For a part of the night my baby is a tummy sleeper (yes, I know the risks but it's the only thing that's stopped him screaming for hours on end in pain from wind) and I want to know what the best clothes are for him to sleep in so as not to make the SIDS risk any higher.
Does anyone know if it's okay for him to sleep in those sleeping bags/grobag things? Or is it okay to tuck a blanket over him if it's tucked in firmly? Trouble is he kinda commando crawls in his sleep so would crawl away from the blanket!
Cause it's been so hot now he's slept just in singlet and nappy with no blankets but I do wonder if that's not enough for him in the middle of the night.
Any hints on safe tummy sleeping in general would be good - Google is useless cause of course it's just "don't do it" from almost all websites.
DD2 has been tummy sleeping since she could roll. She's not wearing much besides a nappy here due to the weather, although on cooler nights I have put her in one of those all-in-one suits (the ones with short sleeves & no legs).
I would think if he is getting cold through the night he would be waking?
If you do use blankets etc, make sure you put his feet near as possible to the end of the cot, tuck the blankets in firmly - it's better for him to wriggle away from them than into them - and I would keep his arms out too - and make sure the cot is free of any other blankets toys etc. Pretty much what they recommend anyway.
I would tend to err on the side of being cool rather than too hot as overheating is also a risk factor.
For us, when it does cool down here I will probably focus on dressing her warmly rather than too many blankets - she wriggles out of blankets etc anyway & I don't want a lot in the cot. I guess a sleeping bag would be ok? Probably better than blankets as it can't get caught up around his face. And they leave the arms free.
One other thing to consider is if he's not in your room (and you can) put him in there as this is thought to lower the risk also.
I was going to suggest what jasp said - to have him in the room with you if he's not already - being closer to you means you are more in tune and able to respond quicker if you have any concerns about overheating/breathing etc. If that's not practical then a sensitive baby monitor turned up full can help you feel more in tune with your baby and their breathing (I have done this ever since my DD went into her own room)
My DD became tummy sleeper after a bad bout of illness quite a number months months ago now, and she sleeps in a grobag (she was also in it prior to sleeping on her tummy). So I thought that I might mention that when it gets cooler, you should be fine to use one as your LO gets a bit older before you should be ready to use one. I tend to do the same as jasp for now too - I dress my DD as best as possible for the appropriate warmth for the night so I don't need to add blankets and just have her in her grobag only. It's mid-winter over here in the UK, so I have to dress her quite warmly even before the grobag, but after experimenting and working out what is too cool for her, I can be comfortable that she won't overheat, and that I generally won't need to add additional layers for her.
You an also get 0.5 tog grobags that are literally just like a thin sheet and I use 1.0 tog in warmer weather too if you feel that you'd like to have something to use in the interim before it gets cold.
Last thing whilst I'm thinking about it - it's probably fairly important to have a firm mattress for tummy sleepers - we have an individually sprung mattress in her cot and no pillows for now, although I heard that you can get specific baby/toddler pillows for tummy sleepers so something to think about in the future if needed too. Although... in saying all this, you might find that once your LO can roll he may decide on a different preference for where he wants to sleep again! My DD always starts sleep on her side, sometimes stays there for most of the night, sometimes flips very quickly onto her tummy. It all changes as they get bigger!
HTH
Last edited by Acacia; February 13th, 2010 at 06:00 AM.
From the moment he could roll my son slept on his tummy, and then when he could crawl he would crawl in his sleep. I still find him lying in bed with his legs up the wall, or his head down the wrong end...
I put him in a sleeping bag and he never had any issues with it. He could easily roll, and crawl, and was really happy in it. I have them in all different weights... from really light cotton jersey to a heavy winter one. In summer though, I just sleep him in a singlet and nappy, or light pjs depending on the weather, and let him wiggle about as he likes. I didnt have any other blankets in the cot, but I did let him have his muslin wrap, which he likes to cuddle for comfort. When I first put him in the bed (in December last year) I still used the light cotton sleeping bag and he could get out of bed and walk about his room in it.. It was quite cute to watch...
But I want to train him into using sheets and blankets now... Hopefully getting cold will teach him to stay put.
my last two girls have been tummy sleepers since they could roll. With no2 she had a grow/sleep bag as i found she was always moving in her sleep and blankets wouldn't stay.. the sleeping bag slowed down her movement and annoyed her when she was crawling... but the benefits of her being warm outweighed the thoughts of her freezing during the night. She is also like her dad and loves sleeping with a blanket touching her face or over her head...
There are more "preventable" risks than just sleep position and blankets, so i wouldnt be too worried!!
I've used sleeping bags on both DS and DD from a very young age and they have been fabulous. I have them in summer or winter weight and they have also been a great sleep cue for them, they know that sleeping bag means sleep time.
They were able to wriggle around in the cot as much as they pleased while remaining covered but not being able to get any covers over their heads. They stayed in the sleeping bags when they moved into big kids' beds and when they were ready we ditched the sleeping bag for sheet and doona.
We had a tummy sleeper (now he has decided that he prefers his back - why the sudden change, is anyone's guess!!) and used Grobags (and still do). I am not sure of your location or climate, but can tell you what we did/do:
When our boy was your bub's age, we popped him in a 0-6 month 0.5 Grobag with a vest on. This we found was perfect for the warm QLD climate. On evenings when it got too hot, we would pop his a/c on at 25 degrees and switch it off before we went to bed.
In my opinion, the proper Grobags give you real peace of mind because they tell you exactly what bubs should wear depending on their room temperature (they give you a room thermometer with each Grobag). We also had an active tummy sleeper and the Grobag allowed for this. It also helped with the "sticking feet through the cot bars" issue
As for the safe tummy sleeping, my main concern were the loose blankets. I feel much more comfortable knowing that the sleeping bag cannot slip over his head like a blanket could. I think the most important thing for safe tummy sleeping is to not do it until their necks are strong enough so that they can move there head/face away from dribble, spew or any obstruction.
Grobags for us too. DD started using them when we moved her into her cot at 10 weeks. She loves them and so do we. They make things a lot easier and safer, now that she's a tummy sleeper (since she started rolling about a month ago).
I love that Grobag have a 'what to wear' guide for their bags depending on the room temperature. We have a Gro Egg thermometer and our monitor also has a thermometer. We try to keep DDs room at around 23 degrees during this warm weather (so aircon on or window wide open) and DD wears a 1 tog bag with either a short or long sleeved onesie. She has a .5 tog (so like a sheet) for day sleeps on warm days.
Clothing/blankets while tummy sleeping
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