I'm never sure of what to dress my baby in when I put her to bed. Especially with the constant change in weather. I wonder if she's too hot or too cold. She sleeps in her crib with a footed sleeper. Most nights she wears the gerber sleepers and we keep the air on 75. When a cold snap comes I dress her in a warmer sleeper and set the heat to 71. I may sound neurotic, but she can't tell me how she feels. She uses no blankets, just the sleeper. How do other moms dress their babies for nightime?
B.,
My daughter who is now 14 months old, never liked to be covered (still doesn't), never could swaddle her. Now that she is bigger she is in 2 part PJ's. When she was younger she would be in sleepers. When cold she would be in the ones with feet, or I would put socks on her. She seems to do fine. No colds etc.
Hope this helps.
That's EXACTLY what I do for my daughter, so I agree with what you're doing. My test is to feel her hands and if they're cold, then I will dress her a little warmer. But I just watch the weather and if it's gonna get cold, use the heavier sleepers and heat on 71. Sometimes I've tried blankets (she's almost a year old) but she usually kicks them off or wakes up crying when she goes to turn over/move and her legs are inside, so the sleepers are really the key to a safe/good night's sleep.
I am the same way, but, they say to dress the baby how you would dress yourself....if you are comfortable, she should be okay!
My son is 20 1/2 months old and I still dress him just like you dress your daughter. I always feel a little weird saying that he is almost 2yo and still wears "footie" pj's! But, he has never used blankets for anything except to cuddle with or lay on top of. We keep the air conditioner set on just about the same settings as you. Our air ducts are a little strange in our house so my son's is always colder/hotter than the rest of the house. I bought one of those Vicks temp and humidity monitors from Babies R' Us and I frequently check it to make sure his room stays around 75º. If it really col outside, I sometimes put him in a thicker sleeper, but for the most part, he always wears those thin footie ones from Children's Place that zip up. They are awesome!
Hi B., this is a good question and something I have always struggled with! I have a 3 year old and an 18 month old, and have had to really experiment with them both to see what they are most comfortable in at night. I feel it depends so much on the actual child itself, as my daughter always sweats at night and gets hot very quickly. So, with her, I have learned to dress her fairly cool - short sleeves and long pants. Now, thankfully, she is at the age to know to cover herself with a blanket when cold. My son (18 mos) on the other hand loves to be warm, and sleeps better when in long sleeved top and pants (no socks). He would wake a lot when dressed in less. I am always prone to err on the side of keeping the little ones warm, as they kick off any blankets anyway during the night.
Good luck and you are not alone with this concern!!!
Hi! My first son didn't get a blanket or pillow until he got a big boy bed, at 2 1/2...my second son is almost 2 and i do the same as most moms on here, just put him in footed pjs (the only place i've found good ones that fit him are at the disney store), and i try to keep the temp in my house constant, anywhere from 70-73 degrees. he's almost 2 now and it's been fine this long! good luck.
I struggle with this very thing. With the constant changes in weather, A/C and the fact that my son's room is above a non-insulated garage, his room goes from one extreme to the other. It also makes a difference if his door is open or closed. I usually put him in layers (onesy and sleeper). On very cold nights I will put him in a sleep sack. They sell these at BabiesRUs for about $20 and sizes go up to 18 months. The other thing I have done is to tuck a fleece blanket like a sheet in his crib to trap more of his own body heat. The test for me is to check his hands and cheeks. If he is warm enough in his core body, then blood will flow to the extremeties and they will be warm as well.
keep her in her sleeper. when a cold snap does come don't turn your a/c when it gets colder inside then what the a/c is set at it will automatically stop running( that will help your elec. bill too). when you put her to bed put a recieving blanket on her from just under her arms. tuck it under her sides that way she stays covered. she wont be swaddled (at 6 months they start to get aggitated when they are swaddled) but she will be nice and cozy. that is what i have to do that with my 5 month old because she doesnt like blankets either but when i tuck it like that she leaves it.
this is so funny because for the last almost 3 years of my son's life, this is what I worry about every night! It sounds like you have it down just fine. Everyday I check the weather just so I can know what jammies to put on him. Tonight, he will be in a fleece sleeper with the heat set to 70. He still does not use a blanket or pillow (his choice), so this is still a worry for me. I also have a fleece and a chenille crib sheet I use on cold nights. What I have definately learned is that most of the time, they will be too warm more often than cold, so don't go nuts! I think what you are doing is the best, so just keep watching the weather!! I will wake up tonight at about 3am with you wondering if it is too cold too!
Hi B.,
Its funny how we first time moms worry so much about everything. I was and still am the same way/ My son is 2 and still does not use a blanket. In fact he doesn't even use a pillow and never has. He likes his bed to have nothing on it. So for advice I would say you are doing fine. When its warmer out, we still have the ac on so I still dress him in long sleeve, just a thinner material. And when its cold, with the heater on, I dress him in the zipper pjs. If having a blanket on your baby is a concern, I would say buy a few sleeper sacks. You can still put your baby in pjs and then put her in that as well. I never uses them but I have seen them and they look cozy and warm. I think they sell them where the feet can also come out and ones that stay inside the sack.
Hope this helps.
Just remember the "Old Time" saying, "Dress your Child to how you are dressed." So to me that would be if you dress for the cold and had to sleep with nothing but what you had on, and no blanket. Dress her the way you would if, you had no blacket to cover you and had on a foot fitted pajamamas...I always dressed my son as if it was me and he did well. He hates to be covered up and it was always an act of congress to keep him covered up when he was her age. We only turned the heat on if it was going below freezing. Good Luck.
This is an age old dillema! I did the same things. Basically, since they don't sleep under the blankets like us I dress mine in his own blanket, a cosy sleeper w/ feet. He needs 1 layer more than us so that's his layer. Keeping the temps around 70 should do the rest. It's not an exact science so I check on him a few times before I turn in to make sure he's not over heating. That way I sleep soundly too!
Hey there, I have a 5 month old and I put her in the footed long sleeve outfits and put the air on 75 as well. I also cover her with a blanket and she seems to do just fine. When it comes summer time I will probably just have her in a onesie and socks and a blanket. I worry like you also. I read that you should dress your baby one layer warmer than yourself. So if you are comfortable in short sleeves, I put the baby in long sleeves. Hope this helps :)
Hi B.
I am in winter haven with a 6 month old born 8/13/07 anyway I put him in a footy pj everynight regardless and cover him with a blanket are ac is usually at 74 at night and when it is cold i keep heat at 65 , everybody even baby sleeps better when it's cooler at night your baby will tell you if she is cold or hot don't worry Van is now moving around so much that i have to recover him at night.
good luck
shel
