Blanket for 8 Mo. Old?

I was told to wait until they can play peek-a-boo with a blanket and are able to remove it from their face.

My son is 26 months and still not sleeping with a blanket. He's never really liked them - always kicked them off as a baby in his swing. I believe the APA recommends at least 12 months - SIDS risks, need to be able to move blanket off themselves to avoid suffocation. I've seen advice here that said 3 years. I think it ends up being a personal choice.

I guess we always used blankets for our boys... didn't know they couldn't have a blankie either...
Bumpers, pillows that kind of 'extra' stuff in a crib isn't safe... but no blanket? Really?
Don't they get cold?
When my boys were newborn we'd swaddle them in a lighter blanket. As they got older they always had a 'blankie' usually the one that my mom knitted for them. That was their 'security' blankie. Most of the time if we covered them they would kick them off at some point in the night anyway... they are hot-blooded!
They are now 9, 7, and 3 all just fine... no blankie? really? (by all means, no personal rip on you... just where does our paranoia as parents end?)
By baby #3 you'll be spit cleaning his nuk instead of waiting till you get all the way home from the store, even though he's screaming, boil it, sanitize it, cool it and then give it back. It's something my husband and I laugh about all the time now.
Enjoy your baby... they grow WAY too quickly... remember, they are pretty resilient little creatures.

I had this same dilemma. My son just turned 1 years old and his doctor said it was ok to use a SMALL blanket (receiving blanket size) because my son is able to move around and wake up if it would get twisted or caught, etc.

If your son is pretty mobile,can lift his head and change sleeping positions on his own, I would say it would be ok, but I would call your pediatrican first. Just to be sure.

What I did prior to that was put him in the fleecey sleepers or a sleep sack over his pajamas. He didn't seem to get cold that way. I also had a vaporizer in his room that seemed to keep the room warm too. Maybe you could try a sleep sack over the fleece? I don't know if that would make your baby too hot though.

HTH,
A.

We use a wearable blanket for our 8 month old. It is kind of like a sleeping bag with arm holes and a neck hole. It zips up the front. It is great and keeps our son warm and cozy at night.

We started using a knitted afghan blanket in my daughter's crib around 3 months of age. It has lots of small holes in it, so I was never worried about her suffocating.

My son is 4.5 months old and uses a blanket. He's actually used one since he came home. I cover him up to his belly, and he does just fine.

Yes, he can have a blanket...you can tuck the sides into the crib if you are nervous about it. Just make it a lightweight one and if he is cold, just put some more layers on him.

The general rule is 12 months. There are sleep sacks that you could purchase from BabysRus. I have a home daycare and I have been told that optimal sleep temperature is 65 degrees. Good luck

I believe the rule is age one, but my kids always slept with a blanket. when they were itty bitty I swaddled them until they were about 6 months old. Then they were so used to having the blanket they wouldn't sleep with out one. So i just gave them a small afgan blanket. It made me feel safer to know that they would be sleeping with a blanket that is full of holes. Just make sure if you do give him one it is light weight and not too big so he doesn't get tangled up in it. a receiving blanket would be ideal

I don't know what age is the right age to start using a blanket, but we used a Grobag from about 3 months until a little over a year. They come in different togs for different seasons so your baby is comfy in the temperature he is sleeping in. I'm sure there are different brands of similar sleeping bags.
http://www.gro-group.com/grobags.aspx

K. ... all my children had blankets from the time I brought them home from the hospital. My grandchildren all had blankets from the time they came home from the hospital. I can tell you that niether my 3 children or my 6 grandchildren ever had any problems with having blankets.

Good Luck!
D.

We didn't use a blanket till my daughter was 15 months. We use the Gerber blanket sleepers and under that we put her in a onesie and socks. We use fleece blankets that stick to her pajamas so that when she rolls, the blanket rolls with her and doesn't end up by her face. And they are not very thick either. Only slightly bigger than a receiving blanket.

I gave my children blankets right from the start. I know they say you shouldn't but I did. They both were just fine with them. Your child would be fine too if you gave him one. Just make sure that it is not to close to his head and you should be fine. Both of my kids had the big flese tye blankets too.

Usually not recommended for infants. I think the recommendation is 18 months or older. I think infants roll around too much and it is easy for them to be smothered by or entangled in a blanket. I would think when you child sleeps basically in one position throughout the night, you can use a blanket. Ask your doctor when you take him for his 9 month checkup. In the mean time, maybe you can put a cotton sleeper under the fleece one or add a sleep sak over the sleeper.

I highly recommend the use of a sleep sack over warm jammies. Both my kids slept much better with one of these on in the winter. It made a world of difference.

I also would recommend the sleep sack. My son is 2 and still uses one. I like not having to worry about him being uncovered and he sleeps more soundly.

We have an 8 month old and he sleeps with a little fleece blanket. He can crawl, sit up and roll over, I don't worry about him getting tangled. I think sometimes they worry you too much about stuff. I would just make sure it is a smaller blanket. Or you can do the blanket sleepers, but our son only liked those when he was first born.

My kids love blankets and have always slept with a small, lightweight one.

you can use any light blanket in bed at any time. just no thick comforters. and especially once baby can lift his head and stuff, its less likely that they will let their face be blocked by anything for too long. :D so your son should be fine.
:D
however, reduce the temperature!! dont crank the heat up in an effort to keep him warm, its going to backfire. 70 is as warm as you have to set your thermostat, and thats actually on the high end.
babies are usually pretty warm. check the back of his neck. if its sweaty hes too hot! thats actually more of a concern than being too cold! in a fleece sleeper its harder to cool off than it is to warm up. if he was too cold he would wake up and cry. :D

I got a great light weight crib size down comforter from pottery barn and loved it! I would also double up on sleepers. I bought sleepers that were a size or so too big and layered that one on top because even if you cover them they move toss and turn more than you would think and are still to young to recover themselves. That way I didn't worry about them being cold!

The rule is nothing in the crib - no toys, blankets, bumpers, pillow - nothing, until 1.

My kids both had sleep sacks until 18 months and no pillow until 2.

You'll find them at most stores, babies r us, etc. They are like a sack that zips down to they don't have access to the zipper. They are really great because they can't dislodge them during the night.

K.

My son had little baby blankets from Day 1. Although I'm not sure why we bother right now, because at 11 months he tosses and turns and never stays underneath it, anyway. ;-)

I agree that some things we can overthink. Provided he is mobile now, and he can lift his head and roll over and all that jazz, I don't see a problem. Why not give him a blanket at bedtime, and see how it goes for a night or two?