Gro Bags and baby wraps

[mogulskier1]

Hi,
I live in Brisbane and am expecting twin girls in early May. I have a few questions regarding sleeping bags and wraps.

Firstly, how long does a baby need to be wrapped for? And what material should I get for the wraps for the Brisbane winter? I've been shopping around and there seems to be a million choices - cotton, flannel, polar fleece etc. Do I need to get different ones for the day and for the night?

If the babies are using a Gro Bag, does that mean they don't need to be wrapped anymore? What tog GroBag do I need for Brissie winter? And is it okay just to use the 6-18 month one for newborns? It sure adds to the cost when you have to buy two 0-6 months ones and then two more after that!

Also do they need wooly hats at night?
We live in an old Queenslander so the house does get pretty cold at night, although we do have a radiator.
Thanks!

[O&GMUM]

hi Im the mum of ten month old twins.
All the twin mums I know wrapped until 7 months or so, babies love it, not sure if its cause they are so tight in there towards the end but they love it!! I used cotton, muslin comes unravelled too easily and I also used flannell for the winter, im in sydney.
At 8 months or so I went onto grobags instead, there was a slight adjustment period but it got too hot to wrap. I use 1 tog and nothing underneath for hot days and all in ones for cooler days. They come with a chart of what to put under them for the temp.

PM me if you need any more info and good luck TWINS ARE WONDERFUL!!!

[Mummabear]

Hi! I only have one bub, lol. But here's what I can help you with....

Firstly, how long does a baby need to be wrapped for? That totally depends on each individual baby. We had MAJOR issues with wrapping as he hated it but got freaked out if he wasn't wrapped. With my next baby I will be slowly loosening off the wraps right from when they come home from hopsital. I find the grobags much better as he used to get out of the wrap and I'd find it totally over his head, which freaked me out.

And what material should I get for the wraps for the Brisbane winter? I live in Adelaide so the climate is rather different. In the beginning i used cotton and as he got bigger I progressed to cot sheets. If he needed more warmth I would put a blanket over him.

Do I need to get different ones for the day and for the night? You could just use the wrap during the day and the also use a blanket at night.

If the babies are using a Gro Bag, does that mean they don't need to be wrapped anymore? Yes, that's right. It's one or the other. Although, I used to put DS in a grobag and then wrap his arms down to stop him from whacking himself in his sleep and waking up. If you want to know how I did this just PM me and I'll explain.

What tog GroBag do I need for Brissie winter? And is it okay just to use the 6-18 month one for newborns? It sure adds to the cost when you have to buy two 0-6 months ones and then two more after that! I use a 1 tog during winter in Adelaide and dress him accordingly underneat the bag. In winter he has flanny pj's (or a bonds grow suit as a baby, if really cold I layered more clothes). I also have a 0.5 tog for summer. Unfortunately it's probably not a good idea to use the 6-18 month size bags for newborns. I was told that the reason being that the neck opening is too large and they can slip down into the bag and suffocate. Having said that, I put DS in the 6 - 18 month size when he was 4 months, but he's a big baby too. I wouldn't put a newborn in there thought. But if you're going to wrap for a while you might find that the 6-18 month one fits okay by the time they're ready to be unwrapped.

Also do they need wooly hats at night? I was told never to put a hat or a hood on a baby in bed as there is the potential that it could slip and cover their airways. Also, it's too easy for them to overheat if you cover their heads. I'd just dress and cover their bodies appropriately and if they're a little too warm then at least they can release some heat through their heads. I had no idea how warm to make babies when I had DS and it turns out that I was putting waaaaaaaaaay too many layers on him, I'm lucky he didn't overheat. The 'wrap them tight and keep them warm' thing is apparently mainly for the first 24 - 48 hours while their thermostats are getting used to the big wide world. Just wanted to share that with you, wish someone had told me that!:rolleyes:

[SassyMummy]

When it comes to wraps...it will definately depend on your baby. My DD (now 7 months) didn't EVER like being wrapped...she would kick and scream until it was loose, and then fall asleep...so I just didn't wrap her. Instead, I just sat it on top of her like a blanket and GENTLY tucked the sides under her (so if she moved it didn't completely come off). I generally covered bub is thick cotton, or polar fleece. But it depended on the weather, and what she was wearing. It was definately thicker material at night.

Not sure about grobags...sorry.

I always put a little "beanie" on bubs head when she was a newborn (she was a winter bub). I was advised to do so by midwives...so I did. Babies lose a lot of their heat through the head...as I'm sure you've read. So yeah, I think it's important. As for it being a suffocation hazard...I don't think it's really dangerous. My bub didn't move around all that much while she was a newborn, so if anything, it'd slightly slip back on head...but never completely fell off. The elasticated ones work best too...

AND REMEMBER MITTENS AND SOCKS (my bubs hands were always FREEZING because she'd sleep with them out of the blanket). I think it's best to put mittens and socks over (or under) jumpsuits in winter - especially at night!

[mamachops]

bump!

I'm curious too about the gro bags, as I'm also in Brisbane and live in a Queenslander.

I've just had my baby and using brushed cotton wraps at night + light blanket. During day it's very warm in house so just a little bodysuit and loose wrap. In the winter I reckon we'll need double thickness cotton wrap, possibly a light fleece type material.

As for Gro bags, I held off buying one just now because we're heading for a change of seasons. For winter I'll get probably 2.0 tog for night with a long sleeve top, and just wrap during day.

PS. don't buy them over-size, because the very thing that makes them nice and safe is that the neck hole is 'fitted' to the size of the child so they can't slip down inside.

Hope this helps a little (with my minimal experience) and that someone else can offer some more advice.

[li'l mac]

I live in the Gold Coast so can relate to the warmer climate up north. My DS (4 months) didn't like being wrapped from the beginning and he won't keep a sheet on a night either... Sooooo, I looked into the sleeping bags and ended up buying a really good lightweight one from Babies Galore. It's called 'Snug as Bug' and is a nice stretch fabric with press studs (good air flow). It was a lot cheaper than the Grobags ($29.95) and I like that the fabric is flexible as he likes to move his legs a bit! It probably won't be warm enough for winter months but I got on their website and they have warmer weight ones. You can also order them online (www.snugasabug.com.au). DS has been sleeping beautifully since and looks sooo cute!