheet in all cases though.

Different babies like different things. Depending how prolific a poo-er or vomit-er it is you will need an absolute minimum of 2 of sheets, mattress protectors, sleeping bags, blankets. One of my babies was a massive and frequent puker, had 8 sheets in circulation and still had to wash every day! Mine didn't love being swaddled beyond the first couple of weeks, I used a thin jersey blanket or a flat cot sheet. Also didn't use cellular blankets: I had a cotton jersey pram blanket and another knitted cotton one and a cheap fleece IKEA one which I cut in half so it didn't need folding (once folded a blanket is = 2 layers, too many layers risks over heating). And no bumpers. Sleeping bags are for once they're a bit bigger (maybe over 10lb) and come in different thicknesses for different seasons.

I prefer gro bag as it stops baby pulling a blanket over her face and then cry or kicking it off her legs.

Supermarkets sells 2.5 tog gro baby but their own make for about £12. One togs are more difficult to find but mothercare and John Lewis have the cheapest.

I bought cellular blankets for £4 each from Aldi special buy baby event. There is one coming up soon.