Tiny sleep sacks and lose the swaddle NOW!

[benromana]

Help! My LO is 9 weeks old and rolled in her swaddle this morning. I know I have to drop it cold turkey, but we don’t have any sleep sacks in her size- silly us thought she’d be in mediums before she would need it. We’ve got footed sleepers to make do until we can get something, but we need a tiny sleep sack. LO is 24 inches but still under 10lb so they can pull their arms inside any arm hole that is too big and get trapped.

Anyone know where to find tiny sleep sacks or have success with something else? Also tips to survive the swaddle dropping weekend from h***? (We have two month shots today too... save me!!!)

 

[saturn218]

@benromana Hi, I'm a nursing student who has been displaced from clinical due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I have found the following information to answer your question related to sleep sacks.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released updated guidelines for infant safe sleep and suggests that a safe sleep environment can reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) (AAP, 2020). The AAP recommends safe sleep practices that can be implemented by all parents and caregivers to reduce the risk of sleep-related infant deaths. To address your concern regarding sleep sacks, I can recommend sleep sacks. The sleep sacks were approved by the AAP and were deemed safe to use (AAP, 2020). A sleep sack is a mini sleeping bag for your infant, it is a wearable blanket that keeps infant warm without confining.

Although sleep sacks are very safe for infants, it is also important for parents to help create a safe sleep area for infants. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that there are about 3,500 sleep-related deaths among US infants each year (CDC, 2020). Parents can provide a safe sleep area by having infant placed on their backs for sleeping, by providing a firm, flat sleep surfaces, such as a mattress and by having infant sleep in same room as parents until they are 6 months old (CDC, 2020).

In conclusion, sleep sacks are safe and effective at keeping your infant safe. The AAP and CDC support sleep sacks and highly recommend the use of sleep sacks.

Please note: I am not a medical doctor. Please follow the advice of your Primary Care Physician. I can answer questions but my information does not replace what your primary care Provider has stated

References

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2020). Helping Babies Sleep Safely. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/features/baby-safe-sleep/index.html
American Academy of Pediatrics (2020). AAP Guidelines on Safe Sleep and How You Can Start Practicing. Retrieved from https://www.halosleep.com/blog/aap-guidelines-on-safe-sleep-and-how-you-can-start-practicing-d602b3/

 

[sthelens]

@benromana Ergo Pouch saved my sanity. You can get 0-3 months in a variety of thicknesses. It fits snug so wont gape around their mouth or armpits. It's expensive, but totally worth it.

 

[mcmilla1010]

@benromana Nested bean zen one! It’s slightly weighted to make them feel snuggled and has and inside strap to help them feel swaddles. They are awesome and fit smaller babies better than a traditional sleep sack. https://www.nestedbean.com/products/zen-one-classic

 

[passat61]

@benromana Love to dream has been great for us.

 

[rjay4jesus]

@benromana The Nested Bean zen one has removable arms for sleep sack mode. With them zipped on, it’s an arms up swaddle. Inside the zip part is a Velcro wrap to give baby that hug, too.

 

[ajaye2014]

@benromana Zipadee zips. Bonus points for your potato looking like a starfish at bedtime. So flipping cute!! But seriously I swear on my life these things are the best.

 

[themaccauk11]

@benromana https://www.silkberrybaby.com/products/boys-0-4-years/layette-gowns/

Layette gowns
With these you can switch it from sack to sleeper without switching baby out
Also I love this brand.... their clothing is light and soft

 

[mranonymous573]

@benromana The Happiest Baby Sleepea swaddle sacks let both arms out, but not at the small size.

I’d be worried that the kid wouldn’t have much arm control or strength yet regardless. If it were me I’d consider renting a Snoo for 2-3 months just for the peace of mind of having the kid clipped in until they got a bit older. I know people have different opinions about the Snoo, but the safety data is super good.

 

[marquell]

@benromana I like the love to dream transitional swaddle. You can take the arms off it if you need to.

 

[lifethatwins]

@benromana This Halo sack in the newborn size fits 6-12 pounds. Wrap the wings under her arms so both arms are out. It should keep her from being able to slip her arms inside.

Once she’s 10 lb. you can switch to a regular Halo sleep sack size small. The design is exactly the same minus the wings, so it will be less of an adjustment.

 

[markharriss69]

@benromana As many others have said, you can swaddle with one or both arms out. We did this pretty much from the get go with our LO because he hated having his arms confined. Worked really well for us and we didn't need to get sleep sacks for awhile.

 

[katrina2017]

@benromana My LO did the same thing. We had to drop the swaddle cold turkey at 8.5 weeks, but I will say the Nested Bean sleep sacks have been AWESOME.
Other than that, I sympathize. The first few days are hell lol

 

[nursefc]

@benromana Target. My son uses the burts bees Cotten sleep sack but they also have the halo sack there (usually) it multiple sizes

 

[19hayden95]

@nursefc We like these too!

 

[katrina2017]

@benromana I used the Tommee Tippee grobag to transition from swaddle to sleeping bag. They come in sizes 0-4 months or 3-9 months. I found these sizes useful as we our LO grew out of swaddles at 3 1/2 months which is an awkward age as most sleeping bags are sized 0-6 months so we wouldn’t have got as much use. You are able to have none/one or both arms out to make the transition.

 

[sedshandicrafts]

@benromana In a pinch you can swaddle with both arms out. I still do that with my 5-month old even though she’s been rolling for a month now.

You can also try Walmart or Amazon for simple cotton sleep sacks. They have them for tiny babies (under 12 ibs).

 

[hungryfollower]

@benromana We recently ditched swaddles for my 13 week old because she was getting too hot and slept fine without it, but we really liked the nested bean ones when we did swaddle her.

 

[calvin75]

@benromana My wife found halo sleep sacks on Facebook marketplace. We got 4 for 20 dollars just had to do some driving around.

 

[katrina2017]

@benromana Another vote for the Halo swaddle wrap! Just wrap the wings around baby’s torso so arms are free.