Parents are often confused about what to use as their baby starts to grow, and whether they should be transitioning away from swaddles. This guide is meant to help you decide what to use.
In the above chart we have broken the child's growth in to 3 stages, which are based on the child's development:
Stage 1 - Swaddling Phase
When to use it: From birth until the baby starts to try rolling over
Your baby has spent the last 9 months in a warm and cozy womb. Swaddling her attempts to give her that same cozy feel.
There are several benefits to swaddling a baby, which include:
- Babies are cozier in a swaddle and sleep longer
- Swaddling prevents unnecessary wake ups, such as the the startle reflex (known as the Moro Reflex), as their movement is restricted
- Swaddling keeps the baby adequately warm
- Swaddling is safer during the early months. A well-tied swaddle cannot cover the baby's face like a loose blanket could
Swaddling is an art, and if you're not sure how to do it, read through our post on how to swaddle a baby.
Browse through our soft, safe swaddle blankets.
Stage 2 - Sleep Sack Phase
When to use it: Once the baby starts to roll over, until they're approximately 1 year old
Some babies start to reject swaddling themselves, and will kick up a fuss when you try to swaddle them. Others don't, but start to roll over on to their sides or back. Both of these are clear signs that you should start transitioning away from swaddling.
This can happen from as early as 2-3 months.
After the swaddling phase, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends wearable blankets or sleeping sacks.
Sleep sacks keep the baby warm, while staying in place. This ensures that they do not cover the baby's face. This decreases the risk of SIDS.
The benefits of our sleep sacks are:
- Keeps the baby warm through the night
- Reduces the risk of SIDS, as their arms go through the arm hole, and the sleep sack can't cover the babies face
- Provides an easier way of doing a diaper change during the night
Here are some of our comfortable and safe sleep sacks.
Stage 3 - Blanket Phase
When to use it: Once they're approximately 12-14 months old
Once your baby has had his first birthday and is mobile enough, you can start transitioning away from a sleep sack to a regular baby blanket. Once you're confident that the baby can move around, and has enough strength to move a blanket.
There are several types of blankets, such as fleece blankets, dohars or quilts. Each of these have different levels of warmth. You would need to pick amongst these based on your using air-conditioning or staying in a cold climate. It is still important not to let the baby get too warm.
Browse through some of our cozy dohars and quilts.