Good Idea or bad idea??

[Lolli]

grea idea nae but i think mr is right- no doonas until twelve months, say sids and kids. They still say that, i have it on a brochure from when dd

[Lolli]

Sorry, I was typing on my phone before. What I was trying to say was- recently as six months ago, sids and kids say no doonas,partly because of worries about them overheating, partly because they are too heavy and thick if they get them over their face. But they same the same apllies to thick blankets too.

Having said that Nae, awesome idea... I may just pinch it for ds

[NaeNae]

Thanks all ..... I was wondering what the whole sids and kids thing was too but couldn't find info on their website regarding blankets and over heating just doonas but then if you went for a summer weight doona (2-4 blanket warmth) just how different is that to loading up her cot with 3+ blankets

In my search I also discovered a website that sells silk doonas for cots they are exxy at around $165 ish but are breathable, allergen free, and light weight (3 blanket warmth) ... I have emailed Sids and kids to find out about blankets etc as well.

Miss E - thanks so much for that idea, if you don't mind me asking, how did you go dressing for warmth considering he was wrapped as well? did you ever do an additional cover over top JIC he got cold?

I have to admit I do check on Shae alot when I know she has 4 blankies on her because I worry she might bury herself under the blankies and not cry out and get too hot ... we also have the monitor turned way up for sensitivity but haven't put the cot pads under her matress yet ... might be a job to do tomorrow...

Nae x x

[Miss E]

T
Miss E - thanks so much for that idea, if you don't mind me asking, how did you go dressing for warmth considering he was wrapped as well? did you ever do an additional cover over top JIC he got cold?

My place doesn't get nearly as cold as yours by the sounds of things Nae, and I also had a heater that I would leave on in DS's room which meant that the coldest it got was 16 degrees. But, I got given some of the Merino kids newborn sleep gear and invested in more because it was so good. I would put DS in one of their merino sleeping gowns with a singlet underneath, then I swaddled him in one of their wraps and would then put him into the sleeping bag. The great thing about merino wool is it breathes really well so there are no worries about them overheating. The bags I got from them are great, they're newborn to 2 years and are suitable for 18 to 30 degrees so I can use them all year round. All through summer he's been sleeping in them in just a t-shirt. But they do also do a winter one which I think (I could be wrong) is suitable for really low degrees like 10 or something. They also have a range of merino pj's, I must admit I've been thinking that I might have to look at investing in some of them for winter.

They have a website if you google Merino Kids you can check out there stuff, it is a bit more expensive than the grow bags (mind you I shopped around and got the bags for about $125 from memory), but I've found them to be extremely good quality and also cos it suits them for a couple of years I tend to think in the long-run they work out to be really good value.

HTH

[elyshacharles]

I have worked within the bedding industry for over ten years and we do not recommend doonas for children younger than one - this is because of the risk of cot death and the fact that children cannot regulate their temperatures. I currently sell duvets online and so am advising people every day.

Children must be much older( 5+) before they should be allowed a tog higher than a summer weight doona which is 2.5 - 6 tog.(UK Rating)

I have three children under five and think that the sleeping bags are excellent - we have never worried about our children and they have always been warm enough - in the winter I have just added two cellular blankets if need be.

I know that your room is cold but do remember that the ideal temperature for a baby is 18 anyway and that is for just a sleeping bag so the extra blankets would be sufficient.

Once your little one is old enough for a doona then please do buy a goose down one as this will help to keep your little one at the correct temperature - again do not go for a high tog duvet - you can always add blankets if need be.

I do have a very useful tip for once your toddler is in their toddler bed.

My little boy was waking up every night cold because his doona (cot bed sized) was coming off and he was obviously waking me every night too.

I bought him a single doona but put it length ways across the bed - it doesn't look great as the doona touches the floor at the front and is bunched up against the wall at the back.

It just allows a lot more doona for toddlers to move around - I don't know about you but we find him in allsort of positions throughout the night - the cot bed sized doona was just slipping off.

He is sleeping through though as the doona is harder for him to kick off and there is much more of it to keep him covered and so he is warm enough.

I only bought this new doona a few weeks ago and I can't believe the difference that it has made.

[deletedit]

It would get down to below 10 inside our old house sometimes (and ten or more below outside), and we had a wriggler that needed wrapping or she'd whack herself in the face and scream the house down. If we ever got her to sleep at all. And if she came unwrapped she'd get cold, wake up and scream. And I know it was cold in that house because we'd have an electric blanket, heavy wool doona, flanellette sheets AND sometimes a blanket or two on top of that to stay warm.

I got my mother to hem up (you don't *need* to hem them though) a long piece of polar fleece - about 60cm x 1.5m and we wrapped her up in that. Worked a treat.

Now its winter again and she's older and prone to throwing out all her blankets and taking off all her clothes at night she sleeps in a full arms-and-legs polar fleece onesie with the zip safety pinned shut, although she got out of a cheaper onesie simply by ripping the zip apart.

Maybe by the time she's 3 we'll convince her to actually sleep UNDER blankets *eyeroll*