Cot Linen

[Calluna]

What cot linen do we really NEED for a QLD Winter baby?
Obviously sheets, but do we need blankets too?
How many sheet sets / blankets?



ETA - We will have bubs in a cot in our room from day 1.

[mbear]

We will have bubs in a cradle for first few months - ive got 3 new sets of cotton and 1 x flanno. I have loads of blankies.....but for this baby i have bought 2 for the cradle.
Cot sheets - i have about 5 sets. But thats not coz i need them, more coz i have some weird fetish for manchester bedding...i cant have enough. I would buy 2 cotton sheets sets, and maybe 1 x flanno......you can get reasonably priced sets from bigw that wont cost you the earth.

Good luck.

[Fleur]

We are also in QLD, with baby #4 due around the same time... I had babies born in March, Nov & June...
Sheets I would say 2 cotton & 2 flannel as a minimum, maybe another couple of sets of cotton? If all is going well you only need one on the bed & one in the wash, but if Bub is sick or starting to wet through nappies etc you will go through more.
As for blankets I have 2 comforter/quilt type things - but lighter blankets are better, you don't want bub to get too hot. I used to use 1 or 2 light blankets & rely more on dressing them warmly. Bunny rugs are good. QLD winters aren't too long or cold, also if you have wriggly babies they will kick them off anyway.

[Miss J]

I tended to dress DS warmly and then wrap in flannelette 'bunny rugs' rather than try to put a blanket/quilt over him that he would just get lost in. I've never bothered with top sheets for him either, just fitted bottom sheets (my mum sewed a bunch of them for me).

[Indadhanu]

I wrote this on another post lol, but a sleeping bag is a really good idea, especially if bub doesn't like being wrapped (like Jazz lol). And then we just dressed her warmly and covered her in a light blanket. We did co-sleep though, so we didn't have much in the way of cot linen, just what my grandma made.

[Calluna]

How do I know which sleeping bags to get and how much are they?

[mbear]

You can spend $11-16 at best n less, or you can spend $60+ on a grobag....it really depends on your budget. Grobag have added features obviously for that price.

[Calluna]

Isn't there different thicknesses of sleeping bags though? How do I know which to get?

[Lolli]

Hi

It shoudl tell you on the pack what thickness (I think they call it a 'tog') goes with what tempretures. The cheaper ones don't, just pick the same fabric ou would use as a blanket (probably a cotton or flannel), remembering they'll have clothes on under it.

Just wanted to be really pedantic and throw in that doonas and thick, heavy blankets can be a SIDS risk and aren't recommended until bubs is at least one (and I know plenty of people have used them and had no probs, just wanted to put the info out there).

[Calluna]

I didn't think I'd need big heavy blanket but I thought I'd check just in case, cause you never know.
I'll have a look into the sleeping bags, maybe a store person can help me out?

[BekZ]

With DD1 I had 2 sets of cotton and one flannel. I like the Target brand sheets, they seem to last the best. I have used both my summer and winter sleep bags for both girls. But I only used them from 6months onwards. The brand I have is Living Textiles..google it. They are reasonably priced and good quality. I have seen some nice ones in Myer and Pumpkin Patch that are a good price too. I am have at least 6 bunny rugs..Best and Less have really nice bunny rugs for $10/12 bucks.

[nic]

Heather,
The Grobags are on the Bambini Pronto website. You can search for stockists on their as well, if you don't want to buy online.
I asked about sleeping bags (for my 10 month old DS) and there was another sleeping bag suggested called the Dreambag, just google for them. they are cheaper than the grobags. I went with a grobag only for the fact they are a bit longer than the dreambag, and DS seems to be growing so quickly lately.

We bought our first sleeping bag a couple of weeks ago. It was from a little independently owned baby shop, and is a Bright Bots brand. It is a long sleeve one, and is a very light weight one, which we are finding perfect for the inbetween weather we are having at the moment.
If you google for the grobag, and find the bambini website, they have a great explanation of the TOG (Thermal Rating of the Garment) ratings on there as well.

[Lulu]

Its a good idea to just buy single flat sheets, fold them in half for the cot and you can use them when they are eventually in a big bed.

[childondaway]

You can buy sleeping bags from target for approx $25.00

[JellyBean]

Definitely flannelette sheets for winter - they don't have that 'cold to touch' sensation that the conventional cotton sheets do, but they are still cotton so you know they breathe. This is mainly important for the bottom sheet - and, as for top sheets, I have found that the only blankets worth getting are those that bubs is actually wearing. No matter what I layed on my DS last winter - he managed to wriggle his way out of it all and would wake up crying from the cold.
I invested in an organic double-lined cotton sleeping bag - it was the best buy I have made for him! Saved us having to get up numerous times during the night to put the blankets back on. A sleeping bag/sleeping suit ensures that bub will stay warm, and there is no risk of them getting stuck under the blankets. Just make sure you invest in a good one which is made out of 100% natural fibres (cotton, wool, hemp etc), rather than the cheap synthetic ones available in many stores - as the polyester fibres do not breath and can cause bub to overheat. This is especially important in the first few months. You will need at least 2 of them.
Websites such as ecobabe, ecochild, natures child and natures cradle are good places to start!!! They also sell organic cotton sheet sets so you know the fabric has not been treated with chemical dyes.

XX

[Taurean]

I'll deifnitely be using the Grobags with Tarko. So many friends have raved about Grobags (or similar bags) as they have made a huge, positive difference to their babies sleep cycles - their babies sleep so much better!

They also have the Grobag Egg which is a thermometer which changes colour (so it doubles as soft lighting) and the colour indicates what temperature bub's room is. At a glance, you can quickly determine what temperature bub's room is and adjust the temperature and or their Grobag/bedding as necessary.

From what I've seen, they're well worth the money. The Grobag website has loads of info if you're interested.

[Lulu]

They also have the Grobag Egg which is a thermometer which changes colour (so it doubles as soft lighting) and the colour indicates what temperature bub's room is. At a glance, you can quickly determine what temperature bub's room is and adjust the temperature and or their Grobag/bedding as necessary.

What a great idea, I wish I had one when mine were babies.

[Livinthedream]

We just put Mr 3 weeks in a sleeping bag (polar fleece from target, 20 bucks) 2 nights ago and OMG, the difference in sleep, so much more settled and feeding so easy, cause he doesnt get cold taking him out of bed. Bugger the blankies, they just seem to kick em off if they are not wrapped.