What Should My Baby Wear During Sleep?
When your baby is ready to make the transition from swaddling, there are a few things to keep in mind when picking out clothes for them to wear while they sleep. You want something that is comfortable, breathable, and easy to change. Here are a few tips on how to find the right clothing for your baby to wear while they sleep.
Comfort is Key
Baby clothing should be soft and gentle on the skin. It should not be too tight or too loose. You also want to make sure that the clothing is the right thickness for your environment.
Next, consider the ease of changing. You will likely need to change your baby’s diaper several times throughout the night. Look for clothing that is easy to take off and put on. Snaps or Velcro closures are often the easiest. Avoid clothing with a lot of buttons or other complicated closures.
Finally, think about the ease of cleaning. Look for clothing that can be easily washed and dried. Stain-resistant fabrics may be helpful.
With these tips in mind, let’s take a look at three great options for your baby’s nighttime clothes.
Sleepsuits
Designed with comfort and safety in mind, the Magic Sleepsuit is made to keep your baby cozy as they transition from the swaddle. The Sleepsuit allows your baby to feel comfortable and contained to help aid their sleep.
The Magic Sleepsuit features a scooped neckline, which helps to keep fabric away from the baby’s face, sleeves that help soothe startles, and a soft cotton interior. It also has open hands and feet, allowing the baby to self-soothe and helping regulate their temperature.
This sleepsuit is an amazing option for babies ready to make the important developmental step of transitioning from swaddling.
Sleep Sacks
The Magic Dream Sack is a wearable blanket that helps your baby transition from the Magic Sleepsuit. It is designed with the same fabric as the Sleepsuit and it allows your baby freedom of movement as they get older.
The Dream Sack utilizes the same materials as the Sleepsuit, which helps provide your baby with a familiar sense of comfort, and security so that they can continue to sleep well as they grow.
Walking Sleep Sack
This Dream Sack Walker features foot holes at the bottom of the suit for their legs, giving older babies the chance to move around and even stand in their cribs. The Magic Dream Sack Walker is designed to be comfortable, cozy, and flexible, perfect for babies who need that additional movement.
This is the next step in our Magic Sleep System that utilizes the same material as the sleepsuit and sleep sack. With a cotton inner layer and your choice of microfleece or cotton exterior layer, the Magic Dream Sack Walker will keep your baby cozy, protected, and happy.
If your baby is ready for that transition from swaddling to nightclothes, consider the Magic Sleepsuit, which will be a fantastic first step on that road.
If you have any questions about the transition from swaddling, please contact Baby Merlin.
Also in Our Blog
What’s the Difference Between a Swaddle and a Sleepsack
Five Questions about Early Morning Wakeups for Baby
The team at NAPS helps you tackle the issue of early wakeups. *BONUS* NAPS is hosting a webinar on February 24th. Register here and use the extra-special code MAGICMERLIN and you can join the webinar FREE of charge!
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The sound of cheery calls of “MAAAAMAAAAA” from the next room may be lovely at 7am. At 4am, or 5 am, not so much. Your baby may be up and ready to start the day, but you probably aren’t.
Answering the questions below may help you get there.
- Is your nap schedule mucking up your baby’s overnight sleep?
This might seem like an obvious question, but your baby’s sleep needs will change fast in the first few years of their lives. A quick look at the average nap number and duration might give you an idea:
- For babies from 3-6 months old, it’s normal to take 3-4 hour-long naps per day.
- For babies 6-15 months old, expect 2 naps with 3-3.5 hours of total sleep.
- For one and two-year-olds, you should expect a single 2-hour nap.
Part of the reason you might be seeing earlier wakeups is that your baby has graduated from one nap cycle to the next.
- Does your baby have enough time between their last nap and their bedtime?
We call this an “awake window,” and it can make a big difference. It might seem strange that your baby went to bed fine the night before, and you’re seeing a response to nap scheduling in the pre-dawn hours, but if your kiddo’s sleep is disrupted at night, it will impact the morning.
- 3-6 months, at least 1.5-2 hours between final nap wakeup and bedtime.
- 6-12 months, at least 2.5-3.5 hours between final nap wakeup and bed.
- 12-18+ months, 3.5-4.5 hours between final nap wakeup and bed.
- Is the room staying dark after the sun comes up?
Black 0ut curtains can make a big difference here. Remember that our brains signal wakeup when the light changes. So if dawn is at 430am, and even a little bit of light comes into your baby’s room, their little brains will PING with wake up juice.
- Is your baby going to sleep too early or too late?
It might seem counter-intuitive, but a late bedtime can actually backfire on you. Overtired kids don’t sleep as well. If you made their bedtime later and it didn’t fix the problem, try an earlier bedtime and see if that helps. You might be surprised.
- How do you make it better?
Try to make one change at a time; just one. Stick with that change for 3-5 days to see if it impacts things. (One night is usually not enough to see substantial change.) Be as consistent as you can with the change you made. For instance, if you decide to increase the space between bedtime and final nap wakeup, make sure to stick to the wakeup time you planned.
If your baby is waking up and chirping happily to themselves, feel free to leave them there for a little while. Let them get used to being alone in the crib. If you can, try to delay the start of the day by 5-10 minutes each day. This can make a big impact.
Everything else aside, remember that this is a short time in your kid’s life; as they get older, their sleep will become more regular, and so will yours. Don’t let yourself get too discouraged. Things are hard now, and you’re doing a great job.
