Sleep sacks

[sew_crafty_girl]

I know many of us are in the middle of heat waves, but I'm thinking ahead to the fall when baby will have to be wearing more than a onesie to bed with us.

She'll be 5-6 months when the weather starts cooling down at night here. I'm not sure if she'll still be in bed full time with us or not.

When my first kids were little (10+ years ago!), I did a sleeper and light blanket when they were in their own crib. Now, sleep sacks seem to be all the rage. How long are they useful for? Are the $$ gro-bags really necessary?

Thoughts? Experiences?

[Nicole730]

It's quite warm in bed with adults, I think. Especially snuggled up against mama. DS always wore a onesie and sleeper in the winter with us. I got some used sleep sacks from a friend that I will probably use with DD if she ends up on her own this winter. I think they are handy, but definitely not necessary. Especially if baby is in bed with you.

[tzs]

i loved them when the babe was tiny both for in the crib and in my bed (because i was too chicken to have her around any blankets.) you can get cheaper ones at target or if you can get carters at a good sale. when it was really cold i would even put a onesie underneath.

i had even gotten her one for summer but she started crawling and i think that's when we stopped. they do have ones with little feet holes for bigger babes but i don't really get it at that point and those are always pricier.

[ElliesMomma]

i use one, and my baby is 10 months old, crawling, and in bed with me.
i like it, as it is a "sleep cue" for him that it's time for bed-bed, ie, overnight sleep, not just a nap.
also it enables me to dress him for bed in just a diaper and a onesie, with the sleep sack on top.
i found by trial and error that if he wore a sleeper outfit instead of a onesie (plus the sleep sack), his head was sweating overnight, i could tell from the sheets.
the sleep sack enables me to feel he's toasty warm without any of my covers over him.
also we have the a/c going most nights, as it's been a hot summer, and i don't want him to get cold at night, as that tends to wake my kids up.
[my daughter, who is 4 and in her own bed next to mine, wears whatever pjs she picks at night, plus socks that i put on her feet once she's asleep. that way i know she is warm enough when she inevitably kicks off her covers overnight.]
ps: i got my son's sleep sack in excellent used condition at a friend's garage sale, for $1.

[broodymama]

DD2 wore sleep sacks a lot. She would wear a (light cotton) long sleeve tee underneath it if it was the sleeveless sleepsack and it made nighttime pottying (she was ECd) really easy. I'll probably use them again with DS2.

[akind1]

I love sleep sacs! Aiden and Anais made/make some that are a light muslin that I have been using this summer.

In the fall, I may still continue to use them, as yes, they do come big enough! DS usually rolls around on his side so even if he were allowed blankets, they wouldn't stay on.

I alternated between sleepers and sleep sacs, just depending on my mood, and the fact that zippered sleepers were harder to find. (why do most come with snaps all the way up and down??? hard on wriggly baby)

I stocked up at consignment sales, around here they do huge ones twice a year.

[redvlagrl]

We lov our sleep sacks and DD still uses one when needed at 22 mths.

Our favourites are the Uh-Oh baby ones from Australia.

DD still doesn't really get how to pull a doona/blanket up when it's cold.

[cocoanib]

I loved them for about a week.
It got too hot here pretty quickly and so I didn't get much use from them.
By the time she can wear them again, they will be too small.

Right now, she just sleeps in a t-shirt. PJ's are too fussy for us with all the dipe changes and stuff.

[sew_crafty_girl]

Thanks guys!

[Tellera]

I liked the lullabag (from cloud 9) for DS starting around 8 mos and up to maybe a year and a half. I remember using that a lot, with just a diaper underneath. I liked the zipper on it, around the sides, more than the halo sacks, in the middle. It was also a lot softer inside, which was important to me since he was just in a diaper.

For DD, she still needs to be swaddled (5 1/2 mos now), so I'm not getting any use out of them.

I have bought a summer aden & anais and a "cozy" aden and anais, because I love their blankets for the double swaddle I do on DD. The cozy seems REALLY warm. I'm not sure how I'd dress her, it almost seems like a diaper only might be too warm, even in the winter. Or, that her arms would get cold but the rest of her would be superwarm. We'll see. Again, the zipper's in the middle which I just prefer less than those around the side.

I also got a grobag .5 tog on gilt for half off. It looks like a winner to me, has "around the side" zip. I think I'd use this in the cooler months as well, with a footed sleeper maybe. I might get a 1 tog if I can find them half off again for the winter.

Of course, all of this is dependent on DD being able to sleep unswaddled. I even recently tried her sleeping on her stomach. no dice, kept waking every 45 min - hour. those dang hands!!!!!