New Baby Bedding & Clothing....Confused

[ED Newbie]

Hi,

Thanks for taking the time to read this and apologies if this has been raised before but I'm getting into a bit of a pickle and a few thick moments which must be the baby brain when it comes to what bedding and baby suits I need for my first born due in June.

I have a moses basket with a matress protector which I will cover with a fitted sheet. I plan to swaddle my baby.

Weather and room temperature depending do I need to cover him with a 'cellular' blanket as well? I take it the swaddle will act as a sheet? Would I ever need to cover him with another sheet?

If he doesn't take to swaddling do I cover him with a cotton sheet and 'cellular' blanket? How many sheets and blankets?

How many fitted sheets for the matress and cover sheets will I actually need to start off with?

I know this may be pretty basic to most of you so sorry if this come across really thick ;)

Okay, so that's the bedding but what do I dress him in at night time if I swaddle him? I've bought short sleeve body suits, long sleeve body suits and full body suits...somewhat prepared but not sure what to dress him in.....sorry.

Lots of questions but I hope someone can point me in the right direction with quantities of what I'll need.

Thanks for reading.

[Moos]

Hey Newbie

You sound exactly as I felt when I was expecting my son - confused and having had far too much information thrown at me! But you don't sound thick at all.

The short answer is, it depends. On a really hot day, your baby will be sleeping in just a nappy, and on cold winter days a vest under a warm sleepsuit under a sleeping bag or blanket.

But probably for an average room of around 19-20 degrees in summer a light short-sleeve sleepsuit under a swaddle blanket will be absolutely enough, or even just a vest underneath. It's really important for little babies not to over-heat, their hands should feel a little cool to the touch. I do think the swaddle will suffice as a sheet.

You might well need several fitted (3 or 4??) sheets as they poo all over the place, and you'll definitely need a waterproof under-sheet to protect the mattress.

I definitely recommend sleeping bags - not sure if you can use them for newborns, but at least from 3 months. My son is nearly 3 and still sleeps in his - the very lightest sheet-style ones in summer (with nothing else on) and warm ones in winter.

There's also practicality for those messy, sleep-drugged nighttime changes... I've used a small undersheet which can be quickly whipped off if pooed on, and have heard nighties recommended as easier to deal with to change nappies although haven't tried them myself.

I hope that's helpful and that I've remembered all this correctly - if not I'm sure someone with more recent experience will correct me.

Best of luck!

Moos

[ED Newbie]

ahh thanks Moos - I forgot about the waterprrof sheeting - I'll add it to the list :)

[gwod]

I dont think these are thick moments - no reason to think you would already know the answer to these things - it would be way more stupid to go out and buy loads of stuff that you'll never use!!

I think you may as well buy a couple of blankets - you may or may not need them in the summer at night (depending on temperature), but you will use them when you are out and about with the buggy (for warmth or sunshade)- maybe in the evenings when it is a bit cooler...and Autumn will be along in no time so they won't go to waste. I think youll need some long and some short babygrows - for hot days and cooler evenings. It all seems complicated now but when baby comes along you'll just think Ooh you look a bit hot/cold and take a layer off or put one on accordingly. How exciting for you to be making these plans...I am a little bit jealous!

[Moos]

Come to think of it, we got a super-cheap one from IKEA - has had some serious smearings, and still going strong.

[The Nappy Lady]

Hiya,

Can't remember where I have seen it, but there is a guide that says x degrees = 2 sheets and 1 blanket etc, try the Grobag website as they are very helpful. Having a room thermometer helps to reassure you, and in winter I had the main radiator in baby's room off as central heating so extreme but had an oil filled rad on a therostat which would click on and off thru the night to keep the room at a regular temperature.

I used drawstring nightgowns for my second and they are fab - no poppers to do in the middle of the night with eyes half open. Got mine on eBay, but you can get then new in John Lewis.

Babies lose heat through their head and chest, core body temperature is what is key, as said before don't worry about hands feeling chilly. That said my first was a July baby and it was so hot she had to sleep in just a nappy for ages, all hopes of swaddling out the window thanks to a heatwave :-(

Molly

[canadianlisa]

My little girl loved the swaddle- she is now just coming out of it at almost 6 months!! I think that the kiddopotomus swaddle is worth it- they are expensive but are comfy for the baby and again make night time changing easy. They stay nice and snuggly warm in the swaddle as well and we found that it was one of the only thing that helped calm her down when she was collicky and stressed. In the winter I used the swaddle which is a stretchy t-shirt material with a small blanket over top. I used in both the Moses basket and later in the crib . However, not all babies like swaddling so may be worth seeing if yours does before buying this. I would lend you mine but it is the large size. I dressed her in a vest and thin sleepsuit and she seemed fine. Our flat is not overly warm though.

I was confused as well. I didn't know initially about the 2 layers of vests. I think stocking up on vests (short sleeve bodysuits) and long sleeve sleepsuits is the main thing as this is mainly what they wear. Little tiny babies look very sweet but are generally uncomfortable in clothes. There are lots of nice cheap ones at Sainsburys and Tescos and you can get a few fancier ones for 'best' from somewhere posher. You will probably get lots of little outfits as presents as well. I also got quite a few blankets as presents which I did not expect.

Also get lots of flannels- another thing I did not think about. They need washing each time they are used. And more muslins than you think you will need. It is also nice to have a nice warm blanket to wrap them in after they are washed or come out of the bath. I got a fleecy one as a present and we are still using it.

Good luck

Lisa

[ED Newbie]

thanks so much for the reassurance and advise everyone - much appreciated. Defo agree on the clothing from Tesco's and Sainsbury. I've been told they are cheap and wash up really well.

[Belle]

blankets good for naps too and out and about with buggy/pram - i preferred in newborn days to be able to layer up/down according to temperature (makes life easier if going from freezing cold into boiling hot doctors' waiting room for eg) with blankets rather than having the baby in a big snowsuit/jacket that I'd have to try and get off them when they might be asleep. Sorry slightly off topic as you meant night-time I know!

I still dont' really know about the sheets/vests/sleepsuits thing to be honest - we just muddled through and took our cue from him, and always erred on the side of being too cold rather than too hot as safer. Grobags all the way, after swaddlng for a few early weeks, have worked with us. Also we only bought about 3 /4 sheets but our baby was very pukey (!) so had to buy six more! Sometimes had to change them several times a night. So worth getting some cheapie extras.

[nikki73]

Hope you aren't at information overload point yet!! I think I've seen the chart Molly refers to on john lewis blankets - maybe its also on their website? i started using a sleeping bag from 1 month and love it. you'll find summer and winter weight. Haven't tried the summer one yet though. I also agree that you'll find you use blankets all the time. I got 2 to start off with and ended up receiving several as presents. All useful because of reflux, something to lie on etc. good luck

[apenn]

Agree with posts above on growbags for newborns. They're jsut so much easier than doing all those poppers up!

Also, do you have a lot of family and friends who will be getting you gifts? I found that I got a lot of receiving blankets as gifts and never even opened the one blanket I bought. Since it will be summer, I wouldn't go too crazy on buying blankets, especially as you have a swaddle. Then as it gets colder you can always get more if you don't have enough.

-A

[Fuschia]

Re clothes and a baby, someone told me that a baby needs one more layer than we're wearing on any given day.. however that would indicate they wear a vest even in the middle of summer... (it works quite well as a rule of thumb most of the time though)

With child no 1 I didn't understand the point of vests and didn't buy any and he never wore them. My sister was a bit shocked! For the twins I grasped the idea a bit better and they wore vests and babygrows most of the time for the first year (saves getting them dressed in the morning/changed at bedtime and you can add a pretty cadi if you wnat them to look nice!) Anyway, child no 1 survived this shocking maternal neglect in the vest department.

[ED Newbie]

Thank you Fuschia (and everyone else) I do now feel reassured that you do need to just trust your instincts rather than expect to know it all. I'm sure I'll end up selling lots of items soon or watch out for my balding 6 footer on a mission to mothercare :)

[charlottep]

if you switch from the swaddle to a sleeping bag at some point the advice from Grobag is:

Nursery Temp:

16oC - 2.5 tog bag & long sleeved bodysuit and sleepsuit

18oC - 2.5 tog bag & long sleeved bodysuit and pyjama top

20oC - 2.5 tog bag & long sleeved bodysuit or 1.0 tog bag & short sleeved bodysuit and pyjama top

22oC - 1.0 tog bag & long sleeved bodysuit

24oC - 1.0 tog bag & short sleeved bodysuit

Hope this helps clarify.

[sandy_rose]

I've got the same thoughts running through my head as you (I'm due at the end of May). Everyone I've asked have recommended Grobags so I've got a few of those. They seem safer than blankets as the baby can't kick them off/ suffocate on them.

I actually found some Grobags in TK MAXX (Lewisham) as well as swaddling, blankets, towels, breastfeeding pillows, baby monitors etc at reasonable prices - their baby department is huge. With a summer baby you would want to start off with 1 tog. I've also seen some nightgowns with elastics or poppers along the bottom instead of legs, which seems like a good idea if you need to do a quick nappy change in the night. It saves you having to worry about buttoning up a whole babygrow and ending up with a mysterius spare popper...

Someone also advised me to get a few extra sheets , cut them in half and layer them onto the top half of baby's mattress. This way, if the baby throws up you can just whip off one layer and not have to worry about changing the whole cot/ crib if the baby is fast asleep.

I reckon there's only so much you can plan, as you just don't know what the weather is going to be like but let's hope it's going to be a sunny summer this year!

[snowboarder]

I don't have a new baby anymore but the night attire issue still confuddles me - grobag's temp suggestions all well and good but the temp in my 1yr old's room is currently 21 degrees (apparently according to monitor). But it drops overnight down to about 18....Blankets not an option due to mad restlessness....

But luckily we too have survived so far. We probably 'overdress' with a vest/pjs and grobag currently....I love vests - hate seeing little bare tummys when they get untucked!!

[Fuschia]

We are great fans of primark fleecy babygrows, ?1.99