My daughter is four. Every night after she goes to sleep, she thrashes around in bed. She kicks her covers off. Some time in the middle of the night, I throw the covers over her again because she is searching for them – she’s cold. Keeping moderately warm helps her sleep better.
I love my covers. I can’t imagine going to bed without them – they help me feel safe and snug. I believe that they help my daughter feel the same way, but she also dislikes the feeling of the covers because they get in the way of her movement at night.
When my daughter was a baby, we looked for ways to help her stay warm and snug at night time without bulky covers. Actually, loose blankets of any sort are not recommended for the smallest of babies. A newborn who can’t roll over on her own could get stuck under the covers and find it hard to breathe. If you do choose to use a blanket, it should go no further up than baby’s chest, and it should be tucked in at the sides and the bottom of a crib.
So what can you do instead of using blankets, especially in the winter when the air can get chilly in the bedroom at night?
Sleepers with feet are a wonderful thing. There are some lovely, fleecy sleepers out there in all sorts of cute patterns, and they are so warm and cozy. I know that my feet get cold at night if they poke out of the blankets. So do your baby’s feet! I found that a sleeper with feet that could roll up or roll down was the best for a growing baby. That way, the sleeper can convert to a normal sleeper for warmer weather.
Sleep sacks are also a good alternative to covers. We would dress our daughter in a sleeper, then place her in a sleep sack. It’s like a bag for the baby – it has a wide bottom and zips up the center. The sleep sack has a place for the baby’s arms to stick out. It’s not possible for the baby to get out of the sleep sack, unless you have a serious acrobat. That way, the cover stays safe, stays warm, and stays on.
There is some debate about swaddling, but I found that swaddling my daughter for naps helped avoid the startle reflex that would wake her up as she was just easing into sleep. It also helped keep her warm. Swaddling also helps your baby feel snug and comfortable on her back, and back sleeping is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Again, just remember that the blankets should not be anywhere near baby’s face.
What do you do to make sure that your baby is warm at night?