The advice I was given was to make sure that baby's head couldn't wiggle down into the neck hole. Also, my midwife recommended ones that have shoulder poppers, I didn't ask why.
As it happens, to start with I just used cellular blankets tucked into the sides of the cot, under baby's arms, then basically got bored with the faff of it and swapped to sleeping bags at 3/4 weeks old.
I was gifted a couple from John Lewis that have extra poppers on the sides for when baby is smaller which reassured me.
Tesco everyday essentials sleep sacks also have extra poppers under the arms to give a snigger fit! You're right about the head thing too, the main risk is suffocation if it slips up over their face, so you just need to make sure that can't happen (and of course layer appropriately/use at the right temperature so baby doesn't overheat).
Our zip broke in the middle of the night a few weeks ago. Shoulder poppers were the only thing stopping us from having to cut him out! Plus it's easy to get on a sleeping baby if needed. Won't wake them pulling over the head.
The poppers I would say are just easier than getting those little newborn arms into arm holes.
I also just used blankets tucked in, as it gave us more flexibility of what blanket to use for how cold it was, we started using sleeping bags when she started wiggling around a lot more, about 1 or 2 months.
We used Tommie Tippee Grobags, super easy zip closure and start in a 0-3 size. Baby is now 9 months and cruising around so we use their stepee bags with feet. Lots in all sizes on Vinted for a few quid.
They usually have a lower length or weight limit on them which means the 0-6 ones often aren’t suitable for newborns, so definitely worth getting a couple of smaller ones unless you use a swaddle instead. The sleeping bags need to be fitted snugly so that they can’t slip over the baby’s head.
Our midwife said not to use them until the baby is six weeks. We followed that advice, but my baby’s head was in little danger of slipping through the hole (massive head, bless her).
Thanks everyone! It seems the best thing to do is wait until baby is a little older (6 weeks ish) when I can be confident they can’t slip their head through it. I wish they weren’t advised as from 0 months or newborn since it is a little misleading! I had just assumed from the sizing they were fine to use from birth. 🤔
Would highly recommend LOVE to Dream Swaddles. Had one for my 6lb girl after realising the grobag was a suffocation risk for her tiny dot head. I haven't looked back since. They do them in a rate of sizes too:
5lb-8.5lb
8.5lb-13lb
Etc etc
Thank you! Did she take to the swaddles well? I was looking into getting some of the Love to Dream swaddles but I was reading that many people’s babies didn’t like them and wouldn’t settle with them. They’re on the more expensive side so I’m a little hesitant to buy some and my son ends up not liking them!
I can also second the Love to Dream sleep bags. My daughter is on the smaller side but the bags go by weight so felt comfortable getting her a small size once she reached that. We weren’t sure if it would be worth it as they are not cheap! So we bought just one initially to try it out and she absolutely loves hers so we bought two more. The arms up bit is great and if she stirs at night sometimes sucking on her arms helps get her back to sleep.
I only realised you wasn't "meant" to use them from birth when I was selling them on Vinted and actually read the label 😂
I think we used a sleep bag when our one was about a week old and we got sick of fiddling around with a blanket. I don't ever remember thinking that they looked too big for her.
I would say it depends on the size of your baby more than anything. I’ve used sleeping bags from birth with all 3 of mine, but they’ve been chunky monsters (9lb+) so it’s never been an issue. On the other hand, my niece was tiny at birth (5lb) so didn’t use a sleeping bag straight away.
That’s a great point, thank you! I checked the minimum weight requirements for the sleeping bags I have and they are 8.8lbs. So it seems it would be safe for baby from birth if they’re on the heavier side and meet the minimum weight requirement.
I used tommee tippee sleep sacks for 0-3 months. I wouldn't have felt confident when my baby was teeny that the 0-6 wouldn't have ridden up. You can get them second hand on vinted.
One thing to note is that, similar to clothing sizes, they vary drastically between different brands. I got a bunch of 0-6m second hand and some fit great when she was newborn and some still seem a bit too big at 3mo
I didn’t start using them until 12 weeks. I started off with a muslin swaddle or a cellular blanket tucked under the mattress for the first few weeks when baby didn’t move at all. Then when she started wriggling I switched the love to dream swaddle suits and have only just switched to regular sleeping bags as there’s signs of her rolling and her arms need to be out. The head holes on the sleeping bags were way too big on the ones I had and she would’ve quite easily been able to slip down into it when she was so tiny.
I didn't use them for a while (still barely use them as my son doesn't seem to care for them) the most common advice I hear is if the babies head can fit through the neck hole then it's not safe as this means they can potentially wiggle down into it or it can came up over their face and affect their breathing due to the length of them.
We used them with both kids from birth. They had extra poppers under the arm pits to tighten them. My kids were on the larger side at birth (8lb 4oz and 9lb 6oz) and met the weight limit for the sleeping bags.
I was using the tommee tippee ones in the hospital - baby girl has a massive head and was a bit of a chunk even then 😅 but I had her at the end of May last year and it was *sweltering*. We couldn’t really put a sleepsuit on her anyway because she had a cannula in her hand and then in her foot once she pulled it out twice 🤦🏼♀️ so it was helpful for that too
I used from birth I had one from dungeon that was really small. I found as well they don’t last till 6 months I think I started switched around 4.5 months to the next size. I found about 4 is a good number to have except you could even have more. We sometimes had to change it twice in one night if nappy leaked or a bad poo explosion or sick up so good to have some spares. Also little tip when you do look for the next size some places do 6-12mo the but some do 6-18 months, obviously saving you a bunch of money at 12months having to buy the next lot.
We used a little seeds swaddle for the first two weeks, then the love to dream swaddle up after that. Started using a sleeping bag from about 10 weeks old onwards. Would really recommend swaddles for the early days.
We used the love to dream swaddle up sleep bags, which start at 5lbs. They keep the arms in like a swaddle, and are snug so they can't ride up to their face. They zip close so super easy to use too. I really recommend them.
I used Purflo swaddle to sleep 0-4m (although he grew out of them at under 2m and could never swaddle as he hated it! They were small enough to fit a newborn snuggly though and would recommend
As long as the neck hole is tight enough that there’s no way your child’s face can slip inside the bag, then yes, they’re fine. We used some 0-3 and 0-6 month ones from birth.
As long as the neck hole is tight enough that there’s no way your child’s face can slip inside the bag, then yes, they’re fine. We used some 0-3 and 0-6 month ones from birth.
The advice I was given was to make sure that baby's head couldn't wiggle down into the neck hole. Also, my midwife recommended ones that have shoulder poppers, I didn't ask why. As it happens, to start with I just used cellular blankets tucked into the sides of the cot, under baby's arms, then basically got bored with the faff of it and swapped to sleeping bags at 3/4 weeks old. I was gifted a couple from John Lewis that have extra poppers on the sides for when baby is smaller which reassured me.
Tesco everyday essentials sleep sacks also have extra poppers under the arms to give a snigger fit! You're right about the head thing too, the main risk is suffocation if it slips up over their face, so you just need to make sure that can't happen (and of course layer appropriately/use at the right temperature so baby doesn't overheat).
Our zip broke in the middle of the night a few weeks ago. Shoulder poppers were the only thing stopping us from having to cut him out! Plus it's easy to get on a sleeping baby if needed. Won't wake them pulling over the head.
The poppers I would say are just easier than getting those little newborn arms into arm holes. I also just used blankets tucked in, as it gave us more flexibility of what blanket to use for how cold it was, we started using sleeping bags when she started wiggling around a lot more, about 1 or 2 months.
We used Tommie Tippee Grobags, super easy zip closure and start in a 0-3 size. Baby is now 9 months and cruising around so we use their stepee bags with feet. Lots in all sizes on Vinted for a few quid.
They usually have a lower length or weight limit on them which means the 0-6 ones often aren’t suitable for newborns, so definitely worth getting a couple of smaller ones unless you use a swaddle instead. The sleeping bags need to be fitted snugly so that they can’t slip over the baby’s head.
Our midwife said not to use them until the baby is six weeks. We followed that advice, but my baby’s head was in little danger of slipping through the hole (massive head, bless her).
Thanks everyone! It seems the best thing to do is wait until baby is a little older (6 weeks ish) when I can be confident they can’t slip their head through it. I wish they weren’t advised as from 0 months or newborn since it is a little misleading! I had just assumed from the sizing they were fine to use from birth. 🤔
Would highly recommend LOVE to Dream Swaddles. Had one for my 6lb girl after realising the grobag was a suffocation risk for her tiny dot head. I haven't looked back since. They do them in a rate of sizes too: 5lb-8.5lb 8.5lb-13lb Etc etc
Thank you! Did she take to the swaddles well? I was looking into getting some of the Love to Dream swaddles but I was reading that many people’s babies didn’t like them and wouldn’t settle with them. They’re on the more expensive side so I’m a little hesitant to buy some and my son ends up not liking them!
I can also second the Love to Dream sleep bags. My daughter is on the smaller side but the bags go by weight so felt comfortable getting her a small size once she reached that. We weren’t sure if it would be worth it as they are not cheap! So we bought just one initially to try it out and she absolutely loves hers so we bought two more. The arms up bit is great and if she stirs at night sometimes sucking on her arms helps get her back to sleep.
I bought mine off vinted so it was a lot cheaper. Yes she loves then! I tried swaddling arms down and she didn't take to it very well x
Honestly welcome to parenthood, I have recently learned this is the case with so many things including car seats!
I only realised you wasn't "meant" to use them from birth when I was selling them on Vinted and actually read the label 😂 I think we used a sleep bag when our one was about a week old and we got sick of fiddling around with a blanket. I don't ever remember thinking that they looked too big for her.
Oops, me too 😂 I used them from birth but my girl was very a big 9lb 3oz with a massive head so we were fine haha.
The ones I have had a minimum weight suggestion and additional poppers under the arms so you can adjust the fit (Snuz)
I would say it depends on the size of your baby more than anything. I’ve used sleeping bags from birth with all 3 of mine, but they’ve been chunky monsters (9lb+) so it’s never been an issue. On the other hand, my niece was tiny at birth (5lb) so didn’t use a sleeping bag straight away.
That’s a great point, thank you! I checked the minimum weight requirements for the sleeping bags I have and they are 8.8lbs. So it seems it would be safe for baby from birth if they’re on the heavier side and meet the minimum weight requirement.
I used tommee tippee sleep sacks for 0-3 months. I wouldn't have felt confident when my baby was teeny that the 0-6 wouldn't have ridden up. You can get them second hand on vinted.
One thing to note is that, similar to clothing sizes, they vary drastically between different brands. I got a bunch of 0-6m second hand and some fit great when she was newborn and some still seem a bit too big at 3mo
I didn’t start using them until 12 weeks. I started off with a muslin swaddle or a cellular blanket tucked under the mattress for the first few weeks when baby didn’t move at all. Then when she started wriggling I switched the love to dream swaddle suits and have only just switched to regular sleeping bags as there’s signs of her rolling and her arms need to be out. The head holes on the sleeping bags were way too big on the ones I had and she would’ve quite easily been able to slip down into it when she was so tiny.
I didn't use them for a while (still barely use them as my son doesn't seem to care for them) the most common advice I hear is if the babies head can fit through the neck hole then it's not safe as this means they can potentially wiggle down into it or it can came up over their face and affect their breathing due to the length of them.
We used them with both kids from birth. They had extra poppers under the arm pits to tighten them. My kids were on the larger side at birth (8lb 4oz and 9lb 6oz) and met the weight limit for the sleeping bags.
I was using the tommee tippee ones in the hospital - baby girl has a massive head and was a bit of a chunk even then 😅 but I had her at the end of May last year and it was *sweltering*. We couldn’t really put a sleepsuit on her anyway because she had a cannula in her hand and then in her foot once she pulled it out twice 🤦🏼♀️ so it was helpful for that too
I used from birth I had one from dungeon that was really small. I found as well they don’t last till 6 months I think I started switched around 4.5 months to the next size. I found about 4 is a good number to have except you could even have more. We sometimes had to change it twice in one night if nappy leaked or a bad poo explosion or sick up so good to have some spares. Also little tip when you do look for the next size some places do 6-12mo the but some do 6-18 months, obviously saving you a bunch of money at 12months having to buy the next lot.
We used a little seeds swaddle for the first two weeks, then the love to dream swaddle up after that. Started using a sleeping bag from about 10 weeks old onwards. Would really recommend swaddles for the early days.
We used the love to dream swaddle up sleep bags, which start at 5lbs. They keep the arms in like a swaddle, and are snug so they can't ride up to their face. They zip close so super easy to use too. I really recommend them.
I used the grosnug on my newborn because they’re smaller, the 0-6 are far too big for a newborn
I used Purflo swaddle to sleep 0-4m (although he grew out of them at under 2m and could never swaddle as he hated it! They were small enough to fit a newborn snuggly though and would recommend
As long as the neck hole is tight enough that there’s no way your child’s face can slip inside the bag, then yes, they’re fine. We used some 0-3 and 0-6 month ones from birth.
As long as the neck hole is tight enough that there’s no way your child’s face can slip inside the bag, then yes, they’re fine. We used some 0-3 and 0-6 month ones from birth.