A sleep sack is essentially a wearable blanket you put your baby in when it’s time for him to go to sleep. They’re easy as pie; simply lay your baby in the sleep sack and zip it up, like you would a pair of footie jammies. They allow your baby all the wiggle room he needs while keeping him nice and warm in his crib.
One of the advantages of using a sleep sack is that it eliminates the need for loose blankets. Blankets in the crib pose a suffocation hazard. Even if you tuck them in nice and snug, older babies will manage to kick blankets loose. If baby’s in a sleep sack, he can wiggle and kick all he likes without losing his covers. This also helps prevent baby from getting cold after knocking his covers off.
Another advantage to the sleep sack is that it promotes back sleeping. Once babies are able to flip over onto their stomachs, there really isn’t much we as parents can do to stop them from sleeping that way. Using a sleep sack prevents this for an extra month or two because it’s harder for baby to turn over while in the sack than if he were just wearing pajamas.
Sleep sacks are available in a variety of materials, with natural materials like cotton being the best ones for your baby. Cotton and other natural materials tend to be a lot more breathable than synthetic fabrics, and allow your baby’s skin to air out while he is sleeping. This not only keeps him more comfortable and helps him sleep longer, but also helps prevent rashes and other skin irritations.
While there isn’t a lot of evidence to support it yet, it is believed that using a sleep sack can help prevent SIDS. Part of this is because it eliminates the use of loose blankets, which are one of the leading causes of SIDS. It may also be due in part to the fact that babies can’t turn onto their stomachs, which is known to be the leading cause of SIDS.
On top of all of the other advantages, sleep sacks are comfortable for your baby. They allow him the freedom to move around as much as he is able to while still keeping him warm and snug as a bug.