NOW CLOSED: Share your thoughts on keeping your baby warm at night with the team behind Grobags – £250 prize up for grabs

[AnnMumsnet]

The team at The Gro Company have asked us to find out your opinions and experiences of keeping your baby warm during the winter months.

The Gro Company say "Around 95% of UK parents of newborns choose to use a baby sleeping bag to keep their baby safe and snug during sleep and naptimes. In order to comply with the current British Safety Standard for baby sleep bags, Grobag does not offer a product with sleeves which means these parents sometimes feel concerned about their babies having chilly arms.

Designed to complement the multi-award winning Grobag, the new Gro-Suit keeps the baby's arm warm with thick quilted sleeves while the rest of the suit is a single cotton layer. Worn inside a Grobag it provides the perfect balance of warm arms and a safer body temperature."

They've chatted to parents before and find that often parents, who feel that their baby's arms and hands feel cold to the touch in colder winter months, are tempted to add extra layers to their children's bedding, which could potentially reduce the safety of the sleep environment.

So please share on this thread
~ Your overall views and experiences of keeping your baby (or your child when they were a baby) warm at night
~ Did you or do you worry about your baby's arms being cold at night? How do you judge if they are cold or too warm?
~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?
~ Do you use a baby sleeping bag? Are you aware that to comply with British Safety regulations, baby sleeping bags should not have sleeves/arms?
~ What do you think about this new product? Do you think it's something you'd use in the winter months as an alternative to a standard baby gro?

Any other comments welcome - the team from The Gro Company are on hand on facebook to answer any queries you have but will also respond to queries raised on this thread.

Add your comments below - everyone who does will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will get Gro company products including Grobags and vouchers for high street stores to the value of £250.

Thanks,
MNHQ

[skyebluesapphire]

I used sleeping bags as DD wouldn't keep a blanket on, still won't at 4yo

She loved her bag and after she outgrew it she cuddled it like a blankie.

I never used the ones with sleeves, they just seemed wrong. I would put her in a long sleeved vest and babygro to keep her warm inside the bag and it worked a treat.

The BT baby monitor had a temperature gauge on it.

I don't think sleeves are necessary and should stay banned.

[TeaandHobnobs]

~ Your overall views and experiences of keeping your baby (or your child when they were a baby) warm at night
My DS is quite sensitive to the cold (he is quite skinny as he was prem) so I do worry whether he is warm enough at night, especially when it gets very cold in the early hours of the morning.

~ Did you or do you worry about your baby's arms being cold at night? How do you judge if they are cold or too warm?
I do worry that his arms, and particularly his hands, get extremely cold - we used to swaddle him but now he can escape no matter how tightly we swaddle. However I don't judge his temperature by his hands - I will check his chest or the back of his neck to see if he feels too hot/cold.

~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?
We have a GroEgg thermometer to guide us on room temperature.

~ Do you use a baby sleeping bag? Are you aware that to comply with British Safety regulations, baby sleeping bags should not have sleeves/arms?
I've not used a baby sleeping bag, as I was advised not to do so before 6 months (particularly as DS is small for his age). I would consider using one if/when the weather gets extremely cold, if I don't think I have sufficient blankets in that case, but we have not had any issues with blankets being kicked off, which I think is one if remain reasons people use baby sleeping bags.
I didn't know that BS regulations mean that baby sleeping bags should not have sleeves/arms - I would want to find out the reason behind that (i.e. is it a safety concern)

~ What do you think about this new product? Do you think it's something you'd use in the winter months as an alternative to a standard baby gro?
I think I would be unlikely to buy this product - instead I would use fleece babygros or cardigans, and adjust the layering of blankets accordingly - as they are quite expensive.

[UWSmum]

~ Your overall views and experiences of keeping your baby (or your child when they were a baby) warm at night
We use a room thermometer or else I argue it is cold and dh argues it is too hot. It is an oddly stressful topic as both think we are doing what is right for the dcs.

~ Did you or do you worry about your baby's arms being cold at night? How do you judge if they are cold or too warm?
Feel back of the neck. Ds always has hot hands, dd's hands are always cold.

~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?
Thermometer and forehead kiss

~ Do you use a baby sleeping bag? Are you aware that to comply with British Safety regulations, baby sleeping bags should not have sleeves/arms?
Yes, we use grobags.

~ What do you think about this new product? Do you think it's something you'd use in the winter months as an alternative to a standard baby gro?
Yes

[LittleAbruzzenBear]

I used sleeping bags for my first DC, now 4, and I am using them for my second DC, 4 months old. The bags are great, but he has cold hands in the morning. I do put a cellular blanket over him too. The gro-suits sound like a good idea because they may help with this by keeping his arms warm. I wasn't aware that sleeping bags should not have arms, I have only seen them without so assumed there must be a reason for that. I use a thermometer in the nursery to keep an eye on the temperature, the nursery is the smallest bedroom in the house, but the coldest!

[glitch]

~ Your overall views and experiences of keeping your baby (or your child when they were a baby) warm at night
I was more worried about my DS being too hot than too cold. I was forever adding then taking away blankets.
~ Did you or do you worry about your baby's arms being cold at night? How do you judge if they are cold or too warm?
No, I don't recall ever worrying about his arms.
~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?
I did start off with a thermometer but once summer came it was a bit pointless as we were constantly hotter than the recommended temp.
~ Do you use a baby sleeping bag? Are you aware that to comply with British Safety regulations, baby sleeping bags should not have sleeves/arms?
I didn't know that that is why gro bags don't have sleeves. I used them all the time from about 6 mths onwards.
~ What do you think about this new product? Do you think it's something you'd use in the winter months as an alternative to a standard baby gro?
I don't think I would have bothered as he seemed warm enough.

[MakeTeaNotWar]

~ Your overall views and experiences of keeping your baby (or your child when they were a baby) warm at night

I found this confusing and conflicting - while my baby's room thermometer indicated that it was warm enough, to me it felt too cold and I was often tempted to add another blanket. During hot summers, I would leave her window open to circulate some cooler air and have her sleep in just a vest and nappy with a sheet for cover.

~ Did you or do you worry about your baby's arms being cold at night? How do you judge if they are cold or too warm?

Yes I often thought she must be freezing as her hands were so cold - judged by touch.


~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?

Use both - room thermometer part of baby monitor so alerted me by sound if room too hot or cold.

~ Do you use a baby sleeping bag? Are you aware that to comply with British Safety regulations, baby sleeping bags should not have sleeves/arms?

I do use sleeping bags but did not know that they shouldn't have sleeves. Sometimes I added a blanket over the sleeping bag.

~ What do you think about this new product? Do you think it's something you'd use in the winter months as an alternative to a standard baby gro?

Yes definitely

[CarpeJugulum]

~ Your overall views and experiences of keeping your baby (or your child when they were a baby) warm at night
As DS is my only child, I found it very difficult knowing how to do this correctly. Despite all "best practice guides" shown in books, in the very hot maternity ward, we were instructed that they had to wear a vest and a sleepsuit and have about two blankets on - which made my son very grumpy and upset. It was only when we got him home and had a room thermometer that we could see what was best for him. We ended up with a thermostatic heater in the room to ensure a constant temperature overnight as he always woke if the room temperature dropped below 19 degrees (despite this apparently being an optimal temperature!).
~ Did you or do you worry about your baby's arms being cold at night? How do you judge if they are cold or too warm?
We were taught to check their temperature on their chest/back of the neck to see how they were doing rather than arms or legs. DS was an autumn/winter baby, so always had a sleepsuit on but his arms did always feel cool to the touch as he always refused to have his arms under the blankets.
~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?
Our baby monitor had a temperature sensor on it, so we used that although we did check his temperature ourselves at any check we did.
~ Do you use a baby sleeping bag? Are you aware that to comply with British Safety regulations, baby sleeping bags should not have sleeves/arms?
As soon as DS was old enough, we bought GroBags as they were the only product clearly marked as complying with BS standards - I knew there were other makes available, but they didn't display any certification on the packaging and I was too nervous a mother to risk it. I did know bags shouldn't have arms though.
~ What do you think about this new product? Do you think it's something you'd use in the winter months as an alternative to a standard baby gro?
DS is now too old to use sleepsuits, but I would have used these like a shot if they had been available as they would have saved a fair bit on heating and I would have been happier with his choice to have his arms flailing about the cot!

[EwanHoozami]

Your overall views and experiences of keeping your baby (or your child when they were a baby) warm at night:

We use sleeping bags and an extra layer of long-sleeved vest when it's cold.

Did you or do you worry about your baby's arms being cold at night? How do you judge if they are cold or too warm?

I've slightly decided that the coolness of DS's hands is due partly to stillness as well as room temp so I've stopped worrying about it tbh. The cold doesn't wake him up as far as I'm aware.

Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?

Yes for DS1, I'm generally more inclined to trust my intuition for DS2

Do you use a baby sleeping bag? Are you aware that to comply with British Safety regulations, baby sleeping bags should not have sleeves/arms?

Wasn't aware that there was a regulation, but my mother-in-law decided that sleeping bags were useless due to having no sleeves and bought us a dreadful non-UK one that had zip-on sleeves.

What do you think about this new product? Do you think it's something you'd use in the winter months as an alternative to a standard baby gro?

Not sure. Seems like an expensive solution to a problem that isn't really there.

[StrangeGlue]

So please share on this thread
~ Your overall views and experiences: I've recently moved up north and now quite often put a cardy on dd at night.
~ Did you or do you worry about your baby's arms being cold at night? How do you judge if they are cold or too warm? I have a room thermometer but I know if she's too cold by whether she wakes in the night.
~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature? Both
~ Do you use a baby sleeping bag? Are you aware that to comply with British Safety regulations, baby sleeping bags should not have sleeves/arms? I do use grobags and that explains why I haven't been able to get one with arms!
~ What do you think about this new product? Do you think it's something you'd use in the winter months as an alternative to a standard baby gro? Yeah I probably would.

[Tobermory]

~ Your overall views and experiences of keeping your baby (or your child when they were a baby) warm at night
When my first DD was tiny i used to worry so much about the temperature, both her body and also the room she was sleeping in. In the summer if she and the room were too hot and in the winter if she was too cold.
~ Did you or do you worry about your baby's arms being cold at night? How do you judge if they are cold or too warm? I would feel her hands, though they always felt cold! Also her neck and back.
~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature? There is a room thermometer on the monitor in DDs room.
~ Do you use a baby sleeping bag? Are you aware that to comply with British Safety regulations, baby sleeping bags should not have sleeves/arms? DD2 is now in a "big girls bed" with a quilt but we used sleeping bags with both our children. They are fantastic! I 'thought' i knew about safety regs but apparently not - i did not know they shouldnt have sleeves.
~ What do you think about this new product? Do you think it's something you'd use in the winter months as an alternative to a standard baby gro?
I expect if i had another,no chance of that, then i would probably be sucked in and try it.

[HipHopOpotomus]

~ Your overall views and experiences of keeping your baby (or your child when they were a baby) warm at night.

I've never really had an issue about this. I used a merino wool & cotton sleeping bag which kept both DD's comfy & warm though winter & summer. On a very cold night I will put a cellular blanket over baby if needed.

~ Did you or do you worry about your baby's arms being cold at night? How do you judge if they are cold or too warm?

This has never been a concern of mine. I always check baby temp by feeling their back & both babies were usually warm.

~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?
Never used room thermometer. I use touch.

~ Do you use a baby sleeping bag? Are you aware that to comply with British Safety regulations, baby sleeping bags should not have sleeves/arms?

I used a sleeping bag until 18 months.
I was not aware of sleeve regulations.

~ What do you think about this new product? Do you think it's something you'd use in the winter months as an alternative to a standard baby gro?

I'm sure lots of parents might like it, but it's not something I would use.

[FreelanceMama]

Your overall views and experiences of keeping your baby (or your child when they were a baby) warm at night
Our problem was the opposite - all being in a small room together with a v efficient storage heater we had the window open in the middle of February to keep the temperature down. I was more worried about him being too hot (cot death risks) than cold. I was told by friends "he'll let you know if he's too cold!"

~ Did you or do you worry about your baby's arms being cold at night? How do you judge if they are cold or too warm?
No I didn't worry, although I didn't like that his hands were cold sometimes. In the early months he had integrated scratch mits on his sleepsuits so that kept them warm. He rarely has bare arms - either wears a sleepsuit or pyjamas over a sleeveless vest, or a long sleeved vest and pyjama bottoms. To see if they're too hot or cold I feel in the "elbow pit" but I rely more on the back of his neck and the room temperature.

~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?
Yes, our Leapfrog monitor has a room thermometer and I keep it between 17 degrees and 21 degrees - any hotter and the window is opened/layers removed, any colder and I top up with a free standing heater. In the summer, I also check the back of his neck, back and chest.

~ Do you use a baby sleeping bag? Are you aware that to comply with British Safety regulations, baby sleeping bags should not have sleeves/arms?
We've always used a baby sleeping bag - I didn't know about the BS regulations but wouldn't want one with arms anyway because I like the flexibility of easily removing it without fussing with arms and disturbing him.

~ What do you think about this new product? Do you think it's something you'd use in the winter months as an alternative to a standard baby gro?
No, I think we're fine with long sleeved vests or baby gro.

[worldgonecrazy]

Your overall views and experiences of keeping your baby (or your child when they were a baby) warm at night

I have a warm-blooded child. She was in a gro-bag to start with, but once she was big enough to start kicking off covers, she was quite happy to sleep in just a short-sleeved vest.

Did you or do you worry about your baby's arms being cold at night? How do you judge if they are cold or too warm?

I still worry about this, as her arms often feel cold to the touch. When she was a baby I would feel how warm she was at the back of her neck.

Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?

Like most PFB mums, I used a room thermometer to start with but then became more confident.

Do you use a baby sleeping bag? Are you aware that to comply with British Safety regulations, baby sleeping bags should not have sleeves/arms?

We used the gro-bags or their equivalent for the first few months. I wasn't aware that baby sleeping bags shouldn't have arms, I just thought it was a popular design.

What do you think about this new product? Do you think it's something you'd use in the winter months as an alternative to a standard baby gro?

I suspect that if this product had been around we'd have bought it because we were first-timers and overheating was a big concern.

One other comment - I often see babies out in the winter in several layers of clothing, plus coat, plus blanket, plus waterproof cover over the pram, even when indoors. I'm not sure this is a very healthy thing for them.

[asuwere]

~ Your overall views and experiences of keeping your baby (or your child when they were a baby) warm at night
I've never really had any issues with any of them, they've had sleeping bags/cocoons or been in with me.

~ Did you or do you worry about your baby's arms being cold at night? How do you judge if they are cold or too warm?
I don't remember ever noticing it with any of them. DC4 is currently only a few weeks old and I am aware that she has cold hands during the night when I feed her - doesn't worry me though as the rest of her is warm. I judge their warmth by their neck and if they seem settled.

~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?
No thermometer, just touch.

~ Do you use a baby sleeping bag? Are you aware that to comply with British Safety regulations, baby sleeping bags should not have sleeves/arms?
I do use sleeping bags and wasn't aware that they couldn't have arms although had noticed that none of them did.

~ What do you think about this new product? Do you think it's something you'd use in the winter months as an alternative to a standard baby gro?
It's not something that I'd buy. Think if I was worried, I'd just use a long sleeved vest under the sleepsuit but so long as their body is warm, they should be fine. I always keep my arm out the duvet at night so figure it's normal :)

[BelinaTheChicken]

~ Your overall views and experiences of keeping your baby (or your child when they were a baby) warm at night
DS2 was a winter baby and we have a cold house (flat roof and massive windows) so keeping him warm was a concern for us. We used sleeping bags and a blanket if it was really cold.

~ Did you or do you worry about your baby's arms being cold at night? How do you judge if they are cold or too warm?
I'd feel his hands and the back of his neck to see if he was the right temperature. To keep his arms warm I would put a long sleeved vest under his sleepsuit so he would have two layers on his arms.

~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?
The monitor we use has a thermometer on it, but I generally would trust how DS felt more than the thermometer

~ Do you use a baby sleeping bag? Are you aware that to comply with British Safety regulations, baby sleeping bags should not have sleeves/arms?
I used sleeping bags for both DC, I didn't know that sleeves were against safety regs but never had them anyway, and just put long sleeved vests on to keep them cosy

~ What do you think about this new product? Do you think it's something you'd use in the winter months as an alternative to a standard baby gro?
Looks like a good idea, I'd be unlikely to use it myself as I have all DS2's clothes as hand me downs from DS1. I'd probably consider it if I needed to buy more sleepsuits for him, but I wouldn't replace the ones we already have

[MommyVan]

~ Your overall views and experiences of keeping your baby (or your child when they were a baby) warm at night

Ensuring they were warm enough in winter was always a concern. I swaddled them as newborns (not recommended any more I believe!) but once they were into sleeping bags I tended to find their hands were icy cold by morning. Very hard to keep a blanket in place, as my 3 are/were all active during sleep.

~ Did you or do you worry about your baby's arms being cold at night? How do you judge if they are cold or too warm?

Yes, this is a concern with my 8mo at the moment, she feels the cold. I feel her hands and upper chest (finger inside collar) to judge how warm she is. Often she has cold feet despite sleep suit and gro bag.

~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?

I did with my first baby, not the next 2. Didn't find it helpful really as doesn't take into account draughts etc or whether a baby is naturally a "warm" or "cold" person.

~ Do you use a baby sleeping bag? Are you aware that to comply with British Safety regulations, baby sleeping bags should not have sleeves/arms?

Yes and no respectively! I wondered why gro bags with arms weren't available!

~ What do you think about this new product? Do you think it's something you'd use in the winter months as an alternative to a standard baby gro?

The new product sounds tempting, however is it simply a sleep suit with padded sleeves? At present I dress my "cold baby" in a fleece sleep suit (they cost around £7) under her gro bag and this seems to do the job. Is the gro suit warmer/better than this? If it covers hands then that would be useful for me and I would buy it.

[mumnosbest]

I've never really understood the need for a sleeping bag. Layers of blankets have always worked for us. You can add or take away. Theyre also easier for nappy changes in the night. No noisy zips or fiddly fastenings so you can do a change without waking baby up.

[Woodlands]

~ Your overall views and experiences of keeping your baby (or your child when they were a baby) warm at night


~ Did you or do you worry about your baby's arms being cold at night? How do you judge if they are cold or too warm?
Yes - in winter when it got down to less than 10 degrees in our bedroom at night I used to put DS in a long-sleeved vest, a sleepsuit, a 2.5 tog grobag, a cardigan over the top AND a blanket (yes I know you're not meant to use them as well, but I had a 14 tog duvet, a blanket and a hot water bottle!). I would just go by how I felt as to whether I thought he was warm enough.

~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?
Only the type that came with grobags. Mostly I used touch.

~ Do you use a baby sleeping bag? Are you aware that to comply with British Safety regulations, baby sleeping bags should not have sleeves/arms?
Yes, I used sleeping bags up until about a month ago (DS is 2.4). Yes, am aware.

~ What do you think about this new product? Do you think it's something you'd use in the winter months as an alternative to a standard baby gro?
Yes, it looks good, but I am a cheapskate so would probably stick with using a cardigan (not done up, so it was only really an extra layer on his arms.

[lorisparkle]

Your overall views and experiences of keeping your baby (or your child when they were a baby) warm at night
~ Did you or do you worry about your baby's arms being cold at night? How do you judge if they are cold or too warm?

We always followed the clothing advise on the gro company room thermometre that came with the sleeping bag so was fairly confident that DS would be warm enough.

~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?

We had a thermometre on the baby monitor

~ Do you use a baby sleeping bag? Are you aware that to comply with British Safety regulations, baby sleeping bags should not have sleeves/arms?

All 3 DS had sleeping bags until they were in a proper bed. I was aware that sleeping bags should not have arms

~ What do you think about this new product? Do you think it's something you'd use in the winter months as an alternative to a standard baby gro?

Never really had a problem with DS being cold but probably would have bought them for DS if they had been around then.

[FrumpyPumpy]

~ Your overall views and experiences of keeping your baby (or your child when they were a baby) warm at night
We used a sleeping bag from birth for both babies both were (over 7lb).
We found before we used a sleeping bag that when our baby was asleep the cold moses basket would wake them up when put down. We only used sleeping bag at night, and used blankets during the day for nap time.

~ Did you or do you worry about your baby's arms being cold at night? How do you judge if they are cold or too warm?
Occasionally, only if really cold. Would use recommended layers, sometimes a small cardigan over if I felt arms were cold.

~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?
Monitor had a thermometer on it (angelcare). But I still used touch on baby's hands and chest to check they were warm enough.

~ Do you use a baby sleeping bag? Are you aware that to comply with British Safety regulations, baby sleeping bags should not have sleeves/arms?
Yes a sleeping bag but not aware of regulations.

~ What do you think about this new product? Do you think it's something you'd use in the winter months as an alternative to a standard baby gro?
I'd probably keep using a cardigan in addition to the long sleeve bodysuit and babygro.

[cherryjellow]

~ Your overall views and experiences of keeping your baby (or your child when they were a baby) warm at night

Ive found it really hard, My DD hates covers, and hated being swaddled. so when she was very young we put her in a grow bag. This worked fine if she wasnt in bed with us, but failed as soon as she learnt to roll. She used to get twisted and frustrated.

~ Did you or do you worry about your baby's arms being cold at night? How do you judge if they are cold or too warm?

Usually we judge by touch. She always has something long sleved on, and if she gets cold she cries and we know about it :)

~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?
We have a room thermometer. if it goes below a certain temp in the night a small heater comes on.

~ Do you use a baby sleeping bag? Are you aware that to comply with British Safety regulations, baby sleeping bags should not have sleeves/arms?

I wasnt aware that it shouldnt have arms. I dont use one any more.

~ What do you think about this new product? Do you think it's something you'd use in the winter months as an alternative to a standard baby gro?

I think i would if I have another child who likes grow bags :) they look good

[TuffEric]

~ Your overall views and experiences of keeping your baby (or your child when they were a baby) warm at night
My DD was born last October and I was always fussing about keeping her warm, but not allowing her to overheat. She is a PFB so I could get myself quite worked up about it all! She would definitely sleep less well if cold. We used the Grobag swaddle until she was too big for it (which was a fabulous product, btw) and then she has been in grobags ever since. I still sometimes find it hard to gauge what to put her in as when she goes down the room is quite warm, but later in the night (when the heating goes off) it's much cooler...
~ Did you or do you worry about your baby's arms being cold at night? How do you judge if they are cold or too warm?
Yes, and I still do! I really hate the feeling of being cold in bed, so I don't like the idea that she might be cold and not able to do anything about it! I can usually tell how warm/cold she is by how she is lying in the cot (on her back with arms above her head if too warm, on her front with arms underneath and bum in air if cold!). If I'm unsure I feel her neck or chest.
~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?
Both really. We have a thermometer on the monitor, but if I'm not sure I feel her chest or neck.
~ Do you use a baby sleeping bag? Are you aware that to comply with British Safety regulations, baby sleeping bags should not have sleeves/arms?
Yes we use a sleeping bag. I assumed they couldn't have sleeves for safety reasons but haven't read the BS regs.
~ What do you think about this new product? Do you think it's something you'd use in the winter months as an alternative to a standard baby gro?
Yes! I think it's a great idea. I love the fact that the main body of the suit is thinner, and I like the fact that on your website you give guidance about whether or not they need a vest as well, depending on the tog of the grobag. I would definitely like to get one, and I think the price-point is reasonable. The only thing I would say is that the pictures on the website don't give much clarity on what the sleeves are like, and I would have liked some clearer pictures.

[StealthToddler]

~ Your overall views and experiences of keeping your baby (or your child when they were a baby) warm at night
I always worry they are warm enough and continuously checking, and I also worry about being too warm if the central heating is on. Will check them before I go to sleep.

~ Did you or do you worry about your baby's arms being cold at night? How do you judge if they are cold or too warm?
Yes worried about arms being cold relative to the rest of the body given the lack of sleeves. However, I soon realised that my toddlers, once in a big bed, will very happily sleep completely out of the covers and don't seem to have the need to be snuggled under the duvet like I do. I have a baby monitor with temperature on it so know exactly what the temperature is.

~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?
Yes, baby monitor with thermometer.

~ Do you use a baby sleeping bag? Are you aware that to comply with British Safety regulations, baby sleeping bags should not have sleeves/arms?
Yes have always used baby sleeping bag. Did not know about the safety regulations and always wondered why there were no sleeves.

~ What do you think about this new product? Do you think it's something you'd use in the winter months as an alternative to a standard baby gro?
No I wouldn't use this product. One reason I like the gro-bag is it stops them climbing out of the cot, and they also associated the gro-bag with bed time as they can't move around too much. Put them in one of these and they would probably think it is still play time.

[ILikeToMoveItMoveIt]

~ Your overall views and experiences of keeping your baby (or your child when they were a baby) warm at night

I am more worried about them overheating, so I have never overdressed them in the colder months. If they have woken up cold I drape a woollen bloanket over them, then put an extra layer on the following evening.

~ Did you or do you worry about your baby's arms being cold at night? How do you judge if they are cold or too warm?

I worried with my first, but soon realised that he wasn't bothered with his arms and hands being like ice blocks. I'm always reserved with regards to overdressing, so I wasn't worried about then being too warm. I judge that they are too cold if they wake up in the night.

~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?

We have a room thermometer, but they are a bit hit and miss I find. So I mainly rely on touch.

~ Do you use a baby sleeping bag? Are you aware that to comply with British Safety regulations, baby sleeping bags should not have sleeves/arms?

I have used sleeping bags with all 3 of mine. My 4 year old has only recently stopped using his. I have always used Grobags and am aware that they shouldnt have arms.

~ What do you think about this new product? Do you think it's something you'd use in the winter months as an alternative to a standard baby gro?

No I wouldn't use, mainly because of the price. I use a long sleeved vest, a fleece sleepsuit and 2.5tog grobag on the really cold nights.

I would also like to add that I was very interested in the new higher tog (3.5) grobag, but to get it in ds3 size would cost £40. I personally think that is too much. As I have mentioned all of my sleeping bags have been grobags, I love their quality and designs, but £40 imo is astronomical.

That's my chance of winning up the swanny!! I do like the travel bags though

[ThePortlyPinUp]

~ Did you or do you worry about your baby's arms being cold at night? How do you judge if they are cold or too warm?

My babies are 11,7,5&4 now but I would worry in winter if they were the correct temperature, especially when we slept at my parents house who didn't have central heating. I would slip a couple of fingers into the neck hole of their vests to see how warm their bodies were.

~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?

We used touch.
~ Do you use a baby sleeping bag? Are you aware that to comply with British Safety regulations, baby sleeping bags should not have sleeves/arms?

I used sleeping bags with dd1 from about 6 months and the rest from a couple of months. I wasn't aware of the safety regulations.


~ What do you think about this new product? Do you think it's something you'd use in the winter months as an alternative to a standard baby gro?

I used to dress my babies in long sleeved vest, sleepsuit and a cardigan if it was cold before putting them in the sleeping bag. I don't think I'd have bothered with this product as I'd have already had sleepsuits and cardigans handy.