Sleeping bags for newborns - how to choose, use and sew with your own hands

Loving parents, even before the baby is born, begin to think about the conditions for his comfortable sleep and rest in the nursery. After buying a quality bed, you should properly organize the bed itself. One of the original and very comfortable accessories for sleeping is a sleeping bag. How to choose a sleeping bag or sew it yourself, tie and then use it correctly, is described in the article.

Benefits of Sleeping Bags for Newborns

Recently, many parents prefer not to choose “classics” - blankets, but sleeping bags for babies. The main advantage of a sleeping bag is the ability to reliably shelter a child who constantly opens and freezes in a dream. But the parents, after all, cannot stay on duty at the crib with the baby all night to straighten the blanket. A bag is especially suitable for restless children who at night prefer to roll from one corner of the crib to another, throwing off their blankets, which is why the child often wakes up and cries. It was for such cases that sleeping bags for newborns were created. Such an accessory will become a real find in the winter or in the off-season, when the heating has not yet been switched on.

Other advantages of a sleeping bag for a child:

1. The kid does not open at night. This is a very significant advantage. Especially in winter, a sleeping bag for newborns becomes a real find for parents.
2. The ability to feed the newborn without removing it from the sleeping bag. If the apartment is cool, the baby may be capricious at the moment of removing it from the heated bed, and the sleeping bag will relieve unpleasant sensations.
3. Comfort and sleep comfort - in a sleeping bag you do not need to tuck the edges so that the child has a truly warm and sweet rest. Just born babies are accustomed to a tight “crib” in the mother’s womb, so a sleeping bag will come in handy.
4. A sleeping bag is safer for newborns than a blanket. The fact is that the child can either pull the blanket over himself or slide himself under the blanket. The result is one - the child’s head is covered. This can make breathing difficult, and the newborn is not able to independently get out of this position. And when using sleeping bags for newborns, the likelihood of suffocation is much lower.
5. A grown up baby sleeping in a sleeping bag will not be able to independently climb over the side of the crib.
6. It is very convenient to take with you on a trip or trip, and you don’t need to worry about the hanging edges of the blanket, which is not always hygienic. PAt the same time, it will be convenient for the child to rest in any trip in those conditions to which he is accustomed to at home.

Conclusion: a sleeping bag is an important and sometimes indispensable accessory that provides the child with excellent conditions for sleeping.

Are there any flaws in the sleeping bag?

1. The sleeping bag is not very comfortable for the newborn. This can especially occur when the child is used to sleeping open, and then suddenly he is placed in an isolated space. However, if the baby sleeps in a sleeping bag from the first days, then such problems, as a rule, do not arise;
2. If the sleeping bag is ordinary, and not with sleeves, then the baby's arms will not be covered and may freeze. In a warm room, this drawback, of course, is not relevant.
3. It is advisable to put the child in a diaper in the sleeping bag, which will prevent the child from wetting the sleeping bag.
4. Changing the diaper at night without waking the baby will be very inconvenient. A sleepy child needs to be taken out of the bag, undressed, changed the diaper, dressed and put in the bag. After such manipulations, many children wake up completely. Only very young children have no such problem, because they usually have only one diaper for the whole night.

How to choose a good sleeping bag?

Even sleeping accessories have their own characteristics and features; they also exist in sleeping bags. When choosing, you need to consider several indicators, which are described below.

• Sleeping bag size

Select the product according to the height of the child. So, just born children are buying bags 65 cm long, for babies 3-9 months old sleeping bags 70-75 cm are suitable, from 9 months to 1.5 years the size of a sleeping bag should be at least 90 cm. Older children need a sleeping bag about 100 -110 cm. And more.

Designed sleeping bags for children under 4 years! In a large-sized model, there is a risk of confusion. Therefore, a length of 10-15 cm is greater than the growth of the baby from the neck to the foot. In order not to make a mistake with the size, before buying measure the baby’s chest circumference and height.

To choose a product for a specific baby growth, it is worth adding 15 cm to the body length from feet to neck, so it is recommended that you carefully measure your child before buying.

• Composition

As a rule, sleeping bags are made of hypoallergenic, breathable, natural materials. The lining is usually made of 100% cotton, and the top is made of polyamide fiber, which gives the product a shape and retains heat. Caring for such a sleeping bag is as easy as shelling pear - it is washed in a machine at a temperature of 40-60 degrees. Products from artificial or mixed fabrics should not be bought.

• Do you need sleeves?

Mittens are usually sewn onto sleeping bags intended for infants. This will help keep the handles warm and protect the child from accidental injury - scratching the face. If you decide to choose a model with sleeves, then they should not be narrow, because the baby still needs to move. In more expensive sleeping bags, the sleeves even come unfastened, which will be convenient in the older age of the child and in a warm room. There are models in which the length of the sleeves is adjustable.

• Neck of a sleeping bag

The neck should also be spacious so that the child is in no way constrained by the fabric. Ideally, between his neck and the neck of the sleeping bag should remain a distance of 1.5-2 cm.

• Bag back

To make the newborn or the older child comfortable to sleep, the back of the sleeping bag is chosen smooth, without applications, embroideries, because otherwise the product will rub delicate skin at night.

• Clasps

In a sleeping bag, as a rule, zipper is sewn in, which is located right in the center of the product (it is easier to change the crumb). It is better for older children who are already actively rolling over at night to buy a sleeping bag with a zipper that can be unfastened from the bottom up - so that it does not separate on its own or the child cannot unzip it.There are no fasteners on the back so that they do not interfere with children, but on the shoulders many products have additional buttons - to adjust for growth.

Features of the use of a sleeping bag - season and temperature in the room

There are some recommendations for using sleeping bags:

1. Lightweight cotton models are usually used when the apartment is warm - above 22 degrees.
2. Insulated products come in handy if the temperature drops to 19-22 degrees.
3. Warm, quilted sleeping bags are needed if the baby sleeps at temperatures below 19 degrees.

The temperature at which a specific sleeping bag model is used is always indicated on the product label.

What to wear crumbs for the night?

In children with normal thermoregulation, it is easy to choose clothes for sleeping. If the thermometer 22 ^o C and above, a short-sleeved bodysuit or even one diaper is suitable. The child is placed in a simple cotton sleeping bag.

If the temperature is about 20 ^o C to 22 ^o C, put on a long-sleeved bodysuit and the upper part of pajamas with a cotton sleeping bag or just a bodysuit with an insulated version.

And when the thermometer drops to the level of 18 ^o C or even 16 ^o C, which is considered the best microclimate for babies, along with high humidity indicators, they use the most insulated sleeping bag and put on a little man, pajamas with panties or romper with a long-sleeved bodysuit. In principle, you will quickly find out what clothes to wear on the baby so that he does not freeze, but also does not sweat.

Questions

• Why sew sleeveless sleeping bags, does the child freeze?

In fact, children are very susceptible to overheating. Thermoregulation in infants is still being established, and if the baby is hot, heat transfer occurs, which is just carried out through the free handles.

It should be remembered that constant thermal comfort is just as harmful as freezing - the thermoregulatory mechanisms do not “start up” properly, and as a result, the child often suffers from SARS and ARI. If you watch a sleeping baby, you will see that often he sticks out the handles from under the covers, and this is normal.

So do not be afraid to buy sleeveless models when a more or less stable temperature is maintained in the apartment (house).

• How to understand that the child is very hot?

Hands are not the right reference point, they often feel cold. Touch the tummy or nape of the baby, if it is sweaty, hot, then it is hot. Open the child, if necessary, change clothes and give a drink.

• How to understand if the temperature in the room is normal?

For these purposes, there are indoor alcohol or electronic thermometers. Some include indoor humidity indicators. If it is less than 50%, you should think about ways to moisturize. The most effective - with the help of a special device, a humidifier. We also read: normal temperature in a room with a newborn baby

• What if a child slips inside a sleeping bag?

If the size is selected, taking into account all the nuances and recommendations, this will never happen. Narrowing in the chest area, as well as cutouts for the hands, are an obstacle.

• The insulation bag seems thin. Maybe an extra blanket?

Look not at the thickness of the product, but at the label and the temperature threshold at which it is used. Modern materials retain heat very well, although they may seem unreliable. As for extra shelter, you should not use a blanket with a sleeping bag!

We also read:Swaddle envelopes Summer infant swaddleme (Summer Infant): comfortable swaddling

DIY sleeping bag for newborns

Even those mothers who are not too familiar with the sewing machine can sew their own sleeping bag for newborns. To sew a sleeping bag, you need to buy a good, natural fabric (cotton, wool, knitwear, flannel, etc. It all depends on the temperature in the room and the baby’s birthday. If you sew a sleeping bag for walking on the street, you can make a layer of some insulation, for example, synthetic winterizer or holofiber.In any case, you better know what a newborn baby needs), as well as choose a pattern of the right size. The cutting and sewing order is as follows:

• Pattern. You can make a suitable pattern if you use the child’s clothes for this purpose. The process is quite simple - you need to take sliders or a T-shirt, mark the outline of clothes on thick paper, and then add a little margin to the seams and room for the body. The resulting bag should not squeeze the child in any way. The length of the sleeping bag, as already noted, is calculated based on the growth of the baby from neck to feet plus 15 cm. One part is cut out for the back, and the front of the bag can be cut out in the form of a whole-cut part, and from several parts (to make an interesting application).

• Cut the fabric. For cutting the back, you need a whole piece of fabric so that the seams do not interfere with the child's sleep. Opening the front of the sleeping bag is best done in two parts to sew in the zipper, but the simplest option will also be a one-piece piece of fabric with a zipper on the bottom.
• Sewing. After the pieces of fabric are embedded, they are turned with their faces inward, stitched, and the zipper is sewn from the bottom (or in the middle). Velcro or buttons can be sewn on the shoulders. To sew a warm sleeping bag after cutting parts between each two pairs, they insert a layer of synthetic winterizer, and only then grind the parts together. You can decorate a sleeping bag in any order - using ribbons, stripes, etc.

Master class: do-it-yourself sleeping bag for a newborn

How to tie a sleeping bag?

For women who knit well, it is certainly not difficult to make a knitted sleeping bag for a child. Due to the repetition of body contours and a pleasant fit, the child will have the most comfortable sleep in such a product. For knitting, you need to purchase wool, or wool mixed with cotton, that is, completely natural materials.

To knit a sleeping bag, a newborn needs about 500 g of wool, buttons, lightning. The tool that will be needed is knitting needles 4.5, circular knitting needles 3.5, auxiliary knitting needles. To make an elastic band, alternate the front and back loops. Button openings are closed in the front row by 2 loops, the same amount is gained from the inside.

The back of the sleeping bag is knitted by a set of 49 loops on a 5 knitting needle, knitting technique - the front surface. In each 2nd row, a loop is added until 59 loops are reached. If the bag is knitted for a newborn, with a length of 48 cm, the loops for the armhole reduce up to 53 loops. After about 15 cm of such a fabric in the middle 11 loops are closed, the rest are knitted separately. At the same time, the side loops are closed to form a bevel of the shoulder. Hinges should be closed approximately 17 cm from the beginning of the armhole.

The front half of the sleeping bag is done with the front surface - 69 loops are typed, side loops are added in each 2nd row to achieve 79 loops. The front part of the product can be knitted in any other technique that you like more. After 12 rows, the loops are divided, then knitted separately, after 48 cm an armhole is made (similar to that described above).

If the sleeping bag has a hood, sleeves, then they are knitted separately with 4 elastic knitting needles. Next, all parts of the sleeping bag are sewn together, sew the fastener, if necessary, buttons. After completing work, the finished product must be washed, after which you can use it for its intended purpose!