Winter Bedtime - PJs/Blankets/Grobags??

[Ezz]

DS has been waking up more than usual the past few nights (since it's turned cold). But I'm finding it difficult to know how to dress him.

Last night, he wore a wondersuit & singlet, then I wrapped him in a light cotton wrap. On the bed, I had flannelette sheets, 2 cotton blankets & 1 polar fleece blanket. He was warm & snuggly when we went to bed. At 3:30am, his room was 13 degrees & he was cold!! I put another sleep suit over the top of the wondersuit & he was ok after that.

I had a look at the gro-bags - but the warmest one (2.5) is not intended for temps that low - and it's only going to get colder as winter comes.

DH wants to leave a heater on in DS's room - but I hate the thought of wasting all that energy - I'd rather keep him warm with clothes/blankets (like adults do!)

My questions are:
1. what do you do to keep your little one warm in winter?
2. how do you know if you've got the right number of layers? (especially if you have a quilt on your bed - how do you compare the warmth of a quilt with blankets)
3. how do you manage the change in temperature over night?? (I'm concerned about over-heating him if I dress him too warmly from the beginning of the night)

[MamaPan]

we leave the heating on so the room is always about 22 degs.... i then use a 1 tog bag and a long sleep suit or pjs.
i am thinking of getting a sheepskin for under his sheet though as the cot does get cold with the cold air.
if you dont want to heat the room i would do what you are doing in terms of adding layers as it gets colder through the night... def dont start himw ith too many layers when it is warmer but maybe add a layer at each wake up? if you wanted to use a grobag you could use the 2.5 tog and then add latyers under (or a blanket over - not sure how this stacks up with SIDS though)
sorry prob not much help xxx

[~Trish~]

I put my DS in a sleeping bag with long arms, I also wrap him in a muslin wrap and put a thick blanket over him. He seems to stay warm o'night! You can get sleeping bags in places like Big W.

[JordieC]

We keep our house heated to about 15 degrees and DD sleeps in a normal grow suit (thicker ones on really cold nights) and in her gro bag. She has a few diff togs but at the moment I've found the middle one (1.0) I think is doing fine. Her other winter ones are quilted so they are very cosy.

I also bought her a sheepskin on the weekend which takes the chill off the sheets and mattress. She only has a blanket over her when it's really cold but I find that she usually manages to get out of that anyway.

Remember they will prob cry when they're cold before they cry when they're hot so I would rather go on the cold side. So far she's been fine!

[AnyDream]

We have this thingy with a thermometer on it that says under 14 degrees you need pyjamas plus another layer of clothing on top plus 3 cotton blankets. Personally I think cotton blankets aren't warm enough so we have a wool blanket which I have doubled over. However, she's getting a bit more mobile now so I might have to go with a polar fleece sleeping bag with arms (saw some Bonds ones in Kmart the other day). Also we have an Onkaparinga wool proof mat (which is like a waterproof blanket underlay) under her sheets so something like might help if you don't want to go with a sheepskin underlay.

[Mother Goose]

DD wears a singlet, one of the sleeping bag suits from Target, her cotton sheets (because I keep forgetting to buy flanlette ones), a bunny rug (I just can't seem to stop using them!), and a cot quilt. As the weather cools off, I will add her sheepskin underneath and also add blankets on top. She has a lovely wool one.
Last year (we only intoruduced the quilt this year) she wore singlet, PJ's and sleeping bag OR just a sleepingbag suit, cotton sheets, bunny rug, and the wool blanket doubled over as well as the sheepskin underneath the sheets.

DD also has a matress protector on her bed which I think helps keep the cold away a bit - could be wrong but it is what I find when ours is on...

HTH

MG

[MamaPan]

can u buy sheepskin underlays for cots??? i have a sheepskin but it is an odd size so wondering if there are underlays made for cots?

[KatieRabbit]

I know you don't want to use heaters for energy but just my bit- I only turn a mini oil one on in DD's room at about 3am when she wakes for her feed then turn it off when she wakes for a dummy at about 6am and the room stays a nice warmth.
Other than that, I put her in a singlet, long sleeve suitie, Snugtime bag, socks, cotton sheet and a wool blanket. This is usually enough and there haven't been many days where I have had to use the heater. Other times I will also put a cotton blanket on top of the wool one. I make sure I tuck the wool one in around her sides too.

[AnyDream]

Pregpan, the ABA (mother's direct) website has cot lambskins, and it says they are 85 cm by 65 cm, not sure if they are an even shape or not? Maybe ring their store in Sydney and ask?

[sconeonamission]

We had an oil heater in DS room (until it leaked oil and smelt terrible) and he had no problem! He was wearing a wondersuit type thing (a kmart one) with a singlet underneath and in a sleeping bag (either polar fleece or a velour type one from Myer). He has flannelette sheets (with a sheepskin underneath) and a flannelette quilt thing his nana made, and if I think he'll need more warmth, a cot panel. I find if he gets too hot, he just wriggles out from underneath.

[Beach Mama]

Last winter we used a s/s grosuit, a l/s grosuit and a 2.5 TOG bag, plus blankets! I know they say not to but I think you ave to look at each child individually. We also had a heater in her room that kept it to 16 degrees overnight and she was alsways warm when she woke up - never too hot or sweaty. Now shes older we don't have a heater in her room and Melbourne mornings have dropped down to 2-3 degrees this week! She is in a s/s jumpsuit, socks, a polar fleece Bonds jumpsuit, a 2.5 Snugtime bag, plus about 2 cotton blankets and one light fleecy one. Sounds like alot when I put it like that but she is never too hot - if anything the times she wakes is because she is cold from moving out from under the blankets.
I think it is a case of trial and error - good luck!

[MamaPan]

meant to post and say i bought a sheepskin underlay for the cot and also use a flannel sheet and he loves it - def worth a try as i think it keeps thema bit warmer and snuggly even in grobags

[neuri]

My DD didn' stay wrapped once she hit 4 months but that was during summer. Neither does she like being in sleeping bags that restrict her legs now that she's standing/cruising. She'll end up on the other end of the cot upside down so I don't use blankets apart from her small comfort blankie.

I'd just put bub in some warm, soft jammies or a thick wondersut and then zip 'em up inside a bag. I add cotton tights and a singlet under her jammies, under a non-winter sleeping bag if its super cold.

Also my DD like some babies hates bags so I split the legs and sewed in back up so she can move in them. Saves buying new sleeping suits with legs.

Like others have said, cold is better than hot thought and bub will usually let u know when its too cold.

neuri

[~Kim~]

Ezz here it gets to -7 at night some nights - I've found the best thing is a Snugtime sleep suit and jammies underneath. The Target and Kmart ones are unlined and just don't cut it when it's cold here. If it's a bit warmer I just put her in the suit with or without a singlet. She looks like a wombat!
Darcy has a doona now she's a big girl but rarely stays underneath it. As long as her neck and feet are warm I know she's going to be ok.

[Karina]

At the moment, Claire wears a singlet and a fleecy suit to bed. We're in Sydney too and the nights are definately getting colder! I do put on a small oil heater for a couple of hours just to warm up her room at night though, as I also feel the cold and like to be warm myself. Sometimes she still wakes up at night with really cold hands and face, but I snuggle her and that warms her up. Last year we had a Grobag and she stayed nice and warm in that. She's too tall for it now, but we do have another one on the way. She seems to like the grobag, but some babies hate them. She doesnt stay under a blanket, so we just have a fitted flannelette sheet on her bed. Sometimes she likes to take her pants off so we need to put her in a suit or bag as she cant get these off.

[Ezz]

We have actually resorted to putting the air-con on in his room - just to keep it at 16 degrees. We then dress him in a singlet & wondersuit + a polar fleece sleepsuit from target. He has flannelette sheets, one cotton blanket (doubled over), one polar fleece blanket (doubled over) + a thin quilt (doubled over). This seems to be doing the trick - he is warm, but not hot. (I sound like tanstar - so many layers ).

I'm thinking about switching to a wool blanket instead (I think this will be warmer) & also getting a warmer sleepsuit. Where can you get 3 TOG suits?