Blankets

Hi E.- I know you will hear so many different opinions. I think you just need to do what you think is right. I personally put socks, a onies and p,j's on. My daughter is always really warm. We tired the sleep sacks and she didn't like them?!? Good luck!

all my kids used blankets and did fine. In fact they loved their blankets and didn't move much in their sleep. an 11 month old should be able to use a blanket as he has head control and can move his head and climb around if he feels like he isn't comfortable and if the blanket covers his head he can move it or crawl out of it. If you don't feel comfortable with the blanket idea, they have these blanket outfit things now that you can zip them in and keep them warm. I don't know what they are called but have seen kids use them in daycare but usually get attached to them and won't sleep without them so may not like that option.

I have an almost 2 yr old and a 5 yr old I worried myself sick about SIDS and overheating them.But I do know about the old house and gets drafty I live in one as well and I don't want my kiddos to be chilled.I prefer to use warm jammies footed jammies are best and a sleep sack did this with my daughter she started slowly using a blankie last winter but it wasn't big heavy or bulky she has a favorite one that is and so we would put her to sleep with it and once she is out I reomve the blankie and she was fine all nite.Also a lil tid bit babies sleep well even when there room is 65 degress that is the ideal temp for them and they are fine not overheating or to chilled.Don't know if this applies to winter months

Hi, E..

My girls both slept with blankets when they were small, but neither one kept themselves covered through the night. We have always slept in cool rooms (about 65-68 degrees) in the winter so we used footed sleepers and sleep sacks when they were little. One of mine would still wear footed jammies if she could find them in her size and she's 17! If you can't find the sleep sacks where you live, look online (just search for sleep sacks and you'll come up with lots of choices). They come in all price points, sizes, colors, etc.

I hope that this helps you!

C.

We have a 100 yr old drafty house too. My kiddos didn't like a lot of clothes on them, so I just invested in the space heater that had temperature control on it. You'll pay a few extra bucks for it (maybe around $30) but I thought it was well worth it. I bought a Holmes that was the ceremic heater that didn't get hot to the touch. The kids really liked it, the warmth of the room, AND the white noise was a definite bonus!

Hi E., I'm kind of new at this again (My son is 13 now). I always thought that a light blanket was ok to have. Has the rules changed on this? I would like to know what the thoughts on this is also. My Sister in law is going to have a baby in April so I need to get caught up on all the "new things" there are to know about todays age of things. I will keep checking back into your blog on the answers that people come up with. Thanks for making me think about this type of thing! It shows me I need to be "in the know" about today's babies!! LOL!! Good luck!!

I have always let my children have blankets when they sleep. They have NO explanation for SIDS. If they knew the child had suffocated it would be suffocation, not SIDS. OR if the blanket had gotten around the babies neck, it would be accidental strangulation, not SIDS! I am so tired of the Drs making us scared to make decisions, when they really don't have the answers. They just try to rule things out, but in the meantime they just make us PARANOID! Good luck & since your little one is moving around there really shoud be no harm in a blanket.

E. i had a similar situation. i'm sure you're already using footie pajamas, with a onsie and socks underneath...that's the best i could do. i did put a blanket on my son because our house gets really cold also, but within minutes he'd kick it off anyway. 11 months should be fine to put a blanket on him, just be prepared for it not to do much good at this point. mine is two now, and insists on sleeping with two of his favorite blankets, and his stuffed giraffe, AND his "lovies" (flannel receiving blankets), and he still ends up on top of them all, or curled up on one end of the bed away from everything. good luck!

Once my son was able to roll around, crawl, and stand up in his crib, and had grown out of the sleep sacks, I started using a light blanket, the older he got, the more picky he was about his blankets lol He has a particular favorite he sleeps with now. It's pretty much your own judgement and how you think your son will handle it etc.. My son is 2.5 now so he also has a pillow etc...

My daughter started sleeping with a blanket around that time...but still won't keep it on! She ends up sleeping on it with her butt in the air.
I'm thinking of using the "toddler sleep sacks" for this winter since my poor munchkin wakes up with "frosty toes" or "chilly dogs" as I call them! They are like the infant ones, that zip down the front and go over the PJs...but they have holes for their feet to go thru so they can stand and walk or crawl.
I think I saw them at Babies R Us.

I think One Step Ahead has sleep sacks on there website. They are very nice & you can feel comfortable knowing that he is warm & won't wrap the blaket around himself or just kick it off!

God Bless!

Sleep sacks are the way to go!

I live in an old and cold house too. I remember putting my son in those thick, fuzzy footed Pjs and just draping a lightweight flannel blanket over the bottom half of him. He is a pretty warm boy, so he seemed to be fine that way. He is now 4 yrs old, but didn't use a full sheet and comforter set until he was 2 1/2. Your son is pretty close to a year old, so I wouldn't worry about suffocation or anything.

Hi E.,
All of the moms have had excellent suggestions. I just wanted to let you know that my pediatrician told me that it would take 3 full size comforters to suffocate a child. I asked him this very question when she was just 6 months old & he told us to go ahead & use a blanket if she wants it. This advice helped calm my nerves also in leaving the bumpers in her crib for a while too.

Personally I would say its fine. If he can move around and sit up he isnt at risk of getting tangled to the point of not being able to get "unstuck." This is why they say no blankets when they are newborns. I would say its safe to give him a blanket!

I would say yes. I have a one year old (just turned) and she has slept w/ a blanket for a long time. Of course, if he's anything like mine - she moves around a lot so it usually doesn't stay on her but you could also try those blanket sleepers if you are worried.

I use a sleep blanket (or sleep sac) on my 13mo son. The thing I like most is that it won't fall off him while sleeping. They are now available up to 5T size. If it is really cold, I put him in a footed sleeper, w/a onsie & the sleep sac. I HTH! I got mine at Babies R Us.

Just wanted to give another vote for sleepsacks. My daughter moves around so much when she sleeps, there is no way she'd stay under a blanket. The sleepsack keeps her warm no matter what she does. I was also afraid that she'd trip on it once she could stand and walk (she's 18 months now), and it doesn't seem to phase her. She's always standing when I go in to get her in the morning. I love them. I got mine from Babies R Us, I don't know if you can get them anywhere else.

By 11 months old, he is turning over so he will be safe with a blanket. You normally have to only worry about children who can't turn over yet and the threat of suffocation. But you will discover that he will never stay under it so you might just want to layer his pjs.

Good luck,
D.