Need help with sleeping bag thingys

So I'm confused about those "gro-bag" style sleeping bags.

Can I use one from birth? Can I swaddle baby AND use one?

Are the brand-name ones any better than the bonds/other brand ones?

We are planning on using a bassinet till baby grows out of it (quite a large bassinet on a stand). Can I still use a gro-bag in a bassinet? If I don't use a sleeping bag thingy, then will I need to buy special sized bassinet blankets? I tried today to make up the bassinet with bassinet sheets and a smallish cot blanket, but it seems a bit bulky once everything is tucked under - not to mention a pain to tuck back in during the middle of the night

BTW - bubs is due in early September and we live in south east Queensland.

Thank you so much for your help!

i guess many of the questions do come down to personal choice.

my DD was born on the 2 sept and for the first 5-6 months we just swaddled her. so no need for sleeping bag (or blankets). i probably wouldnt recommend doing a sleepbag at the same time as swaddling - not sure if it is totally safe and on a more practical level could be a PITA to change nappies at 1am, 3am, 5am in a sleepy state with all those layers to get through...but i am unco at the best of times LOL!

the grobags i have heard are great. exxy though...we have used the bubbaroos. about $20 cheaper on average and have been perfect for both summer and winter uses.

the bonds winter ones we have also used when DD was in the 6-12 month range but this was only before we got the bubbaroo (i kinda felt that they werent warm enough...we lived in canberra without central heating though). the Bonds worked fine though and we have no complaints.

HTH!

Thanks for your reply Cassius. It was very helpful! A few more questions for you: So when you swaddled your newborn, did you also then put her under blankets as well? Did she wear a fuzzy/fluffy suit as well as swaddling? What kind of wrap did you use to swaddle? (Am I annoying yet? LOL)

ha ha! no not annoying at all!

we just swaddled DD for the first few weeks and occasionally had a sheet tucked over her to prevent her from unswaddling/rolling as she got a bit older.

we tended to do a double swaddle (that is use two wraps). this helped keep her swaddled as they tend to be houdinis...and also gives extra warmth if cool weather ITMS.

we didnt use a sleepbag with the swaddling. there was no need. once you have their nighty/wondersuit on etc and a wrap or two they are warm enough. overheating is something to keep an eye on.

we used a range of wraps. for summer it was those thin muslin wraps (the ones without much stretch) and for cooler weather we used thicker, stretchier wraps (the best ones we had were bubba-blu - i think - they came in a pack of 3 from target).

Hi Ruth,

My DD was a November baby and we used long sleeve jumpsuits with no legs and swaddled her..

This time round we are planning on using the full jumpsuits (feet and all), swaddling, and if cooler after the late feed, putting another wrap over as blanket (much cheaper than buying cradle sized blankets. I have plenty of wraps if you want some (some are a bit girly, but I figure at night at home, it isn't an issue)

Most babies love the swaddling and we started using sleeping bags when DD was about 3 months, firstly for day sleeps, then gradully at night as she rejected the swaddling..

Thanks Heather for your advice!

So maybe if I put on a singlet, a Bonds wondersuit and a waffle wrap my little man will be warm enough for September? And then I can just tuck a blanket over the top if needed. And then I can buy a summer weight sleeping bag for when he hits around 3 months...

Thank you so much for the offer of the wraps - I got a good supply at my baby shower - so no need to deplete your supply. :) But it's very kind of you. (Hope you can make it tomorrow!)

That's pretty much what I plan on doing, singlet, wondersuit, and a wrap, then just playing by ear the cover on top, depending on temp in our room as DD is in there most nights too, so gets quite cosy, hehe..

DH is telling to me go for an hour or so and he will watch DD, so if I feel up to driving I will pop in tomorrow.. If this bl00dy cx stop, I should be ok..

:

---

So maybe if I put on a singlet, a Bonds wondersuit and a waffle wrap my little man will be warm enough for September? And then I can just tuck a blanket over the top if needed.

---

That's exactly what we did with our 1st September baby in SE Qld.

Ruth - I suppose its always up to the person themselves, but i'll be using the Grobags myself for my own piece of mind, as you can see from my ticker :(.

My baby is due October, but i will be wrapping her to start with, then as soon as she is starting to wiggle and move, she is staright into the grobags. Ive got a 0.5, 1, and 2.5 tog all ready to go, just need baby heheh. I don't mind myself spending the extra on the grobag brand, as actually 10% goes back to SIDS and KIDS research. Also the grobag brands are the only ones that SIDS actually do reccomend, as they have been put through alot of product research.

Good luck, and hope you get t be holding your precious baby soon :D

:

---

Ruth - I suppose its always up to the person themselves, but i'll be using the Grobags myself for my own piece of mind, as you can see from my ticker :(.

My baby is due October, but i will be wrapping her to start with, then as soon as she is starting to wiggle and move, she is staright into the grobags. Ive got a 0.5, 1, and 2.5 tog all ready to go, just need baby heheh. I don't mind myself spending the extra on the grobag brand, as actually 10% goes back to SIDS and KIDS research. Also the grobag brands are the only ones that SIDS actually do reccomend, as they have been put through alot of product research.

Good luck, and hope you get t be holding your precious baby soon :D

---

I'm doing the same as Rach. I've only heard great things about Gro-Bags and would prefer to spend the extra $$ to get the 'real thing'. There are plenty of cheaper imitations out there but they do last bubs for quite a while so I'm personally happy to just spend the extra - for peace of mind.

I'll be swaddling our bubs until it's big enough for a Gro-Bag and I've bought a Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe wrap for the early days and if it works well, I'll buy another one. They are about $40 each.

I LOVE Bellybelly - so many great opinions and ideas.

Thanks Rach for sharing your perspective. I hadn't considered that Gro-bag is the only SIDS endorsed brand - I will probably end up getting one of these then. All the best for the rest of your pregnancy.

Tauren - off to google swaddleme right now! Thanks for the tip.

Ruth - our DS sleeps in a gro-bag and its the best $80 I have spent - easy to feed in the middle of the night and change nappies without unsettling bubs too much, and handy too as you can fit bubs in a grobag in the car seat so if coming home at night you can get baby straight into bed with ease. The 0-6 months has press studs so the arm holes can be made smaller making it perfectly safe for a smaller baby/newborn. A summer weight one should suit you in QLD. The grobags come with a room thermometer which tell you what other layers to put on dependant on the temperature, very handy

We wrapped DS for the first month before moving to a sleeping bag as in the first few weeks he didn't move much so wrapping was successful, I still wrap him during the day as he is a light sleeper for day sleeps so I can keep him still and less likely to wake himself during a nap, but during the night when he sleeps for much longer stretches the grobag is awsome as he stays warm as there is no issue with wriggling out of a wrap and kicking blankets off.

HTH

Naomi

:

---

Tauren - off to google swaddleme right now! Thanks for the tip.

---

No probs! I actually bought my SwaddleMe then read about them on BB and was happy to read some really good posts about them. I love BB too! Don't know where I'd be without it!!

From birth till about 2 months, DD got swaddled. She was (and still is) a real wriggler so we started using grobags with her after 2 months...so much easier and so much safer.

DS was swaddled in wraps for about 10 days but kept getting out so we bought the swaddle me wraps which are ace!!!

Then at 9 weeks he went into a grobag and has been in them ever since! I have 1 grobag and 2 Dreambags.

we have thickest (2.5 tog) and 2 x (1 tog)

Has been more than adequate for victoria.

my DD is still swaddled for night sleeps (and day sleeps when she is grumpy) - she just won't sleep otherwise. keep in mind that some of your decisions will be dictated by your baby. DD startles very easily, and is a wiggle bum - moves her hands heaps in her sleep - she kept waking herself up. we tried without swaddling a couple of nights and she was awake half the night - swaddle her, and she sleeps for 9 hours, wakes for a feed, then back for another hour or three depending on the day.

i love the idea of sleeping bags - its just my bubba that doesn't! lol.

during the day we try not to swaddle her so that she gets used to not being wrapped - but most days she ends up having to be wrapped to get more than a few minutes sleep - as soon as she is wrapped, she snuggles down and sleeps

Jazz was an August baby (SEQ too), but hated being wrapped from day 1, so we bought some sleeping bags (best and less ones). Best thing we bought, because she also hates blankets, kicks them off, so we just put her in a short sleeve suit (long if it was a bit chilly) and into the sleeping bag.