Can you put a blanket in your baby’s crib?
At Consumer Reports, we’ve long been advocates of not putting a blanket or anything cushy, including stuffed animals, a sleep positioner, or crib bumpers or pillows, in a baby’s crib. Soft items in the crib are a suffocation hazard. It doesn’t sound cozy, but with cribs, “Bare is best.”
Still, I’ve gotten questions from some parents wondering about how long that advice applies. After your baby’s first birthday, for example, the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome drops. Can you put a blanket in the crib then?
The answer is still no. Here's what Laura Reno, vice president of public affairs for First Candle/SIDS Alliance said, when asked whether it was safe to put a blanket in a crib after a child turns a year old. "We would never recommend putting a blanket in a crib. Save the blankets for when a child moves into a toddler bed. Use wearable blankets, sleep sacks, sleepers, or anything along those lines just to keep them warm without having to put loose blankets in there."
Of course, your child can still have a traditional, fluffy “baby” blanket before he moves to a toddler bed. (That’s a move you’ll want to make as soon as he can climb out of the crib.) Just keep it out of the crib. A baby blanket makes a nice play mat or exercise pad for “tummy time” under your watchful supervision, and there’s nothing like it when you two want to curl up in the glider with a good baby book (or two or three) before nap and bedtime.
When shopping for a wearable blanket with lots of leg room for stretching and kicking--which goes over a regular sleeper and diaper--look for a flame-resistant fabric, such as polyester. You can buy as many as four, and buy more as needed. Wearable blankets also come in swaddle form for infants, as an alternative to receiving blankets. They retail for about $15 to $20.
See our reports on cribs, crib alternatives, and baby furniture for more information.
Posted by: DA | Mar 3, 2008 9:18:25 PM
We were in the same boat with a big boy - 7 mos and 21 lbs, 30 in. We found several warm, footed sleepers at "babies r us" in 18 mo. size. They weren't quite as warm as some of the really thick smaller sleepers, so we also tried a "Halo SleepSack Wearable Fleece Blanket" on top. (Think of a tank top, with a zipper, and sack bottom). It is awesome and they come in sizes big enough for a few more months yet. They can be found online under a "blanket" search. $20
Posted by: Jill | Mar 2, 2008 12:14:43 AM
I do not have any blankets in my son's crib. But I'll tell you, at 7 months old and 20+ pounds / 29 inches already, it is a real chore to find warm pajamas / sleep sacks that fit him. He grew out of what I could find in sleep sacks at about 3 months. So now we use two pair of footed pj's at a time, but He's getting too big for the 12 mo sizes already and over 1 year, all the pj's are pants and shirts with no feet. It is only the beginning of march, lots of cold nights still ahead, but retail stores are only selling summer pj's -- I've got to come up with a solution soon. Any one have any suggested retail locations where I can find large sized "infant-type" warm sleepwear.
Posted by: Asher | Feb 10, 2008 2:31:17 PM
I'd also like to see an answer to Jessie's question. My son is 22 months old and he sleeps with two bears and a blanket. In fact, we've been trying to figure out if we can tuck him in or not, since he often wakes up before 6am wanting us to put his blanket back on.
Posted by: Janet Reiss | Dec 25, 2007 9:40:32 PM
My granddaughter came to visit me in NY from GA. It was hard to adjust to her not having a blanket in the colder northern climate. I kept the heat at 76 degrees to keep her warm. I can understand the thinking behind the "no blanket" rule, but aren't babies more susceptible to illness from the night temperature changes? Personally, I would be extremely uncomfortable to sleep without a blanket.
Posted by: Sarah | Dec 19, 2007 11:31:09 PM
We have used a blanket after our daughter's first birthday, since she ended up hating the wearable blanket once she was able to walk around in her crib. She has always had great muscle tone, so we have never been concerned about her suffocating herself (although we still invested in the Angelcare system, which was well worth the money). She also sleeps with four of her favorite animals. Just be smart and aware of what your child may or may not be able to do.
Posted by: Jennifer | Nov 24, 2007 9:56:22 PM
Has there been any research into the safety of wearable blankets/sleep sacks?? It seems to me that a child could wriggle down and get stuck inside.
Posted by: Q | Nov 24, 2007 11:09:56 AM
I have a question? I used the wearable blankets when my daughter was under a year. I'm wondering how you would use these wearable blankets on a toddler who likes to stand and walk around in her crib? I to was under the impression that you could stop using these after a year.
Posted by: Tom | Nov 16, 2007 1:58:23 PM
Why take a chance. It's proven that a blanket can be a danger to a baby/toddler and increase the risk of SIDS when they are younger. And you can get Baby Sleep Sacks or "wearable blankets" for a reasonable price. This is a no brainer to me. When you use a sleep sack you don't have to worry about your child kicking the blankets off in the night and getting cold either.
Posted by: Jessie | Nov 15, 2007 6:08:51 PM
This seems a little extreme--I've seen no other website assert that blankets aren't okay after twelve months. I'd be hard pressed to get my 22-month-old to go to sleep without his silky blanket.
Is there specific research or a link to more information that supports this assertion to keep all blankets out of the crib until a child switches to a bed? I'm not planning on switching my son to a toddler bed for a while, since he seems happy in his crib and doesn't try to climb out.