What Should a 9 Month Old Wear to Bed When It Is Cold??

I started putting my daughter in a sleep sack around the same age, and she still wears one at 21 months. I love it. She stays warm all night and no worrys about her climbing out of the crib. The downside is that she's pretty dependent on it to sleep, but I got over that when I realized that it's no different from a baby/kid who needs a certain blanket or toy to sleep. Finding bigger ones is a challenge. Halo does sell them, but you may have to buy online. There are some other great (pricy) ones online, too. I got all motivated and made 2 for her. She takes one to her mothers' day out for naps, as do 2 other girls in her class, so I'm not the only one! As for fingers, I find that if her core stays warm, she doesn't seem to be bothered by cold hands.

I tried the sleep sac 1st but my son didnt like it. I just put him in the warm footed jammies that you can get anywhere pretty much. He also has a blanket. I dont cover him until he is sleeping. He has had a blanket since about 4 months. He is 13 months now. Also, the blankets we use are knitted ones that were gifts. They have holes throught so I never have to worry if he gets stuck under one but he doesnt ever do that anyway. Good luck!

Let me know what you find out for the hands...I have my daughter (3 months) in a blaket sleeper (very warm and she seems to like it) but her little hands are FROZEN in the am!

I recently read an article in Parenting Magazine (I think that was the magazine) that said you can't judge a child's temperature by their feet and hands. You should put your hand on their tummy or back to feel for a chill or to see if they are too warm. That being said, by the time my son was 9 months old last winter I was using a lightweight blanket in his crib and never had any problems. He rarely stayed covered all night though. I did make sure he wore his footed pajamas and if it was going to be especially chilly I'd put socks on his feet inside the pajamas. I haven't ever used anything on his hands, even though they feel chilled occassionally.

I don't know if any of that helps you make a decision. I hope you find a solution - Good luck!!

In my opinion you need to do what you are comfortable with. I put a blanket on my baby from day one. I tucked it up under his mattress when he was a baby to keep it from balling up around him. At night he stayed in footed onzies or socks to keep his feet warm. If you are comfortable with it put a blanket in with your baby but make it one that isn't too big. Maybe put it on your baby during nap time first to see how she does with it before you put it on her at night. My son is almost 2 years old and I am still paranoid about him getting cold because now instead of him covering up with the blankets he likes to ball them up and put them under his head.

I think you should do what you are comfortable with; however, I will say that we used blankets from the day we came home from the hospital with all four of our children, who are now 9, 7, 5, and 3 years old. They also wore footed one-piece sleepers and sleep bags or sacks. I just never could let them be cold in bed! Good luck!

Socks and a onesie under the footed pajamas.

There are also nice thick, fleece blanket sleep sacks at Babies R Us. My daughter slept in those until 20 months old!

I have a nine month old daughter too. The past few nights I've been putting socks on her feet, then footed pj's, and then I top it off with a long sleeved sleep sack (which you can buy at Wal-mart). I tried putting a blanket on her but she just kicks it off in her sleep. Sleep sacks are a great option when you have a baby who moves around a lot in her sleep.

Hi E.,
I used the full body zip up (some have clamps) for my baby when she was an infant and I've been using them ever since. She's now 22 months and it's pertinent that I use them now b/c she tosses her covers through the night. So the full body zip up keeps her warm and also from catching a cold. Oh and some of them come with the capability to cover the hands! They sell them at target, wal-mart, major dept stores, etc. Take care!!

My son wears his footed pajamas and a Halo Sleep Sack. It keeps him cozy and safe. He loves it.

sleep sacks were fantastic for my little girl. I did not start using a loose blanket until she was a year old. there are some good cotton, fleece, long, and short sleeve options if you search around.

congratulations on your precious baby girl. aren't little ones just wonderful!!!! while a dr would tell you not to put anything in the crib, you probably could. however....she will not stay covered up. the sleep sacks are the best or i have even dressed over my toddlers jammies a "night night coat" which is the footed fleece like pj's. as far as the hands go, you could try socks. just put them on after she is asleep or she will just take them off. once the rest of her is warm enough she may not wake up. if that is the case i wouldn't worry about the hands. my dr has said as long as it doesn't wake them and they warm up once you are up and moving around in the morning, then it is ok. i hope this helps. we have been doing the same things since i am not ready yet to turn the heat on in our home yet. and even with the heat my toddlers room is always freezing or hot. i am even thinking of moving his room to the guest room away from the attick. best of luck!!!!

J.

My daughter kicks the blanket off so I put her in long sleeve footed pajamas and a light weight sleep sack.

My son, who is 19 months old has slept with a blanet for as long as I can remember. As soon as we quit swaddling him around 6 months old, we covered him up with a blanket. He's always worn long sleeved footed pj's to bed, regardless of season. He seems to sleep better with them on than if we've put him in a pj's with shorts and short sleeved shirt. I think that it's because if he comes out of his blanket, then he's still warm. I was always told that when they were able to roll over, you can cover them with a blanket.

God made them with extra cushion so don't worry about her hands. In the winter months i would use a tight fitting pj or onesie adn then a larger footed pj. Sometimes i even put socks on inside the footed pj. I would not go with the blanket sleeper. They are wonderful but not for a baby on the move. They tend to get twisted and frustrated when they want to move. I have always used a twin sized heating blanket as well. I put the heating blanket on the mattress and then the crib pad and sheet. It never made the bed too hot that it would burn the girls. It just kept the chill off the bed. I have an older two-story home so it gets fairly chilly in the winter. Remember, they sleep better a little cooler rather than too hot...just like you and i do. We sleep better when we are nestled down in our beds and the air is a bit cool around us. Good luck new mom.... It is wonderful.

E.,
I have always used a blanket in my babys bed. Currently I have been putting my baby in a footed onesie as well as covering him with a light to medium weight blanket. Unfortunatley he is like his father and hates blankets so kicks them off, BUT his skin is never cold to the touch...JUST LIKE HIS DAD. lol. I know some doctors tell you NOT to use a blanket, but it is your child and you need to raise your baby the way you think she needs to be raised. If you feel she needs a blanket then give her one...just dont use a heavy crib quilt or comforter. Maybe you could even try just a couple of recieving blankets to start with to see if that helps. Good Luck.

IMO, shes still to young for a blanket... I dont even use one with my just turned 2 year old because he will sleep with it wrapped around his head and that scares me...Any way, I use the heavier pajammas one piece flannel type I found a ton at target that have feet. Gerber makes some in packages at target and I also have found some at target that dont have feet I am sure wal mart would have something like that as well... you could also probably find some good pajama lots gently used on Ebay that is usually where I go first...

But get the thicker blanket kind with feet then she wont need a blanket... I usually train them with using a blanket by starting with a very small lovey type blanket then gradually going with a larger crib blanket and so on...

With it being safest to keep a ceiling fan running in the baby's room to lessen the amount of concentrated carbonmonoxide in the crib area its best to dress the little ones warmly with no blankets and snug fitting pajamas! :o) I would not use a heated blanket in a crib if it got wet from spit up of a leaky diaper it can cause electric shock or even start a fire...

HTH
A. J

When my son was a baby, I used a sleep sack that actually had hand covers as well. But, I haven't been able to find one of those for my 10 month old baby. Right now, I am putting her in a short sleeved onesie with socks and then over that the one piece thermal pj's. The other thing that I recently did was buy some "night time diapers". Her diapers were leaking and her pajamas were getting wet and I thought that would probably give her a chill. I tried the new diapers last night for the first time and they held it all!

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=1016...

We keep our home cold and these are perfect. You can find them at walmart. They are like a full body footed coat. Both of our boys wore them. Under $20. We only had two. One to wash and one to wear.

I have a four month old. We dress her in footed sleep suits and a sleep safe blanket. You know those sleep suits that zip? Since we can't put a blanket in her crib b/c of SIDS this sleep sack acts a blanket. You can buy thes at Babies R Us. Also, you can put socks on her hands if they are cold.

Give her a blankie. She's old enough.

Your risk of SIDS dec quite a bit after they can roll over on there own and sitting up. Putting a blanket in the crib won't be the problem, it's keeping it on her! My daughter is 3 yrs old and I still can't keep a blanket on her. The sleep sacks are great, we used those for a while. There really isn't anything for her hands. It won't hurt her though...

We always put thermal-type PJs (like the cheap Gerber kind you can get at Wal-Mart) with socks under a footed blanket sleeper. My kid always liked to sleep with blanket on her head like a cave and it made me nervous so we layered instead and she always kept warm.

Try a sleep sack - they're great - the baby can't get out of it, won't be smothered by it, and it will keep her warm. They come in different fabrics - we used a cotton knit one for the summer - but have a fleece one now for the cooler weather. They have them at Babies R Us, and JCPenney has them online.

I can't sleep when I'm cold, either, so I know how your daughter feels!! I always go to bed with sockies (those little socks that go up to your ankles) on my feet, and I sleep much better. My sister-in-law swears that her baby girl wouldn't sleep through the night until she started putting sockies on her. She SAYS she started sleeping through the night the very first time she tried it, and has ever since (unless she forgets the sockies). But you don't mention that your daughter isn't able to sleep because of the cold hands and feet. If she's still sleeping, maybe you don't really have a problem ... your hands and feet are probably cold when you get up, too ...???

If you feel like a fleece footed sleeper is not cutting it, try layering. First, do a short sleeved onsie and socks underneath her sleeper. If you are still worried, do a thin set of long sleeved, long pants underneath. We loved thermal pj's for this. I always do socks underneath the footed pjs if there is a chill. Her hands may always be a little chilly when she wakes, but like another poster said, check her body. And, if she is not waking up at all, then really, she is not uncomfortable. She is lucky to have a concerned mom..have fun, 9 months is a great age!! ~A.~

my DD, who was also a January baby - uses those fleece-y footies that you can buy many places (including Wal-Mart for a $9 two pack)! I feel they are warm (though I did use blankets - mainly crochet-type ones on account of the holes)and cozy and can always be added to a onesie, etc if it is REALLY cold. Then in the morning, they can run around in them too and be warm.

The big worry with blankets is them choking,but if your daugther is already crawling and standing, then she would be able to move the blanket if needed. We used blankets on our son earlier than that.

One sleeper ... meaning with the feet attached. I use to put thin socks and then the sleeper on my infant. And then place a semi thick blanket on top. a lot of times the blanket will be knocked off during the night.

Good luck.

I am a new mom too, my baby was also born in Jan... and I put on a long pijama, put socks on her, and cover her with a thin and then thick blanket to keep her warm. You could put her in a long john... they are on clearance at Target.... cover her feet and then put a blanket. Hope this helps.

Sorry if I'm repeating anything already posted. You should get a Halo Sleep Sack. I got one for my son who is 11 months old and has the same problem with cold hands and feet. Halo makes them in all sizes, even for older children. Go on Google and type in Halo Sleep Sack and you'll be able to find their website, see where they are sold in stores, or just order it online. Also, Kiddopotomus (sp?) sells a sleep sack but they are smaller sized and only go up to 12 months old. They have a website that you can check out too. The Kiddopotomus brand is better in my opinion because they offer long sleeved sleep sacks whereas Halo does not. I got the larger Halo for my son because he is really big for his age; otherwise, I would have gotten the long-sleeved Kiddopotomus for him. Also, maybe try putting socks on your daughter's hands and feet and dressing her in layers. Before I got the sleep sack, I put my son to bed in a onsie "jumpsuit" type outfit with long sleeves and legs, socks, and thick footed pjs. He slept fine and wasn't cold at all upon waking up. I found a bunch of fleece footed pjs at second-hand baby stores around town and only paid between $3-4 for each! If you shop second-hand, try Kid to Kid or DeJa New. If you live in the Plano or Wylie area, there's a good one called The Mulberry Bush on Parker. If you do a Yahoo or Google search online, you can find all the good second hand baby stores in your area. Good luck!

You are fine to put a blanket in the bed. I pretty much have used one with my daughter since she was an infant. She has doesn't really move it around so i was never afraid. She also puts her hands above her head and not under the blanket where she could move it around. I think the caution is to not have tons of oversized blankets and toys in the crib. Using a baby blanket is fine especially by 9 months.

However even with a blanket now that its getting cold my daughters hands are always freezing since we don't put them under the blanket!

E.,
I think he's fine to have a blanket. The other mother's have given great advice. I have a 25 month old and he hates covers, so I think it's important to make sure he's in long pj's some of them don't have the foot, so I make sure he has socks on, which he's like me and doesn't like to wear them too much. Since it's been cold I've put him to bed in long-sleeves too, I think I'm going to have to get out the real winter pj's. Just be aware he may not like blankets on, mine even at 9 months would kick it off.

Make sure it's warm in the room.

When our now 14 yr. old daughter was born, we had a nurse come to our house the week after she was born to check up on mom and baby. We were concerned about our house being too chilly as we were remodeling and so it was a bit drafty. We asked our nurse about it and she said that in the UK where she was from, they always keep their houses cooler in the winter because bacteria breeds in warm environments. They just always wear wool sweaters and socks. So that's what we do.

When our kids were babies, we put them in layers at bedtime. I might put a onesie first, then some warm tights and then a blanket sleeper. It seemed to work just fine.

Best wishes,
D.

I use the thicker fleece footed pjs for both my 3 year old and my 18 month old. I have used these since they were born. I didn't start using a blanket until they were about 12 mos. You might test the blanket at nap, but use the thicker crib "comforter" type not a receiving blanket.

I agree with the sleeper. My son is 9 mos old and he not sleeps in a sleeper at night but I do have a blanket in there. I also would recommend the sleep sack if a blanket makes you nervous. You can find them at Babies R Us. The one I used was sleeveless and zipped up the front and was closed at the bottom. I liked it cuase even if he moved around he was still covered!!! Just an idea

I personally could not have lived without sleep sacks. That is what we used with both of my girls until they were each a year old. It is a 'blanket' but they wear it like footie pajamas. You can buy them either sleeveless or with long sleeves. They can't kick it off or get them around their head, because it zips on, so it's COMPLETELY safe, but it's a nice little extra layer of snuggly warmth. There are a couple of different brands out there if you go to Babies R Us, but here is a link to some examples: http://www.toysrus.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=h...

We swaddled until our daughter wouldn't stay in it. Our daughter was born during the cold months so I can't remember NOT using a blanket in some way with her footies. If the child is strong enough to stand sit and crawl, they should be ok with a blanket(in my opinion). Check with your pediatrician to get a professional opinion.

D.
SAHM of three:19,18,and 5.
Home Baker and Crafter. Married to the same wonderful man for almost 12 years.

At 9 mos, when she's crawling and standing, it's perfectly safe to give her a blanket--she can extract herself if she gets tangled, or certainly yell for help, if necessary! However, she's NOT old enough to pull it over herself when she kicks it off, which is the bigger issue. We LOVED the sleepsacks at that age, although they may be short-lived if she's standing independently already. My DD would tolerate them when standing, but once she could walk, it was just mean to keep her feet tied up! We now put her in fleece footed pj's, and, if necessary, a sweater or fleece on top. You could also, as the other poster said, add a onesie and/or socks underneath, and, if she'll keep it on, a hat. You don't need to cover her hands--if you keep her body warm enough, her hands will be warm, too. But also don't stress too much about cold hands--if she's not waking up from the cold, she's fine.

The key is layering. I grew up in NY, and my parents say I would never keep a blanket on me, either, so they'd put me to bed in my snowsuit!

Put her in a sleep sack. I used one last winter for my baby, who was born in July 07. Now that it has gotten cooler, we are using a larger one. They are great! Baby still wears her regular pj's. The blanket fits over these and zips down, so baby will have a difficult time unzipping it.
God Luck!

I have used a blanket with my son, 23 months, since he was born. Originally, I tucked it under the mattress, but after he learned to roll over and sit up, I just covered him up with it. Now it is his security! One thing to mention is that I used blankets that were more like afghans, not solid. I have others, but what I put in the bed with him were the ones that are 'holey'! He doesn't always keep them on, so I also use socks and have used blanket sleepers in the past.

Best of luck!

E.,
You can put socks on her feet underneath the footed sleepers to keep them warm.
She is definitely old enough to sleep with a blanket.
Once she starts sleeping with the blanket she will probably keep her hands underneath. If she doesn't do not worry about it.
H.

A blanket is okay for a 9 month old (i.e. SIDS is very low at this age), but babies move around a lot in their sleep, so I don't think she'd stay covered. I recommend a sleep sack and long-sleeved pajamas. I think her fingers will b fine if the rest of her is warm. If you go to the Halo website, they sell large-size ones (she'd still probably be in a medium, though). Good luck!

My husband went out and bought a clock that also has a temperature gauge on it. We got it at Brookstone. He also bought a little floor fan that heats. It has a temperature gauge on it as well to help keep our daughter's room at the temp that we want. This has been working for us. We are hesitant to put her in anything heavy as she gets hot when she sleeps. So there are a few alternatives to blankets and such. :)