Blankets. What is what exactly?

Hi :) Wondering what the deal is with baby blankets. There are so many varieties! What is the difference between a 'bunny rug' and just a regular fleecy blanket? I am assuming the thick cotton ones are for cot/bassinet. And the muslin wraps, do you use them first to wrap before wrapping in a fleecy?

I feel so silly asking these questions! :redface:

Um I'm not sure what a bunny rug is, I've never actually taken any notice of what mine are called LOL

I use the wraps to wrap them up to go to sleep, and if they are still cold then I put a blanket over the top. I live in Queensland though, so if I have a summer baby I don't use a lot of blankets. I had babies in winter in tassie though, and used more blankets then, sometimes I would wrap in a blanket (a thinner type one) and then covered with a blanket too - depends if it was bloody cold or not.

Umm...I have no idea, LOL. I just had lots of stretchy wraps for wrapping and dressed them however warmly I needed to under that. Then I'd put a blanket on top as well if they were cold. I have had all summer babies in Qld though so they were mainly just in singlets and a wrap when newborn.

Thanks ladies. It's so confusing for me! I am in cold cold Melbourne and she will be born right in the middle of winter. Do babies need to be kept warmer than us? For example first night at home I would wrap baby up in a medium thickness wrap and then put a thick fleecy blanket over the top. Oh and the baby would be in a grow suit under that.

Do they have new born sleeping bag thingies? I had some given to me, but they are 000 and 00 i think....

A bunny rug is generally used for wrapping/swaddling, then another bunny rug or thicker blanket over the top. It all depends on how cold it is! I wouldn't worry about wrapping in a muslin wrap and then wrapping in an additional wrap. I'd just use one wrap, then additional blankets. The wrap is mainly used to help them feel tight and secure and to stop their reflex movements waking themselves up :)

Any thin blanket is great for wrapping - regardless of what it's called on the package - usually around 1m x 1m, some a little smaller/bigger. Thicker, bulkier blankets for over the top :)

I would probably save the sleeping bag type suits for when you're no longer swaddling. It's all personal preference though really, and as long as baby isn't too hot or too cold there is no right or wrong.

They say to dress them as you would yourself, plus one additional layer, and to check the back of their necks - if a baby's neck is cold then they are definitely cold. If their neck is sweaty and clammy they are probably at risk of over heating.

Great tips Peekaboo! :) I am such a newbie LOL

My MCHN told me to only use a muslin or similar for swaddling- and then use the heavier blanket on the top, tucked into the cot or bassinet.

I always thought a bunny rug was a knitted type blanket- as opposed to a fabric blanket.

Yup I've always gone by the one more layer than what we are wearing. You can tell if they are getting too hot because they look a little flushed.

I had one winter baby (August) however, was in Queensland at the time. Technically I had a winter "baby" in Tassie - she was born at the end of March so technically she was a baby by the time we had winter start - just not a newborn! She was in warm suits and in a blanket most days, and a warm suit, wrap and blanket of a night time.

I was in Melbourne too and we used all cotton stretchy wraps for swaddling then cotton weave blankets layered on top and on really cold nights more flannel wraps too. We kept an eye on how warn they were and definitely wasn't overheating even with a little heater on 16 overnight... Brrrrr it's cold hey! Once old enough we used sleeveless 2.5 tog bags with blankets on top but by then they would roll blankets off so we would layer up underneath.

I like your topics tasha. You so often ask questions I wonder about myself but dont ask! :lol: I have so many I'm just hoping to figure out the answers as I need them.
Love the back of his neck tip.

Nothing I have says 'bunny rug' on the packaging, but that's what everyone I know has been calling them! :lol: Thanks for the info ladies.

Bunny rugs are usually flannelette wraps/blankets :)

Yep, I always thought a bunny rug was a flanelette wrap, usually about 1m x 1m, but if you can find some bigger ones, grab them! Much easier to use to swaddle when baby is a bit bigger.

Babies have a greater surface area to volume ratio than adults and for this reason they lose more heat. They also have an immature hypothalamus and are less able to regulate their own body temperature.

I would avoid the use of fleecy blankets as bedding and only use them for a walk in the pram in the cold, when you will be watching bub. Synthetic fibre doesn't breathe and there is a far greater chance of baby overheating when under a fleece or polyester blanket. I used wool blankets in winter and cotton in summer.