When can you put baby to sleep with a real blanket?

[AndreaMMS]

We live in an apartment, so it is impossible to control the temperature. If the air conditioning is on, it's freezing. If it's off, it's Africa. And we can go through several of these extremes over night. It is so hard to keep our 8 1/2 month-old comfortable - if we put the sleepsack on her then at some point in the night she'll get hot and sweaty and we'll have to wake her getting it off. Opposite story if we start her without it.

When is it safe to use an easy-to-remove blanket?????:rolleyes:

Thanks!

[Sandie78]

Funny you should ask this fellow September mommy. I just started giving Zach a blanket this week, but I've been wondering if it's ok. Hope somebody has some input.

[emschwar]

No expert, but since she's 8.5 months old and can roll over and get around fairly well (I'm assuming) I'd think it's ok. If you put a blanket over her head to play peek a boo, can she get it off?

Of course, our problem now is that, while Noah's old enough for a blanket, he won't keep one on!

[BTB]

The "official" answer is at 12 months. HTH.

[AlisonCO]

I have been putting a light blanket on Caitlin for a few weeks (she got too long for the sacks.) I feel Ok with it because the blanket is lightweight and she rolls around in her sleep. You could always start with a waffle knit one that has the small holes just in case. This is a really hard season here also because it is warm when she goes to bed but drops into the 40's overnight.

[sunmoonstars75]

My girls were born in March '05 and I used blankets in their cribs all winter long. They were light weight crocheted ones, so I guess I told myself the holes in the blankets made it okay sooner than recommended ;)

[Dreshny]

The "official" answer is at 12 months. HTH.

12 months?! Really? Yikes! I used a blanket all winter, too.

ETA: For naps, though. And since our apt. is tiny, I walked past him a lot.

[Dally]

I started using a light blanket for naps at about 10 months. I pull it up to her chest (arms free). I still haven't used a blanket at night (I think she'd kick it off, but we have a fairly consistent temperature in our house so it's fine to use the sleep sack). Anyway, I thought it was helpful to start with naps because it was easier to supervise how DD dealt with the blanket.

[daisysue62]

I put a sleep sack on dd at night but started using her favorite blanket at naptimes as part of the routine. She LOVES that blanket! I've been too scared to let her have it at night though. She's clearly able to pull it on and off of herself so would it be ok??? And does the fact that she's a stomach sleeper make it any safer/more dangerous?

[kindermom]

eek. my DD has had one since she was about 5 months old!

[cr8zyforaf]

I must be awful...I've swaddled DD from day one...

[AlisonCO]

I must be awful...I've swaddled DD from day one...


Hey cr8zy - we are talking more about putting a blanket over the baby, not swaddling. You are not awful!!!

[cr8zyforaf]

Well, since she has always broken out of her swaddle and ends up wrapped in the blanket I do feel pretty bad. She is like houdini...

[SiValleySteph]

I must be awful...I've swaddled DD from day one...

Don't feel awful.

I used a blanket from Day One and we didn't swaddle - just to cover him. My mom did it when she was visiting and we always did it since. Only up to his waist when he was little, though, and just a lightweight waffle weave blanket.

I don't feel bad about it.

[BTB]

I must be awful...I've swaddled DD from day one...

Swaddling is not part of the 12-month recommendation - though I suppose if your kiddo breaks out all the time (honestly, I've never heard one mom say their kid's NOT Houdini) :) it doesn't end up much differently, does it?

And, it's really not about being awful. Sometimes Moms hear recommendations and mistake them for character judgments - they're not.

FYI, if you wish to use a loose blanket (or end up with a loose blanket once the swaddle's had it for the night) there IS a safe(r) way to do so: place the baby's feet right at the rails and tuck the blanket around the mattress on three sides so that it can only reach as high as her armpits. Here's a pic:

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/softbed.jpg

[allyray231]

My kid moves all over the place at night so it is hard to keep a blanket on him. However I have been doing it since about 9 months or so I think?

It is a lightweight pooh cotten blanket.

[Daniel's Kitty]

Ds gets a lightweight flannel blanket at night, but he won't have anything to do with it. Even if I tuck it in he yanks it out to cuddle or throw out of the crib.