How to put your baby to bed!

February 4th, 2010 | General

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23 comments

Alison says:

Hi Tizzie,

Ah ha, I have been doing it all wrong Thank you for your advice and it is lucky I already have three of your ‘Safe Sleeping Bags’ from your online shop to use with the ‘Doublewrap’!!

Thanks again!

February 5th, 2010 at 1:11 pm
Tizzie says:

Thanks Alison: I am pleased to hear it helped.

February 5th, 2010 at 1:37 pm
Claire Jones says:

Hi Tizzie

I’m really concerned that this advice goes against the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths in the UK. FSID say that babies should only be swaddled in lightweight materials OR in a baby sleeping bag OR blankets, not all three. Also, their recommendation for using baby sleeping bags says that parents should use extra clothing rather than blankets in all except for the coldest weather. Their is no mention of the temperature which you recommend a baby’s nursery should be at.

Also, are you aware that, in the UK, it’s now recommended that parents have their baby in the same room as they are in for all naps and night-time sleep.

Would be interested to hear your comments on this. I have a 2 month old baby and I don’t want to put her at risk of cot death.

Thanks, Claire.

February 12th, 2010 at 4:24 am
Tizzie says:

Hi Claire:

Thank you for your comment and for visiting my website. Congratulations on have a two month old baby, my youngest is four months. Cot Death is a very confusing subject and the advice given on it seems to change from day to day and with each person you talk to. Having personally suffered from a cot death this is a subject I take very seriously. I believe the advice I am giving clients readers and friends is correct and will help to keep babies safe. I presume you watched my video and this is where your concern came from. If you watch the video again and look out for these things I think it will put your mind at ease. I do say Cillian is over 15 weeks and this is because I have different bedding guides for different ages and I do not suggest the same bedding for a small baby. Also I take the temperature of the room and adjust the bedding accordingly the video was recorded in Victoria Australia where the humidity is much lower for example than London so this same amount of bedding would not be used in London for a room the same temperature.

Please note I say the below on my guides!

Using my bedding guides, you will still need to watch your individual baby and adjust the bedding if your baby appears too hot or cold. Here are a couple of pointers to tell if your baby is too hot or cold.

Signs of a baby who is too hot include: the baby will be waking and moaning, have a sweaty back and sweaty, wet clothes. However please note that I do not recommend using plastic or PVC-backed mattress protectors in your baby’s cot. I have found that these mattress protectors can make some babies sweat and appear too hot so parents do not use enough blankets and their babies are then cold. If your baby is sweating and you have a mattress protector on I recommend you remove this and follow the above guide which is correct for the age of your baby and climate in which you live.

Signs that your baby is too cold can include: he who moves all around the cot, never lays still, and will often roll on to his tummy; catnapping in the day, or waking from 4am (but more often 5am).

You might also need to adjust the recommended bedding depending on the humidity level where you live as well.

The sheets and blankets in your child’s cot should be made from cotton or bamboo.

Tips:

• Never tuck a sleeping bag in under the mattress because this will restrict your little one’s movement and is dangerous.

• The most important rules to remember to protect your little one from SIDS are to have a totally smoke-free pregnancy and environment for your baby, and to always place a baby in the safe sleeping position on their back to sleep

• Toddlers over 18 months appear to be better at controlling their own body temperature while they sleep so might need less bedding.

Here are some references that have helped me with my research and advice.

FSID website on how to put a baby to bed, please note on this page

I have looked on the FSID website and if you go to this page http://fsid.org.uk/Page.aspx?pid=410 you will see a video of how to put your baby to bed and you will see the baby is in a none Save Our Sleep® recommended sleeping bag but they have put blankets on the baby. Also if you look at step 4 it reads

Step 4: Bedding
Duvets and pillows are not recommended for babies under one year. It is far safer to use a cotton sheet and light layers of cotton blankets. Electric blankets and hot water bottles should never be used. It is fine to use a baby sleeping bag. They are great for keeping babies cosy, but they need to be cotton, light weight and not have a hood. They should never be used with a duvet or quilt. If additional warmth is needed, a light blanket, cotton sheet or extra clothing is usually all that is necessary, but take care not to over heat. It is most important that the sleeping bag is not too big around the neck, to prevent your baby from slipping down into the bag.

SIDS and KIDS information sheet 6 September 2007 http://www.sidsandkids.org/pdf/InformationStatement-RoomTemperatureSept2007.pdf please go to the 3rd page second paragraph in the conclusion box and read what it states. “However there is no evidence to show that extra thermal insulation increases the risk of SIDS in infants who sleep on the back with the head and face uncovered.”

Here is a link to the 9th SIDS international conference http://www.ispid.org/fileadmin/user_upload/textfiles/SIDSI2006finalabstractbook.pdf if you go to page 99 (which might be a different page depending on how you are reading it) but actual page 99 point 134 titled COT DEATH AND SLEEPING SACKS you will see the state a baby will roll later if bedding is used with the sleeping bag.

Claire I hope I have put your mind at ease, I know how confusing this subject can be. What I can tell you is I believe it is really important to keep a baby sleeping on their back for as long as possible and I have found putting a baby to bed too cold causes them to first of all not sleep well which will result in overtired parents and a baby and secondly and more alarmingly it will cause them to roll to their tummy once they can roll.

Le gach dea-ghui, Tizzie

February 12th, 2010 at 5:24 pm
Kym says:

Hi Tizzie, just love all the tips and esp your book. It makes not only for confident mums, but also confident Grand parents like me. Toby is a dream to mind and our new little one is just as easy. When I have them together, I know what to do and when. I just love it. When our daughter needed a break and I vollunteered to do the middle of the night feed with expressed brast milk, I sat up and read the chapter on bottle feeding and it all went without a hitch, even the settling afterwards, because I knew waht to do!!! You’re a gem, thanks so much. I recommend your book to so many mums who are struggling and need not! Hope all is going well as you make all the film clips, very sincerely Kym Ivory

February 17th, 2010 at 9:27 am
Tizzie says:

Hi Kym:

Thank you so much for your lovely kind words, I am so happy to hear how much you love my tips. Yes all is going well for me with the film clips and also my young boys!

Le gach dea-ghui, Tizzie

February 18th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
Nicole Clark says:

Hi Tizzie,

What brand of cots do you have for Darragh and Cillian? I have read your bedding guides etc and read on the forums that you think that the most expensive cots are not always the safest. We are about to buy cot number 2 and I am keen to get the safest one around

Thanks

Nicole

February 24th, 2010 at 8:21 pm
Jennifer Galton says:

Hi Tizzie,

I am a Canadian now living in Darwin, Australia. I am so confused as to how to dress my 23 w/old son at night in this hot and humid climate!?
We use airconditioning in his room and I keep it at 26 or 27 degrees and he sleeps in a thin cotton jumpsuit with the built in booties. He has always been ‘a mover’ and will not sleep if I swaddle or restrict him and he has started waking for 2 times/night. I have suspicions he may be getting cold but it is so easy to ever heat them in this climate.
Do you have any experience with balancing clothing/ aircon/ high humidity & temperatures? It seems like a math equation!
Thanks,
Jennifer

February 25th, 2010 at 11:05 am
Tizzie says:

Hi Jennifer:

Welcome to Save Our Sleep®, it is very confusing as to what to dress our little ones in, I am from Dublin living in Victoria and it is much colder here when you take the Dublin summer humidity into account. @0 degrees in Dublin seems so much warmer than 20 degrees in Victoria. We have a bedding guide which tells you how to dress your baby depending on where you live and if your house is heated or cooled. http://shop.saveoursleep.com.au/ecms/product.asp?cid=1174&pid=26811

Hi Nicole:

Here is a link to my article on cots, this is the cot Darragh is in and the ones we have in the clinic http://saveoursleep.com/reading/free/babycotshowtochoose.asp it is the Grotime Lara cot. Cillian is spoilt he is in a beautiful Stokke cot! One end of the market to the other they are both safe and good cots.

Le gach dea-ghui, Tizzie

February 26th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
Sophie Parashos says:

Hi Jennifer,

I also live in Darwin and have Tizzie’s safe bedding guide, but i find that my 9 week old gets way too hot.. i think he is the exception! He sleeps in a short sleep body suit and muslin wrap and seems to be fine… i will need to add layers when our dry season comes along but i think he is generally a little hotter than most bubs. His dad is the same.. very hot person rather than cold.

Hope you are enjoying Darwin!

Sophie

April 29th, 2010 at 5:45 pm
Tizzie says:

Hi Sophie:

Have you checked in your cot to be sure you are not using a mattress protector or you don’t have the plastic side of the mattress next to your baby? But also please remember my guide is a guide and you will need to adjust it.

Best wishes Tizzie

May 2nd, 2010 at 12:35 am
Katie Reed says:

Hi Tizzie,
Firstly, Thank you for your wonderful books, they have been such a great resource for me. I actually bought your Toddler book to give to a friend as a gift (then had to buy my own copy!!). Before I gave it to her I thought I would have a quick look through, thinking it wasn’t quite relevent for me yet as my son is 10mths. I was reading the section about knowing if your baby is cold, and I could tick all the boxes… sleeps on his tummy, squashed up in the corner of the cot, moving around thru the night etc… I then took steps to follow your sleeping guide… only problem is James will not stay under the blankets. As soon as I put him in bed he squirms and rolls and crawls out from under them!! Do you have any suggestions to combat this??

Thanks,
Katie

June 17th, 2010 at 9:08 pm
Tizzie says:

Hi Katie:

Thank you for your comment and thank you. Its good to hear you liked the book so much you had to get your own copy. With James not staying under the blankets the first thing I would try is adding two more cotton or bamboo layers of blankets to see if this helps often the extra weight helps a toddler to feel safe and secure. If this doesn’t help I would wait until he is asleep and then go in then to cover him with his blankets rather than tucking him in when you first put him to bed.

Le gach dea-ghui, Tizzie

June 21st, 2010 at 12:58 pm
Shannon Cain says:

Hi Tizzie,
I have recently purchased your book and the safe sleeping guide to ensure my boy was warm enough at night. I am still not sure so can you please clarify because my questions were not addressed in either purchase. I also looked at the Feb 2010 blog for answers too. I am in Orange NSW (very cold). In regards to a bodysuit does it matter if it is short /long or singlet sleeved? In regards to a babygro does it need to be cotton only? Or is cotton/nylon ok? Does it need to cover hands and feet? Also when i am putting on the blankets in an unwrapped baby do i put them under arms chest height, in the picture it looks like they are up under the chin with the arms under the blankets.
Thanks,
Shannon

July 20th, 2010 at 8:05 pm
Shannon Cain says:

Sorry reading back that sounds very abrupt..not intended. I am just a paranoid first time mother and want to get it right!! Thanks Tizzie!

July 20th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
Tizzie says:

Hi Shannon:

Please don’t worry about how your questions come across. This link might help you http://forums.saveoursleep.com/how-to-set-a-cot-up_topic6669.html if your baby is wrapped you need a short sleeved bodysuit but if your baby is not wrapped you will need a long sleeved bodysuit like these http://shop.saveoursleep.com.au/product/2387/40734/ .

Yes the babygro needs to be 100% cotton with no nylon. No it doesn’t need to cover hands and feet because the feet are in a sleeping bag. Yes you try to have your little ones blankets up under his chin but his face and head uncovered.

Le gach dea-ghui, Tizzie

July 20th, 2010 at 8:59 pm
Stacey says:

Hi Tizzie,
Just wanted to say thank you for giving me back my confidence as a mummy to my two little girls (18 weeks & 3 years) I now have quality time with my husband after 7pm with no interuptions and my girls are so well rested that the time they are awake during the day is simply joyful. Everyone comments on how ‘good’ and ‘well behaved’ my babies are and I know without a doubt that its because I have followed your routines, bedding guide and taken your advice even down to what I dress them in. Every now and then there will be someone who critisises my ’strict’ routine (not that I consider it so) but thanks to you I am now confident enough not to question the way I am raising my daughters and realise these people dont know what they are missing! Love the video clips too, they have really helped me ‘tweek’ the routine, now I know I’m definately doing everything correctly and I’m so happy. thanks again, Stacey

July 22nd, 2010 at 6:49 am
Tizzie says:

Hi Stacey:

Thank you for your comments, I m pleased to hear my routines, advice and the video clips have helped you.

Le gach dea-ghui, Tizzie

July 22nd, 2010 at 3:19 pm
Natalie King says:

Hi Tizzie,
First of all, thanks a million for the book, the routine is working a treat. I have moved to Spain and I have your Bedding guide which I am trying to follow here but my 6 month old is a SWEATER (even in the cold), and we’ve no air conditioning so nighttimes are around 28 degree’s. I’ve got him in a cotton sleeveless onesie, with a muslin sleeping bag, no mattress protector, cotton sheets and he has started waking between 4-6am (if he resettles he is awake in 40 mins again, and continues to wake until 7am). I think he sweats then gets cold. Sometimes he’ll move about for two hours, bashing his comforter around until 7 am. I’m at wits end on how to dress him. Do you think I should put a long sleeve on him? But it’s too hot when he goes to bed at 7pm and still at 11pm. Thanks, Natalie.

July 23rd, 2010 at 6:22 am
Tizzie says:

Hi Natalie:

Thank you for the thank you, it sounds to me like your little one isn’t warm enough to sleep all night if he is a little sweaty it is okay but if the sweat is pouring off him then you do need to use less bedding.

At six months he should be in a bodysuit, a babygro(so yes long sleeved and feeted) a one tog safe sleeping bag, a DOUBLEWRAP a sheet folded in two and 2 cotton or bamboo blankets at night. So yes you should have him in long sleeves. When you go to bed you can add the second blanket but from 7 pm just have the one.

Please try this unless the sweat pours off him, also at 6 months he should be eating chicken or fish twice a day.

Le gach dea-ghui, Tizzie

July 24th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
Bonnie says:

Hi Tizzie,

I was given your book by my sister-in-law and have just (today) purchased your safe bedding guide. My 4 week old son wakes after only one sleep cycle during the day, however at night he goes 3-4 hrs between feeds. We are working on the self settling and he can self settle within 5 mins most of the time. When he wakes during the day after 40 mins he can sometimes resettle himself with a bit of protesting, however other times I need to pick him up and have him on my chest or in the sling.

After reading all I can from your book and guidelines, I have come to the conclusion that his inability to resettle after one sleep cycle during the day could be due to being cold. During the day he is sleeping in bodysuit, baby grow and wrap as opposed to night when he is sleeping in the aforementioned plus 5 layers.

Your information has given me the light bulb moment that I need to add more layers during the day – but as a new mum I’d love your reassurance??

He is waking early at about 6 (following 2 feeds -at about 10pm and 2 am), however he often only has a short 10 minute feed at 2am. So I am thinking he may need an extra layer at night as well.

Fingers crossed the extra bedding will reduce his waking during the day and help him transition between sleep cycles.
The next few days will tell!

I would also love your advice on re-settling if he does wake after 40 mins during the day (if the extra bedding does not solve). In your book it states for a baby his age to get him up, keep him wrapped and place him on your chest to try and give him more sleep. Is this after the minimum 2 mins of protesting?? As half the time he can resettle himself if I give him 5 mins. Am I doing the right thing here in giving him a chance to resettle?

Thank you dearly for your time., Bonnie

July 25th, 2010 at 3:38 pm
Tizzie says:

Hi Bonnie:

Congratulations on the birth of your little one. It sounds to me like he is cold in the day so the first thing I would suggest is trying the bedding I recommend in the bedding guide. If you are not using my recommended bedding at night as well yes please try this. What I would do is try the bedding first if this doesn’t work look at things like is he hungry or would the next routine with more up time help.

If none of the above help please look into my support options. http://shop.saveoursleep.com.au/ecms/category.asp?cid=475

Le gach dea-ghui, Tizzie

July 27th, 2010 at 1:32 pm
Rebecca says:

Hi Tizzie,
I have recently read your book which i found FANTASTIC! and have suggested it to all my other pregnant freinds but i think i will just start buying it as presents, i really love your swaddling clip as i now am using it for my 3 month old and also your addvice on bedding, i am trying to use your routine but am struggling as my little girl wakes at 7am but can’t hold out until 9 so i swaddle her at as you suggest then she is awake after 30-40min this is happening all through out the day and once she wakes she is wide awake and still very tired but wont go back to sleep until 40-50mins later doesn’t resettle and she has plenty of bedding blankets so i am confused wondering if she is too cold or what could be the problem, would be great if you could give me your suggestion on this matter.
It’s so funny i leave your book next to my bed so if i can’t get back to sleep in the middle of the night i will read over and over making sure i have read everything twice
thanks very much Tizzie

July 30th, 2010 at 10:43 pm

How to put your baby to bed!

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