Swaddling vs. Sleep Sack - when to use which?
I sent out this exact question to past clients and to my email list and I got a variety of responses that I would love to share with you!
Firstly - what is swaddling? Swaddling is when you tightly wrap your baby up in either a blanket or an actual “swaddle.” This prevents their arms from startling them awake, and it also gives them the sensation of being held tight. This startling reflex that newborns have is called the Moro Reflex. It refers to an involuntary motor response that infants develop shortly after birth. A Moro reflex may involve the infant suddenly splaying their arms and moving their legs before bringing their arms in front of their body and waking themselves out of sleep. Swaddling can also help calm a crying baby because it mimics a similar environment to being in the womb. Your baby was in your womb and it was so tight in there, that sometimes when they’re swaddled, it can bring them back to a feeling of peace.
Swaddling is great for newborns up until 12 weeks OR they start rolling. Whichever happens first.
The reason we like to take them out of the swaddle by 12 weeks is that it can start becoming a sleep prop. Being wrapped up so tightly is unrealistic for a large, older baby, so weaning them out of the swaddle becomes necessary. Babies often try to learn new skills in the crib - making it very unsafe to swaddle past 12 weeks old as it can pose a suffocation risk if they roll onto their bellies.
How to wean them out of it? For some, you can do it cold turkey. For others, leaving one arm out for 2 nights, then letting the other arm out but still swaddling their tummy tight for 2 nights, and then ditching the swaddle completely can be very helpful.
82% of parents I asked said that they swaddled their babies from day 1. Some lasting only 2 weeks, but some keeping their babies in the swaddle until around 6 months old when they started to roll.
Some of their favourite swaddles included:
Muslin Blankets by Lulujo and Aden & Anais
Sleep Sacks are another option all together. A sleep sack is similar to a sleeping bag that is attached to your child and it allows their arms to be free. Typically sleep sacks don’t have sleeves (although some do), and they are very freeing for a child who doesn’t like to be wrapped up tight. They are also very versatile and I highly recommend using a sleep sack until your child transitions out of the crib at age 3. Some infants use sleep sacks from the start and completely skip the swaddling phase. Others transition to the sleep sack after spending some time (3 months) in a swaddle.
94% of the parents I asked said that they use a sleep sack for their child. The other 6% said that they switched over to blankets instead.
So what is the benefit of a sleep sack?
They keep your baby contained. When toddlers start testing boundaries and start exploring escape routes from their cribs, a sleep sack can be your best friend since it keeps their legs zipped up.
They can regulate your child’s temperature. Often times (especially in winter), our rooms are colder than we have our thermostat set to. This can be from a poor distribution of air in your home, having outer facing walls, and can also do with how much sunlight comes into the room during the day. A sleep sack can help ensure that your child is staying warm all night long. They make sleep sacks past 2.6 TOG (which is good for 15-16 degrees Celsius). This means that when your child is wearing it with pjs, you can be sure that they won’t be cold at night.
They becoming a cueing mechanism for your child to signal that bed time is near. When your baby sees their sleep sack, they know that either:
A) It’s naptime
B) It’s bedtime
It’s really cool to see how perceptive your child is especially when it comes to parts of their bedtime routine. I highly recommend using the sleep sack for all sleep situations - when possible.
Some of the top sleep sack brands that were recommended include:
Personally, my top 2 favourite sleep sack brands for my son were Woolino and Perlimpinpin. I found Woolino to be very soft and I loved that it was merino wool. BUT, I found Perlimpinpin to be a longer sack, therefor fitting my tall son, longer. They also have a variety of fabric options and I love their Plush and Bamboo Cotton the best.
All in all, using a swaddle or a sleep sack is a personal decision, but one that I do highly recommend! The pros outweigh the cons and they become comforting items for your child to associate with bedtime. My almost 3-year old always picks out his sleep sack and helps zip it up every night. We even use a sleep sack in the hot summer months, we just dress him in lighter pjs going to bed. We have even put him in a sleep sack with just a diaper on before (while in Hawaii).
Do you have any lingering sleep sack or swaddling questions? Feel free to post them below!
-Bailey
**This post contains affiliate links to Amazon.
