This request is actually for a friend who is having trouble logging into Mamasource. Her three-month-old will only sleep if he is tightly swaddled. During the week, her mother watches the baby at her house, but she doesn't have air conditioning. My friend is concerned that her son will get too overheated in a blanket, but isn't sure how to get him to sleep without it. Any suggestions? Thanks!
On another board that I participate on, we have members from some very hot states. They buy inexpensive sheets that are thinner and cut them to the size of a large receiving blanket. They just whip stich the ends and then they can swaddle, but have a cool baby at the same time :) Hope that helps!
Try a sheet. Or if the little one is small you might even want to try a pillow case. Treat it as it was a blanket. All of my childeren didn't like being bunddle up but the littles that i know of the parents have tried other things.
Best of luck in this heat.
If your friend or her mom can sew, they could go out and buy a yard of gauze fabric. They can use a sewing machine to surge or hem the edges (not sure what the proper name of this is). Then they could use the new gauze blanket to swaddle the baby in. Make sure to just wear a diaper and a t-shirt/onsie on the baby. The gauzy material should allow the air to flow through so that the baby doesn't become overheated.
Also, if they can't sew, they can try a really light weight receiving blanket. Just make sure that Grandma checks the baby often for overheating.
Anyhow, I hope this helps. Good luck.
I guess my response will be a little different than the others...I also swadlled my daughter (who is now five months old) when she slept (with the actual "swaddle me" product...blankets wouldn't stay on. I thought she wouldn't be able to sleep when not swaddled (a couple times I tried not swaddling her and it seemed she didn't sleep as well). I knew the summer months were approaching, so I began to wean her from the swaddle (probably about a month and a half ago). I started putting her down for her daytime naps unswaddled and eventually her nights became unswaddled too. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, and now she never sleeps swaddled anymore and sleeps just as well as she did while swaddled. Maybe your friend can start weaning her baby from being swaddled tightly during daytime naps to being swaddled not as tightly, to just using a very light weight blanket covering him(where he can be monitored). At night (when it's usually cooler and maybe a window fan or AC can be used) she can continue swaddling him until he gets more used to sleeping unswaddled during the day.
Dear Friend of J. S,
Why not buy an air conditioner or fan for the room her baby sleeps? Use light weight blankets instead of the heavier cotton ones. I think the small investment of an air conditioner or a fan will bring your friend peace of mind.
I would be very concerned about (swaddled or unswaddled) a baby in an unairconditioned home during this heat wave. Would her mother consider coming over to her home on days like these. I have found many elderly people have a higher heat tolerance and may not realize when how hot it actually is in the home. Babies can be overcome by heat very quickly. Please be careful! I would be concerned about Grandma too.
Companies like Home depot carry portible air conditioning units that do not have to be installed permenantly in the window but have a hose unit that can be quickly placed and removed from a window while the main unit stands on the floor. They are pricy (a couple hundred dollars) but there is nothing more important than your child's health.
PS- My daughter is the opposite. She won't keep covers on her more than about 3 seconds. I have to use a portable heater in her room during the winter.
try a baby swing or if she has a vibrating baby seat such as the bobby seat the baby may sleep better. other suggestion may be the grandma can lay down with the baby to get him to sleep initially.
We are big into the swaddling too, it really helps our baby sleep better and be calm. If its hot, I just have him in a diaper under the swaddle. I periodically check his ears and neck to see if they are hot & sticky. Typically, babies need one more layer of clothes than we do so if he's in his diaper and a light blanket, he should be ok. Or even a onesie and blanket. Hope this helps.
Hi J.,
Does your friend sew? A friend of my mom's made me two really lightweight receiving blankets--the really lightweight ones are hard to find. They really came in handy when it was warm out--my son was born in March. Use the lightest O. she can find or make and just a diaper on the baby would be OK with a swaddle. I would run a fan nearby--not directly on the baby but enough to keep his room cool while he naps.
Well, it's not really an alternative, but until somebody else posts some other thoughts, she can just strip him down to his diaper and use the thinnest blanket possible...
Hi J.,
At babies R Us they have organic Koala Baby brand swaddling blankets that are very light weight. I would say put him in one of those as they are more breathable and then make sure the windows in his room are open. She may also want to put a fan in the room to help circulate the air (not blowing on him, but moving the air about in the room).
J.
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I agree with many of the moms to just put the baby in his diaper, use a light blanket to swaddle and get a fan for his room (do not put it on him directly). Look for Muslin swaddle blankets--very thin and breathable cotton. The ones they sell online are expensive (3 for about $50) so I just went to a fabric store and got the material, and then had the borders sewn at the dry cleaner (about $15 total!). You can also save that money if you own a sewing machine or have a friend/family member who owns one.
My 3rd child was born last May and loved to be swaddled as well. Does your friend use a basic blanket to swaddle or a swaddle spacific wrap? I loved using the waffle type receiving blankets - not the heavier flannel style. They were so soft and stretchy, but light weight with lots of tiny pin prick holes. That is what I always used to swaddle mine. They could put the baby in just a diaper or even a onesie and wrap him in the waffle blanket tightly and he should be fine temperature-wise.
