FTM...what does your baby wear to sleep?

[millyhopemum]

Hi all,

This question may seem silly to ask but I'm FTM and trying to learn everything.
I'm due to my DS in late July.
It starts to get a lot warmer around then and I'm worried about overheating baby.

What's best for them to wear at night in different temps? E.g., hot nights, comfortable warm nights, cold etc.

And when's best to swaddle them or add blankets?

Any advice would be great x

My DS was born in June and wore a short sleeved vest under a baby grow. Now it's cooler he has a long sleeve vest and baby grow or fleecey pjs. We used a cellular blanket when he was newborn- tucked under the mattress on 3 sides. He now sleeps in a grow bag as he pulled off his blanket.

Congrats btw

You can get baby sleeping bags / gro bags and they usually have a guide on their packaging as to what babies should wear at different temperatures.

The sleeping bags come in different togs, I would also texcoment you get a room thermometer, we have a gro egg which glows different colours when the room is too hot, too cold or just right so easy to tell what temperature it is.

Be careful with loose blankets as baby could pull them over their head and overheat, you would need to make sure they are tucked in under the mattress, this worry is taken away with sleeping bags.

I meant I would recommend to get a gro egg!

I used to use the grobag guide. It tell you what they need to wear for what tog of sleeping bag they are in
gro.co.uk/what-to-wear/

I always needed to add one vest more.

Their hands are meant to be freezing, but just adjust the layers till their back is warm.

So you're looking at naked except for a nappy for a very hot room, then adding just a poppered vest, plus a sleep suit or a low tog sleeping bag, then thicker sleeping bag etc.

You'll be up in the night with them so you can sort it out at the time.

Obviously it's hard to say because both individual babies and situations will vary. Get a thermometer that can work in ambient temperature so you can monitor the room temperature near the cot. That's my top tip. And don't worry! I had a giant muslin which worked well as a swaddle blanket in warmer times when a wool or cotton blanket was too heavy.

I never swaddled my ds, he's 11 months, I dressed him in a short sleeved vest, babygro and a 2.5 tog grobag because we couldn't keep a blanket on him!! In the summer months when it was very warm(I'm in Ireland) I just let him sleep in a vest and nappy, we have a gro egg in the bedroom so provided it's between 16-20 degrees it's vest babygro and 2.5 tog grobag

I'm a fan to an 11 week old... so not exactly an expert... but a lot of the recommendations I've seen go along the lines of a vest, sleepsuit and 1-2 blankets at night. That is for a normal temp room at about 18-21 degrees.

That said from talking to my friends it does seem to differ baby to baby (or parent to parent ). My ds prefers a single layer (sleepsuit) and 2 blankets as he seems to overheat easily. Another of my friends has a cold baby that she uses an extra thick blanket and a hat with.

I'd say start with Hv recommendation and add/take away depending on whether your baby seems to hot or cold at nights.

Thanks guys.
I have bought some sleep suits for when he's a bit older and the nights may get a bit cooler. It didn't think about the bags in the summer.
I just assumed they were better for winter.
It does put more reassurance for me that the blanket wouldn't come loose and another them. Will have to invest in an egg and a few bags

Fan? That's ftm

And the blankets I use are 1 cellular that I use as a swaddle, and 1 thin blanket I lay over the top.

I would love to use gro bags... but baby still has wacky-waving-flaily arms that tend to slap him in the face and wake him up so I swaddle them down for a peaceful nights sleep (ish)

aden and anais do some 0.5 tog sleeping bags and they are made of muslins so very light which might be suitable for the summer.

You can also get some great quality sleeping bags at TK Maxx for less than you think x

Short sleeve vest + sleepsuit or bundler + blanket or grobag

We have been using bundlers (baby nighties) instead of sleepsuits - no poppers so the night-time nappy changes are a bit easier!

PP mentioned a hat!!! We were told NO hats indoors as babies regulate their own temperature through their heads and obviously can't if they're wearing a hat.

We were also told that our baby was too small for sleep bags when born as they can slip down in them and suffocate so seek advise. These are great when big enough.

As a newborn ds had a vest, grow and one blanket (doubled over to count as two layers).

When he hit about 10lb we now use a sleeping bag with only a sleep suit. He starts feeling really hot if he has a vest too.

You'll get a gauge of your baby when he/she comes but maybe have a few blankets and a sleeping bag at the ready.

I would say new borns are too little for sleeping bags nut my friend had an 8lb baby and he was fine in a swaddle bag from birth

My baby was born in September. At first he wore a short sleeve vest and long sleeved babygrow to sleep in. He only ever slept in his crib upstairs (even during the day), and he had the coverlet that came with the bedding set and a cellular blanket over him.
As it got colder, he had the same but 2 cellular blankets instead of 1.
He went into his cot in January, and he still slept in the same thing, but had the coverlet and blanket from the cot bedding set over him.
When the weather warmed up enough, he just had a babygrow or short pyjamas with the coverlet over him.
Then in the summer when it was really hot he slept in just a vest with a flat sheet over him.
Then as it got colder again we went back up to the same things I've already said.
Now he's in a toddler bed and has a quilt and pillow. He uses that at the moment, but when the weather gets warmer he will probably have a light blanket, or even a sheet if it's warm enough in the summer. And he wears long sleeved and long bottom pyjamas. In the summer he will again have short pyjamas or just a vest.
I never used any sleeping bags as I'm not keen on them, and my lo likes to spread out so I knew he wouldn't like it. Also I've never ever swaddled as my lo hated it and I really didn't see the point of it. Didn't think he needed to be all wrapped and bundled up like that.

I completely over-complicated this with DD1, with thermometers and gro-company website instructions and blah blah.

My new simplified approach for DD2:
Rule 1: generally your baby will need one more layer than you
Rule 2: feel back and chest, if cold add more clothes/covers, if hot remove clothes/covers
Rule 3: wool thermoregulates better than man-made fibres in sleeping bags, so I use these instead of gro-bags and now I need one not all of the different tog rating ones (works out cheaper)

DD born July slept in a short sleeved vest, socks and a cellular blanket until big enough for a sleeping bag. We always used 1 tog ones because our old house was generally warm.
DS born August has a short sleeved vest, sleepsuit and a cellular blanket (which he regularly kicks off and doesn't bother). Slightly colder house now but not cold by any means. They are both fairly warm kids too, don't like being hot (like me!)

During the winter DS1 used to wear best, sleepsuit and sleeping bag which was 2.5 tog.

During summer it would vary depending on temperature. If temp was 20 then a long sleeve vest and sleeping bag only.

If above 22/23 then short sleeve vest and sleeping bag 1 tog.

If really hot then just his nappy.

Sleeping bags are great! My 20 month old is still in one!! I need to get the next size 24 to 36 months lol

Check the temperature in room with thermometer .. the gro egg ones are great.
Also feel the babies stomach/back! If they are really hot then take a layer off.

With DD born early May, I find she only ever needs one layer. So either a long sleeved or short sleeved vest with a blanket as she gets hot very easily. On the really hot nights she's in a sleeveless vest. I was told by midwives always keep her in something (100% cotton) as it soaks up any sweat rather than her laying in it and for an indicator for how warm she is, just feel her chest.