Hit the Sack, Baby

Why Are Some Experts Recommending Sleep Sacks?

By Melinda Copp

Designing the nursery and shopping for bedding is one of the many pleasures of planning for a new baby. Although tucking your little one in with a comforter that coordinates perfectly with the rest of the room's decor seems like a set up for sweet dreams, blankets and other bedding aren't safe for use in the crib.

"Any kind of blanket, quilt or cover in the baby's crib increases the risk of suffocation and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)," says Laura Reno, director of public affairs for First Candle/SIDS Alliance. "Our goal is to get all those things out of the crib."

SIDS is the leading cause of death in infants 1 month to 1 year old, according to First Candle/SIDS Alliance. And although health care professionals don't know all the reasons for this mysterious problem, they do know that eliminating bedding and other soft materials from the crib is one way to help reduce the risk.

"We don't want anything in the crib," says Betty McIntire, executive director of the American SIDS Institute. "We say a bare bed, meaning absolutely nothing in the bed but the baby, the clothing he's wearing and a fitted sheet."

These experts agree for good reason – blankets, stuffed animals, bumpers and other bedding can cover a baby's face and cause re-breathing. Re-breathing means breathing in the same air over and over again, and this increases the intake of carbon dioxide and increases the risk of SIDS.

Recommendations against using blankets in the crib raises questions about warmth and whether or not Baby will be comfortable sleeping on a bare bed. Enter the baby sleep sack, a product that is essentially a bag for your little one to wear while sleeping.

"Sleep sacks are really the first product that has come along that allows us to accomplish our goal of reducing SIDS rates," Reno says. "We very strongly recommend sleep sacks."

These snuggly sleepers come in a variety of designs and fabrics. Most designs zip closed or fasten at the bottom with snaps, so they are easy to work around when changing a diaper in the middle of the night. Some are made to be worn over another pair of pajamas, and others are designed to be worn alone, but they all help keep your baby warm and snug throughout the night.

Want to see more?

• Co-sleeping Considerations: Does Sharing a Bed with Baby Increase the Risk of SIDS?
• Snug as a Bug: Purchasing the Right Blankets for Your Newborn
• Reexamining the Pacifier: Can They Reduce the Risk of SIDS?
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