Keeping 9 Month Old Warm at Night- Sleep Sack?

My daughter was one of those kids as soon as she was asleep she would kick off her covers but then wake up becasue sshe became cold. I got a sleep sack form a friend and was the best thing ever. My daughter had a good night sleep and kept nice and warm.

I love the sleep sacks! I've used them with both of my kids and neither one of them was too constrained - they were both able to wiggle around well at night and even kick their legs and roll over. I've never had an issue with their hands getting too cold and not only are they safer than a blanket they can't wiggle their way out of it so it stays on all night!
Best of luck to you!
K.

We had the same problem when my son was little. he too was stuck with the coldest room. What we did was double pj him. We put a regular pair of pajamas on first and then put a blanket sleeper over him. We also used a space heater in his room. It worked perfect for us.

There are sleep sacks that have long sleeves, I can not remember where I found them (Target, Walmart, Babies R Us). I used them till she was 9 months (but then it was spring/summer for us so a sleep sack was no longer needed).

Now with my 2 year old, who still does not stay under her blanket(s) I make sure she has warm PJ or on the really cold cold nights I put long johns under the PJ. With footed PJ, some are warmer then you would think so check at night to see how your little one feels. If cold you can easily put lightweight PJ and socks on to add more warmth.

Also when it first starts getting cold out I usually check my daughter in the middle of the night... I touch her skin to see how warm/cold she feels. That way I would know if she was staying warm enough when it is the coldest. This helps me feel better that she is warm (even if it is cold in her room) and if she seems cold then you can change your game plan, try something else.

The sleep sack may or may not work for your son. Mine did fine with his until about 6-7 months old. Then it just made him mad because it confined his movement. They do work well though.

Dear J.,
My son is all over the place when he sleeps as well & has never used a blanket. We purchased an oil filled radiant heater that we placed across from his crib, under the window (we have one in our room as well to keep heating costs down) & it works fabulously. At first it's kind of hit or miss on getting the temperature just right, but again, it works really well & his room stays warm.

Good luck,
S.

I use sleep sacks on my child, I actually used them until my daughter was 18 months old so I am sure he will appreciate being warm. I put one on my son last night and he slept all night long for the first time in 4 days because he was so warm and cozy.

I second all the recommendations for sleep sacks--they are wonderful for layering! The regular kind are best for babies who are not standing yet but Halo also has them with foot holes for walkers, which may help (but I have not tried).

Our daughter is 11 months old and we keep her warm at night by using fleece pj's with feet, an armless sleeping sack and we installed an electric baseboard heater in her bedroom (my husband is very, very handy) which we currently keep at between 75-76 degrees. Her current sleeping sack is cotton but we also have fleece ones for when it gets colder. We keep the rest of the house at around 70 degrees, I have nerve damage and need to keep my feet warm at all times. The sleeping sacks we bought at One Step Ahead.

This probably wont help much, but i'm pretty sure when my daughter was little(er) (she's only 16 mo. now) that the sleep sacks are only for 0-9 mo. My daughter was too long for them around that 9mo mark. So be cautious of that if you do try one-keep the packaging and make sure its returnable. They have the long sleave ones at walmart.

Hi J.,
My 9-month-old is having the same trouble. She was just starting to sleep well and now, with a colder house, we've had an awful couple of nights.

We had the same problem with our first daughter, in a different house. Against my better judgment, we purchased a space heater. It's an upright, sealed oil, electric space heater. I experimented with the heat controls until we found the right setting and it worked wonders. We discovered that we really didn't need to heat her room THAT much in order for her to sleep (I know cooler rooms are better/healthier so I didn't want to create a sauna). In the morning, I'd turn it off and put it in the closet with the child-proof locks on -- so I never had to worry about her playing with it. By the way, her first word was "hot." (It was also a nice treat for me to go from my freezing bedroom to her room to nurse her at night!!)

I know there are space heaters with a built-in fan, the noise of which might help induce sleep. We have shaggy carpet and I'm afraid of using one of those, but it might be an option.

Although we watch money closely, I can't really tell you whether the space heater significantly impacted our bills or not. Since we were able to keep the rest of the house cooler at night, using the space heater might not have had an impact.

I also just got a One Step Ahead catalog in the mailbox and see they now have sack- or blanket-sleepers with legs for older, active children. I think they have a web site if you want to look for it online. I'm considering this, too, because my daughter moves around a lot at night.

Best of luck,
R.

We used sleep sacks when my daughter was first born last February and now that the weather is cool again, I went on eBay and bought bigger ones since she outgrew the original ones we had. I put her in a long sleeved sleeper and then the sleepsack and she can still manage to crawl around in her crib. I also put a hat on her last night since I myself was getting a little cool. Though not sure how long that stayed on, since it wasn't on her this morning anymore.

I do have one long sleeved one that is a Carter's brand, but it's a 0-9 month size, so she's just about outgrown it. I was able to find larger sizes of the sleeveless ones that Halo makes. I haven't looked too hard yet to see if Carter's makes a larger long sleeved one.

I am 79 and I have had a lot of babies. I used a blanket sleeper. If they are not available now make one using a sleeper pattern and blanket material, not fleece. You could even use an old blanket. Put in a long zipper, from neck to ankle which makes it easy to change the diaper. Most even have flaps with openings, that cover the hands.

My 9 month old son sleeps quite comfortably in his sleep sack. They make different types, for different levels of warmth. Right now he's in a cotton one over his footie pjs. As it gets colder, we'll switch him to the fleece sleep sack.

I personally will avoid space heaters. I am far too worried about my son crawling out of his crib and hurting himself. I have great peace of mind knowing the sleep sack is enough. Also, as someone else mentioned, overheating can contribute to SIDS. Take care!

We also love the sleep sack. I found it for my second child (now almost 2) and he has been wearing them since he was a newborn. About 4 months ago he started figuring out how to unzip it, so we have since had to put it on backwards (problem solved!). He loves his sleep sack, I take it off of him before he gets out of the crib, he drapes it over the railing, gives it a few pats and says "bye bye sleep sack". It is really nice because we take it with us when we travel, so I think it is like a little piece of home that helps comfort him in an unfamiliar place. Finally, the last reason why I love it is because it is not at all confining, he can "run" back and forth in his crib but it hampers his "crawling out of the crib" ability! Good Luck!

I'm so weary of space heaters, I would really be nervous about using one. What we do is layer. At that age I would start with a onsie and socks, then lighter jammies, then a nice warm fleece type with feet. This always seemed to be enough, even when our son's room would get down to 65 degrees. Sleep sacks made him mad as he got older. I have heard of some kids who don't mind them, and even walk in them! There are also sleep sack type things that have holes for their feet. I just learned about them from a friend. Here's a link to them on Target.com. They are probably too for your guy at this point, but good to know for the future.
http://www.target.com/Big-Kids-Halo-SleepSack-Blue/dp/B00...

We use sleep sacks for my 7 month old and they are lose enough for her to roll around in. I do have a couple with long sleeves that my mom made. If you know any sewers things is a good option. Other wise I have seen them at REI and Cabellas. Not sure how much they cost. You could probably check on the internet.

I use an oil filled radiator heater. Were I worked, this was the only type of heater they would allow us to keep at our desk due to it being the safest type of space heater, so I figured it would be a good choice for the baby's room. So I used one when my son was a baby and when my daughter was a baby. It kept the nursey warm so I never had to worry about them being cold.

We used the warmer fleece sleep sacks over pj's for both my kids when they were babies. They do help to keep them warmer and really aren't confining. I also used a safeheat ceramic space heater in their room when they were in their cribs as babies and were not able to have blankets yet for the cooler weather. I made sure it was in the middle of the room a safe distance away from the crib and anything else in the room. Then we were able to keep the room comfortable for sleeping. It worked well for us. Although I would not use a space heater for a child that is not confined to a crib.

I think a sleep sack is the perfect answer. That's what sleep sacks are for. I think I'll do that too for my 4-mo-old daughter. This morning her hands were like icicles, even though she had a warm sleeper on. Our other option would be to use a little space heater in their room. The noise may help them sleep better too! Good luck.

I think the sleep sacks work great. My little girl is 7 months old and is a mover - she is fine when we put her in there. Believe it or not she still figures out how to flip and turn around in her crib. The sleep sack also helps with them not getting their legs stuck between the crib bars...

Our son's room is the coldest in our house too. And he refuses to keep a blanket on at night.

What I did when he was smaller, was to layer him. I would put him in a lightweight full-length sleep shirt and leggings (like spring pajamas), and then a pair of socks, and then the fleece footed jammies. (Just watch out that you're not overheating him though.)

My daughter had pj's that had the sleeves and the bottom part sack. I'm not sure the type of sleep sack you are looking at, but I would keep looking around. It was nice for my daughter as she was "all over" the bed. Could you "winterize" the windows to keep out drafts? Maybe use the thermal type curtains too (you know, the kind with the backing on the drapes). Otherwise could you check into a space heater for the room? This way you wouldn't have to turn up the heat for the rest of the house.
Good luck in keeping him "toasty" :)
~SR

I had the same problem keeping my 6-month-old daughter warm last night (my hubby only just now turned on the furnace but last night it was COLD) and I discovered that putting her in a too-big blanket sleeper (9-month size) over her regular size footed pj's, socks and onesie worked fine. So maybe have a "size larger" blanket sleeper on hand. Good luck, and stay warm! *Peace*! :)

When all three of my kids were infants we actually had a extra heater placed in their room that was set on a timer to turn on about 30 minutes before they went to bed and to turn off around the time they woke up. It was not hot to the touch and was only on during the night. That seemed to work best for us along with warmer pj's. That way their little hands and face were still warm. Yes it made our electricity bill be a little higher but it was worth it.

Our son is now almost 18 months old and we will occasionally use a sleep sack (Babies'r'Us has the largest sizes I've seen).

But, we also use a space heater -- one of the "ceramic" ones that's oscillates. It can be programmed to a certain temperature. We like to keep the rest of our house cooler at night, but we wanted to keep our little guy warm.

Regarding the sleep sack -- I think as long as there is room to move inside it, it isn't confining. Plus, our guy moves around quite a bit, so I don't think he'd be able to stay under a regular blanket right now anyhow!

Stay warm,

S.

Hi J.,

It looks like you already have lots of advice. I received a catalog from One Step Ahead yesterday and they have long sleeve OR sleeveless sleep sacks available. You can check them out online at www.onestepahead.com. Good luck!

I agree a sleep sack might be too confining for a 9-month old. What about putting a onesie under the pjs or buying blanket pjs? I know they sell them at the Children's Place.

Hi J.!

We love sleep sacks. I have an 8 month old and we have been using them since he was 2 months. It is perfect. It keeps him warm and gives him the ability to move around as much as he wants with out getting tangled up (like he does when he has a blanket). Hope this helps!

J.

J.,

A flannel crib sheet might help, too.

Good luck,
S.

The nursery in our house is also the coldest room so I found long underwear under the fleece footed pj's work well. They sell them at Target and I have used them with all three of my kids and they stay toasty.

J.,

We have the same problem with our 11 month old daughters room (use to be our 4yr olds room). In this house there is one room in the house that is always colder than others and it happens to be hers (wish it was ours, but ours is the hottest so I close the vent). Same thing at our hold house, always the kids room. My husband and I were talking about it this morning.

Right now I have her in a fleece carters zipup pj's. I am thinking about putting socks on under that to keep her feet warmer. As fars as the hands, there isn't much to do. I have heard other people put another pair of Pajamas on there kids, since they don't stayed covered. You could also put on a long sleeved tshirt under the pjs and see if that helps. Not sure if they have thermal underwear that small, but that may also work. You also don't want to make them too hot.

Last night I wanted to go in and cover her up with the blanket again, but was afraid of waking her up....

Good luck and I will also watch what others have to say....

Hi there! My daughter is just a year old and we used sleep sacks all winter last year--actually just stopped in early May with a onesie underneath it! My daughter was given a sleep sac by the hospital when she was born and we had received some as gifts as well. Now that she is a year old, I have to go and get some big ones for her this winter! Her little hands did get chilly sometimes last winter and so did her nose but the skin behind her neck was warm, so I felt ok about it all the way around! Good luck!

You could put a space heater in his room. We have a space heater that you can set to the room temp you want and it will run and shut off like a little furnace to keep the room at that temp.

We use these www.pampersack.com
They are a little pricey but well worth it. I did a ton a research last year and they were the best for the price that I found.

Good Luck
N.

Get him the sleep sack. He can kish around in it so it would not be to confining

i just saw a sleep sac at toys r us that covered the arms as well. i am planning on getting one... but hopefully somewhere cheaper.

My son doesn't keep his blankets on either. We purchased a space heater with a thermostat on it. This was if the temp in the room drops below the set point it will kick on until it warms up. It is nice because it is not constantly on & sucking electricity.

Sleep sacks are the best! During cold weather I put on a long sleeved onesie and then the sleep sack. They're awesome untill the little ones learn to walk, and then I'm pretty sure they even make them with little legs so they can still walk. If you go to the toys r us or babies r us website, a lot of times you can buy one and get one half off. Once you try them, you'll be hooked... they're great!

Our almost 7 month old son uses a sleep sack over his footie pjs and it seems to work well. They are pretty roomy so he can still move around in it.

The halo sleepsacks are great. They come in cotton and fleece. My son used them until he was 18 months and I plan to use it with my newborn as well. I usually put him in longsleeved,cotton footed pjs andthen put either a fleece or cotton halo sleep sack on him. You don't have to worry about blankets and entanglement. My son was always comfortable in them. If you are worried about his hands, you could always try those mittens. Good luck!

Hi, I have a 1 year old daughter and we used the sleep sack every night until she could start standing in her crib and we loved them. They do have ones out there that have long sleeves but do not cover the hands, I think they are at Babies r Us. Hope this helps.

I don't know if this is something you would be comfortable with, but my children have a very cold room. My husband and I purchased a nice space heater with a temperature monitor. We set it to 69 degrees and it only runs when necessary, but it keeps the room very comfortable. Neither of them play with it, or mess with the plug ins(it is actually plugged in outside of their room and we put it inside the door at night). I know not all parents maybe comfortable with this, but it has made a huge difference.

I noticed that several people were concerned that a sleep sack would be too confining. My 16 month old wears a sleep sack for naps and at night (our house is always cold!) and he has no problem moving around. We have the Halo Sleep Sacks from Babies R Us. My son can roll around, crawl, and even walk (in his crib) in his sleep sack. Definitely not confining!

We've been using a sleep sack on our 17 month old son since he was born. They are wonderful! We use the light cotton sleep sacks in the summer and the fleece sleep sacks in the cooler months. He is plenty warm at night in his footed pj's and fleece sleep sack. He also moves around a lot and is now able to stand and walk around his crib while wearing his sleep sack, so don't worry about it being too confining. I also think that it's helped with his nap and bedtime routine. When we put the sleep sack on him, it's like he knows it's time to go to sleep and calms right down. It seems like a very comforting ritual to him. Luckily, they make sleep sacks up to toddler sizes, so you can continue to use them until your son is much older. I hope this helps! Good luck!

We've found that fleece footie-pjs with a sleep sack kept our boys plenty warm. There's been some research that suggests overheating can contribute to SIDS, so you don't want to keep the little ones too warm. Hands and feet might not be a good indicator because their circulation may not be fully mature, so checking the back of the neck will be a better gauge of how warm they really are.

My boys were both tall for their age, so we outgrew the sleep sacks pretty early. We just bought for our 18mo the Blank-eaze from one step ahead. It's a fleece sleep sack with legs instead of a "bag" at the bottom, so he can still walk and move around his crib, or at bedtime while saying goodnight. I can't say enough about this product! His pjs cover his arms and feet, and he seems pretty comfortable. We got by just buying one...we treat it like a blanket, so it gets washed 1-2 times/week, and we make sure to get it done in time for bedtime. Good luck!

We put our kids at that age in two piece cotton pajamas, with footed fleece or flannel pajamas over it. They always slept well. We only did it on the colder nights though; otherwise they just have a onesie with the sleeper or cotton pajamas. My kids move around a lot at night too and I think that helps them stay warm, so I wouldn't worry.