Duvets before 12 months - is it a size thing or a development thing?

[Ernestina]

Bedding is becoming an issue for my 9 month old. He doesn't really like his grobag, and our house is quite cold and I don't really have enough blankets now it's colder (most of my blankets are newborn size).

Don't really want to fork out for a load of bigger blankets when I could just get him a duvet - but does anyone know why the advice is to wait till he's 12 months?

He's already the size of an 18 month old but isn't very mobile - so wondered if it was a size/heat ratio thing or a movement thing?

I really don't know but I would imagine it's got a lot to do with how mobile they are. If he gets down under the duvet would he be able to flip it off or move out of it? I've just bought DD (nearly 10mo) a duvet and pillow but don't use the duvet yet. I do leave the pillow in the cot but it's very thin and she is extremely mobile so is able to move if necessary. Haven't used the duvet as she is happy in her grobag so far.

The risk is that of SIDS and namely overheating. I personally would persevere with grobags.

x posts. I stand corrected then!

What GG said.

here is the current advice

I would remove the pillow GBITS, not matter how mobile she is - it is unnecessary and contraindicated.

The advantage of a duvet is that a child can kick it off if he/she is too hot - there is a natural security in duvets, that prevents a child over heating.

Personally I hate grobags because the child has no control over his/her temperature or movements. I would never, ever use one.

I would keep on with the grobag. We used to have a little 400w heater with a thermostatic plug which we had in DS's freezing bedroom. That way we knew the temperature was constant.

Sorry Anna - but utter rubbish and there are aeons and aeons of research to back up the simple fact that babies who use duvets are more likely statistically to die of sids, presumably due to overheating, rather than those in grobags where the head is always clear.

The risk is too great to even state a preference for duvet rahter than grobag or light sheet/blankets and feet to foot - there is no choice.

Shall I point you in the direction of some of the most recent research?

here
and here and one of the most recent here

Research is lovely, but my cousin died in a gro-bag having overheated.

DD hated grobags, she is a fidget and found them really restrictive. We put her in a childs bed with a duvet from 10.5 months and have not looked back. She is very tall for her age too.

Hmm, fair point. She barely uses it as she doesn't stay in the cot for more than an hour (which I appreciate is long enough) but I take your point. I didn't realise it was still a risk once they were mobile. Thanks.

There are always exceptions that prove the rule Anna; my daughter had no risk factors at all and there was neither grobag nor duvet implicated.

But statistics are all there are to go on with regards to sids as there are only prevalent features rather than a definite causology - and a child is more likely to die with a duvet than with a grobag.

Babies die in car accidents in car seats. But that does not mean I would ever consider going with out. A slightly dodgy analogy and I am so sorry about your cousin, but I do think that even considering the use of a duvet on a young child is a risk too far.

It is hard enough, God knows, to lose a child to sids. It is unthinkable to lose a child to sids when there is the doubt that if one had followed the given advice, the child could have lived.

In fact my dd died of SUDC rahter than sids, and the contributory factors are even hazier than those for cotdeath. But with ds I follow the advice religiously - for obvious reasons.

dd1 was born in germany and they use duvets from birth. they are different to the ones you can buy here, but it is not unusual to see them doubled and a newborn at the bottom of a very large puff of duvet. german research at the time showed no increased risk of sids as a result.
no advice intended - (we have used both grobags and german duvets from newborn) - merely offering another cultural perspective.

in fact they use them on the maternity ward, thinking about it...

I didn't even know such a thing existed ggg . Neither do many other people judging by their website.

Have you tried putting a fleecy suit like this over his pj's. this is what i do with dd2 (she 13mths but still in 9/12 mths clothes. as she will not keep her duvet/sheets on.

ggg

I could only read one of your links as the others required you to sign in, but:

"Results-The use of duvets was associated with an increased risk of SIDS; however, after adjustment for potential confounders there was no increased risk of SIDS. Furthermore, subgroup analysis did not identify any group in which the use of duvets was associated with an increased risk of SIDS. Conclusions-This study does not support the recommendation to avoid duvets."

Thanks for all the posts and the link to the SIDS advice. lizziemun - great idea to buy a fleecy suit - I'll do that and maybe buy one more blanket.

ggg - thanks for the advice and I'm so sorry about your daughter