Mabel has always been a “hot” child. I don’t know if this is a thing as such but I remember my little sister was the same – seemingly sweating their tiny bottoms off in just a vest and nappy whilst everyone else was perfectly comfortable in a jumper.
Mabel regularly asks to not have her duvet at all, even when I’m personally feeling so chilly my 14 tog is over my head and I’m sleeping in a full on fleece dressing gown.
We kind of just roll with it now – try and put a blanket over her when we come to bed so she doesn’t wake up shivering (she obviously wouldn’t but I just can’t help worrying about her little arms being all exposed to drafts and whatnot) and endeavour to encourage her to wear a cotton long sleeved top, even if she insists on just wearing a pair of shorts…in February.
I remember when she was a baby I found the whole what-she-should-wear-for-bed thing very confusing, especially in that newborn/sleep-deprived state. I always felt she would be cold when reading the expert advice on clothing and togs for the appropriate room temperature – But as we all know, the experts are indeed experts and the recommendations are based on extensive research for your child’s safety.
If you are struggling with the same we’ve put together a neat little diagram to pin/keep on file that I’ve included below – we’ve taken and adapted the info from gro.co.uk and we hope you will find it useful.
In terms of actual sleepwear I have always been a big fan of The White Company Pyjamas – they are spendy I know but they wash well, don’t shrink and sometimes they offer multi packs which are good value. As a baby I found the John Lewis sleep suit multi-packs AMAZING and they have so many prints to choose from.
At the moment Mabel is refusing to wear anything to bed but this ice-cream shorts and T-shirt set, when I had to throw it in with the dirty laundry the only piece she would consider as a temporary replacement was a tutu.
Do you/did you find the sleepwear guidelines difficult to follow? I actually loved the sleeping/gro bags and Mabel used hers until she was two and a half. If they designed them in adult size I just might be tempted myself.
Image by Little Beanies
This has brought back some nights of much deliberation in our house when Juliet was a baby baby. We found the difference between a 1 tog when it’s 21 degrees and a 2.5 tog when it’s 20 degrees most perplexing (such a significant tog shift for one tiny degree!) and there were occasions when the temperature dropped partway though the night and I would change her sleeping bag – fuelled by first time mum panic and anxiety!
We had to lose the grobags at 18 months because she figured out how to undo them but I too loved them. They look so cute in a white baby gro and their grobags..
We’ve also never strayed from next pyjamas. They wash brilliantly and fit really well. Xx
Jennifer I was the same with temperature change – and I swore that sometimes Mabel would wake up because she was chilly even though we were abiding by the guidelines (not that she could tell us she was cold obviously!). Mabel was really good with her grobag in that she used to quite like them I think so didn’t want to undo it (!) x
Like Jennifer I’m also a fan of next pj’s, the packs of 3 are good value and they wash and tumble dry really well! I’m also a fan of next babygrows for the same reason. I always think the guidelines seem a bit on the chilly side too… personally I’ve always gone with vest + babygrow and 2.5 tog bag in cooler weather (that’ll be most of the year then!), if it’s a bit warmer then maybe just a long sleeved vest and 2.5 tog bag, and when it’s really warm then a thinner bag and just a vest. Our angelcare monitor tells us the room temperature as well which is helpful. Like you say the guidelines are definitely worth referring to for safety particularly with younger babies but as they get older you know whether they tend to be warm like Mabel or whether they need to be kept a bit more snug! For growbags I rate the M&S ones, they’re a really good price, especially if you get them on a 20% off day! X
Sarah I loved the Angelcare monitor, it was so useful for so many things – temp included. I always felt 2.5 tog sounded really thin – considering I have 10 tog and am freezing (!). I never thought of M&S for sleeping bags – we had a few from GRO and some John Lewis ones as the twin packs were good value:
http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=1203&awinaffid=251171&clickref=&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnlewis.com%2Fjohn-lewis-baby-zebra-chevron-sleep-bag-pack-of-2-1-tog-grey-turquoise%2Fp3125077
xx
My older boy (22 months) is always warm too and I always dress him in less than the Gro guidelines. He wears a long sleeve vest and 2.5 gro bag for anything from 17-20. I don’t let it get much colder than that without putting heating on as I’m usually freezing even at 22 deg!! I was always paranoid about him over heating and could never understand why people dressed their babies in vests, babygros, thick grobags in 20 +. But they are all different and some feel the cold more than others. If it gets above 20 I put long sleeve vest and 1 tog. If it’s say 23 then I just put him in the 1 tog and a nappy. Any hotter and really he’s just in a sleeveless vest. Or a nappy. Though he always ends up with a mozzy bite if he’s got bare bits poor love.
Don’t know what we’ll do when he’s in a bed with duvet as he moves so much in his sleep he’ll never be under it! Any tips would be great.
Hi Victoria, I won’t fib – the transition for Mabel from a grobag was interesting, she still often ends up kicking the duvet off – even when we feel it’s quite chilly. I keep a thinner blanket/throw on the end of the bed that I will put over her when we come up to get ready for bed ourselves (as inevitably she’ll be lying there in her shorts with her top up by her neck exposing her tummy) x
The last part of your comment made me smile, we had exactly the same issue with my little boy when he started using a duvet at about 3 years old (I’m not sure if that was too old to still be in a gro-bag but the little fella loved it and I wasn’t going to change anything that wasn’t broke…)
After a few nights of numerous wake-ups to put the duvet back on I decided to turn it the other way round, so that the length of the duvet was across the width of the bed. And then tucked the duvet under the mattress on one side and loosely on the other. He can still get out if he needs to, but his general night-time squirming doesn’t shift the duvet!
Lou this is super advice! I’m going to try this myself in the winter x
Love this tip, my wee boy is only 18 months but he wriggles so much there’s no way he’d stay under a duvet all night so had been wondering what to do when we make the move to a bed. Thanks Lou!
Charlotte, is there an archive post on the transition? I think there might be but if not it would be a great topic. Lx
My mother in law told me that my husband was a very hot child. He only wanted a nappy to sleep in. After the stage of nappies, he began taking of his pjs because he didn’t like sleeping with clothes….
To this day my husband does not own a single pj set and he survived just fine…
I SEem to have wiggly babies who struggle and fight their sleeping bags! I made Silvia wear hers until she moved to her big bed at Christmas and she is so much happier in a duvet. Paddy is still in cellular blankets- he hated the bag when I put it on so I haven’t dared go back. Like an earlier commenter they are usually in short sleeve vest, babygro or pjs then whatever covering. In the hot snap Pads was just wearing a little vest though!
Maybe it’s a second time thing but I’m so much more relaxed this time around. I remember on holiday with dodgy aircon and the temperature being 38 outside panicking about Silvia and not being able to relax when the gro egg still showed red…
I get nearly all their pjs from Sainsbury’s- great quality and super cute designs. Silvia has a pair with bunnies on that are edged with pink Pom Poms- I would totally wear them.
This is really helpful thank you. I have my first baby due in September and one of the things I worry about is understanding what they should wear to bed, sleepsuits, swaddling, gro bags – it can all sound very confusing to a first time mum!
No problem Carly, I’m glad you found it useful. And lots of love and luck for September! x
Really useful post – thank you!
I’m a bit worried now though as my little 8 month old bubs is in a short sleeved vest and baby grow! But then he is mainly using blankets, sometimes a 1 tog sleeping bag. He doesn’t feel too hot so I guess I don’t need to worry?
I remember being less worried about too many layers than my mummy friends to start with. Freddie was a NICU baby and in a 24C room with vest, baby grow, folded sheet and 4 blankets so when he came home I thought if the nurses do that then our 20C house and 2 folded blankets must be fine…….now I think I’m over dressing him a bit. Hmmmmm. Confusing!!!
I really like your infographic about baby sleepwear base on the temperature. One of the porblems that living with your parents they always tend to think the baby is cold. With this infographic, it is easy for them to know what baby should wear.
Thank you for providing a detailed infographic on what baby should wear. As a new parent it is a fight i always have with my wife.