Any opinions on baby sleeping bags/blankets?

[skanji]

Hey-

We have been doing some research on SIDS as new parents to be. One product that we keep on seeing is a one piece baby sleeping bag/blanket. Has anyone used this?

Any advice on this would be great.

Thanks!

[pfbmgd]

We used baby bumper pads for the first six months.It keeps the baby on their back not allowing them to turn over.

[Diamondog]

We used a baby sleeping bag they are great.....put baby in, zip them up, they are great...no chance of baby being smothered by it and it keeps them warm and cozy!

[mart242]

When I did some research about SIDS, I saw that the statistics were flawed. Some deaths were caused by idiots who had left their kids sleeping on their tummy on a soft mattress using a super thick / soft comforter... of course the kid will suffocate!

If you use a firm mattress and only thin blanket (if needed), I wouldn't worry about it. My son was not sleeping properly on his back, he was always waking up. After a few weeks, we put him on his tummy (or maybe that was because he rolled by himself accidentally or something) and he slept super well on his tummy ever since... We know a few parents that did the same. There's no point in fighting with the kid, if he wants to sleep on his tummy and sleep better this way, let him!

[Diamondog]

When I did some research about SIDS, I saw that the statistics were flawed. Some deaths were caused by idiots who had left their kids sleeping on their tummy on a soft mattress using a super thick / soft comforter... of course the kid will suffocate!

If you use a firm mattress and only thin blanket (if needed), I wouldn't worry about it. My son was not sleeping properly on his back, he was always waking up. After a few weeks, we put him on his tummy (or maybe that was because he rolled by himself accidentally or something) and he slept super well on his tummy ever since... We know a few parents that did the same. There's no point in fighting with the kid, if he wants to sleep on his tummy and sleep better this way, let him!

I wouldn't suggest allowing a child to sleep on their tummy until they have the strength and ability to lift their upper body or even so far as to be able to flip themselves consistently, just not worth the risk.

[GunnerX]

We swaddled for the first 1 1/2 months to 2 months. Then we used blankets. When you use a blanket, just tuck the other end into the mattress so it's harder for the baby to pull it up. When she got older, we used a sleeping bag which was more convenient than a lot of blankets. Sleeping bag might be too warm in in the summer. A sleeper could be enough.

[mart242]

I wouldn't suggest allowing a child to sleep on their tummy until they have the strength and ability to lift their upper body or even so far as to be able to flip themselves consistently, just not worth the risk.

What risk? SIDS? They are not even sure about the cause of it. All they saw was that since they recommended to people to have their kids sleep on their back, there were less cases. 20 years ago they were recommending for babies to sleep on their tummy to not choke on their vomits. They keep changing the recommendations. I'd say that the best thing you could do is to not put thick blankets in the crib (even better: no blankets at all to reduce risks) and no little "comforter around the crib" or whatever it's called (so that baby doesn't bump its head on the wood) then chances of suffocation are greatly reduced.

Plus, if a baby sleeps much better on its tummy instead of waking up every 30 minutes at night crying, that makes for well rested parents which reduces the risk of accidents during the rest of the day.

[Diamondog]

What risk? SIDS? They are not even sure about the cause of it. All they saw was that since they recommended to people to have their kids sleep on their back, there were less cases. 20 years ago they were recommending for babies to sleep on their tummy to not choke on their vomits. They keep changing the recommendations. I'd say that the best thing you could do is to not put thick blankets in the crib (even better: no blankets at all to reduce risks) and no little "comforter around the crib" or whatever it's called (so that baby doesn't bump its head on the wood) then chances of suffocation are greatly reduced.

Plus, if a baby sleeps much better on its tummy instead of waking up every 30 minutes at night crying, that makes for well rested parents which reduces the risk of accidents during the rest of the day.

Your post states everything that is needed to know....."All they saw was that since they recommended to people to have their kids sleep on their back, there were less cases" so it must play some sort of factor amongst other things.....You'll not find one credible medical professional that would support baby sleeping on their tummy until the have enough strength to turn over or at least to be able to fully lift their upper body....why bother it's not worth the risk...there is no reason a baby can't sleep good on their back especially if they don't know how sleeping on their tummy feels! Just my opinion....

[mart242]

why bother it's not worth the risk...there is no reason a baby can't sleep good on their back especially if they don't know how sleeping on their tummy feels! Just my opinion....

As I said, my son "discovered" how great it was to sleep on his tummy by himself... so there wasn't much I could do after that. We fought for a few nights, putting him on his back 4-5 times during the night but we then gave up! :D

[Diamondog]

As I said, my son "discovered" how great it was to sleep on his tummy by himself... so there wasn't much I could do after that. We fought for a few nights, putting him on his back 4-5 times during the night but we then gave up! :D

Exacty he was strong enough to be able to flip which means they are ready to sleep how they like!

[mart242]

Exacty he was strong enough to be able to flip which means they are ready to sleep how they like!

But not strong enough to flip back!

[brendonp]

Hey-

We have been doing some research on SIDS as new parents to be. One product that we keep on seeing is a one piece baby sleeping bag/blanket. Has anyone used this?

Any advice on this would be great.

Thanks!

Back to the original question - we use a one peice sleeping blanket (have for the last few months) and quite like it - as much for the convenience as anything else. It's simply easier to keep on our daughter then a blanket - you can even pick her up and move her around without fussing with a tucking a blanket in. Sure, it's not a big deal to slap a blanket on her, but now that she rolls over while sleeping, it never comes off; pretty handy! The only down side is that it's one extra layer to unzip if you need to change a diaper in the middle of the night.

As an extra bonus we travel a fair bit, and feel it's probably helpful to have something that is "consistent" between places she may be sleeping in terms of smell / texture...

If it does reduce SIDS, well that's just an extra bonus (I'm not convinced it's any better then being careful in general)!

Brendon

[JAC]

Anyone concerned about SIDS should invest in one of these:

http://www.angelcare-monitor.com/english/hispeed/angelcare.html

[ERIKAAMORRIS]

Anyone concerned about SIDS should invest in one of these:

http://www.angelcare-monitor.com/english/hispeed/angelcare.html

but be aware that it involeves making sure that your crib has a solid base otherwise it won;t detect as well/at all/false alarms

[Diamondog]

but be aware that it involeves making sure that your crib has a solid base otherwise it won;t detect as well/at all/false alarms

Should a crib not have a solid base?

[volan]

Hey-

We have been doing some research on SIDS as new parents to be. One product that we keep on seeing is a one piece baby sleeping bag/blanket. Has anyone used this?

Any advice on this would be great.

Thanks!
We swaddled for the first month or two, then used those baby sleepbags. They're Great!!!

The BIGGEST advantage of the sleeping bag is that the baby is always covered. My baby moved around a lot in his sleep and a blanket would have just ended up in a pile somewhere in the crib. That could be a danger if he ended up with his face in the blanket.

[DarcyC]

I bought one of the fleece sleepbags/wearable blankets at Wal-Mart for $5 - clearance item. I'm no longer concerned about baby kicking off her blanket. The zipper all the way down the front makes it really easy for diaper changes. Since the fleece will soon be a little much, I am going to ask my mother-in-law to sew one up in a lightweight fabric for the summer. It's so easy that I could do it myself, but I will use the "don't have a sewing machine" excuse. :lol:

[ash101]

My baby is 3 weeks old. I put him in the sleepbag from the 1st day. I bought an Angelcare sounds & movement monitor because I am afraid of SIDS too. It's really an excellent product. We all sleep very well.