Sleeping Bag vs Blankets

Hello,


My daughter is over 16 months old. My husband and mum want to take her out of her sleeping bag, because they think she's frustrated in it.


I disagree. She still kicks off blankets when she sleeps, and the only reason she's frustrated in the sleeping bag is when she wakes in the morning and wants to run around. So I think she should stay in the bag and, for this reason, stay in her cot.


Hubby and mum reckon that we should get proper bedding that's nicely tucked in so she can't kick the covers off. That sounds like suffocation to me! They also want to move her to a proper bed so she can get up when she wants (I have visions of her appearing at my bedside in the middle of the night!!!).


What age did you transfer baby to big bed and what age did you stop using a sleeping bag?


Also, how to deal with "kicking off blankets"?


Thanks!

I can only go from our own experience. Both our little ones moved to a "big bed" (a proper bed that I can sleep in, not a toddler bed) at 16 months. The beds have low rails (about 10cm above the top of the mattress) so they won't accidentally roll off. The reason we moved #1 at 16 months was that #2 was coming soon and we didn't want to move her out of the cot right before #2 came home. Then with #2 we figured what they hey, it worked with #1. For the first month or two, we had pillows around the bed in case of any falls (which didn't happen). We also bought little step stools so they could get in and out on their own (the rails only go 3/4 of the way along the side).


At about the same age or even a bit before, we started with blankets and very thin pillows (about 1cm). Sure, they throw the blankets off (up until age 3 at least) but we make sure they are dressed enough so that they may be a bit chilly but not freezing if they do.


We found that moving early (most people think 16 months is early) worked great. The kids really liked the move, and we made sure they were there when the bed was set up. They also "helped" make the bed the first time etc. It's all about selling the concept.


Without much observational basis, I think the fact that they didn't feel like prisoners and could get in and out of their beds on their own made them a bit more independent.


Keeping toddler too long in a cot has a certain element of danger, as they eventually figure out how to climb out. It's a looooong fall from the top of the bars.


"(I have visions of her appearing at my bedside in the middle of the night!!!)."


This is going to happen anyway, all the time. It's a normal part of parenting from which there is no escape. Whether you let her come and sleep with you or put her back in her own bed is up to you, but the latter is much more work. ;) I firmly believe that it is GOOD for her to be able to get in and out by herself.

With my eldest, she was in a toddler bed [her cot converted] from about 18 months [and then went through a phase with one side of the cot back on and a blanket over the top like a canopy], but she stayed in her sleeping bag until we took her out of a diaper at nights [about 3] and she needed to get up to use the toilet. She is now 3.25, and she still has never shown up at my bedside [she is just too lazy to get out of bed at night -- I've asked her to please get up and come wake me up, but instead she yells from her room "Mama! My pee is coming!" and waits for one of us to escort her to the toilet].


Most kids wearing a sleeping bag won't make it out of their cots [much harder to stand on one leg and get the other one over the side if the sleeping bag traps your legs into a maximum 45 degree angle]. We are big fans of the grobags, but neither of our kids has had any trouble running around in them [or climbing out of her toddler bed for our first].


#2 is still in his cot [16 mo], but he is dying to get into his sister's bed. We'll move him once we get around to buying a regular bed for her, even though I suspect he will be a night wanderer.


Grobag also makes a nifty "first duvet set" that somehow zips up to keep the covers on the kid. We haven't used it, but one of my daughter's friends really likes it.


With our first, only in the dead of the Beijing winter can she tolerate even the thinnest duvet -- otherwise she makes do with a thin baby quilt that my mom embroidered for me and begs to be allowed to sleep in shorts pajamas instead of pants pajamas. This is with the heat totally off in the kids room -- it does get residual heat from the rest of the building and so probably averages 20C.

I also love the sleeping bags and our 22 month old is still in a sleeping bag in his cot. We are not keen to move him out of the cot until it becomes (a) too small for him or (b) he climbs out in which case it becomes a safety concern. We have a new baby now and the last thing I want right now is to be getting up to both of them if our oldest was in a big bed and free to get out. He is also (touchwood) a fantastic sleeper and we never need to get up to him in the night so not wanting to ruin that until I have to! We could have moved him out in a few months time when the baby outgrows the bassinet and needs a cot but have decided to borrow or buy a second hand second cot until he (and we) are ready to move him.


Don't feel the pressure from your Mum to move her before you are ready. Have a chat about the pros and cons with your husband and decide. If your husband knows that 50% of the time he will need to be taking her back to her bed in the middle of the night then he may not be so keen to move her this early!

i agree with NZlawyergirl. only move her if you feel she is ready and comfortable. you are her mom, and you know her best. it's good to hear advice from others about how and when they carried out the transition,but as every child is different, what worked for others might not work for you. so keep the advice at hand for when you think she's ready to be moved.

Hi all,


Thanks for your great replies. Lots of food for thought there. Might look into the Grobag first duvet set, if it's available in HK. But at least it puts my fears at ease - I thought 16 months was WAY too young to take a baby out of the cot, but it obviously isn't!!


Thanks! :-)


"If your husband knows that 50% of the time he will need to be taking her back to her bed in the middle of the night then he may not be so keen to move her this early!" - might also mention this to my husband, hahahahah.