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

[thisonehasalittlecar]

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

Our house is cold and I've always probably erred on the side of overwrapping my babies in winter as I feel so 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?

In winter I usually use blankets over the grobag so not too concerned about arms. I've read it's ok for them to have cold hands but some mornings they are really icy. I check for warmth on their upper backs

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

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; didn't know they couldn't have sleeves (I do have one fleecy one from the U.S. that does have them.

~ 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?

Probably not, as it's surely equivalent to a grobag with sleeves, which you are saying is unsafe.

[lilacmamacat]

I put my son into sleeping bags almost as soon as her was born. When he slept in our room I did have some concerns about the cold and would put extra layers on him, but once he moved into his own room (on a warmer side of the house) I had fewer concerns.

We have a monitor/thermometer and use this to gauge room temperature. During the colder months we also check the weather forecast so we know roughly what to expect and will vary clothing accordingly.

I am aware of the British Safety regulations and have only ever seen sleeved sleeping bags in crochet magazines.

I think in principle the idea of a onesie with quilted sleeves is a good idea and would probably be useful in very cold weather, however in practice I would say you probably need three or four of these to allow for washing and night pukes which would work out too expensive for me.

Other comments:

• It would be VERY useful if you would put baby height/length ranges on the bags.
  
• Very glad to see you do bags for 18 months +. Other companies I have seen seem to stop at 18 months which is especially crap when you have an extra long baby/toddler (21 months and currently wearing age 2-3 clothes)
  
• Assuming I was interested in the GroSuits, it would be great to see them in 18 month + sizes

[Salmon8]

I have been using grobags for a few years now as we have a large family. I think they are brilliant. On really cold nights though I have worried about little arms getting cold so have sometimes put a long sleeved vest under the babygro. I would feel baby's neck to see how warm they feel. I would never go back to using blankets as baby's always seem to try and put everything on their face so all blankets are removed from the cot.

[Tyranasaurus]

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

1st winter so only just starting to think about this now, see below

~ 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, frreezing cold hands on my boobs during night feeds

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

touch find room thermometers a bit neurotic

~ 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, yes

~ 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?

already own and really like. would like to see more designs and larger sizes

[Gethsemane]

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

I do worry about this. I know when it is cold I snuggle right up under the blanket, so I feel sorry for my little one with his arms out. It must be chilly.

~ 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?

When we go through a spell of cold weather my DS will wake in the night - I then put him in a warmer sleeping bag, or turn the heating up. If it feels cold then I will preempt this and use a warmer sleeping bag and/or alter the heating settings.

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

I do have a thermometer but don't really use it. You can tell when you walk in to a room if it is too 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 a sleeping bag. I wasn't aware that that was the reason why they don't have arms - I have always wondered why not.

~ 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 the product sounds like a good idea! I'd have a look at it in the shops and would certainly consider using it.

[blondiedollface]

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

We live in an old Victorian house that is draughty and find the temperature drops significantly at night - we have used long sleeved vests teamed with gros under her grobag and she is always quite warm when put to bed but just right through the 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, her hands always feel freezing up to the rest of her body, we use scratchsleeves and these helps but quilted sleeves does seem to be a fantastic idea that as yet I've not seen anywhere else!

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

Yes, find our thermometer an invaluable resource in her room for guaging temperature but always feel her chest to see how she is feeling temperature-wise too.

~ 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 have used one almost since the start, was completely unaware they aren't supposed to 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?

The price £14.99 for 2 seems very reasonable to me! I absolutely love the penguin design specifically, it is really lovely. I will be investing in these for winter although at 9-12m largest size I hope it will last my dd through the winter, as although only 5 months old she is extremely long and almost out of her 6-9m gros!! Think it is an absolutely fab pj solution to use with grobags and can't wait to get ours

[Tincletoes]

~ 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 ever worry about them being cold - babies tend to cry if they get cold and it was easy to put another babygro on for example. Getting overheated was far more of a concern as I wouldn't get the same warning. Babies extremeties often feel cool anyway.
Too hot - easy to tell as they tended to sweat!

~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?
Touch and was always obvious if too warm as they didn't sleep well.

~ 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 tried sleeping bags but (unusually) they didn't like them much. A lot to do with the fact we ended up cosleeping I think, but also that I seem to have babies who like to wriggle rather than being swaddled

~ 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 do really like this actually as even though we didn't use sleeping bags, you get the same cold arms problem with blankets. So I would definitely have bought them. They also look like a great present for my new nephew so you have a definite sale here!

[EldonAve]

~ Your overall views and experiences of keeping your baby (or your child when they were a baby) warm at night
It was easy as I like the house nice and warm

~ 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 never worried about cold arms . Judged their temp by the their back

~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?
used a room 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
Wasn't aware of the regs. Have seen family overseas with sleeping bags 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?
I think it's unnecessary. The pics online aren't very clear so I can't tell how quilted the arms are

[fryingpanalley]

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

It's always a worrying balance isn't it. The night starts warm then the central heating goes off and it's totally freezing.

~ 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 about DD2 as a whole being too warm or too cold. There's the SIDS guidelines but also I don't want her to wake up even more in the night!

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

We used a gro egg thermometer with PFB but only with DD2 when she was newborn, as the constant colour changes if it was on the edge of warm/ cool drove me mad in the night.

~ 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 use grobags, am a total devotee, I love them. TBH I wasn't aware of the sleeves safety regs, I often see baby sleeping bags with arms in local charity shops.

~ 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 wouldn't buy the new product as I usually only buy second hand clothes for my children and the price is a bit stiff. Also it's confusing- if babies can have covered arms, why the safety regs in the first place? Either padded covered arms are too hot and unsafe, or they're not. I don't understand why moving the padding from a bag to a suit makes a safety difference!- just means two products to buy instead of one!

[Pomtastic]

~ Your overall views and experiences of keeping your baby (or your child when they were a baby) warm at night
This is a constant worry - our house gets really quite cold at night & DD often feels chilly when she wakes in the night, no matter how many blankets we layer on top of her 2.5 tog gro bag! I've rarely found her hot in the night this winter, but on the other hand, I do still worry about over heating & the risks of that.

~ 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, DD sleeps with her arms outstretched at right angles to her body - her hands & wrists always feel icy even if the rest of her is fine.

~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?
We 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?
We do use gro bags. I was not aware of this regulation.

~ 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 would use this, yes, if the price were a little lower (maybe £12 for a twin pack, for example).

[angell74]

An experienced health visitor told me that a cold baby will tell you that it is cold but an overheating baby will not so I always erred on the side of a chilly baby that a potentially very unwell one.

I didn't realise that there were British Safety regs for gro-bags. We used gro bags with both our children and a friend bought us a 'gro' bag from another brand and even though it was the right size our baby seemed to be able to (very worryingly) slip into the bag quite easily so we ditched that after our first attempted use.

We tried using a baby monitor with a temperature gauge but it never seemed very accurate and ended up beeping and waking us all up at the most inconvenient times - so we stopped using that.

This new product sounds great - to resolve this problem we ended up putting our babies in long sleeved vests and long sleeved PJ's but this then worried me about overheating the core so we would go down a tog to compensate.

[Hopezibah]

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

We use a grow bag and sleepsuit most the year around except for very hot nights in summer or when baby was newborn (I think we started at about 1 month old to use bag). I currently am using a warmer sleepsuit (but I only have one like it that is fleecy and warm) and the grow bag. When the sleepsuit is in the wash and she has to use her normal sleepsuits, then I layer with an extra blanket.

~ 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 worry and I judge it with feeling them. or if they have woken up and it is because it is cold.

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

I use room thermometer too to make sure room is not too warm and then I decide how much clothing to put on baby.

~ 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 was not aware. I don't understand the reasons why. is it because of overheating risk? in which case a separate product that does the same effect is probably not wise. But if it is so baby doesn't get covered over / or lost in the sleepsuit then a product like this would be a good idea.

~ 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?
As above - depends on reason behind the safety standard.

[MyNameIsInigoMontoya]

~ Your overall views and experiences of keeping your baby (or your child when they were a baby) warm at night
We used Grobags and similar products and were mostly not worried about them being cold. Still using grobags for the toddler, but actually I worry more about keeping her warm now she's a bit older, especially as she no longer wears vests just PJs. We sometimes give her a blanket on top now on cold nights.

~ 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 a bit sometimes when their hands seemed very cold. Mostly when visiting away from home, as it usually wasn't a problem at home. At MIL's house one Christmas DS's hands were icy when I fed him in the night... they always had windows open everywhere even in December! But he slept fine...

~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature? Bit of both, we did use a thermometer when they were small.

~ 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?
Didn't know it was a regulation but not surprised, as it seems none of them do.

~ 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?
Might use it if we still had a baby and were somewhere particularly cold. For DD who is now older I would just chuck over a blanket instead. It would be less practical once they are out of bed, if they like to stay in PJs for a while it would mean either their middle bit got cold once the grobag was off, or their arms were a bit michelin man if they put something else on over the top (eg dressing gowns or jumper).

[Lillyaan]

Being acutely aware of SIDS prevention and recommendations my advice is for No Padding of any description in the cot.
As Cotton is the best conductor of heat - once warm it lasts longer I therefore use cotton night garments (all-in-one) cotton gloves, a sleevless sleep sack covered by a flannell blanket.

[Pammydue2009]

I used the 2.5 gro sleeping bag during the winter when my baby was born and was happy that this along with a vest and a long sleeved sleepsuit was adequate to keep him warm. I would check chest and back of his neck to see how hot he was. I loved my gro-egg and still use it, I tried to ensure the room was around 18-19. Sometimes his wee hands would be cold but i would never be tempted to put an extra blanket on him. I love the safety aspect with the gro-bag and the poppers under the arm for when they little. Gro-suit sounds like a good idea and i'd def consider them for baby no 2.

[FannyPriceless]

~ Your overall views and experiences of keeping your baby (or your child when they were a baby) warm at night
Worried at first, especially as our first baby had some breathing issues affected by cold. Gained confidence and found grobags a really important part of this. We still have the cardboard thermometers with the clothing guide on the back! So useful, and I am really thankful for that.

~ 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?
It's the torso that needs to be kept warmer, I think. Babygros with fold over hand mits worked for us.

~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?
Room thermometer - found this invaluable and a really reliable indicator. We used the digital one 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?
Did use, when the children were younger. I didn't know about the regulations, but would assume this was the case without being told.

~ 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?
If my kids were younger, yes possibly.

[mummyofcutetwo]

~ Your overall views and experiences of keeping your baby (or your child when they were a baby) warm at night
It's something that I find hard to feel confident about. The temp of the house fluctuates quite dramatically so you never know quite what to prepare for.

~ 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?
It is something I try hard to get right - dangerous for the baby to be too warm and being too cold could mean a bad night's sleep (and they do need quality sleep). I use a room thermometer, feel the back of his neck (and hope I don't wake him).

~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?
Both. We have a groegg room thermometer and the grobag freebie thermometers that come with the sleeping bags.

~ 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 always use baby sleeping bags for nighttime sleeps. Only use grobags due to their assiciation with fsid (I've been given others by friends/family but don't use them). I was aware they shouldn't 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?
It seems like a pretty good idea as will be of comfort to some parents. However I wouldn't buy them. My son sleeps fine and doesn't seem to be hugely effected by the fluctuating temperature around him, but if they were a decent price I'd consider giving them a go.

[WhatWouldVegansDo]

~ Your overall views and experiences of keeping your baby (or your child when they were a baby) warm at night
We co-sleep, and did from the start. I always felt my baby would use my heat if he needed to. He seemed to regulate himself perfectly.
~ 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. He always seemed just about right! I can tell by touching him!
~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?
No. Well, we were given one free with something we bought, but I rarely checked it. Co-sleeping means I am always in tune with him.
~ 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 did, but he didn't really like it. Didn't know about the sleeves, but assumed it must be the case!
~ 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, for a next baby. This one is now two years old, and prefers being naked! :)

[WitchOfEndor]

~ Your overall views and experiences of keeping your baby (or your child when they were a baby) warm at night
was concerned about overheating at first (June baby) during a very hot summer, not so concerned about temperature afterwards as he has very good circulation so as long as a room is ok he stays warm

~ 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 use a thermometer to check the room temperature

~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?
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, he would kick any other covers off! I wasn't aware of the regulations about 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 think I would try one if I knew we were going to have a cold winter, I have tried a long sleeved vest under pyjamas before which doesn't work well, so this would be a good solution ( I would be more than happy to trial one for free if it came in 2-3 years size )

[ScorpionQueen]

~ 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 used to worry more about DD overheating than being cold, as she was always a snuggler and would get very warm.

~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?
I used to use a room thermometer and as a new mum, found it helpful.

~ 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 use a sleeping bag as I didn't really know about them. I wish I had though, they look lovely.

~ 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?
If I had a baby, I would consider using it.

[AnnMumsnet]

Just copying this across for Salmon8 who posted this elsewhere "I have been using baby sleeping bags for a few years now as we have a large family. I think they are fantastic at keeping babies warm. I have always worried though about little arms getting cold so when it's super cold outside I have sometimes put a long sleeved vest under a babygro to keep them warm. I would also check babies neck to see if they were warm enough. I would never go back to using blankets/sheets as I've noticed our babies will always try to put things on their face if they can so I removed all blankets from the cot"

thanks for all the comments - please keep them coming - we'll be doing the draw 1st thing tomorrow on this thread....

[sueali]

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

we have a floor heating usually going all night to keep the babe warm. He does has 3 GROBAGs, which keep his body warm, but I'm sometimes concerned about his face and hands
~ 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 about his hands, which I judge by the temperature of his hands.
~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?
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?
Yes, we currently use GroBags, and I was not aware about 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 would definitely be interested in giving this product a go.

[RarelyUnreasonable]

Your overall views and experiences of keeping your baby warm at night

I was more stressed about this in the newborn days than now (toddler days), and was more concerned about her being too hot than 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 touch baby's back of neck to gauge temperature. I didn't worry about arms being cold, as whenever swaddled she would get her arms out anyway, and has never seemed to like having them covered.

~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?
The Gro thermometer for the first few months plus 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?
Wasn't aware of the regs, but used Grobags from 6 weeks (big baby!) to 20 months when she moved to bed plus duvet.

~ 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?
Quite possibly. Would depend on price, design and reviews.

[LaTrucha]

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

With my first baby I was very conscious of keeping the room at the right temperature and her clothes and sleeping bag the right tog. As she got older, (over a year) I did put warmer clothes on than recommended as she is a very think child and I worried about keeing her warm.

With my second child I was in the habit of doing it, but also my son really does not like to be hot.

~ 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, but I trusted the guidleines I'd been given.

~ Do you use a room thermometer or use touch to gauge temperature?
I use a 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 did - right up to about three and a half with my daughter. To 18m with my son.

I was not aware of the British Saftey regualtion with regard to 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?
I think it looks cute and a ot of parents would be tempted. It would have to be competetive on price with normal sleepsuits though, and look comfortable

[fraktion]

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

We found it very difficult because our son doesn't like to 'feel' covered. A bag restricted his feet, blankets he could kick off and good English versions of what I know as a surpyjama are hard to find.

~ Did you or do you worry about your baby's arms being cold at night?

Yes but I worry about all of him!

How do you judge if they are cold or too warm?

Touch

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

Our monitor has an inbuilt 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 I am aware and we tried but they didn't work for us

~ 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 it's exactly what we want (but maybe a quilted all over one would be good too!)