Holding a baby is, no doubt, the loveliest feeling in the whole world. Parents develop deep emotional connections with their little bundles of joy and always strive to provide them with the best care.
One of the most imperative needs for a baby is adequate sleep, and ensuring that the baby sleeps peacefully at night is every parent’s duty. A peaceful nap for the baby also ensures the same amount of rest for the parents.
Kid’s accessories such as baby sleep sacks are becoming a craze these days not only due to the chic and attractive designs but also due to the coziness and safety it provides the little burrito baby. Keep reading till the end to explore what is a baby sleep sack? And a lot more about it.
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What a baby sleep sack is?
A sleep sack is a mini wearable blanket that can be a good replacement for a loose blanket in the crib of your little one. It also serves as an additional piece of baby clothing other than the baby’s actual outfit.
These sacks allow your babies to sleep peacefully and comfortably. It normally zips on over the baby’s clothes to let him experience the warmth and coziness of an actual blanket without having any fear of suffocation.
Sometimes, it features large armholes to permit arm movements and ventilation to keep body temperature stable. With its wide bottom, the sleep sack gives enough space to the little one to move and kick his tiny legs.
Unlike a swaddle blanket, it does not restrict the growing baby to move and roll around in the crib. Sleep sacks come in a variety of fabric types, shapes, designs, and colors to satisfy your aesthetic needs.
Why should you use a sleep sack?
Sleep sack can benefit babies in many ways,
- like maintaining the right body temperature without causing overheating, unlike extra layers of regular blankets.
- It gives a sense of security—similar to when your baby was sitting in the womb.
- It also provides your little meatball a warm, comfy, yet breathable nap.
Babies are at greater risk of SIDS or sudden infant death syndrome if they get suffocated. Due to the movement of arms, a sleeping baby can wrap the blanket around his own head. This, as we all are aware, can cause suffocation and leads to the death of a baby due to the lack of oxygen.
But, there is no need to worry about if you are using a sleep sack as it is specifically designed to prevent the baby’s head from being wrapped up in blankets or clothes that in turn reduce the chances of SIDS.
Moreover, you can consider sleep sacks for babies who can climb out of crib. It is a safe way to limit your toddler’s movements. Sleep sacks enclose a toddler’s legs and feet but leave sufficient room to let him move easily, but not enough to actually climb out of the crib.
When to start using a baby sleep sack?
You can start using a sleep sack if you see your little one is transitioning out of the swaddle. In most cases, it takes around eight weeks after the birth when a baby begins to show signs of rolling.
In the initial weeks, swaddling can be beneficial as it prevents flailing of legs and arms that could be the reason for startling awake in your little burrito baby. As soon as your babies start to roll around, they should be switched to a sleep sack with their arms free.
Furthermore, if you see your sound sleeper wakes up so often through the night, then the swaddle is possibly cramping his style. He may cry out and seem upset because he cannot move and kick freely. This is the right time when you should start using a sleep sack for your baby.
When to stop putting the baby in a sleep sack?
Undoubtedly, this invention has been so helpful for every parent, but there comes a moment when you find yourself questioning when to stop putting the baby in a sleep sack.
Every good thing has its limit beyond which it does not behave the same. There will be a time when you see your kid growing out of the sack and fighting to be free with all their strength.
When babies start learning to crawl and roll, they try to practice these new skills in their little cots. Though the rolling isn’t an issue with the sleep sack due to the armholes, but it may hinder the crawling.
Given that, if you are regularly looking over the size and replacing it as your kid grows, that’s perfectly ok. If you see your kid is actively resisting being put into their sleep sack and gets irritated with their restrictive mobility, you should instantly stop using the sack.
Some babies usually reach this stage by their first birthday, and some will take longer than usual and continue through their toddlerhood.
Do babies sleep better in sleep sacks?
According to many parents, sleep sacks are a useful substitute for traditional bedding and allow their little lovebugs to sleep better by reducing wakeups from being cold through the night. With a stable, warm temperature throughout the night, your little one sleeps peacefully and is unlikely to wake from the cold.
Moreover, with sleep sacks, your baby rapidly develops a positive association. Every time you put him in the sack, it’s a positive signal or reminder that it is sleep time. Like swaddling, it also improves the nap time in infants by restricting the startle reflexes that could be the reason for frequent wakeups during their initial months.
Conclusion
In the end, as the sleep sack can be a fantastic sleep aide, there is no compulsion to rush your kid if he is not prepared to go for it. As with many other matters, every kid is different, and it entirely depends on you and your kid to decide whether or not you should go for a sleep sack and whether or not it’s time to quit using it.
Always consider the safety of your child before anything else, and figure out what works perfectly for your little munchkin.
But personally, I really love this thing. It’s very safe and keeps both of my kids from waking up in the middle of the night.
With these sacks on, they actually sleep well and enjoy long stretches of sleep every night. It gives me complete peace of mind.
For any further queries or concerns, please consult your pediatrician, who can give you the best guidance or advice on this matter.
Oh I loved these sleep bags when my children were babies.
They are such a great invention to keep baby warm when they are sleeping. Especially those who often kick blankets off.
I used to find them safer than blankets too because there was never any fear of the blanket going over the top of their head.
They washed lovely and were so comfy and cosy even when you are holding the baby yourself.
I would definitely recommend them to any new mums out there because they are just great!
I also like the fact that when you are changing their nappy, they could still keep reasonably cosy with a sleeping bag half on whilst you are changing them. Babies don’t like to be woken up for a change through the night so this is a great item to keep them as cosy as possible and less disturbance for you and them.
Louise
Thank You Louise for sharing your experiences.
This is actually a great post. I’ve never really seen this baby sleep sack. But it seems like a very useful thing. My friend recently became a father. I think this post will be very important for him. I think he doesn’t have a sleep sack. Thank you so much for posting like this. Keep posting like this. Very important.
Thank you Pasindu For your support.