Why is he doing this?

[*Danni*]

Oh I couldn't stand the thought of my baby sleeping in another room and he's 10 months old LOL! i highly recommend the Love Me Baby Wrap. I think it should solve your issues without needing your tiny little baby to move to a room alone (i think still a little too young for that!) you can buy it in many baby shops (I bought mine from baby kingdom but they are also on eBay) and it is a wrap with a zip, therefore no headache of wrapping or risking bub sinking in and moving around getting covered! My boy slept sooo much better in this wrap as he always managed to get his little hands out when I swaddled him in a blanket.

I hope this helps!


Sent from my iPhone more than likely while I should be doing something else

[Taurean]

I just want to point out that it is classed as a SIDS risk to wrap babies or use blankets or sheets while they're in a sleeping bag. Sleeping bags are designed to replace the need for sheets or blankets and shouldn't be used in conjunction with them.

A good brand sleeping bag will cone with a clothing and nursery temperature guide so you have a good idea how to dress them under their sleeping bag.

[Maruschke]

I had no idea! Our sleeping bags look just like onesies but with a drawstring at the baby's feet. Why is that a sids risk?

[lee09]

Hi all,

Well, last night was a rough one! DS wriggled and squirmed for most of it, and I couldn't sleep - I watched him for half the night, to see what he was doing, why he was doing it and whether he was going to end up with his face covered! This morning, I've put him into his big cot for his first day sleep, so we'll see how that goes!

Thanks Taurean for the tip about the SIDS risk... Can anyone help me then with the safe alternatives to a sleep bag? Once DS is less jerky and stops startling himself awake, I will definitely move him into a sleep bag. But in the meantime, I need to swaddle him and cover him to keep him warm! Can I use a cotton sheet and a couple of cotton blankets tucked in tightly? I've tried looking on the SIDS site and I'm not really sure what they recommend.

[HotI]

Our place is really cold, and we used to put bub in 2 lots of pjs (plus singlet and bodysuit some nights). And then a wrap. can you add extra layers of clothes?

[Hunter Mum]

I would try sleeping bags. My DD was a real wriggle worm. I found the kiddopotomous (sp?) Swaddle wraps were good, but if you think he doesn't want to be wrapped tightly anymore I would def recommend the sleeping bags. Goodluck! Our babies grow too quick!

[Taurean]

Extra layers are fine under their bags but not on top I guess the theory is they can get stuck under the extra covers as their feet aren't free to help them wriggle out, ITMS, but more than anything, they're also at more risk of overheating. The clothing guides have been thoroughly tested in conjunction with the TOG ratings.

I'll see if I can find some info but on the back of the GroBag guide (room thermometer and clothing guide) it states they're designed to replace any other bedding and you can use more or less layers of clothing underneath the bag to suit your child's needs

As we've been using them on DD for so long, we've worked out what really works for her. For example, at the moment we are in an old house and her room is freezing in winter. We have her heater set to 18-19 degrees and she wears a long sleeved onesie or a spencer plus pjs and a 2.5 TOG bag. The recommendations for those temps are a long sleeved body suit and pj top but we found DD needs her legs covered too.

It was a bit of trial and error but only for the extreme temps - really cold (well, cold for Perth!) and really hot temps. Anything in between and the dressing guide seems to be spot on.

HTH

ETA: Here is some great info on GroBags. There are cheaper brands of bags that meet Australian standards and have TOG ratings though so you don't have to buy GroBag to get an excellent bag but this info is applicable to all good bags. It doesn't go into the whole SIDS risks in detail, it just mentions that bags replace blankets and top sheets but you get the idea

http://www.bambinipronto.com.au/grobag_qa.aspx

[Taurean]

Thanks Taurean for the tip about the SIDS risk... Can anyone help me then with the safe alternatives to a sleep bag? Once DS is less jerky and stops startling himself awake, I will definitely move him into a sleep bag. But in the meantime, I need to swaddle him and cover him to keep him warm! Can I use a cotton sheet and a couple of cotton blankets tucked in tightly? I've tried looking on the SIDS site and I'm not really sure what they recommend.

Try the Love To Swaddle Up bag. I think that's what they're called. Their arms are zipped in but free to move around. My friends with LOs now swear by them. They weren't around when DD was that little.

DD did still startle herself at that age, when we put her in bags, but it didn't wake her or bother her. I was worried about that but it wasn't an issue surprisingly.

I hope you have a better night tonight. I remember spending a few nights gawking over DD in her bassinet while she wriggled and squirmed in her bassinet escaping her swaddle and ending up with it over her face. It freaked me out no end! Sleeping bags have been an awesome addition to our house

PS anything that comes with a TOG rating, use the clothing guide that GroBag recommend and you won't need extra blankets. It really is amazing how accurate it is. The guide is in that link in my previous post. An oil heater works well in the nursery in winter too. We have a GroEgg nursery thermometer which is awesome plus our monitor displays the temp so that's helpful as well.

[lee09]

Hi Taurean, thank you so so much for all that info. Great stuff on the GroBags on that site. I'm thinking maybe I just give it a go? Worst case, he wakes himself up and we go back to swaddling for a little while longer. Best case - he sleeps better (yay!). I suppose it could be that he's squirming so much because he's ready to sleep without the wrap... Coming into the warmer weather, I suppose the 1.0 TOG one would be best. Where else can you buy them? Are there different brands?

I've just realised a friend of mine bought me a GroBag before bubs was born! I put it in a drawer and didn't look at it again, because it's for 6-18 months. It's 0.5 TOG and it's HUGE. Is that right?

[emc2]

I just got a lot of cheap and different sleeping bags and suits from eBay, but I also got a grobag from the op shop.

The main thing is with them is as long as their arms are fitted, it doesn't matter if the bag part is large.

I am a bit naughty as I am settling Jim on his tummy, but I find he does roll onto his tummy anyway. He also has this awful habit of pulling things near his face, so I just keep a close eye on him. He will be sleeping in my bedroom for a few years anyway, I live in a small unit.

[Taurean]

LOL, yes the bags are huge at first! It's so they have room to grow as the sizing often covers a 12 or 18 months time frame. You'll be surprised how quickly the go up a size. DD is in the 18-36 mths bags and they looked ridiculous when we first got them but now they are a good fit - my little girl certainly has grown!

They come with a weight guide too so use that in conjunction with the age. As long as their head can't slip through then they will be ok.

I use Living Textiles bags, Dream Bags and GroBags. The GroBags I've bought on sale or from friends. The others I've bought brand new for about half the price of GroBags! Just Google them and you'll see EBay is great for sleeping bags too, new and used.

I have two of each size - 0.5, 1.0 and 2.5 TOG. The 1.0 TOG is the most versatile though so that would be a good starting point. DD will be in her 1.0 TOGs very soon as the weather as we are starting to get much warmer nights here in Perth. Her room is cold though so it takes a few days to warm up so last night, despite being a lot warmer after a warm day, we still had her in her 2.5 bag but dressed her in a lot less (long sleeved pj set but that's all, no singlet) and we didn't need her heater.

[HotI]

2.5 TOG is the highest you can get, and from the Grobag website it says this:

2.5 TOG All year round use, except high summer - For standard nursery temperatures of 16-20 degrees celcius.

My house gets to less than 5*C in Winter at the back of the house. Surely, i am not the only one who doesn't keep their house at 16*C overnight?

[Taurean]

2.5 TOG is the highest you can get, and from the Grobag website it says this:

My house gets to less than 5*C in Winter at the back of the house. Surely, i am not the only one who doesn't keep their house at 16*C overnight?

Our house gets cold too but we do heat DDs room. We used an oil heater last winter, when we bought this house, but quickly realised in summer that she needed an aircon too - it was awful in her room! So we installed a reverse cycle in her room and use that for the really cold and really warm months. So her room is within the guidelines during winter which helps a lot. I'm more relaxed in the warmer weather and just dress her more lightly, so 22 degrees would be fine in 'my book' in her room but I just dress her accordingly, both bag and clothing. I've had almost 2 years of practice with bags though so I've fine tuned it to DDs needs.

[JLeigh29]

I bought DS' sleeping bags from Myer - not Gro Bags, but with a TOG rating and heaps cheaper! His latest ones are 0.2 TOG, designed for nursery temps of 24-27 degrees (which it will be in summer!), though we're not quite hot enough for that here yet. They are huge at first, but it's amazing how quickly they grow into (and out of) them - DS has had 6 or 7 over the past 12 months, lol!

Having said all that, I'd still swaddle for a bit longer if I was you...