Sleepsack Users (former or current)

We used sleepsacks until the weather warmed up enough for them to be comfortable in just their pjs. I'm trying to decide what to do next since the seasons are about to change. Do I go out and buy sleepsacks in the next size up or just get them started on using blankets? It seems like this decision shouldn't be such a struggle!! I guess I'm a bit nervous about the blankets as I used them the first year to reduce risk of SIDS but haven't had a chance to look into the research to see what it says about this age group. What did you do, when, and why? TIA for any input

 

I love the sleepsacks, but since the boys started standing/walking, I've had to give them up because they'd trip themselves (plus it's summer, so they don't really need them). Seeing as how it's getting colder at nights, I decided to get the "Early Walker" sleepsacks from Halo that have leg openings. I bought the smallest size they had, figuring the boys would be large enough by the time I wanted to use them. Now, I know my guys are skinny, but they're 50-70% for height; these sleepsacks are so freakin' long that *I* could wear them!! :lol:

I really don't want to give them blankets yet, but I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Maybe there's a brand of sleepsacks with feet that are a little smaller? :unknw: These are such a good idea, but I don't think they're going to fit until the guys are 4!

 

I'm just going to use fleece pjs. I'll put a blanket in their crib, but they move around so much. There's no way they'll keep it on them all night.

 

My guys are still in sleepsacks. I use them as a sleep association object so they go into them for naps and bedtime. Lately, I think they would sleep without them but I like that they're kind of hobbled in them. They only wear them in their cribs so they aren't walking around tripping on them. My hope is that they help keep them IN their crib longer by not allowing them to kick up their little feet to the top of the crib and climb out. My plan is that when they go to a toddler bed, they'll get blankets and pillows - I'm hoping that feeling like big boys in their new beds will help them feel good about the transition.

 

We will probably go between sleep sacks, blankets & fleece pj's. Mine don't have problems with blankets but they sleep like their father does-move around alot and throw the blankets off.

 

I will still use them. I have lighter ones that they are using now, but I also have their Grobags that go to 18 months. There is still plenty of room for them in there, and I refuse to put blankets in their beds.

 

good topic...I've been wondering the same thing.
I didnt know that Halo made sleep sacks with legs, thats hilarious to me,lol. My LO's are on the shorter side so sounds like they wont work...and they are both walking so I dont want to use the regular sleep sacks.
They move around soo much so I know there is no way they can keep a blanket on,lol.
I think we've decided to stock up on fleece pj's and see how that goes. I might put a blanket in the crib but I dont know if it will do any good.

 

Still using sleep sacks here, actually been using them all Summer too... they just love sucking on them before going to sleep, and it's safer than blankets (plus knowing them they'd take each other's blankets or drop it out of the crib then cry). Also hoping it will prevent them from climbing out of the crib but not holding my breath! We use cotton PJs so far but will switch to fleece PJs when it's colder.

I'm with PP too, it's an object that helps them transition to sleep 'mode' so I will probably keep them until they're in toddler beds... already bought the next size up too!

 

We stopped using sleep sacks at the age of 3. :good: I loved them so much but they outgrew the biggest size. Sad day around here, they kept them nice and warm!!

 

We still use them on chilly nights here too. In fact, mine wore them last night. They had pjs without footsies in them so I put the sleep sack on them to keep their little toes warm.

 

We use them and have all summer as well as PP - when it was really warm they just had the sleep sack and a onesie or sometimes just the sleep sack. When it gets colder we will use fleece pj's. I dont want to give them blankets yet either. I know they wont stay on and plus G tends to like things over his face. I was able to pick up some used XL ones but we use them SO much we are wearing out the zippers - I am always on the look out for them. We also only put them on when they are in their crib. I will use them for as long as I can.

 

Hey, I just found these http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=534081&parentCategoryId=85179&categoryId=86181 on the One Step Ahead site. Looks like they're a bit smaller than the gargantuan Halo Early Walker sleepsacks. I might order a couple and see how they are. I really don't want to do blankets (because of safety and because they move around so much they'd never keep them on), and it's gonna get COLD here this winter! I hate leaving the heat up at night, but last year they woke up any time we turned the temp below 71 degrees...

 

[quote name='Nate and Jack's Mom' date='17 September 2009 - 07:01 AM' timestamp='1253196096' post='1455184']
Hey, I just found these http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=534081&parentCategoryId=85179&categoryId=86181 on the One Step Ahead site. Looks like they're a bit smaller than the gargantuan Halo Early Walker sleepsacks. I might order a couple and see how they are. I really don't want to do blankets (because of safety and because they move around so much they'd never keep them on), and it's gonna get COLD here this winter! I hate leaving the heat up at night, but last year they woke up any time we turned the temp below 71 degrees...
[/quote]
These look GREAT! I might just do the same thx

 

[quote name='Nate and Jack's Mom' date='17 September 2009 - 07:01 AM' timestamp='1253196096' post='1455184']
Hey, I just found these http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=534081&parentCategoryId=85179&categoryId=86181 on the One Step Ahead site. Looks like they're a bit smaller than the gargantuan Halo Early Walker sleepsacks. I might order a couple and see how they are. I really don't want to do blankets (because of safety and because they move around so much they'd never keep them on), and it's gonna get COLD here this winter! I hate leaving the heat up at night, but last year they woke up any time we turned the temp below 71 degrees...
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Well, I lagged and then it got COLD so we put the girls in their old Halo sleepsacks and they still fit!!! They don't seem to like the lack of mobility though so tried ordering the ones you suggested above yesterday. There must have been some server issues yesterday because their website kept timing out! We looked for them on Amazon and found some but very limited color/sizes (must be popular right now) and wound up ordering the Halo Early Walkers!! I hope they work out ok since my girls are super TINY (one is still below the first percentile) but they are pretty tall (70 - 75th percentile) so hopefully that will help them fit into these enormous bags!!! Once they arrive, I'll update this with our review!

 

I just ordered the ones from one step ahead last night!! I will let you know how they work out.
My kiddos are short so I know the Halo early walkers wont fit. Ds is already accident prone so I dont want to put him in a sleep sack and let him try to walk around,lol.

 

I use kiddopotomus sleep sacks, the fleece ones, but it only goes until 18 months.. any suggestions what to use when they outgrow this?? i was suprised to hear people using them until 3, i didn't realize they even came in larger sizes.
Thanks!

 

We use the Halo ones... You can often find them at BOGO 50% off at Babies'r Us too.

 

I posted about this a while ago too. I was really debating what to do since they weren't mobile last year and I thought they'd really fight it. On a whim, I pulled out last year's knowing they wouldn't fit. Well, I was shocked! They still fit. We tried them last week and they are sleeping so much better now. They can still walk in their cribs with them on (and they aren't the ones with the leg holes). I know we'll need a larger size in the near future, but my girls are about 31" tall and they are still comfortable in the medium size Halo we were using last winter.

 

We still use sleep sacks. My guys are 23 months, they are in the XL size which goes 18-24mo. They can't run in them but they can walk ok in them. I choose to use sleep saks still for a couple of reasons.
1) There is NO WAY they would keep blankets on them. I mean, we try to but when we leave the room, they stand up in their cribs and talk back and forth with each other so the blankets fall off. Plus, their room is really cold in the winter.
2) I am afraid if they weren't restricted with the saks on, they would be able to climb out of the crib. It keeps them from being able to throw their legs over! I LOVE sleep saks and will use them as long as I can. Yes, they are $$$ but they last for a LONG time and heck, resell them on EBAY when you are done with them. Also, they do run in larger sizes like 2T, 3T, etc online with little feet hole in the bottom so they can walk easier!
Also, if you have a Home Goods by you, I have found them there for $9.99 each as well as TJ MAXX!

 

I have huge babies, so when they outgrew the XL sleep sacks, I just weaned them off and used space heaters -- the one with thermostats -- in their rooms.

They're now in twin beds, and will sleep under a sheet -- sort of. I'm planning to just add a blanket on top of it. I tuck it under the foot of the bed to keep it from being thrown around. Karina does a lot better with it than Kevan does -- I still find him face down, with butt in the air, hugging his pillow and moo cow. :ibiggrin:

 

I do the same as you. I´ve just started using their sleepsacks again as the nights have gone chilly. DS seems to be quite mobile in it but DD isn´t and will cry as she can´t sit back down! SHe´s getting used to it though and seems to be managing around her cot! :ibiggrin: I worry about blankets too but because they move so much they wont be covered at night & would get cold. An alternative is to buy a sleep suit that has arms and legs that goes on top of their regular PJs. I have these and they are warm and allow them to be more mobile. I think once my LOs have outgrown their current sleepsacks, I´ll be investing in those!

 

We went from sleepsacks to the Halo Big Kid sacks with the holes. Now we just use zippered blanket sleepers. My boys have a great deal of trouble staying under a blanket (very mobile in their sleep) and they don't like their sleepsacks anymore because while they still fit fine, they say they're too bumpy to sleep in (I think the fabric bunches when they roll). For this in-between time of cool but not cold yet, they wear their blanket sleepers with nothing but underpants under them. When it gets colder, they'll wear pajamas plus the blanket sleeper. They stay warm and I'm not up at night helping them straighten blankets so it's a win-win.

 

As promised, I'm reporting back after getting the Blankeaze sleep sacks from One Step Ahead. I haven't had them sleep with them yet (it hasn't gotten quite cold enough to warrant fleece), but I tried one on Nate, and they fit really nicely. He's a skinny guy and shorter than his brother, so the Blankeaze is a little large, but he can walk around without tripping himself, and I think there's enough growth room that these will fit both boys through the entire winter season. They are soft and fuzzy, not too thick, and zip up the back.

Nate is about 30 inches and 19 lbs, Jack is about 31 inches and 20 lbs. We bought the 12-18 month size.

Here's Nate modelling his new sleep sack, and him running around the kitchen with it on. Sorry for the blurry pics; I had a hard time getting him to sit still! :ibiggrin:

I think they're going to work very nicely when it gets cold. Hope this helps!

 

I am ALSO reporting on the blankeez sleep sacks from one step ahead.
They fit well and are nice and warm. We did use them at night and were able to keep the house a little cooler.
Jack is about 30in and 22lbs-we got him 12-18 months
Mackenzie is about 28 in and 18lbs-we got her 6-12 month...I think she can make it in this all winter, she's always beeen smaller

 

Thanks both PP's for reporting back! Our Halo early walkers (that I'm scared are huge...) haven't arrived yet. I guess they aren't available right now and so we'll just have to wait a bit longer. Luckily, the weather warmed back and up and the girls still fit into their old Halo's from last winter... and they've gotten used to the restriction. In fact, even though it's warmed up... they cry if we don't put them in their sleep sacks and get all giggly and snugly as we zip them in! They're so funny!

 

I'm amazed at how many of you keep your kids in layers at night - if I put that much clothes on my kids they'd NEVER sleep! I have really warm kids and last year was the last year I put fleece sleepers on them - they sleep in cotton 2 pc PJ's now and are warm - and I keep the house at 65 at night...

 

My guys wake in the night if we turn the heat down below 71 degrees. Yes, 71 degrees; we tested it. Why 71...?ardon: I hate to have it that warm at night, so I need to bundle them up and see if it allows us to turn the temp down.

 

Cotton pajamas with no blanket at 65 degrees? Really? I'd freeze and I expect that my kids would too. They have gotten up to tell me they were cold if I forgot to give them socks with their footless fleece pajamas. We keep the house at 68 but there are 4 HUGE windows in their room and even though they're double-pane, there is some chill from them.

 

my dh was the one who figured out the poor babies were cold... I just thought they liked sleeping on their tummies like me. they were so cute with the butts up in the air... but my dh figured out that they were really just sleeping on their arms to keep warm... poor thing. anyway, we got the long sleeve pjs out and the sleep sacks from last year. they love it! and are back to sleeping sprawled out and on their backs...

I wondered if ours would boycott the sleep sack since its restrictive now that they are walkers, but they are fine! yay!

 

I programmed the thermostat for 65 degrees last night and put the boys in their new sleepsacks (over cotton footed PJs). Jack woke once around 1:30 and cried for 10 seconds, then went back to sleep. No other wake-ups, and I had to practically dynamite them out of bed this morning at 7:45.

So I think these are a success! :good:

 

amazingly enough Abby sweats at night at that temp....

 

I always used the fleece sleepers like a sleep sack...in the really cold months they wear socks, cotton/terry pj's with feet, then fleece pj's with feet over them. They also have blankets but do kick them off. I never thought to keep doing sleep sacks once they are walking but I may look into it for this winter since our house is really cold.