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Premature birth

Stuff to buy for little one coming home - bit flummoxed!

14 replies

Bobo23 · 19/01/2009 10:54

So it looks like our wee boy will be home in a few weeks...

I'm wondering what kit we really need and I have some questions!

  1. Tiny traveller car seat adaptor thing (www.bettacare.co.uk/acatalog/Tiny_Traveller.html) - will these work with any car seat?
  2. Car seat - if I get a normal car seat and use the tiny traveller thing will this be ok or do I need a special premature baby seat?
  3. Baby sleeping bag - seems like these are better for preventing cot death - any recommendations?


Thanks in advance!
OP posts:
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potplant · 19/01/2009 11:03

I don't know your history so don't know how big your lo is, but mine was 4lb when he first came home from hospital. We had a head hugger that was adjustable that came with the car seat and that worked well for keeping his head in place. I don't think that there is such a thing as a premature baby seat (could easily be wrong).

Baby sleeping bag, most are recommended for babies over a certain weight (I think 10lbs) so you wont be able to use it. The GroBag website is very informative.

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ephrinedaily · 19/01/2009 13:58

Hi glad he's coming home. Think as potplant said he'll be too small for Grobag - they're normally 10lb plus, although I did find one for 7lb plus we had to wait a bit to use it and I was paranoid his head would slip down!

You'll be ok with normal car seat and head hugger though I held DS's head the whole way home (paranioa again) and they look heartbreakingly small. Learn how to fit car seat before baby comes home though, its a long wait in the cold!

Have you thought about / been shown how to swaddle baby? I was shown how to do this in transitional care and if you just use one small cellular blanket it keeps them warm and feeling safe and you're not paranoid the blankets will cover their head.

Good luck with everything x

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jellibob · 19/01/2009 20:43

I've had my daughter home for a week now (born at 28 weeks) and we've bought a sleep apnoea monitor, something that we didn't do for DS1 (born at 37 weeks). I'm finding it a real comfort, and am amazingly relaxed because it's there.

Mind you, we keep forgetting to switch it off when we take her out of her moses basket, so it goes off several times a day - at least we know it's working.

Just used a normal car seat, which comes with a booster wedge-type thing, and a head hugger.

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MollieO · 20/01/2009 00:04

The insert will work with any car seat. I had one of those but also had to use a blanket to pad out the car seat as my ds was too small for it even with the insert. The insert worked well when he got a bit bigger. The SCBU nurse fitted the blanket and insert to show me what I needed to do.

I used sheets and blankets to start with as there is a weight minimum for the baby sleeping bags and my ds was too small for them.

Agree with apnoea monitor. My ds had aponea attacks until he was about 15 weeks so very reassuring to know that everything was okay.

The other thing I got was a combined bath/changing mat stand (lift up the mat and bath is underneath). I found this a real boon as it was easy to bathe ds when I was standing up rather than bending down on the floor over a baby bath. Something like this.

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ninedragons · 20/01/2009 00:30

The Angel Care monitor is very good. It has a sensor pad that goes beneath the cot mattress and an alarm sounds if it doesn't detect any movement (including breathing) for 20 seconds.

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Bobo23 · 20/01/2009 11:57

Thanks for the feedback - our LO hasn't had any breathing problems or desats so I'm wondering if he'll a monitor?

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PTA · 20/01/2009 12:16

As a general rule, if your LO isn't monitored in hospital then he won't be sent home with one. However, I had a monitor with a sensor pad for DS1 despite him being full-term and healthy! DS2 was born at 29wks and did de-sat occasionally, but was not monitored by the time we got him home. However I did find the sensor pad very reassuring.

As for gro-bags I managed to get 2 gro-bag type ones in TX Maxx that were suitable for premature babies as they were tiny and had arms so I could fasten DS2 into it and he wouldn't slip down. Unforunately this was over 2years ago and I can't remeber the make sorry but you might be able to google it. There are sites for premmie clothes so they might have something.

Enjoy having your LO home!

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trixiethepixie · 20/01/2009 14:09

I didn't bother with a monitor and my ds was born about the same gestation and size as yours. Ds had desats and bradycardias for a couple of weeks after being born but before he came out of the hospital he had been off the monitors for a while so I didn't see the point. Apparently even full-term baby's breathing can be erractic and set them off and it would have driven me round the bend. Personal choice though.

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lizzytee · 20/01/2009 15:33

Dd (27) weeks was just over 4lbs when she came home. We had a Maxi Cosi Cabrio which was pretty well padded so did not need an insert, although I put a sheepskin in (it had holes for the straps) to pad it out and make it more snuggly.
I wondered about monitors but as she had been off oxygen for nearly three weeks when she came home and had never had an apnoea (although did still have occasional bradys) I opted not to worry.

Re sleeping bags, dd was too titchy for any that I could find and didn't move much anyway. We did make her a nest in her basket with a rolled up towel like they do in the incubators until she got a bit bigger.

Good luck!

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Upwind · 23/01/2009 17:59

Hi Bobo & congratulations!

  1. We have bought a tiny baby insert for our own brand of car seat. It was the same price as the one on your link, which I know nothing about.


  1. The smallest sleeping bags seem to be suitable from 7lbs. We have been half swaddling and using blankets in the way they did in the SCBU


  1. Also, "from birth" pushchairs, slings and baby carriers are problematic with a very tiny baby. A flat bed pram would be a good idea. Our pouch sling is useless and with large breasts I can't seem to carry our LO safely in the stretchy wrap sling reccomended here. I will persevere with trying hammock carries with that.
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Ewemoo · 23/01/2009 18:11

I bought sleeping bags from twins uk website. They do them in different sizes starting from 4lbs I think. I got the 5-6lbs ones. They are really good and make you feel better about your baby being warm. The tiny baby insert works with any car seat afaik as the car seat straps just fit through the slots.

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ScottishMummy · 23/01/2009 21:10

i have 3BNIP LBW hats you can have if you want head circumference 30cm.my lo was,4lb

is your baby a wee one?

re:grobag couldn't use as too wee.they might slip under it,get trapped,suffocate.we swaddled in blankets.waited until our LO was N size

car set used maxi cosi stage i but wrapped in blankets to "bulk" out in lenght

clothes shopped at boots and JLewis and mothercare

nappies tesco online do size 0 prem nappies.they sell out quickly elsewhere

make sutre you get groceries delivered,helps you out.less hasle

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ScottishMummy · 23/01/2009 21:13

Look at tiny size grobag wish id known about these

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MERLYPUSS · 23/01/2009 22:11

Sorry, dont know tour history but DT2 was just over 5lb when born. We got small baby grows from Asda, I think they are 'tiny baby' sized.

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