More advice needed...
who has found what better and if so how long? Are there advantages of starting off on the wrapping then moving onto a grobag at around 3 months?
I have heard the grobags are expensive?
Any advise would be great :)
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More advice needed...
who has found what better and if so how long? Are there advantages of starting off on the wrapping then moving onto a grobag at around 3 months?
I have heard the grobags are expensive?
Any advise would be great :)
I would wait and see what baby is like, neither of mine liked being wrapped (thumb suckers) so they were for the first week or so (very keen on that in hospital I found) and then went into grobags (or equivalent) which my mum picked up cheaper in the UK for me. I am now reusing the ones I had for number one on number 2 so they last forever and can be picked up second hand too. I think they have to be a certain size to go into a grobag (4kg), I had big babies so they were born big enough. Some babies like being wrapped for first few months in which case even if you move into sleeping bags can then go into the second size instead - as depending on your baby the littlest size might not last that long.
Both mine hated grobags, but loved a swaddle in the muslin wrap. They got what they wanted and have always been comfy and slept through. It's more about seeing what YOUR babies preferenc is though. :)
DD liked being in both but for MY preference, when they are older the sleeping bag. Once DD started rolling over it was unsafe to keep wrapping her. In the sleeping bag she used to roll around alot in her cot to get comfie (she was & still is a restless sleeper) and I didn't need to worry about her getting caught up in the wrap/bedding or getting cold.
The grobag brand are $$ (around $ 40-50 ea I think from memory new).
DS1 we wrapped early on and swapped over somewhere around 6mths I think (can't remember exactly). We have grobags from 6-18mths sizes that will be used for ds2 when he's bigger. We also have some sleeping bags from Target as an alternative for summer - sized 00, 0,1. I picked up several grobags 2ndhand which were much cheaper.
DS2 is in a sleeping bag (a homemade long sleeved secondhand one) already swapped over at about 2/3weeks as he refused to stay wrapped and I was concerned about him getting cold.
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Great question - I've been thinking about this myself, lately...
The other issue for me is the tog rating - and knowing what to get in what size.
Why can't you put a smaller baby in a bigger size bag, wysiwig (or others)? The ones I've seen, with shoulder straps, surely would stop them from slipping down to the foot end? Or am I off-track somehow?
Most tiny babies like to be wrapped tight with their arms in SB, helps them sleep better too. See how you go, maybe start with muslin wraps and work put what bubs likes best.
We ended up using wraps with Velcro as our little one wiggled out of everything else! Moving to sleeping bags with arms out when she can roll over.
Wow Leckert thats pretty cheap, I need to shop where you are :lol: I was looking today and the one I was interested in was $80, I walked out of the shop empty handed again :)
DD1 and DD2 hated been wrapped, both werent wrapped after a week or two. DD3 loves her sleeping bag, it snuggles everything together whilst giving her still room for movement. Then as she gets a bit older there are arm openings that I can open so she can have the arms out, that one cost me $30, and I need to get another one cause I couldnt get her to settle the other night when it was drying, I had to wait til it dried, put her in it then she went to sleep! ;)
Beans - I said it was from memory - could have been more or one particular size or TOG. I can't remember.
TOG refers to warmth the higher the TOG the colder your room should be ;) I used ~ 1.5 TOG (can't remember the exact rating and ds2 is sleeping on me) for Adelaide winters. The target ones (~$20 I think) I used in summer as they were a lighter weight fabric compared to the grobag ones.
ETA pholi - The reason I don't put ds2 into the grobags yet is the armhole space is too big for him yet.
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All good Leckert, I was typing with a smile (I honestly didnt mean to offend, just in case I did). And to be honest I was rather unimpressed with the prices I saw today. Ive heard great things about them, but cannot afford one this pay :(:
So, leckert, what would go wrong if you did put him in anyway? Is it that if he pulled both arms through the holes, that would allow him to wriggle too far down, thereby causing a risk of suffocation/SIDS?
He probably would wiggle down knowing him at the moment or wiggle the grobag up given he seems to end up further up in the bassinet than where I put him ;).:
Not offended beans. I got a lot of mine from eBay for around $20-30 maybe less. (even managed to get one of the travel ones with the hole for the seat belt buckle)
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With the wrapping maybe also see if bub likes sleeping with arms up? DD sucks on her hands and in the early days when we used muslin she fought (with great success) to wriggle her arms up, thus undoing the swaddle in the process. Now we use a zip up Love To Swaddle which covers hands and arms but in an upward position. She can also prop herself up if she rolls. Only prob is, the sucking on the hands thing leaves her with very cold hands overnight.
We used both, DS liked to be wrapped as a newborn, and went into sleeping bags (grobags) about 3 months from memory. Although the grobags are exxy, They wash very well (mine are like brand new) and for something you use every night, its a good investment. We had a 0-6 month 2.5 tog for Adelaide Winter, and a 1.0 for the warmer months. The 0-6 month ones have studs to make the arm holes smaller which is good. They are brilliant, esp if you are out for the night.
I wouldn't buy one until you are confident your bub will like it though - just because it is a lot of money if you don't end up using it.
neither of mine having liked being wrapped (or i may just be the world's worst swaddler!). ds was in a grobag at about 11 weeks & dd was about 2 weeks. there are lots if different brands & there have been some good threads with info on the diff types ppl have liked. we 've been v happy with grobags.
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A is in a grobag and then swaddled with either a muslin or a jersey wrap, depending on the temperature. I've done basically the same for all my girls from birth.
I don't wrap her legs tight, and only wrap her arms enough so that she can't fly them around everywhere, but can still move them a bit under the wrap.
I have two 2.5 tog bags that I use for night time and one 1.5 tog (or maybe its 1 tog?) bag that I put her in for day sleeps. They're all size 0-6 months. They do seem expensive, but given how much you will save on blankets they don't work out too bad. Plus I love being able to just pick A up at night for night feeds complete in her bag so she stays nice and snuggly warm.
When they are little the bag can come up and cover their nose/mouth if it's too big. That's why there is specific sizing.
I've had 3 babes and all preferred different things. DD1 a tight stiff swaddle, DS a looser swaddle (so we used a velcro swaddle) and DD2 a bag.
I've always started with a swaddle and seen how we went from there.
DD2s bag is made of bamboo and goes from 3-24months (from Natural Kids). It has press studs in the armscythes for smaller babies so that the bag can't ride up.
My girls didnt like being swaddled and by 4-6 weeks were all left unswaddled :)
I am using grobags this time as DD3 is my first baby to be so small in winter. They are great, I got mine on ebay new from the UK for less than $50 delivered each, they are 2.5 Tog and come with a room thermometer and a guide about what to dress them in according to room temp. I find DD3 likes being quite warm so she is wearing a singlet suit and a wondersuit to keep warm at night. Seems to be working for her as she has slept through from 10 weeks :)
We dont use a grobag for day sleeps as I like a different night sleep and day nap routine and our house is much warmer during the day, so she is under a sheet and light blanket
This is the best part! No accidentally waking them trying to re wrap and settle and they stay warm :):
Me too on the easy feeding - I hadn't heard of Velcro/zip up/swaddles/grobags when DD was first born and spent ages swaddling and reswaddling her muslin at night. Next time, next bub I'm heading straight to my zip one.
We use a "woombie" swaddle with DS2, I'm just weaning him off it now (one arm out) I love it as it is a firm wrap (hands/arms down or on chest) and easy with the zip. I wish id had them with DS1. Putting the woombie on is a sleep cue for us too.
Just stumbled on this thread from a little while ago and it's something I've been wondering about too. From what everyone else has said I guess we'll start with swaddling and then see how things go. I've heard of the woombie but never seen them - might do some research. Someone mentioned that although grobags are expensive you save money on blankets - does this mean that if you use a grobag / sleeping bag type thing then you don't need a blanket n top as well??
When using grobag on ds1 I just used the flat sheet tucked over (no blanket) with ds2 I've got a homemade job (i don't think its as warm) where I've tucked a crocheted blanket and wrap around him as well in his bassinet.
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We've had seriously cold nights here the last few nights so DD3 has had her grobag with a woollen cardigan (thanks Gran!!) over the top to keep her arms warm.
I've just bought a CosiBag for DS1. It's similar to a GroBag but with long sleeves on it so will give it a go tonight as its been super cold here the last few nights and he's been waking up kicking his blankets off & getting out of his swaddle.
I still used a blanket and top sheet when DD was in the gro bag. They come in different togs, which equates to heat. So that higher the number tog, the less clothing and blankets you need. Check out the gro bag website as it will direct you on togs. BTW DD was a winter baby
Thanks for the info, I'll have a look at the gro bag website too
Hi,
i used the love me baby wrap which lets the baby have arms up but wrapped so that bub can mouth its hand it wanted. It also has a double zip for nappy changing, the are about 40 each sizes S, M or L i think i used S and M and then i bought the 50/50 which is the transition wrap that has zipable arms you can take one off at a time to get bub used to having free arms so you can transfer into a grobag...
highly recommend!!
Thanks love.tillie - a friend just gave me one of those wraps on the weekend so great to hear that you found them useful. There are just so many options!
you will love it Claire79, i wanted to just carry bubs around in that it was so cute, we called it our DS's angel suit!
You can purchase dream bags, which are very very similar to Gro bags, online. They ( again from memory)are around $50 each and come in the various sizes and TOG ratings.
I did notice however that one of mine pilled a little but other than that, very happy with them.
I want to use sleep bags because I want bub to be able to touch hands, face & feet. I want to use them from birth if I can so that I have less to worry about with SIDS & blankets. I also (just to make it hard for myself!) want natural fibers, again I just think they are a safe option.
Merino Kids are the only company I've found so far that do grow bags for newborns in wool. And yep, they're super expensive!
I'm a little crafty so thinking about buying some wool batting & making my own. That way I can put plenty of press studs around the neckline & across the arm holes in case bub startles from moving it's arms. Has anyone else made theirs? This will be my first bub so I guess I'm a little nervous about doing this right!