When to introduce a comforter and what kind?

[Cuppaqueen]

DS is nearly 5mo and we're wrestling with the twin joys of teething and sleep regression Getting more than 40 mins nap in the day or a couple of hours at night is a challenge! He will (mostly) go down in his cot drowsy and be settled with shushing and stroking, but of course when he stirs, I'm no longer there and doing that. So he wakes up and we have to start all over again.

He doesn't have a dummy; he spits them out. But he does like to cuddle his muslins or a soft toy during play and I'm wondering whether a comforter might help him settle, especially at night? However I'm also scared of suffocation risk as he's still so young (albeit a 17lb chunker) and likes to squish things against his face/mouth.

So my question is: when can I safely introduce a comforter, and what kind do you recommend? Oh, and what is a 'lovey' - is that just another word for comforter?

Hi Op, I introduced a Muslin around that age. I slept with it between us for a couple of days (cosleep) and held it near every time I fed. I also wiped milk on it every time my letdown started (not sure how you're feeding little one) so it smelt of me and milk. I always felt there was little risk with the muslin to be honest but you have to make your own choices. I also add a few drops of lavender to it every night. Honestly though, it hasn't really stopped her waking and made her nap longer. Occasionally she will rouse from a sleep cycle, cuddle it and go back to sleep but it's not consistent x

And yes lovey is another word for comforter x

Thanks crazy

Can I ask, what size of muslin did you use?

DS is breast-fed and we do end up co-sleeping or napping together a few times a week so I could try your way of introducing it ...

You would be going directly against Clear Cot SIDS recommendations:

www.lullabytrust.org.uk/safer-sleep-advice/clear-cot/

There is no specific until-date in the Clear Cot recommendations, so SIDS advice is against the use of comforters, period, always. As with all risk factors though, it's for you to judge and manage the risk.

In my experience children don't really start noticing a comforter until about 12 months anyway. I have first introduced mine to a comforter object around 9 months old, ready for moving into own room so to replace the comfort of me being close all night.

Personally, I think under 6 months is too young. I would balance the usefulness against the risk and at 6 months I think the balance is against use that young. I would worry about strangulation and suffocation as well as SIDS. But risk managementis a very personal thing.

I might also add that 2 of my 4 children never bonded with a comforter object despite my efforts, just a dummy. I'll also say that my DS2 bonded very randomly with a teddy that was not the one I was snuggling with when breastfeeding him. I actually never liked the look of "Ted" very much, thinking there were nicer soft toys he could have had. But my son clearly loved him very much (still does, and DS is 11) and chose him independantly of me even at just 12 months old.

My 5 month old has had a muslin for ages. Easy to wash/replace and minimal risk.

They may not take one. We tried for months on end with ds and he was never bothered. Still isn't .

I introduced a muslin at 5.5 months in a similar way to crazycatlady under advice from a sleep consultant. She put it near her face and fell asleep from then onwards but it was around the 7-8 month mark she fully developed a consistent comforting ritual for it. She's 10 months and now finds the edge she wants and comforts herself with it a certain way before every sleep.

Like Fate said, it is against official SIDS guidance but it's all about risk management and what you are happy with in terms of risk. I felt muslins were the lowest risk as fully breathable and also widely available to replace which is why I encouraged that as a comforter over a toy (something you can't have so much influence over when they are older though!)

Thanks all for the advice. I wasn't sure how long the 'clear cot' guidelines stayed in force. I think I'll wait till DS is a bit older and then try with a mini muslin