At what age, sleeping with a blanket?

amother

Jetblack

Sun, Oct 23 2016, 7:15 am

Not sure belongs in this thread but seemed appropriate enough Smile

basically,, baby is 8 months old and its been a nightmare trying to sleep train her...nothing works, and we are often up in the wee hours of the morning spending time trying to get her back to sleep. Until shabbos, when she took a 2 hour day time nap-with her blanket! So we tried a blanket overnight, any time my husband or I got up (both under the weather so woke up a few times) she was fine, hadn't moved, blanket was nowhere near her face. Question is, is this really safe? How old are your babies when you first let them sleep with a blanket? I just feel like if this was good for all of us, and a blanket is the answer,, so be it, I'm thrilled!!!! I finally see sleep on the horizon!! Much needed sleep, that is Smile

cuz we were going crazy, I was so stressed out. Two nights ago when she was up for an extended period of time, I was trying to take care of her, but she was so playful, I was so tired, I ended up running to my husband crying and he took care of her, he was so worried about me!

imasinger

Sun, Oct 23 2016, 7:22 am

Usually, we worry about such things until Baby is old enough to turn over.

By 8 months, there should be no concerns.

For safety, you can check with your pediatrician, but I would absolutely give her the blanket for naps and nights.

Rutabaga

Sun, Oct 23 2016, 7:26 am

We tried a blanket with our baby and noticed that she was pulling it over her face. Obviously that wasn't good so we switched to sleep sacks. Now that she's older we've gone back to blankets. She likes being tucked in but doesn't keep the blanket on so well so we just make sure she's in warmer pajamas.

amother

Jetblack

Sun, Oct 23 2016, 7:28 am

Really?? I was under the impression that it's not safe until about a year or year and a half. What if it covers babies face and she's sleeping so she doesn't notice? is that not such a concern? She certainly rolls over, no doubt about that!

amother

Cerise

Sun, Oct 23 2016, 7:37 am

Ours has been sleeping cuddled up with a gauze-weave spit-up cloth since about that age. I'd always had one tucked next to her while nursing since she was a newborn because of overactive letdown and discovered she'd developed an attachment to the cloth. (Only way to get her to fall asleep when we rented a car for a few days and needed her to nap in her carseat.) I wouldn't use a thicker weave, though, much under a year- the gauze weave is pretty breathable.

imasinger

Sun, Oct 23 2016, 7:41 am

This is one of those topics where opinions change over time.

Officially, it looks as if the formal recommendation is 12-18 months, but it seems to depend on the kind of blanket, and the motor skills of the child. And also on the size and weight of the blanket.

My own observation, which is that a baby who is mobile enough to turn over both ways can easily wiggle away from any threat of suffocation while sleeping, is also mentioned on this sensible link.

http://m.newkidscenter.com/Whe......html

LittleDucky

Sun, Oct 23 2016, 11:47 am

I waited until a year before anything went into the crib. But ask your pediatrician. I'd be too scared they would pull it above their face And be too asleep to move away. I wouldn't sleep anyways....

Tzutzie

Sun, Oct 23 2016, 1:21 pm

Since they were born.

My babies slept on their tummies. Big nono - I know....
But thats the only way they'd actually stay asleep.

As a newborn, thinish (gymboree kind) Blanket went up to their shoulder. Hands were tucked out up over their head. So if they moved they weren't getting the blanket over their head. Never had that they'd put the blanket over their head.

Never give them large or thick blankets.

My rule for blankets is that they should be just a few inches longer than the child is from shoulder to toe.
For now my 19 mo has a knit blanket from oh joy (http://www.target.com/p/oh-joy-knit-baby-blanket-scallop/-/A-46780407) its thin enough but does have some weight so its cozy and just about perfect size. She's growing attached to it.

amother

Mistyrose

Mon, Oct 24 2016, 1:56 pm

I strongly recommend using sleep sacks - they worked great for us!

If you really want to use a blanket on a baby that young, someone once recommend using a knitted blanket (like that someone knit with yarn) because they often have a lot of holes throughout, that way if it does get caught on the baby's face, they can still breathe. You can also use it when baby is awake to check whether he can pull it off his face by himself. We used these until my daughter was about 3.

shabbatiscoming

Mon, Oct 24 2016, 3:06 pm

Never did anything but blankets from the time I brought my daughter home from the hospital. Never thought about a sleep sack. In the beginning we swaddled her. But once she was able to move around, the cover went on her and that was that.
Never thought to do anything differently.

Shuly

Tue, Oct 25 2016, 9:24 am

My kids sleep with a soft cotton blanket from when they are born. I nurse them with it too so they associate it with a comforting/cozy feeling.
They get used to the blanket and it helps them fall asleep even when they are older - till about 3 or 4.
They are also swaddled in it for about 6 months and once they stop getting swaddled, they usually start sleeping with it on them or just holding onto it.

I used a fleece sleep sack for one child when we lived in a really cold apt and she needed something warmer than a cotton blanket, but she still slept holding her cotton Carter's blanket.