Probably a dumb question but... what is the point of baby blankets?

[cherrylime]

Starting to gather together a shopping list and it seems like baby blankets are listed everywhere on 'newborn essentials.'

But I'm confused because you're not supposed to have blankets in baby's sleeping area for first year? What's the point then, assuming you have separate swaddles and foot muffs for pram?

Help a confused FTM!

I think that’s American guidelines which are different for some reason.

It’s handy having a spare in car actually incase it’s a warm day and turns chilly later on

Blankets for daytime sleep are fine as they should be sleeping in the same room as you so you would see if the blanket moved.

Night time sleep - I used gro bags and swaddled

Blankets are handy in the pram/pushchair as a layer which can be easily removed when going indoors (rather than taking off a coat)

Blankets are handy to put over the baby once clipped in their carseat as they cant wear warm layers in car seats as the bulk is unsafe

That's why it's recommended to use cellular blankets on babies at night time (then ones with holes in). Our baby was too small for the sleep bags to start with as there is a minimum weight limit so we had to use baby grows and cellular blankets in her crib until she was bigger.

Blankets were very useful for: in the car seat over her lap, in the pram for walks, when we did skin to skin and I put a blanket over her.

We used blankets for the first 3 months or so then switched to sleeping bags when the weather went cooler. However we always continued to use blankets for naps, pram, car seat etc. DD started using a duvet for naps at 2.5 and just before she turned 3 she moved to a duvet overnight too as she was starting to get too small for her sleeping bags.

Cellular blankets have holes in so are breathable. We used these until our baby was big enough for grobags in the cot and then continued to use the blanket in the pram and car seat.

I used blankets on the floor, too, for little one to lie on.

Blankets are useful incase it gets a bit chilly in the pram (but not cold enough for a snowsuit or foot muff) and also in my case if your baby hates sleeping bags. We use blankets instead- bought the sleeping bags and she screamed blue murder in them!

Americans are obsessed with swaddling babies, you don't want a swaddled baby under a blanket.

UK advice is blanket or sleeping bag, swaddling isn't as popular here. So they are for overnight sleeping/generally keeping warm when you aren't using a sleeping bag (or swaddle).

If you do use blankets in the cot, UK advice is "feet to foot" (or always used to be) - do they still say that?

Though I swaddled for first maybe 8 weeks and it was a godsend.

I would never ever use one for overnight sleep (swaddle bag or sleep sack only) but they are quite handy for putting over them in the car seat because coats are unsafe, or in the pram on those in between days when you don’t want a full on footmuff but might want them to be cosy for a nap. You don’t need loads of them, I find 2 are all we need.

@cherrylime

Thanks everyone, I'd read the below on 'What To Expect' and got confused. Though you all make good points, blankets probably good to have during the day even if we don't use at night!

"Is it safe for babies to sleep with blankets? In short, no, because blankets can be a hazard in the crib. About 3,600 babies in this country die unexpectedly every year while sleeping, and the reasons are often related to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), suffocation, entrapment or strangulation, with blankets increasing the risk of all four.

Because a baby can suffocate under a blanket, the safest sleep environment is a bare crib that’s completely free of comforters, bumpers, pillows, fleece, sheepskin and stuffed toys. In fact, the only thing your baby needs at night is a fitted sheet that’s tucked in tightly on all sides."

Don’t they have cellular baby blankets in the States? Cellular is pretty standard for baby blankets here, and as PPs have said you will use them during the day anyway.

Maybe try using a British source of advice? That one sounds a bit bonkers.

Cellular blankets don't seem to be a thing outside of the UK! I had to import some when I had a baby in Germany.

Gro bags are a relatively recent thing, I think blankets still have a place.

Especially in the car where it would not be at all safe to be in a sleeping bag under the seat harness!

DS never liked gro bags and this affected his sleep until about 18 months when we just gave up using them and got a toddler duvet.

"Is it safe for babies to sleep with blankets? In short, no, because blankets can be a hazard in the crib. About 3,600 babies in this country die unexpectedly every year while sleeping, and the reasons are often related to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), suffocation, entrapment or strangulation, with blankets increasing the risk of all four.

I think this is American, no? They have different sleep guidance to the UK. That statistic is also much more frightening if applied to such a small island nation as the UK.

The risk with SIDS is overheating, but that can happen with a sleeping bag which they don't mention.

Feet to foot of the cot and blanket under the arms is better advice than a blanket no blankets 😊

I used baby blankets loads. We had several of them.

We used them for sleeping in the cot, over knees in the buggy, to be cozy in the car seat, to lie on when on the floor etc etc. They were absolutely essential to me.

My ds is nearly 7 so don’t know if things have changed but when I brought him home he was under 5lbs and there wasn’t a gro bag around that he could’ve safely used for at least 8+ weeks cellular blankets I always thought where safe if tucked in and used properly

I just had baby number 3 six weeks ago and it is very hot so cannot use even the thinnest gro bag. Cellular blankets are a godsend, they are breathable as they have holes in them. Do your hospital not give you pregnancy books? I'd go with their recommendation or check their website when packaging hospital bag.

Also I was told by the community nurses from nicu that swaddling is not advised at all any more have the guidelines really changed this much in a few years

Gro bags are a relatively recent thing, I think blankets still have a place

Define recent. My eldest is 18 and I used grobags, available easily on the high street.

I used blankets with the pram/buggy/car seat. I found snow suits and footmuffs a pita- if you’re going in and out of shops for example the temperature is constantly changing and disturbing the baby. Blankets are easy to remove or throw another one on, so I could keep them comfortable without disturbing them.

Blankets protect whatever they are lying on from being vomited on, makes surfaces more comfortable, act as emergency muslins when you've run out, keep them warm in the car seat (because they can't wear a coat in the car) and get played with for teddies and dolls when they are bigger. We've still got about 5 and my eldest is 8

There's no reason not to use blankets, but my youngest 2 had grobags because they were a thing by then.

About 3,600 babies in this country die unexpectedly every year while sleeping

About 230 in this country. (UK)

Still 230 absolute tragedies, but not as alarming as 3600.

My baby is a few weeks old. None of the midwives or health visitors have said anything about the cellular blanket we have with the baby. Also in hospital they had one and it wasn’t tucked down the sides or anything. If the baby has their feet at bottom and you cover just the bottom half then I don’t see how the blanket can end up over their airways. If anything all my baby can do is kick the blanket further down.

We originally bought sleep sacks/sleeping bags but even at 8lb5 he was slightly too small for the smallest version. He’s probably ok now so we’ll try switching.

@cherrylime A load of people suggested What To Expect to me, and it's a great book and site, but it's all REALLY American, and some of the guidance/norms change massively.