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In the years of working with sleep bags I’ve seen zips and poppers that come off, necks and arm holes that are too big (allowing babies to fall into them or climb out), sleep bags with Velcro on them (allowing them to become attached to the mattresses) — these are just a few unsafe examples.
Your baby or toddler might be alone in their sleep bag for up to 12 hours at night so it needs to be as safe as possible.
Top 5 tips when choosing a safe sleep bag:
There a few reasons why a sleep bag should always have a zip down the front. It helps parents/carers remember to put the baby on their back to sleep safely. For example, if baby has been rocked to sleep and then put in a front zip sleep bag, research shows the parents/carers will put the baby on its back. If the zip is at the side parents/carers might put the sleeping baby on its tummy and then zip the sleep bag up around the baby. With a side zip parents/ carers can forget to zip the sleep bag up fully resulting in the neck being too big and the baby is at risk of slipping inside the sleep bag. When you have a walking toddler parents/carers often open the bottom of the side zip so the child can walk around after or before sleep. This is something I never recommend as it is a danger to your child’s safety. Opening the sleep bag can also make it a risk if around an open fire. It can also result in the toddler tripping.
Why no poppers or buttons on the shoulders? This is because they can pop open or be left open again, resulting in the baby slipping into the sleep bag.
Why no stretch material such as jersey? This is because after some use the neck can stretch and the baby can slip into the sleep bag. Some babies and toddlers climb out of the neck as well and this means they are in the cot with a quilt like loose piece of bedding and this is very unsafe.
The above are some of the reasons I created the Save Our Sleep Safe Sleep Bags. My range ticks all the boxes when choosing a safe sleep bag for your child. They are sized in line with my Safe Bedding Guide which means you get more use out of your sleep bag.
Le gach dea-ghui, Tizzie
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39 thoughts on "What is a safe sleeping bag?"
Thanks Tizzie. As usual your advice is invaluable. I was wondering if you could be more specific about what blankets you use as they vary so much in thickness. I can’t imagine dressing my baby in his bodysuit, babygro and sleeping bag and then putting a sheet folded in two and then 6 blankets (assuming his room is 20 degrees) . It sounds like so much taking into account what I think of as a blanket. Taking the examples in your shop, would you put on 6 Wegoamigo blankets? I would love some clarification. Thanks again for all your advice. XXOO
Thankyou so much. It is so kind of you to be thinking of us. I was just going to bed and thought I would just check the amount of blankets my bubby boy 8mths needed given it is 24 degrees in his room. (We are in WA and its starting to get warm already!) He has 1 sheet folded in two and two flannelette sheets folded in two which I have classed as the four blanket layers but now I am thinking these should be counted as sheets. It just seems so warm, it is hard to think they need so many layers.
Two days ago though he had no layers on him and we were getting no sleep. SInce starting your routines he is now sleeping from 7pm-6am and going from naps of half an hour to two sleeps of 45mins and 1 1/2 hrs. I have a different child. He is so happy and content now. I wished I had known about your book earlier. I think that you and your team are so wonderful! Thankyou so much again for your time. You have made my day…. and night! xxoo
Hi Tizzie,
I was wondering if I could have some advice. I am having trouble getting my 12 week old son to resettle. I have read your book over and over and have bought the sleeping bags, bamboo blankets and also the comforters. I am just a bit unclear about the strategy on resettling. He self settles quite quickly – usually about 10 minutes – but always wakes after the 40 minute mark. He does resttle himself on the odd occassion, but other times cries for the rest of the allocated sleep time. If I do get him up, like you advise in the book, he cries till the next feed and then after that feed wants to fall asleep rather then stay awake till the 1pm sleep. Do you have any advice? Should I just keep getting him up every time he wakes and have him cry till the next feed?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated
Hayley
Hi Tizzie, love the book and the bedding guide. Ava (14 weeks, not swaddled, north WA, room @ 22C) settles brilliantly at 7 every night but I am having a little trouble getting her to sleep past 5am which on re-reading your guide I am convinced she is too cold. I am off to buy long sleeved body suits asap. I bought 0.5 tog sleeping bags before reading your guide but dont really want to now buy 2.5 tog bags. Can you please tell me how many tog a waffle weave cotton blanket is, so I can ‘top up’ to the correct number of layers? And can there be too many layers? Thank you for all your help. Sarah
Hi 🙂
Thanks for all your great advice in your book and on your website.
I’ve just been reading the safe bedding guide and its veryhelpful. Was just wondering why a baby older than 8 weeks seems to have an extra layer than a baby younger than 8 weeks as the older ones have a sleeping bag as well as the same amount of blankets as the younger ones.? (hopefully that makes sense)
Thanks,
Fiona.
ps. your two little ones are gorgeous 🙂
Hi Tizzie was just reading your response to Nat (above) and noticed that you said older babies don’t need the blankets tucked in but rather just cocooned around them. Why is this ?and is it still ok to be tucking older babies in?
Hi Tizzie,
Thank you so very much for your book, our little girl is almost 7 months and took to the routines smoothly when she was 3 months old. We had gone to Tresillian with sleeping/settling issues and a mother I met there suggested your book… I wish I had met her first!! Your book just about saved our family 🙂
I’m a bit confused, in your reply to Brook & Ted you stated “I do find with some rotuines where it is suggested to wake a baby up in the morning it teaches the baby to catnap.” Don’t you suggest waking babies for feeds e.g. 7am?
Many thanks,
Michelle
Hi Tizzie,
Have only started to use your routines in the last week (from many recommendations from friends) and i am loving it. I have downloaded your bedding guide and have used it as a guide for my baby (my boy is 12 weeks old and as you have said in many areas waking between 4am-5am from being cold – I would find him with his legs tangled in the cot bars from moving around so much).
Just wanted to ask a question – last night it was 24 degrees in his room, we had the air con on in the house, so it was 24 in all rooms. He didnt quite have exactly what you recommended on for that temp but he had the following : long sleeve/leg bodysuit, one zip up wrap, one folded into two bamboo sheet, one bamboo cellular blanket folded in two and two organic cotton blankets (which is actually a little less than your recommendations – no sleeping bag and one less blanket). What i couldnt get my head around is that i was laying in my bed boiling hot (i think breast feeding mothers feel the heat more) with only a sheet on and singlet top, yet he had all of these layers on. Could you please put my mind at ease on why they need all of these layers? I live in NSW, maybe the humidity was a little high last night, but i was keeping myself awake worrying about how warm he might be.
Thanks
Sascha
PS He woke once at 2.00am which is pretty normal for him as i am not using the dreamfeed at the moment, but he was very sleepy which i kept thinking is this because he is too hot and groggy (he wasnt wet with sweat like your bedding guide says to look out for if they are hot). He also fell asleep at the breast which i know is bad and he never usually does at night. So I took one blanket off and he woke up this morning at 6.30am and he was completely out of his blankets lying across his cot. My husband said “Are you sure they cant kick their blankets off if they are too hot?”
Sorry maybe i am just being paranoid!
Hi Tizzie,
Thank you for your reply, that makes sense. 🙂
I do have another question. When I put my baby to sleep, she has the appropriate bedding for the temp suggested in the Safe Bedding Guide. However, as her bedroom in on our second storey, the temp in her room always increases during her sleep. My question is, do I put her to bed with the correct layers, then remove them as it warms up, or put a layer or two less in anticipation of the temp increase, or just leave the bedding as is until she wakes?
Thank you so much for your valuable advice!
Michelle
Hi Tizzie,
Thankyou so much for your response. I will purchase a couple of safe sleeping bags from your store today and also a double wrap (the zip up wrap i currently use has his hands and arms hanging out the top of his bedding which is also making him cold). I just wanted to clarify something with you – I noticed that you said in the above comments that you can swaddle your baby until they are 11 months old, but in the bedding guide you say you should swaddle until they show signs of rolling over. My boy is close to rolling i think (from the positions he gets himself into in his cot at night when he is cold and when playing in his gym), so am ok to still use the double wrap for a while? Also when you stop using the wrap how do you get them to stop pulling their arms from under their bedding (into the cold) and pushing their bedding away (or do the safe sleeping bags keep them warm enough if their arms pop from under the covers)?
Thanks so much
Sascha
Hi Sascha:
Tizzie asked me to pop and clarify for you. Tizzie recommends swaddling your baby until the can roll while swaddled – not just roll during play time on the floor. It is much more difficult for a baby to roll swaddled with their arms down which is why you can swaddle them past when they can roll during play time but as soon as you notice them trying to roll swaddled which can be around 10-11months you then need to remove the swaddle.
Once they are no longer swaddled you generally increase the tog of the safe sleeping bag to a 2.5tog which helps to keep them warn enough.
Kind Regards
Kirstie
Save Our Sleep
Thankyou so much for clarifying for me. I received my Bubbaroo sleeping bags and double wrap in the mail today, so i am off to pop them in the wash ready for tonight. One last tiny question (sorry to be a pain), could you please tell me what the difference between a day blanket and a night blanket is? I have the Little Bamboo blankets and some of the Pure Baby cotton blankets and just wanted to know so i get it right for tonight.
Thankyou so much
Sascha
Hi Tizzie,
All i can say is WOW! He almost slept through (woke at 4.15am because his room dropped 1 degree through the night), but we are almost there (he looks so much warmer/snuggly in his sleeping bag and double wrap). I may put an extra blanket on him before i go to bed next time so he doesnt wake at that cold time of the morning. I was very impressed, even my husband was blown away!
I cant believe how clueless i have felt until now as a first time mum (you attend classes about child birth but nothing about actually after the baby arrives!). You have given me so much more confidence by following your routines and bedding guide! I will be telling everyone! He is sleeping so well now that my husband and I fight for who is going to wake him up for his next feed! Ha ha.
Thanks again!
Sascha
Hi Tizzie,
How many layers of blankets would you recommend with a merino sleeping bag? Our 6 month old’s room is 20 degrees (kept pretty constant with a heater) and we dress him in a merino long sleeve bodysuit and a cotton all-in-one. He likes to sleep on his side.
Thanks
Hi Tizzie,
I was wondering if I could have some advice. I am at a loss. My 10.5 month old daughter has been on your routines from 3 mths and all was great until 7mths. I have read your book over and over and have the safe bedding guide but don’t know where I’m going wrong. She is now an early riser and sleeps too long at her morning sleep so she is not tired for her afternoon sleep, then over-tired by 7pm! Her night time ritual is bottle at 6.30 (finishes within 15min), book, brush teeth, into her cot at 6.55pm. She will chat to herself and toss and turn for anywhere up to 40 mins before she falls to sleep. She will then sleep well but wakes early anywhere between 5am & 6am. She chats to herself until I get her up at 7, napping in between. We dress her in a singlet, full piece bodysuit, 2.5 tog sleeping bag, 1 sheet, 3 cotton blankets doubled over and the temp is usually 21 degrees, we are near Sydney. She eats well, so I’ve ruled out hunger. Her day time sleeps have also become uncertain. I put her down at 9.50am, but have tried putting her down at 10, & 10.10… no change to her early rising. I find that the later I put her down in the morning, the longer she will sleep, say until 12 – 12.15. But then she is not tired enough to sleep at 3/3.30pm, she just chats to herslf and stands up in her sleeping bag!
This week I have tried: 10am sleep until 11.30, then 2.30pm sleep until she wakes about 3.30pm. No change to early rising and late night time settling!
Do you have any advice? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Michelle
Hi tizzie
I love your book, have bought three copies so far. One for me, grandparents (so they’re practicing same routines as me, and understand why), and one for a friend that’s pregnant! Your a life saver, thankyou I love motherhood as my baby sleeps so well! She likes sleeping with her arms above her head, and after watching your video on safe swaddling, wonder if there’s an alternative so she can have her arms up, or should I get her into a new habit with arms down?
Hi Tizzie, my baby boy is 2 weeks old tomorrow and I haven’t started him on a routine yet, I don’t feel confident yet and thought I would wait until he was around 4-6 weeks old, does this matter? Question: I live in NSW and room temp is ranging from 24 thru to 19 (at the moment anyway) i have bought 2 x bubbaroo sleeping swags the medium and the heavy tog, which I haven’t used yet as my husband and I have felt it’s been too warm when putting him down at night (temp been starting off at about 25-23) he isn’t a swaddled baby as hates having his arms restricted so he currently sleeps in a long sleeve short leg body suit then a muslin folded over into 4 layers as a blanket tucked into the bassinette mattress-some nights this is his only bedding, he has done a few nights of 3-4hrly (some nights he slept for 4 hrs therefore it was technically 5 hrs from start of one feed to the start of the next), other nights it’s 2 or 2.5hrly., when we feel his tummy it isn’t cold, some nights when it’s dropped to 20-19 I’ve added a Cotten blanket or additional muslin folded over as a blanket, but by the sounds of your readings your saying to put way more bedding on them? So u also suggest using blankets on top of the bubbaroo swag. But is that only if the temp drops to a certain low as the swags package says no bedding at certain temps? We are so paranoid of overheating him (SIDS etc). He is also been doing a bit of cluster feeding now and then, so one example was he started feeding at 10.18am-10.45am, dozed/burped, wouldnt settle and fed again at 11.22am-11.30am, 12.00am-12.30pm, 1.04pm-1.25pm then finally stopped suckling actions and acted tired enough and went to sleep at 1.30pm until 4.20pm! He hasn’t done this every day but it has happened on occasions day or night-I thought at first it was because he had done a 5hr sleep the night before but it happened again since that time. Last night he went down at 6.39pm (after an episode of cluster feeding from before bath time then after bath time (so all up on and off from 4.25-6.22pm), and slept til 9.20pm then fed til 10.58pm, then slept til 12.50am, then fed til after 2am, then slept from 2.30am til 3.40am then fed til 5.00am then slept from 5.13am til 7.40am then fed from 7.44am til 10.15am then slept from 10.25am til 11.15am then fed from 11.24am til 11.40am, slept from 12pm til 1.30pm (wouldn’t go down for this wanted to be nursed), then fed 1.40pm til 2.15pm and 3.05pm til 3.26pm, then slept from 3.30pm til 6pm, 6.07pm til 6.13pm then bathed him, then fed from 6.35pm til 7.40 then slept from 8pm til 9.30pm and now im currently feeding him. Is this ‘demand feeding’ in full force and all the more reason to get him into a routine? (also on the bedding topic, is it ok to put a body suit on him then put him in the swag with nothing on top if the temp chart on the package says no bedding required? And he now sleeps un swaddled with his arms out and about so u can keep doing that once I start using the swag yeah?). I appreciate your time, look forward to hearing from you (will make interpreting your book that bit less daunting) oh also in those feed times I mentioned it often includes a nappy change and always burp time.
P.s I let him have his day time sleeps in his ‘snuggle bed’ in the lounge room so he gets used to noise of a day and isn’t reliant on his bed so when we go out he will sleep in other surroundings and beds, is this ok ?
Hi Tizzie
I have a 9 month old and have been following your routine since he was almost 4 months. We don’t have air con in the house and the room can get to 25 or 26 degrees in summer. what is a safe bedding guide for my son in these temperatures (Sydney). I usually dress him in a short sleeved bodygro or pj’s and a 1 tog sleeping bag. He sleeps from 7pm until any time after 6am. He does move around in the cot though and sometimes hits the rails. I find when i put a sheet over him or blanket he gets too hot to the touch.
We also recently relocated to Singapore for work and commute to Sydney for holidays.
Whilst we are in Singapore with the humidity there we have the air con in our room around 25/26 degrees and it is quite cold. I’m unsure as to what bedding to use. I usually dress the bub in a long sleeved onesey and a 1 tog grobag, a cotton sheet and 1 bamboo blanket. Is that enough?
Hi Tizzie,
I’m a mother of 3 who has been an AVID Save our Sleep fan and follower for nearly 4 years but I just have 1 question about what to put your baby in to go to bed.
I have a 4 week old who gets very unsettled at night (even after feeding) so I’m currently trying to eliminate coldness as a reason. I just want to know if I can put my 4 week old in a sleeping bag at this young age? I’ve never been sure if your Safe Bedding Guide is meant from ‘birth’? I live in North Queensland so currently are ‘living’ in air conditioning and I have the room air con set at 24 degrees during both day and night, so I’m following your Bedding Guide for that temp except for the Sleeping Bag as like I said I wasn’t sure if she was too little. My daughter follows your routine PERFECTLY during the day it is just at night that she becomes unsettled which is why I think it maybe coldness.
I bought your Safe Bedding Guide from your website a couple of years ago (I’m assuming it hasn’t changed in the last 2 years) and I have bought both a 0.5 tog and 1 tog Bubbaroo Sleeping Bag from your website so I have all the necessary euipment.
Even though I’ve been a Save our Sleep mum for 4 years I’ve never had to start it from birth before as I didn’t start your routine with my eldest daughter until she was 9 months old and my 2nd daughter was born at 26 weeks so she was way too little to put into a sleeping bag when she was first born.
I know you are a very busy lady but I would appreciate any answers you could give to my question.
Many thanks Tizzie!
Kind regards
Katanya
Hi Tizzie,
Why do you recommend additional blankets etc as well as a sleeping bag when the sleeping bag companies stipulate no additional bedding?
Regards,
Jodie
Hi tizzy, I have a nearly 5 month old girl who has been perfect with sleep until, about a month ago. I have followed your book with the routines and feeding times since about 2 weeks old. She has always had a bit of trouble with day time sleep. Night time she is in bed by 7 and often wakes at 7 but usually will wake up once during the night for a feed. From about 6 weeks she was sleeping this well at night but her day time naps were a lot more difficult and I’m just wondering what I should be expecting? At about 8 weeks -3months she started sleeping well during the day and would have 1.5 in the morning and 1.5 in the afternoon with usually a 1 hour late afternoon, just At your routine times.Then she stopped and would cat nap anywhere from 20 minutes – 45 minutes. I tried everything! She sleeps in a sleeping bag and I’m pretty sure isn’t cold because we have had very hot weather in Perth WA. I introduced a comforter at a little over 3 months and this seemed to work for about a week. Now i have had problems since then. She’s has the odd 1.5-2 hour nap out of the blue sometimes but not often. Usually her naps only last 30-45 minutes. She can settle fine by herself most times unless she gets really worked up.the thing is that she use to go down for her nap without much noisebbut now she will whinge for a fairly long time before settling. Is this normal? Also I have read that you had said not to wake your baby if they sleep after 7 as this may teach them to wake before a sleep cycle?Should I give this s go, because most of the time I think she would possibly sleep through to nearly8am sometimes? I have also found when I go for a walk she will sleep fine for a couple of hours in the pram but its later on in the morning, so do you think it’s worth trying to put her to sleep later than 9? Wish you could come to my house and answer all my questions haha 🙂 sorry for all the questions, just a little lost now, because I know she needs daytime sleep and isn’t getting enough, she is a good natured baby but I think is getting cranky because she is overtired.
Hi Tizzie,
Which sleep bag would you recommend for a child with eczema?
My son is 4.5 months old & has mild-moderate eczema. I have tried a Skip Hop 2.5 tog sleep bag (approx a month ago) & both mornings that he used it, red rashes appeared on his cheeks and on the second night a new patch of eczema appeared on his lower leg.
I only ever use cotton blankets and when he wore the sleep bag he had 2 cotton blankets both folded in half, plus a thin Love to Dream swaddle under the sleep bag. The temperature in his room may have been 20-25.C. His sheets are also 100% cotton.
Your advise is greatly appreciated =)
Cheers
Shana
Thank you Kristie,
I actually just bought the origami wrap before reading your reply! I am about to purchase the Bubbaroo 1.0 TOG & Bubba Blue bamboo cot blanket. Can’t wait to get it all & try it out with my son. I also just bought the PDF about babies with asthma or eczema so will read up about that.
Cheers
Shana
Hi there Tizzie
Just wanted a bit of advice about my son now waking early. I have been following your routine since Toby was 5 – 6 months old he is now 2 yrs old. Up until recently he was sleeping anywhere from 7pm to 6.30 to 7pm basically every night. We went camping recently and his sleep was a bit all over the shop, on the last night of our camping day light savings ended and of course he woke up around 5.30am, at the same time I basically stopped using his sleeping bag as he had outgrown in and did not buy him a bigger size. At first I thought his continual early rising was due to day light savings but he has continued to do it now for another couple of months. It is also colder at night. We have now put like a column heater up on his wall to just take the chill out of the air and neutralise the temp in his room but I also use flanellette sheets and pajamas. Do you think I should discontinue flanellette sheets?? and pj’s and use Grosuits instead (all in one pj’s)??
Thanks, P.S once he wakes in morning usually around 5.30am that is it, I have tried but can’t get him back to sleep, near impossible.
Peta
Hi Elissa :
Thank you for your post. To help you with guidelines on how to dress your toddler for bed and what bedding to use for him please see Tizzie’s Safe Bedding Guide which you can get via this link http://news.saveoursleep.com/newsletter.asp?n=E393C841E490485E . We would recommend heating the room to 20 degrees as explained in the guide, no warmer, and then using additional layers of cotton or bamboo blankets to ensure he is warm enough to sleep well. Being a restless sleeper as you have described is often a sign that babies/children are not warm enough to sleep well and often by adding additional layers of bedding as per the bedding guide we will see children have a much better sleep. I think you will find the 2.5 tog sleeping bag along with more bedding will really help him have a better sleep.
Tizzie has no specific advice for introducing a sleeping bag to a toddler, however given his age I would explain to him it’s going to be his special sleeping bag to keep him really nice and warm and help him to sleep really warm and snug. Toddlers usually respond very well to change when mum is excited and thinks its great, so be positive and excited and he should follow. If your little one resists the sleeping bag and tries to take it off before he falls asleep the easiest solution Tizzie has found is to turn the sleeping bag inside out for a few sleeps. Once they have stopped succeeding in getting it off they will usually not try again. Please see page 25 of the toddler book for full explanation of this.
If you feel that you need further support from here I ask that you join the forum so that I and other mums can help you.
Advice Forum – AUD $58.00 http://shop.saveoursleep.com.au/product/1805/49457/
The Save Our Sleep Advice forum offers a friendly, supportive online community where parents can help other parents establish and follow Tizzie’s routines and advice and help answer any questions that may come up along the way. The forum is a safe and secure environment where you can chat, help each other and share in the day to day joys, achievements and challenges of parenting. Tizzie and members of her team are actively involved in this area.
The Advice Forum is a community of like-minded parents who willingly share their experiences, baby advice and support new members. The SOS moderating team checks the advice given and a member of Tizzie’s team will step in only if incorrect, misleading or potentially unsafe advice is given. This area is a Forum only and does not entitle members to support directly from either Tizzie or her team or guarantee you a reply.
If you haven’t received a reply to your post in the general forum in a timeframe that is acceptable to you then we recommend the following options –
1) Repost your question as it may be seen by other members or if you have asked more than one question within your post please consider dividing your questions and only ask one question per post. This may help and encourage other members to step in and help you as often a member may only know the answer to one of your questions and not the others and members may then feel they can’t answer you at all.
2) Seek out the help of a trusted maternal child health nurse, health visitor or another health care professional.
The Advice Forum membership also gives you READ ONLY access to Archived Reading area where you can read further advice of experienced Save Our Sleep parents as well as the Save Our Sleep team. You will be able READ threads in the Archive Library area but you will not be able to post as this area is now closed.
Kind Regards
Kate
Save Our Sleep
You’re welcome Elissa.
All the best,
Kate
Save Our Sleep.
Hi Tizzie
I have a 4 month old little boy who was not a great sleeper from the start. After receiving some help from the community nurse, Bub sleeps a little better. He self settles with the aid of a dummy which drives me insane during the nights. I decided to buy your book and will be starting the routine and hopefully wean the dummy. Bub is still swaddled (with muslin wraps), which he fights to be wrapped and fights to take his arms out but once his hands are out he wakes himself and will not sleep. I want to wean him off this too as it is summer and he sweats but also he has been trying to roll. My question is, do I start weaning his swaddling when I start the routine or when I take away his dummy on day 5? Also I’m thinking of getting him the TOG 1 sleeping bag, is that right?
Thanks in advance
Shaz
Hi Shaz :
Thank you for your post. To help you with how to dress your baby and what bedding to use for him please see Tizzie’s Safe Bedding Guide which you can get via this link http://news.saveoursleep.com/newsletter.asp?n=E393C841E490485E . This will explain in detail what clothing, sleeping bag and bedding to use for your baby’s room temperature.
Tizzie recommends that it is very important to swaddle baby until he shows signs of being able to roll while swaddled in bed. This is usually around 10 months old. Your baby will roll outside of the cot much earlier than this, but you’ll only need to remove the swaddle when he shows signs of being able to roll in bed while swaddled. Swaddling baby plays an important role in reducing the risk of SIDS because it helps to keep your baby in the safe back sleeping position. You can find full details about why TIzzie believes swaddling to be very important on pages 64-66 of the baby book.
Muslin wraps can be easier to wriggle out of at this age, so Tizzie recommends swaddling with the Save Our Sleep Wrap in a wrap which you can find here – http://shop.saveoursleep.com.au/product/2412/79979/ .
If you feel that you need further support with establishing your little one on the routines and teaching him to self settle then you may like to consider joining the Save Our Sleep Advice Forum.
Advice Forum – AUD $64.95 http://shop.saveoursleep.com.au/product/1805/49457/
The Save Our Sleep Advice forum offers a friendly, supportive online community where parents can help other parents establish and follow Tizzie’s routines and advice and help answer any questions that may come up along the way. The forum is a safe and secure environment where you can chat, help each other and share in the day to day joys, achievements and challenges of parenting. Tizzie and members of her team are actively involved in this area.
The Advice Forum is a community of like-minded parents who willingly share their experiences, baby advice and support new members. The SOS moderating team checks the advice given and a member of Tizzie’s team will step in only if incorrect, misleading or potentially unsafe advice is given. This area is a Forum only and does not entitle members to support directly from either Tizzie or her team or guarantee you a reply.
If you haven’t received a reply to your post in the general forum in a timeframe that is acceptable to you then we recommend the following options –
1) Repost your question as it may be seen by other members or if you have asked more than one question within your post please consider dividing your questions and only ask one question per post. This may help and encourage other members to step in and help you as often a member may only know the answer to one of your questions and not the others and members may then feel they can’t answer you at all.
2) Seek out the help of a trusted maternal child health nurse, health visitor or another health care professional.
The Advice Forum membership also gives you READ ONLY access to Archived Reading area where you can read further advice of experienced Save Our Sleep parents as well as the Save Our Sleep team. You will be able READ threads in the Archive Library area but you will not be able to post as this area is now closed.
Kind Regards
Kate
Save Our Sleep
Great advice as always Tizzie. I had no idea about the jersey issue but now it obviously makes perfect sense! I will pass on your info to my friends. Many Thanks, Josie 🙂
I Hope someone will see this post as the sleeping bag article and comments are quite old now…. Anyways, I too have followed the grobag company guidelines for their sleeping bag and had no idea until reading Tizzie’s toddler book that my girl (now 14mths) is way too cold. She has a 2.5 tog but never any sheet or blanket up til now. She has become a restless tummy sleeper as a result. I have just bought all the recommended bedding and new sleep bags but am wondering if anyone has managed to turn their bun back onto back sleeping after so long on the tummy? And does anyone know the tog for Aden and anais brand dream blankets? They are 100% cotton muslin and really lovely but quite heavy. Would I only need a sheet and 2.5tog sleep bag if using one of those blankets, or add another layer on top? Or use a 1tog bag? I Remember reading about tummy sleepers not having as much coverings on top but would like clarification for my blankets
Hi Emilia,
Thank you for your question. Tizzie believes bedding is essential to keep your baby warm enough to sleep well, and moving all around the cot as you have described is a sign that your baby is not warm enough to sleep well. I will give you some links to some further advice which should help you.
Here is a link to Tizzie’s Safe Bedding Guide – http://www.saveoursleep.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/save-our-sleep-article-safe-bedding-guide.pdf . This explains in great detail exactly what Tizzie recommends dressing a baby or toddler in for sleeps. Tizzie has different recommendation for different aged babies and also for different regions of Australia and the world, so it is important to read through the guide in full.
These two links will take you to video blogs that Tizzie has made, discussing the importance of bedding – http://www.saveoursleep.com/2012/06/20/tizzie-hall-on-safe-bedding/ & http://www.saveoursleep.com/2012/03/23/bedding/ .
If you feel that you need further support with establishing your little one on the routines and teaching him to self settle then you may like to consider joining the Save Our Sleep Online Advice.
Online Advice – AUD $79.95 http://shop.saveoursleep.com.au/product/1805/49457/
The Save Our Sleep Online Advice offers a friendly, supportive online community where parents can help other parents establish and follow Tizzie’s routines and advice and help answer any questions that may come up along the way. The Online Advice is a safe and secure environment where you can chat, help each other and share in the day to day joys, achievements and challenges of parenting. Tizzie and members of her team are actively involved in this area.
The Online Advice is a community of like-minded parents who willingly share their experiences, baby advice and support new members. The Save Our Sleep moderating team checks the advice given and a member of Tizzie’s team will step in only if incorrect, misleading or potentially unsafe advice is given. This area is a Forum only and does not entitle members to support directly from either Tizzie or her team or guarantee you a reply.
The Advice Forum membership also gives you READ ONLY access to Archived Reading area where you can read further advice of experienced Save Our Sleep parents as well as the Save Our Sleep team. You will be able READ threads in the Archive Library area but you will not be able to post as this area is now closed.
Kind Regards
Kate
Save Our Sleep.
Hi Belinda,
Thank you for your post and congratulations on your new baby. Here is a link for you to Tizzie’s Safe Bedding Guide – http://www.saveoursleep.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/save-our-sleep-article-safe-bedding-guide.pdf . Please have a read of this guide, particularly Tizzie’s comments on arms up/zip up swaddles like you have mentioned, as she does not recommend them for safety reasons. This is explained in detail for you in the guide. We would strongly recommend moving to a safe arms down swaddle over a safe 1 tog sleep bag as Tizzie recommends, as this will be important for both his safety and also warmth and to help with his sleep and settling. We would not recommend using a comforter with a baby who is in an unsafe swaddle as one of the reasons that Tizzie does not recommend these types of swaddles is that with the increased arm movement they can use this to help roll to the unsafe tummy position. A comforter would then be an additional risk. We would strongly recommend a safe wrap over a safe 1 tog and introducing a safe comforter for him, as this will be important when removing his dummy.
In regards to teaching him to self settle without the dummy, you can find Tizzie’s advice on how to do this on pages 212-216 of the latest edition of the baby book, or pages 200-205 of the previous edition.
Without lots of detailed information we are unable to guide you further. If you feel that you need more detailed advice and support then you may like to consider joining the Save Our Sleep® Online Advice, where our coaches can help you look at everything in detail as Tizzie’s website is not a place where we can offer you advice about your baby. http://shop.saveoursleep.com.au/category/1805/ .
Kind regards,
Kate.
Save Our Sleep.
Hello,
In the event that my baby rolls onto his tummy during the night, is it still safe for them to be in one of Tizzie’s recommended safe sleeping bags?
Thanks, Kirsty.
Hi Alana,
I have replied to your above question on your Facebook post regarding this.
Kind regards,
Kate.
Hi Tizzie,
Thank you SO much for your book and advice that has basically saved our sanity.
Baby Marina (nearly 5 months) has been on your routine and sleep/ bedding advice for 2 weeks now with great results. She’s still waking up at night though at around 10, 2 and 4.30 for a feed, and I’m not sure what am I missing. (Before she woke up every 2-1 hours out of being cold o believe)
I’ve never wrapped her, could this be the problem? Would you advice start wrapping her now?
I’m using a sleeping bag 50% cotton, 45% bamboo, 5% jersey. She’s been sweety at night, so I’ve reduced the adviced bedding to a jumpsuit, 1 tog sleeping bag, 2 bamboo blankets. Could be the 5% jersey the cause of sweet and she’s still cold?
Im not 100% accurate with feeding and sleep times, for example, the 10.30 dream feed is done at 10 or 10.15pm. Should I be absolutely accurate with all times?
Finally, she learned to self settle (always at 7pm), but naps are still in her pram,since she just learned to roll on her tummy, and once there, cries for help, so naps in her cot didn’t work anymore. Could this be the problem?
Just want to add that it didn’t take much work or cry to establish the routine. Everything just fit into the right time naturally! It’s wonderful and our life so much predictable and easier! Thanks again!!!!
Kindest regards to everyone in your team! 😉
I forgot to say that we’re in Sydney, temperature of 25-26 at night. Baby sleeps in her cot in our room.
Thanks again!!
Karina
Thanks a lot for your replay Kate!
As soon as I read the guide I run to buy new blankets and a sleeping bag. (That was before my previous comment). Unfortunately, the 5% elastane (jersey) wasn’t on the package info, and I didn’t associate the word jersey with a synthetic fabric, (ignorant me!) I wish I had read and buy from SOS website!
Last night I replaced the mattress protector, (bamboo and poliéster) by a cotton towel and also removed sheets suspecting there are not 100% cotton. Marina slept in a long sleeve onesie, wondersuit, 100% cotton sleep bag, (unfortunately with side zip) + 2 bamboo blankets. I put her in the sleeping bag and blankets after the dream feed as last night was incredibly hot and humid. The result was that she wasn’t very sweaty, I suspect she swears while I’m breastfeeding her. And she was nicely warm behind her neck. But she still woke up at 2 and 4 ish, without being able to resettle. (So I fed her)
I’ll work on day sleeps in her cot and strict times for her routine, and leave the swaddle as the last resource because her settling technique is punching the mattress or pram with her hands.
I cannot emphasise how SO GRATEFUL of SOS we are. And how important was the fact that we established the routine with nearly no cry. I read 2 other books before and had day stay at Tresillian. The result was s few days of emotional cry and an overtired baby and mom. I learned that letting her cry (the winging cry) doesn’t work with her, very soon she gets emotional and than nothing comforts her. The routine set in naturally!!! I’m not following Tizzies advice 100% but rather adjusting it according to what I believe works better with my baby, not wrapping her for instance, and not letting her winge for 12 min in her cot, and is probably taking us a longer time to sleep through the night, but I’m confident we’re doing the right thing, (for the first time and listening to my mom instincts) THANKS TO SOS!!
I will join the advice site for further advice and again,
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! ??
Kindest regards,
Dear Tizzie,
Question re the sleeping bags. I have a 12 week old boy who was 6 weeks premmie and had to have surgery day 2. He spent a month in the nicu and since having him home we have been doing your routines and he’s been great. For the last 3 weeks (since the dreamfeed) the goes down at 7pm, has a dreamfeed, wakes at 5am to feed, then goes straight back to sleep until 7am. I love your book!
With bedding I have followed your bedding guide with clothes and layers and have your sheets and bamboo blankets which are gorgeous.
With swaddling though, he hates his arms down and even in the nicu the nurses called him houdini. He would wriggle and wriggle until his arms were free so they ended up giving up and swaddling him with his arms up. They suggested the love to dream swaddle/bag which he has been in since his first day home. It’s basically a sleeping bag with arms up and in.
Why do you say babies need to be in a sleeping bag before 4 months? And is the love to dream one like a sleeping bag? Can I not just move him to one of your bags with arms out when he starts to roll? He’s been doing your routines and sleeps so well I’d hate to change it up and swaddling him with arms down he will hate.
Looking forward to your advice! Im also coming to see you at Toombul in a few weeks. Big fan…
Kind regards,
Ineke