Infant Bedtime with Blankets~At What Age??

[Lance06]

Hello ladies. As a first time mom, I am clueless at some things. My daughter is 9+ months and I have always put her to bed with a warm sleeper on in her crib with no blankets for fear of suffocation, etc. We run a portable heater in her room to keep her room at a certain temperature, that way it kicks on if her room goes below a certain point.

At what age did you put your little one to bed with a blanket? Is 9 months too early? I think she would be more comforted to have a blankie with her in bed, but I dont want to do it too soon for fear of her getting caught up in it?

Advice/Opinions would greatly be appreciated!

Thanks.
Steph

[blueeyedtabbycat]

Haha, I put my kids to sleep since day one with a blankey. They also slept on a pillow since 8 months or so. Does that make me a bad mom?? Lol. I just always thought of their comfort. I guess I never thought of suffercation via blankey, but then again none of my babie ever put them over their heads or anything. I think Sarah would be fine with one now.

[Vic85]

Both my kids have had blankets from the day they were born bu tif you are really worried why dont you try a baby sleeping bag? cant slip into them and they always keep toasty. It would save on your heating bills too.

[Charity22]

same, my son has had blankies since day one. actually it was at 9months that he actually started wanting to snuggle with his blankie at bed time, and when relaxing on the couch. If you want to put a blankie in then by all means start now :) Its not too early

[blueeyedtabbycat]

I just wanted to add that if my son didnt have his blankey he was not going to sleep.  He would walk around the house looking for it once he reached 8 months or so. Now he drags them everywhere with him:-)

[Lance06]

Thanks Ladies! I was thinking it would be time its just Sarah rolls around ALOT in her sleep, and I know that if she gets anything over her head, she gets really nervous. She doesnt like to not be able to see! I think I will give her one and see how she does with it! She has SO many of them.

[JoyRenee]

I never gave my kids pillows or blankets until they were older than one. SIDs risk isn't just for infants. Some children can die from suffocation as well.

[Lance06]

This was what I was worried about and why I never gave Sarah anything...for this reason.

Her crib is empty except for this very small plush elephant ~she likes to chew on its nose!

[Limonada]

I think that a child that's 9 months old could sleep with a blanket - at that age, they're old enough to roll and move around a lot, as you mentioned Sarah does.  DS always had a cover of some sort over top of him in his crib and we never had an issue.

[jenkaye21]

I, too, used blankeys from day one.  NEVER had a problem or found one over any of my babies' heads.  My kids are all extremely attached to their blankies. = )

A good alternative, though, is the sleep sacks, I like the ones with sleeves that zip up from the bottom.  Can't remember where I got that one, though.

[JoyRenee]

One of the women here had a family member die (I believe they were 9 months old) because he got wrapped up in his blanket, from moving around, and ended up suffocating to death.

I cannot remember who it was, though, but they were a very active member here.

[tiredbuthappy]

This is from The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/5049.html)

"Safe Bedding Practices For Infants
Place baby on his/her back on a firm tight-fitting mattress in a crib that meets current safety standards.

Remove pillows, quilts, comforters, sheepskins, pillow-like stuffed toys, and other soft products from the crib.

Consider using a sleeper or other sleep clothing as an alternative to blankets, with no other covering.

If using a blanket, put baby with feet at the foot of the crib. Tuck a thin blanket around the crib mattress, reaching only as far as the baby's chest.

Make sure your baby's head remains uncovered during sleep.

Do not place baby on a waterbed, sofa, soft mattress, pillow, or other soft surface to sleep. "

Obviously, just because many people have put their newborns to sleep with blankets does not mean it is safe or recommended. Since this is a site for medical advice as well, we'd be remiss in not stating that the AAP's stance is no blankets until 12 months. However, some peds say a small light baby blanket is OK after 6 months.

[Lance06]

Thanks for the info hun. I think I will hold out for awhile longer.....that way I have peace of mind. Sarah sleeps just fine (10 hours) without a blankie

[justice6920]

Oh man.... I didnt know... Noah just turned 8 months and has been sleeping with a Blankie since he was newborn....Newborn he was swaddled and then when he was rolling around I would place it only up to his chest (under his arms)

I can say tho that by morning he is normally without the blanket....its been kicked to the end of the bed....

[Ashelen]

Here's my big advice for the blankie: tie the middle into a knot. a tight knot that the baby cannot get his/her head stuck into. That way they have the advantage of the cuddly ends and the warmth, but it's not this long tangly thing that presents such a danger. My baby girl got her blanket (I used a receiving blanket because it was about the right size and texture) at about 9 months, and now that she's 13 months she can sleep with it untied. I think the biggest thing to consider is if your child is such a deep sleeper that they wouldn't turn their head if their breathing became impaired and I wouldn't use an untied blankie or pillow before they can lift their head easily, comfortably, and without conscious effort.

To be perfectly honest after a certain age I think heaters represent a bigger risk for SIDS than blankets (I would say after about 8 months) because while a baby can push a blanket away or turn their face, the danger from overeating with a heater is significant. That being said, obviously in some climates a heater is absolutely necessary, but you may want to consider warm pajamas and a cooler heat setting.
I'm in FL so I can't really give advice on the heater....our coolest nights we simply don't turn the A/C on, we haven't needed a heater in years.

Now that I'm done rambling (just got back from a 4-day trip to Disney world with 13-month-old DD) I would end it by saying if you're worried, skip the blankie, it's not necessary.

[Lance06]

Well, a heater is no danger being its set to a certain temperature and shuts off when it hits a certain temp. It is set to only keep her room so it doesnt get cool. So that is not a problem.

[Vic85]

I Think that it's all just scaremongering.to say its dangerous to use blankets. I think that I would be more worried about using a heated underblanket - what if there was an electrical fault and it set on fire. As long as you put your baby feet to the foot of the cot and only put the blankets to chest and make sure they are securely tucked in theres very little risk. But as i stated earlier if you are really worried then a baby sleeping bag is the best option there is no way a baby can slip into one of these my daughter used one from about 6 months as she used to kick her blankets off and get very cold.

[evthing4reason]

we use a crocheted blanket with Carter, it has holes in it so i don't worry about suffication and he loves putting his finger through the holes

[tiredbuthappy]

i would think that if they were simply scaremongering, they would choose a topic that would be profitable in some way to someone. The current recommendations are based on statistics. It's your choice whether or not you want to follow them, but it is unwise to dismiss them as meaningless and to advise others not to follow them, especially on a medical forum.

[mami1323]

I also wondered at 9 months if it was safe since Jayden slept better when he had a blankie but my pediatrician said not until 12 months old.  We always listened to him and since I was a paranoid freak, I didn't do it.

[Riot_Queen]

Girl, 9 months is PLENTY old to use a blanket.

I've always used a blanket since day one.
I always swaddled my daughter in a recieving blanket when she was a little bitty thing.
Once she get too big to be swaddled in the receiving blankets, I just draped one over her and up to her chest, and put her arms over the end to keep the blanket down.
I never used a heavy blanket till she was about 7 months old.

She was very rolly polly in her sleep and everytime I wake up, even now at 13 months, her covers are kicked off her and I gatta cover her back up to keep her from getting cold.

I think at about 10 months I indroduced a pillow to her.
It was very flat and firm.
It's what I was most comfortable with because it was less likely to cause any harm to her.
She still rarely uses it.
She's all over that crib at night and I hardly ever see her with her head on her pillow unless it's shortly after she just fell asleep. lol

At around her first birthday I finally allowed her to take a stuffed animal to bed with her.
She likes this lil horse that hubby got me at the hospital/obgyn office I was seeing at the time's gift shop the day we found out she was gunna be a girl. lol.

I think the first half of a baby's first year of life, recieving blankets are okay to use. They're thin, they're small and would be kinda hard to get wrapped up in because they're small. And if you're anything like me with big babies [[my daughter was 10.13 when she was born!!]] There's probably no way that girl could have gotten caught up in a lil stupid blanket like that. lol

I wouldn't give your baby a BIG blanket.
I bought 2 from walmart that are soft, fuzzy, pretty thick and warm, that were big enough to cover her, but small enough where it'd be hard to get caught up in it.

Do what you're comfortable with.
I've never heard of not ever giving your baby a blanket to keep warm.
It's new news to be I guess. lol

I honestly think a stuffed animal would be more harm that a little blanket.

At 9 months, your child is old enough to know when they can't breath, to move their heads.
Just make sure it's not big and bulky and I think she'll be fine.