Cot bedding

Hello Sandra and welcome. How lovely to have a brand new GC.

No duvets or pillows until they are at least one. With my GC we ditched the blankets altogether in favour of "grobags" - which are like little sleeping bags with arm holes - the advantage is they can't fall off leaving the little one to get cold and also there is no danger of the covers going over the baby's head. Only wish we had had them when my DC were that age. They come in different tog ratings (2.5 for this time of year) You can always add a firmly tucked in blanket if it's really cold. Oh and you can buy the sleeping bags all over the place - John Lewis, Mothercare...I saw some gorgeous ones in Tesco last week.

Cotton and/or wool or other natural fibres are safe. Synthetics less so as they aren't so breathable. Warm duvets are not recommended partly for that reason but also because of potential overheating (in heated houses, presumably).

Hi Sandra welcome!
I second rosiemus about the grobags. My DD produced twins five months ago and they are now sleeping in these wondeful things - so much better than the long cotton nighties I used to put my poor little things in (easier to access the nappy at night when you can't see or manage all the babygro's poppers!)
I think 8 weeks is too young for them though - their heads have to be big enough not to slip down into the grobag.

Assuming that your Guest room is heated, all you will need for starters is a fitted bottom sheet and a light fleece blanket, or 2 of each in case of 'accidents'. No pillow for babies and no duvet until they are able to sit up and push it off themselves. It is tempting to buy one of the gorgeous full sets of matching bedding, isn't it? Best source of advice is of course Baby's mum since you would want everything to be as nearly 'same as home' as possible - e.g. cot bumbers or not. Besides, new mum will be pleased to be asked for her advice on something she will undoubtably be well informed!

Might be an idea to get a thermometer for the room, as sleeping bags have different room temperatures for each one. And I've always loved musical mobiles on cots!

Yes good point learner. I know they are definitely fine from 6 months but not sure earlier than that. In which case cotton blankets (various types) well tucked in. Also the new advice is that the baby must sleep on its back at the foot of the cot (so it can't move down and disappear under the bed clothes)

Thanks everyone, I shall purchase a couple of fitted sheets and maybe 2 cellular blankets. I presume the fitted sheets for ordinary cots will fit a travel cot?

I learned the hard way that travel cots (and regular cots) come in different sizes (as do sheets - is all v baffling) so make sure you have the mattress dimensions before you buy. Also would recommend a waterproof undersheet - not the ghastly rubber ones I was familiar with with my DC - you can get lovely soft towelling ones now with a waterproof backing. Very useful

And, they sleep on their backs with their feet right at the bottom of the cot.

Also, will a cot top changer fit a travel cot?

How times have changed! I'm surprised that my children survived to reach primary school let alone adulthood . These 'growbags' are brilliant although I did have a similar one for my girls with arms which is a no-no now. I'm not allowed to fit a cot-bumper, so many's the time I have to retrieve a baby who has crawled into the side of the cot and has stripes indented on his head!

DD3 always used to cram her head into a corner of the cot. It bothered us but it didn't seem to bother her; she slept round the clock from 20 weeks old. I think she just wanted to know where the edge of the world was rather than being in the middle of nowhere!

I used to wrap my babes in swaddling clothes...arms tucked inside the shawl. They slept cosily and soundly and never tried to struggle free.

Best thing ever invented growbags, sandra if you ask at the shop you are buying bedding from they will help you with size required.

super they still do that in Australia in 'bunny' blankets and it seems to work despite concerns here about over/under-heating. I think you should just go with what feels right - too much information

Grobags and unless you hve thick curtains, a blackout blind from the grobag company might be a good idea. Baby monitor/room thermometer, changing mat (I put it on a bed) - but not all essential!! Comfy chair for night time feeds also a good idea.

Oh yes supernan swaddling. When my first GD was born she seemed very insecure, I took a cot sheet and wrapped her tightly and within seconds she was asleep. That day the baby slept for a full 4 hours between feeds and DS and DIL couldn't figure out why. She was tetchy for them and would settle for me, I don't think they believe it was the swaddling, but I do because it worked with the baby's father too.

DD1 was a fairly straightforward baby but I remember one occasion when she wouldn't settle even though she was obviously tired. When carrying her on my back while I worked didn't help, I also swaddled her firmly in a shawl and put her down. Within a few minutes she was sound asleep. Wished I thought of it sooner as my nerves were a bit frazzled by then!

Yes, agreed - my DD swaddled her twins (seperately, not together!) to settle them when they were little, so sweet, and it undoubtedly works

One of my twin daughters tightly swaddled her twin sons from birth, and now the other twin daughter doesn't swaddle her tiny twin daughters - both methods work. Light show mobiles are great for the cot, as are musical sounds that will play continuously to help the baby drift off - these could be the same as mum and dad have at home (they could bring theirs). Grobags are perfect instead of blankets when they get to about 3 months/10 lbs..

My DD has used both methods swaddling and grobags,both have worked well for her,when DCs where first born they where all swaddled and kept on their back for as long as possible,but that was in the days that prams where of a decent size and not the small interiors to prams that you get now.

Yes all 4 GC's swaddled in very lightweight handknitted shawls. Worked for the first few weeks until they could wriggle their arms out. I loved the growbags and niece and nephew used them very successfully, but my younger 2 didn't settle at all. Agree that keeping things similar to how they are at baby's home is a good idea.

Strange how the old ideas come around again. A ward Sister told me that for the first few weeks it is better to wrap the baby tightly with arms tucked in so that baby felt safe, remembering where little one just came from. When the baby is big and strong enough to get his arms out of the swaddling it is time to wrap a blanket if it is cold, or a sheet in warmer weather, beneath the arms and fasten it at the back with a nappy pin. This would allow the baby to kick freely but not kick off the blanket or even an extra one that might be needed. Today's growbag does the same job, just more efficiently.

Hi sandra - lots of good advice on here. Mine is to take advantage of the cuddles before your GC is old enough to take advantage of you! They grow so fast.