preparing for Canberra's winter.....

[brandnewmum2011]

how much clothing etc do you dress your baby in? and do you use a heater to keep room temp at a constant?

it got down to 16degrees in our room last night and we r no where near winter yet.

we have our one month old sleeping in her cot which is pushed against our bed with the side rail taken out easy for breastfeeding during those early morning feed.

I don't know exactly how much or little to dress my bub still learning as this is our 1st, don't want to over heat her or let her get too cold.

[Apfel]

Great thread, I would love to hear how other Canberra mums handle winter! I'm not due til early August but am looking for advice too.

Congrats on your little girl, brandnewmum!

[shinebrite]

Well I'm not from Canberra any more we just moved and am loving that we aren't even using a doona at night yet! For the kids I stocked up on target tights, the thick ones with the sock part included they come in a pack of 2 or really cheap on eBay second hand. These are great for night and day and DD1 use to sleep in those with a long sleeve top usually a thermal material one and the sleeping bags you get from best and less. ALWAYS put a singlet on and ALWAYS put a pair of the tights on under whatever pants they're wearing for day. If you can invest in central heating, we had our set on 18 degrees at night as 16 degrees is too cold for children according to SIDS or get a room thermometer. OR better yet just co sleep! Ha!! Tht way everyone stays snuggly warm!

[mytwowilldo]

Hi there
Both my babies were born in May. For their first winters, I put them in singlets or spencers, cotton all in one suits, an extra pair of socks, and sometimes a cardigan. At that age, I tended to add extra blankets or thicker wraps, rather than put lots of clothes on them. So I used a flanelette bottom sheet, doubled over muslin or single flanelette wrap, then probably two or so cotton thermal blankets. I used a heater to try and keep their room constant temp (about 18), because the temp drops so much overnight. You are getting up a few times a night still, so it is easy to check whether baby is too hot or cold.
If your baby hates being wrapped but isn't moving in the cot much, I then used a sleeping bag and blanket on top of it, and a cardigan over the sleeping bag. I personally prefer to buy the more expensive sleeping bags, they are warmer and natural fibres. Now, they are in tracksuits, long sleeve t shirt, singlets, socks and sleeping bags, because they don't stay under the blankets.
Oh, and watch out for the temp on your baby monitor. My angelcare one is usually 2-3 degrees higher than the real temp, so was wondering why it always felt cold in their rooms! I bought a cheap wall themometer to keep track of what it really is.

[Stampy]

Wow I didn't realise it had to be kept so warm.

My heater is set to come on when it gets below 10 inside at night I think, 14 during the day, and 20 in the evening. That's set up for when we're at work though, I guess it'll change soonish!

[susanne]

We have an almost 4 month old little boy & he still likes being wrapped for his sleeps and doesn't move around at all yet once I put him down. So I put a blanket over him but only up to his armpits and I tuck it in tightly down at his feet so even if he did wriggle, he couldn't pull it over his head. Although I think I will start using the thicker thermal wraps instead. We also have the central heating on 18 overnight already as it has definitely been getting cold early this year. I have also heard never to sleep them with a beanie on as they regulate their temperature through their heads.

Love the really cuddly onesies for night time especially. Best & Less & Target have some great ones that zip up which are great for those midnight nappy changes. Usually he will have a singlet under the onesie as well. Oh and I look for the ones that have those fold out hand cover thingies to keep his hands nice and warm too.

As for daytimes, I agree with Shinebrite, we always put tights and singlets on him under his clothes.

The good thing about Canberra is, most houses have decent heating. Other places like Sydney can get just as cold, but it's harder to keep bubs warm.

[PeaBee]

I have had 2 babies in Canberra and I used the grobags both times. I haven't had to use blankets. (It felt strange not to use blankets at first but my babies never woke except for feed when still feeding at night). I got the one with a 1 tog rating and dressed baby in all in ones underneath the grobag during winter and just tops in summer. I keep the baby room at 20 degrees in winter with an oil heater as we don't have house heating on at night time. The 1 tog is rated to 20 degrees so I was able to use it in summer too.

There is a baby shop in Phillip that stocks that brand and you can check out the website - i think it is bambini pronto. That site explains the tog ratings and different kinds of grobags. I also used the groegg (i think that is what it is called - it shows the temperature of the room). They are pricey but I only needed one for each year as they grew and didn't need them anymore - about 2years old. I have never used the cheaper ones as they don't have the heat rating so I was always worried they would get too warm.

Putting the sleeping bag on also became part of the bedtime ritual. I am a huge fan and will be using it again if I am lucky enough to have another baby.

Hope that helps! :flowerz:

[mytwowilldo]

Stampy, we were the same before we had kids. Didn't have the heater on at night, set really low etc. My husband is still trying to hang on to the old life - he has a rule of no central heating before anzac day. I have snuck the column heaters into the kids rooms because so cold already!!
But babies do sleep better when it's warm and constant, and I'm pretty sure it's part of the sids guidelines too. And you will like having their room nice and toasty - it is no fun being half naked breastfeeding in a cold room!!!

[Chunkydunks]

Ds is a may baby too. often he would end up sleeping with us because it was too darn cold to get up to feed him lol. One thing I found that probably isn't sids approved is that he wouldn't sleep unless I had his head covered. I'd put a little cotton beany on him and that would help him. We had a little oil heater in our room but it barely kept the temp above 0 some nights.

During the day he almost always had a wondersuit under his normal clothes, socks under and over the wondersuit and always a singlet and/or a body suit. A beany of some sort was essential if we went out and I had a gorgeous little fur lined cord jacket for him too (I was using the buses or walking at that stage to having him rugged up was a must).

At night he was in a wondersuit with the usual socks, singlet, body suit combo. he was then swaddled in a flannelette wrap and we then had a sleeping bag (an actually baby sleeping bag made of cotton that was mine when I was little). We'd wrap him all up in that and then tuck his cot quilt doubled over in around him when he was in his cradle. but after the first feed it was as far as the swaddle and then in with us. When he went into his own room it was similar bedding.

What we did probably goes against everything taught these days but nearly 7 years ago the midwife checked it all out when she come for her visit and was quite happy with it all.

[Stampy]

Stampy, we were the same before we had kids. Didn't have the heater on at night, set really low etc. My husband is still trying to hang on to the old life - he has a rule of no central heating before anzac day. I have snuck the column heaters into the kids rooms because so cold already!!
But babies do sleep better when it's warm and constant, and I'm pretty sure it's part of the sids guidelines too. And you will like having their room nice and toasty - it is no fun being half naked breastfeeding in a cold room!!!
:p I've heard of people having either the easter or ANZAC day rule.. My rule is that if I've got jumpers/pants/socks, under a sleeping bag and cold, it goes on!!

[Apfel]

:p I've heard of people having either the easter or ANZAC day rule.. My rule is that if I've got jumpers/pants/socks, under a sleeping bag and cold, it goes on!!

I am with you! DH had given up on trying to convince me of the Anzac 'rule', I am not originally a canberra girl, and if I am breaking out the socks and quilt for night time tv, it's heater time!

Am getting a heater for bubs room too, we dont use one over night but they will need one (and great point about bf in a chilly room!)

One question, I have been looking at the gro bags, they all look like they are for use from 6mths. Is that when you all started using them?

(oh & before I forget, the store in phillip - Kid Essentials - has just this week moved to Mawson)

[bubbaboyandbump]

DS is 10 months and has been in sleeping bags ever since he started rolling and I no longer felt ok wrapping him (about 3 months). It has already been down to 14 degrees in the room where DS sleeps so I gave stocked up on warm things! We put him in thick flannelette pjs with socks and a signet underneath an then we put the ergo arms on him (they are like a little jacket with long, thick sleeves that keeps their arms warm in a sleeping bag without overheating their body) and then the ergo 3.5 tog sleeping bag. We are trying not to use the heater to save on money but would if it got really cold! I was using the 2.5 tog grobags but they didn't seem to be warm enough. We can't use any blankets as he wriggles too much! Would definitely recommend the ergo 3.5 tog bags and ergo arms though.. I believe you can get them from kid essentials in Phillip but I bought mine online.

He was born in winter and to keep him warm then he would be in a long jumpsuit, be wrapped in a thick cotton blanket and then have a few more blankets over him depending on the temp.

[Stampy]

So... since it's pretty damn cold now, how is everyone going with this?

[brandnewmum2011]

we got an oil heater to keep our room warm turned on in early morning until we get up ard 7am.

how cold is it already??? Omg

[Stampy]

Yeh, it is a bit cold a bit earlier than I expected :(

It's a bit annoying, my last day of work is tomorrow before mat leave and I was hoping for a couple of weeks of nice weather. I guess it is nice, but not until later on!

[shinebrite]

we got an oil heater to keep our room warm turned on in early morning until we get up ard 7am.

how cold is it already??? Omg

Just be careful with oil heaters. Nearly died at our first winter electricity bill with one of those as a married couple...

Here for the week and ready to go back to Adelaide! Blo0dy freezing!!!

[mytwowilldo]

we have in-floor heating - so expensive but so nice when you are lying on the floor with the little ones.
both mine wearing singlets, long sleeved t-shirt and tracksuit to bed. 11 month old in his warmest sleeping bag. Our nearly 3 yo is just learning to sleep with a doona, I am always going in to check on her as she wriggles out and gets so cold.
both have had flannelette sheets for a month already, even put them on our bed last week. we tough it out in our room with no heating to try to save money...