Sleep Sacks

Hi C. -

I had the same fear. I never wanted my son to be too hot either b/c of the increased risk of SIDS and the uncomfortable feeling! He is a little heater baby, so I used the cotton, sleeveless sleepsack with just a onesie underneath. I agree though, it really depends on the temp of your house. My son's room is upstairs, where it is always warmer, so I dress him a little lighter.

In the winter months, I started with the fleece sleepsack (he was born Jan 2), but I found that those were less forgiving in temp adjustment. They really hold the heat in. SO, I started using footie PJ's (cotton), no onesie and the cotton sleepsack. You could also buy the PJ pants and put socks on him ...this way you can cool him down by taking his socks off and not doing a whole wardrobe change! Pants aren't as easy for diaper changes though....

I remember like it was yesterday....I was always stressing about what to dress him in at night! I am always hot and night and my husband is always cold, so we never agreed!

By trying different things, you will find what works for your little one. I remember reading is their hands/face are cold they may need an extra layer and if they are hot vice-versa.

Congrats and enjoy!

Hi C.!

I remember asking the same question when my son was born (he is now 2 years old) and I am currently using a blanket sleeper for my (almost) 6 month old daughter!

First of all, I'd recommend using the sleeveless type of blanket sleeper, mainly because the advertisements for the Halo (sleeveless) brand say that there is no risk of the babies "re-breathing" their own air with a sleeveless blanket sleeper. Not even sure if that is true or not, but it scared me into using a sleeveless kind! (BTW, did you know that you can get a nice sleeveless blanket sleeper at Target for $8, as opposed to the Halo brand, which costs about $20?) That said:

My children's rooms are always a little chilly. Always. I hate being hot so the air conditioning is always on in the summer months (and yes, even recently, with the weather being so warm. And for some reason, in the winter, their rooms are still chilly, even with the heat pumping through their rooms!

Also keep in mind that a blanket sleeper takes the place of a blanket.

What I do for my daughter is this: Aside from the fact that her room is cool, if the rest of the house is kind of warmish (in the warmer weather), I will put her in a light pair of pajamas (no onesie underneath), and I will put the blanket sleeper over that. This way, I know that the next morning when she wakes up, I can take the blanket sleeper off of her, and she will be comfy in her light pj's, until I am ready to put her clothes on. If the rest of the house is going to be coolish (like when the nights are really cool, even when the rest of the days seem warm!), I will put her in a warmer pair of pj's with the blanket sleeper over that.

Currently, I am using a cotton blanket sleeper. However, when it starts getting really cold outside (as it will be soon), and I know her room is going to be pretty darn chilly at night (know matter how much we crank up the heat!), I will be using a warmer, fleece blanket sleeper over her pj's.

I'm not sure how long this warm weather will be lasting, but if the room your son is sleeping in is really warm at night, feel free to just put him in a onesie. I know he is just over 2 months old, but what someone else said is true, about dressing the baby how YOU would personally feel comfortable. So if you are wearing just a t-shirt to bed, your baby will most likely be comfy in that onesie underneath the blanket sleeper as well.

You also have the option of NOT using the blanket sleeper at all, but of putting a onesie on him, and then putting either a light or warm pair of pj's on top of that (depending on the room's temperature.) The only reason I don't like doing that is, I'm afraid my daughter will be too hot in the morning, when she would normally have the blanket taken off of her because she's not in bed anymore! But with your son being so little (and the fact that cooler temps will be upon us soon!), I'm sure he can be just as comfy in a onesie and pj's as he would be with the onesie or pj's and the blanket sleeper.

God, I remember going through the same stuff as you! My son was also born in August (August 2), so yah, I was right there along with you! I was constantly changing my mind of what I should put him in at night, because I was always second-guessing myself! I'm sure your son doesn't sleep too often yet because he is so young, but if you feel he is more irritable than usual and just doesn't seem comfortable, it may be his way of telling you he is too warm/too cold. It is all trial and error, but soon you will be able to trust your own instincts!

Good luck, and congrats on your new little guy!

If your house is kept at a comfortable temp, your bay should be fine in a sack. But why not get him in a pair of little footie pj's? I have always used those and I knew they were warm, but not too warm. Good luck, being a first time mom is terrible!! I am just as paranoid about everything with baby #4, LOL!!

When it is hot or cold you dress your baby like you are.So if you are comfortable in a t-shirt so will your baby be.In the summer I always had my baby sleeping in onesies.If you have air conditioning you could put him in a light sleeper..Or put a recieving blanket over him.

Hi C. - I remember going through this same thing :) Neither of my children would wear those - and still to this day, they don't like their feet covered while they are sleeping! If you put him in a onesie - I'm sure he'll be fine, as long as you keep your home and a decent temp. - I believe the pediatricians say 70 degress, but you might want to double check. A good method is to dress them like you. If you are warm, and you are wearing shorts and a tshirt to bed, a onesie is enough for him. But, if you are putting yourself in sweats, then a sleeper would be best for him. :) Good luck!

In my opinion.....If he is in a sleeper with footies, he shouldn't need to be in a sleep sack. When I use a sleep sack with my 5 minth old daughter, she is only in a onsie, but she is also a very warm blooded baby (overheats easily).

J.