What Age Is It Safe to Let Them Sleep with a Blanket?

My baby is 5, but I don't think I am that far out of the loop. I have never heard of not using a blanket in the crib. Even hospitals use balnkets or they did as of 5 years ago. Pillows are not to be used, but blankets????

I wasn't comfortable letting them sleep with a blanket until a little older, but it does get pretty cold at night so I usually just put an extra layer on them, a roomy sweatshirt, sweatpants, or both.

I have three kids (8,5,3)and they have been sleeping with blankets from day one. Coming from colder climates (Ohio and Connecticut)blankets were necessary to keep the little ones warm at night. They even have their favorite blankies like Linus, it gives them extra comfort.
Goodluck,
M.

Jackie,
I started letting my daughter have a blanket at 1, but she still at 2 kicks it off, so it does not offer any warmth. I love those fleece footed pjs for winter.

I don't think you are overprotective, you are a contentious mommy and he is lucky you are asking all the right questions!

Sherri

I never knew you weren't supposed to give a child a blanket when they were infants. Guess I missed that class and my Dr. never said anything. My kids (I have 4 ages 6 months-6 years) all had blankets from birth. They were either swaddled or it was layed over them. I think your son will be fine with one.

Hi Jackie,

I recommend the blanket sleepers also - they keep them warm and you don't have to worry about them getting kicked off at night.

Hi Jackie,
I had the same question with my little one who is now 14 mos. I had him in footed pj's for the longest time. He gets a blanket & has since he was old enough to roll over both ways on his own without a lot of effort. Once he was rolling over during the night in his sleep, I felt it was safe. He's a "blankie" kid, so he loved it. However, he doesn't stay covered up. He snuggles his blanket & kicks it off his feet & legs all the time. It's not really providing a lot of warmth, so during the winter I'll probably put him back in the footed jammies. In short, I think it's fine to give him a blanket. :)

If he can lift his head and move it then he is certainly old enough to sleep with a blanket. All 3 of my kids had blankets from the very beginning. (Two were born in January) It never occurred to me to NOT give them a blanket. Even if he sticks his head under the blanket at night, he's not going to suffocate. Sometimes you need to step back from the books and all the "rules" and just use your common sense. Good luck.

Hi Jackie. Safety first, right? My daughter has slept with a blanket from 3 months. She won't go to sleep without something on her face, and a waffle weave has plenty of airholes. I just keep an eye on her and move it when she is sound alseep. But she still cuddles with one. If you really don't want to give him a blanket you can layer his nightclothes with a thick zippered blanket sleeper (can't think of the real name for it). That way he can;t get it over his face. Good Luck.

Well, I'm pretty much the complete opposite to you, my DD slept on her stomach from the beginning, she's gagged on plenty of things, and such. She's been sleeping with a blanket for a VERY long time, and she's 12mo - personally, I'd rather she was warm and didn't freeze to death... but that's just me.

So do you not cover him with a blanket at night? Both of my boys have always rubbed the trim on the blankets while they slept. My 4 yr old still sleeps with his blanket.

I am the same safety first mother-doing alot of wht you mentioned. I believe it is around 2. Our son is almost 17 months and our pedi has not approved it yet. We use blanket sleepers during the winter when his room is very cold. Hope that helps.

As long as you are checking on the baby at night there should be nothing wrong with letting him sleep with a blanket. Both my kids have had blankets in their crib since they were born. They do need supervision at the younger ages(under 5 months) but after that it's perfectly fine. They know how to remove objects from their faces at that age...a good way to test this is simply to throw a blankie over his head...If he takes it off almost immediately then he should be just fine.

But they'll always need a little supervision. Stick with checking in on them ever so often.

Shaena

Jackie,

It should be ok to give your baby a blanket. Especially if you use the blankets that go with a crib set. They are usually heavier and not likely your child will get tangled in it. As soon as my son was born I had a baby bed set with comforter that had a teddy bear on the front which helped to keep it straight throughout the night. I did not put a top sheet on though. I believe that is where a baby may get tangled up in it during the night. You may find that he prefers a blanket instead of the footed pajamas.Good Luck!
M.

Hi Jackie, Our pediatrician recommended the age of 2. Before 2, they often won't keep it on anyway because they move around so much. We also gave him a pillow at 2. He did a pretty decent job with it. Before that age, we just put him in footed PJ's and he never got cold (fleece in winter; cotton in summer). I know for certain it is advised that noyhing go in the crib before 12 mos of age.

Last year, Children's Place had fleecy sleepers for up to toddler size 5!

You are safe to give your little man a blanket if he can lift his head, roll over and do all the little baby tricks we love to see. Even if the blanket gets up over his face, he is not in much danger. The blankets can breathe and the body will actually wake him up if his oxygen level gets low (or rather if his carbon dioxide gets too high). Once awake, able to sit up and roll over, he can definitely pull a blanket off his face and if he has trouble, he can cry for help.

It's great that you are so conscientious about the safety of your baby! Keep it up but keep him warm and give the little guy a blanket. For your ease of mind you can start with a receiving blanket and once you feel more comfortable, move up to something a little more substantial. He will most likely kick it off anyway. ;^p

Safe sleeping!

i agree with the previous poster. i think it's recommended to hold of on blankets until they can roll over both ways on their own. which is when experts say it's ok for a baby to sleep on their tummy. b/c by the time they can roll over both ways, they have enough muscle strength to move their head away from an object that is blocking the nose or mouth.
my 1st baby slept with a crocheted blanket my MIL made for her since she was about 7 mo. old. i think those are the best to start out with b/c they are full of holes =)

Hi Jackie,,,
He will be just fine with a blanket ,,,mine had them from the day i brought them home
good luck L.

Been there done this. The hospital will have small bottles that they give the babies in the nursery that have water in them. They can be used for this purpose. Have the nurses give her some. The Dr. can also have some from the pharmacy for her. The breast milk will only last for a very short time in the freezer. and this is the best was for it to be kept. Good luck. Mine is now 25 and tall and active young man in the service. God Bless.

Sleep blankets work great. It is like a sleeping bag for the baby. You can get thin and thick for different seasons. They zip from the top down so you can change a diaper without taking it off. I buy them on sale at babies r us. My sister uses them for you 9 month.

Jackie,
It is good that you are such a consciencous mother ~ it is true, you can never be too careful. However, and I am REALLY not trying to mock you, I believe that you can find nothing on starting a child with a blanket because it is widely recommended and practiced to use one from birth! When they are in the hospital, they wrap the babies tightly in blankets and then use one over them to tuck under the mattress and secure the infant in place. I have three children and never did NOT use blackets ~ and pleanty of 'em because 2 of my kids were born in upstate New York! Also, a small child bonds with a blanket for security and therefore sleeps better.
If you are afraid of suffication, generally that is why you don't give a baby a pillow. Baby blankets are cotton; ie, they breath, and you can use a thin one. All three of my kids have gotten tangled and covered over the head with their blankets and they are all fine. I just wouldn't use something heavy that they cannot breath through. I am a very, very careful mother and worry about everything ~ trust me ~ use a blanket on your little guy, he needs one!
Also, by 8 1/2 months, they actually do know how to uncover their little faces and scootch out from under while they sleep.
Not to worry mom, you're doin' great!
God bless,
Deborah

Injecting a little bit of science into the issue, here is a link to a page about SIDS: http://www.drgreene.com/21_509.html . I tried to see if it gave the ages that are at risk for SIDS, but it doesn't really say, other than during the first year. It also notes that the vast majority of cases of SIDS are genetic. It does give some guidelines about using a blanket, but not about when it is okay to start.

The issue with blankets and SIDS as I understand it is not so much that the child gets tangled up and chokes, but that a blanket can obstruct the mouth and nose, reducing the amount of oxygen, and a defect in the baby's brain prevents them from waking up and moving away to get more oxygen.

Lest that alarm you further, the article points that SIDS is now virtually nonexistent in babies who are laid to sleep on their back and who are not exposed to tobacco. Your child is no doubt old enough to roll over, so the first no longer applies. If he is not exposed to tobacco in the home, then I think it's safe to give him a blanket of any size or weight, as long as it's not adult sized.

And on another note, as for Rebel P's recommendation, babies in fact are not capable of digesting anything other than breastmilk or formula until they are around six months of age, so there's no point in feeding them solid food before then.

I think it is just fine to let him sleep with a blanket at this age, if you can get him to keep it on! I never put a blanket in with my little one for safety reasons as well and now he is not used to having one and will almost instantly kick it off if I even try to cover him up. He likes to move all over that crib so the couple times I tried the blanket thing it was shoved off in the corner of his crib in the morning. So I think it is fine to let him have it, if he wants it ;) I plan to just use fleece pjs in the winter. Best wishes!

I would say a light blanket is safe right now if that's what your husband wants. It is also very comforting to a child or to anyone. But, they usually kick it off anyway. I wouldn't worry about it. If your child can move around on his own, then it should be ok.

You probably don't want to hear advice from me:) I believe that every child is different and use the pedi as a guideline. I do know that the I read not to let your child have a pillow until they were 2 (not 100% sure on the age), but as my daugther used her blanket as a pillow at 1, we let her have a pillow. My belief is that if they can roll over and climb, they will be fine.

My son has slept with a blanket from the beginning.

I am like you too. Very comfortable with rules etc.., but I couldn't find anything definative either. So, I started playing during the day with blankets... like peek a boo and I would wrap my kids up and see if they could get out on their own etc.. Both of them could manage a blanket with ease at about 10 months. Each kid is different, so I guess you have to see if your baby has the skill set to figure out how to get it unwrapped off their leg, neck etc... Hope this helps.

As long as he can use his arms to push the blanket off his face, and as long as he can lift his head by himself, there should be no problem with a blanket.

My daughter is the same age. I wonder about the same thing.

Since the hurricane, we have had to stay out our family's homes b/c we have damage.

They keep it quite cold and I did not feel her long pj's were enough.

I have a small blanket that fits over her nicely. It is so small I do not have to fold it or anything. I tried it out for a few naps to see if she would get tangled or see what it would do when she moves all over the bed.

Honestly, the blanket size is perfect. If she moves it ends up coming off so she ends up on top of it. I cannot see a way she can get tangled in it. I have watched her on the monitor.

B/c it is so small, I have found the best time to put it on her is when she is sound asleep. She is a little restless when she first goes down.

Jackie,

All of my babies slept with blankets from birth. As long as you use a cotton light weight blanket, they are fine. If he is able to crawl he can get out from under a blanket. He will get a lot of comfort from a blankie, too.

Peace,
C.

I don't know what is recommended, and I can't remember when my daughter started sleeping with her blanket. I know that for a long time we gave her a little taggie blanket with satin on the back to cuddle and sleep with, but as far as a whole blanket to cover up, that was much later. I have a friend who knows of a little boy that died at 12 months from a big blanket in his crib. I don't know how big it was, but it concerned me enough to postpone the blanket for a while. You may also look into the wearable blankets, that is what we used when it was cold. But you know your kid, just do what you feel comfortable with.

My daughter has slept with a blanket from day one. I think the general rule is....you dont want to put anything in their crib that they can smother on. However, if your child is crawling/walking, obviously he would be able to move his face off of a blanket or pillow.

Like my Momma always tells me....go with what your gut tells you!!!

Margaret :)