winter babies - sleeping

[Elizdia]

Has anyone thought about how they will be putting LO down for bed at night, as in will they be in a baby grow and swaddled with an extra blanket? Or sleeping bag? I have no idea! I just know you have to be very careful for baby to keep warm but not over heat.

 

[sweetcheeks78]

Hi hon, baby #2 due in November for us and DS1 was also November. As far as I can remember, when he was in his moses basket he had a babygro and cellular blanket (our house was quite warm though). New babies can't go in the sleeping bags as far as I recall. I can't remember exactly though, I'm hoping it all comes back to me nearer the time!!

 

[moter98]

Baby will be just fine! Basically, if you are hot or cold, baby is too. We have always used sleep sack/swaddle combo when they are newborn, then switch to sleep sacks. They come in cotton for winter, it's a bit thicker and warmer, and microfiber for summer, thin and more breathable. They don't need anything more than that. You will also have them dressed in a sleeper or something like that and put a hat on their head.

 

[smurfette85]

I have sleeping bag for this little one 0-6 month

 

[odouglass]

I will be using a sleeping bag, and a sleeper for little one. I struggle with the winter and how warm to dress them.... it will be interesting!

 

[Gingerspice]

Our old house was freezing so little one used to be in fleece sleep suits, 2.5 toG sleeping bags and cellular blankets. However, if you go on the gro website there are chares which tell you advised clothes for baby at that room temp.

The general advise is its better not to have extra blankets if using sleeping bags (as kind of defeats the purpose if you do as they can then cover babies face)

So for example at 18c it might be long sleeved vest plus vest with 2.5 tog bag. Then is might be 19c short sleeve vest only with 2.5 tog bag etc....https://gro.co.uk/pages/what-to-wear

Check what the minimum weight for any bag you have is tho. My DD was born 8 lb 2 oz so she was fine going straight into the bags as the ones we had have minimum weight of 7 lb. The critical thing is actually that their head cannot fit inside the bag when done up. So if when done up, the bag fits up over their neck so in theory that baby cold wriggle around and end up with mouth inside the bag then they cannot use that bag yet. Some manufacturers have different size neck holes so something to think about when buying them.

 

[Yo_Yo]

Both my girls are winter babies, and were fine. My baby monitor tells you if it's the right tempertature in the room, so I used that as a guide. Just wrapped them in a blanket and used my judgement. Sure you'll know if your baby is too got or too cold

 

[Elizdia]

Our old house was freezing so little one used to be in fleece sleep suits, 2.5 toG sleeping bags and cellular blankets. However, if you go on the gro website there are chares which tell you advised clothes for baby at that room temp.

The general advise is its better not to have extra blankets if using sleeping bags (as kind of defeats the purpose if you do as they can then cover babies face)

So for example at 18c it might be long sleeved vest plus vest with 2.5 tog bag. Then is might be 19c short sleeve vest only with 2.5 tog bag etc....https://gro.co.uk/pages/what-to-wear

Check what the minimum weight for any bag you have is tho. My DD was born 8 lb 2 oz so she was fine going straight into the bags as the ones we had have minimum weight of 7 lb. The critical thing is actually that their head cannot fit inside the bag when done up. So if when done up, the bag fits up over their neck so in theory that baby cold wriggle around and end up with mouth inside the bag then they cannot use that bag yet. Some manufacturers have different size neck holes so something to think about when buying them.

Thats very helpful! Thank you, i will check it out. x

 

[junbait]

...

This post just made me panic a little! I'm carrying our first and he will be due in November and this post made me realize I know nothing about taking care of babies, especially in winters!!!

 

[lovinglife28]

...

This post just made me panic a little! I'm carrying our first and he will be due in November and this post made me realize I know nothing about taking care of babies, especially in winters!!!

Me too!! I mean, how are we supposed to know if they are too hot or too cold since they can't talk besides just feeling their skin for temp. I have a feeling i'm gonna have a lot of these moments, and probably a few crying breakdowns lol.

 

[Mrs Eleflump]

I'm so glad you posted this, I've been wondering the same thing! My internal thermostat is busted and I'm always, always cold, even when it's sweltering. 'Normal' room temperature feels like the Antarctic to me, so I'm always wrapped in layers. If I had my way, we'd be spending a lot more on the heating bills Hubby is the opposite, he really doesn't feel the cold. I'm worried that between us the baby will alternate between being far too warm or being a little ice cube Knowing about feeling their skin and generally what number of layers/blankets are appropriate at what temperatures will be really useful, so I'll be keeping an eye on this thread

 

[Veronicaco]

Hey Hun dd was halloween so pretty much a winter baby. I have a grow egg thermometer which was one of my best purchases and it lives in my room so at night I can always tell the temp. I followed their instructions which in my fairly snug house (with a window always ajar) I used a grow bag in newborn size with a sleep suit underneath. I also had a blanket to hand if I woke up in the night and it was cold.
Xxx

 

[junbait]

...

This post just made me panic a little! I'm carrying our first and he will be due in November and this post made me realize I know nothing about taking care of babies, especially in winters!!!

Me too!! I mean, how are we supposed to know if they are too hot or too cold since they can't talk besides just feeling their skin for temp. I have a feeling i'm gonna have a lot of these moments, and probably a few crying breakdowns lol.

Lol, yeah I have a feeling I will also end up crying a few times and having nervous breakdowns over little things. Good thing DH has a steady head on him and is always calm when I'm yelling around.

 

[Jinga]

My firstborn was no longer a newborn his first winter, but I assumed I'd dress this baby the same for sleep. Usually, we did a onesie with a footed sleeper over plus a swaddling blanket. I'm buying more terrycloth sleepers for my daughter, due end of Oct., to add a bit more warmth too. If it was super cold (like ice inside the windows) we'd add another layer with a second swaddling blanket, layer a sleeping gown on top of the sleeper OR use a fleece sleeper. My son was completely bald so we made use of newborn hats when necessary. We have an old drafty house and my son was always plenty warm. It's really just something to play by ear.

 

[NotNic]

...

This post just made me panic a little! I'm carrying our first and he will be due in November and this post made me realize I know nothing about taking care of babies, especially in winters!!!

Me too!! I mean, how are we supposed to know if they are too hot or too cold since they can't talk besides just feeling their skin for temp. I have a feeling i'm gonna have a lot of these moments, and probably a few crying breakdowns lol.

You'll know! If you feel their torso (not their hands and feet, which can often be cold because of circulation) you will be able to tell if they are cool, clammy, hot to touch etc. A monitor with a room thermometer or a Gro egg can help you dress them. Also my son would wake up if he was cold. We used cellular blankets as he was a summer baby and got hot very easily. If it went too cool he'd cry out.

Your gut feeling will be right much more often than its wrong, so trust yourself. No one will know your baby better than you. x

 

[lovinglife28]

Great advice ladies. I have looked at getting a monitor with a room temp option but I have never heard of the gro egg which I will have to look into.

 

[SonAmyMom]

This may not be a popular answer, but I have co-slept with my last 3 babies. This one is due right around halloween, and I'm planning on doing the same. I've never really had an issue with the baby getting too cold because he's right there with me.

Yes, I know there are a lot of warnings about how "dangerous" it is ... I researched both sides thoroughly before making a decision, and my pediatrician has always been on board with it. And it really does help with temperature regulation as well as other things.

 

[MamaLa]

Im due in Nov, and I didn't even think about that. Just been thinking about what size coat I should buy. I guess ill buy a pop up crib and let the baby sleep in the room with us. Just so I can be aware of the temp. Hmm, but I'll probably swaddle, and lay an extra blankets over the baby. If I feel comfortable with the baby sleeping in there.

 

[VickyLou]

Omg terrified. I like a few others on here have realised I don't have a clue. I'm due at the end of November, my house is freezing all the time, we don't have any heating what so ever, the windows are not great either. Plus my body is always cold and the other half is always warm. I better start reading about all these dlerpsuits, sleep bags etc etc. scared mummy to be now.

 

[Selaphyna]

I had my son at about mid Feb. And he slept in his crib in same room as me, which tended to be colder than the rest of the house due to how the wind blew on the house. I just put him in a onsie, sleeper, stocking, and then swaddled him, though he hated that. He always tried to wriggle out of the blanket.

This one I plan to do the same, as I'm due in early Nov. I may do less if we are still in our apartment as it is always warmer at night in here than in the day for some odd reason.

Don't try to stress about it, you'll know if baby is too cold or too hot. They will let you know, as well as if you feel their chest you can tell that way too.