Ensuring your baby is dressed appropriately for sleep is crucial for their comfort and safety. Here’s a guide on how to dress your baby to sleep, focusing on three key types of sleepwear: PJ footies, swaddles, and onesies. We will also discuss transitioning to sleep sacks after you stop swaddling.
Quick cheat sheet
1. PJ Footies
I honestly kept my baby in a PJ day and night. I felt she was much more comfortable in it during the day as well. I thought that pants would put too much pressure on the waist. So, I had a few day pajamas and a few night ones. I personally like the Carter’s brand; they are the softest. But Gerber is the second best in terms of value. Get a bunch, especially if your baby spits up—otherwise, you’ll have to do a lot of laundry.
Benefits of PJ Footies:
- Warmth: They keep your baby warm without the need for additional blankets, which can be a suffocation hazard.
- Convenience: Easy to put on and take off, especially during nighttime diaper changes.
- Coverage: Ensures your baby’s feet are covered, keeping them warm throughout the night.
Tips:
- Two-way zipper: Get PJ footies with a two-way zipper for easy dressing, undressing, and diaper changes. I personally hated the ones with snaps.
- Material: If it’s cold season, get fleece ones. However, if it’s above 71°F, use cotton PJ footies plus a swaddle at night. During the day, if it was cold or windy outside, I used the fleece ones.
2. Swaddles
Swaddling helped soothe my baby, and she wouldn’t sleep unless swaddled. Sometimes I had to double swaddle her, and the tighter I did it, the longer she slept. For babies that young, swaddling is a reminder of how tight they felt in the womb. I recommend lightweight and breathable materials to prevent overheating.
Benefits of Swaddling:
- Reduces Startle Reflex: Helps prevent the Moro reflex, which can wake the baby.
- Promotes Better Sleep: Can help babies sleep longer and more soundly.
- Soothing: Provides a sense of security and warmth.
Tips:
- Materials: Use lightweight and breathable materials to prevent overheating. If it’s cold, below 71°F, use a fleece swaddle or TOG 1.5+.
- Velcro Swaddles: I found velcro swaddles to be lifesavers! The most famous are the Halo ones, but SwaddleMe offers great value, and I used them more often. Avoid swaddle blankets, as they can come undone easily.
Note: Very important—don’t swaddle the baby after they start rolling from back to belly. They can get into a compromised position during their sleep. Immediately stop swaddling and use a sleep sack instead.
3. Onesies
Onesies are another versatile sleepwear option for babies, available in short and long sleeves.
Benefits of Onesies:
- Versatility: Suitable for various temperatures. Use short sleeves in warmer weather and long sleeves in cooler weather.
- Layering: Can be layered with other sleepwear items for added warmth.
- Comfort: Made from soft, breathable materials that keep the baby comfortable.
When to Use: Onesies are great for layering under PJ footies or sleep sacks. In warmer weather, a onesie alone can be sufficient.
4. Sleep Sacks (After Baby Starts Rolling, 4+ Months)
You don’t need sleep sacks right away—so you could hold off on buying these until your baby rolls. After the baby rolls from back to belly, you have to stop swaddling and use a sleep sack instead.
Benefits of Sleep Sacks:
- Safety: Reduces the risk of suffocation compared to loose blankets.
- Freedom of Movement: Allows babies to kick and move their legs while staying covered.
- Comfort: Provides consistent warmth throughout the night.
Tips:
- Two-way zipper: Get sleep sacks with a two-way zipper for easy dressing, undressing, and diaper changes.
- TOG rating: Before choosing a sleep sack, determine how warm it needs to be. TOG is a unit of heat measurement that helps you determine how well a fabric will insulate your little one. I use 0.5 TOG starting at 72°F+ (not 76°F as recommended below).
Products I recommend:
PJ:
Short Sleeve Onesies
 Gerber Baby-Girls 8-Pack Short Sleeve Onesies Bodysuits |  Simple Joys by Carter’s baby-girls 6-pack Short-sleeve Bodysuit |
 Gerber baby-boys 5-pack Short Sleeve |  Disney Pixar Toy Story 5 Pack Bodysuits |
Swaddle:
 SwaddleMe Swaddle Newborn |  SwaddleMe Swaddle 3-6 Months |
Sleep Sack
 Yoofoss Baby Sleep Sack Cotton |  TILLYOU Sleep Sack Extra soft cotton |
 HALO SleepSack, Micro-Fleece Wearable Blanket |  HALO 100% Cotton Sleepsack Swaddle, 3-Way Adjustable Wearable Blanket, TOG 1.5 |
Transition sleep sacks
Before using the sleep sack, there are transition sleep sacks, however, none of them worked for us, partially because my baby didn’t stay put in the zipadee-zip and partially because I was too scared to use the Magic Merlin because of its weight. Stay away from any weighted sleep sacks! It’s not safe! I will list other ones here, in case you want to give them a try though.
- Transition Swaddle, Baby Sleep Sack 3-6 Months Arms up Swaddle 2-Way Zipper
- SleepingBaby Zipadee-Zip Transition Swaddle
Products in the nursery
Here’s a list of products that to achieve a calm sleep environment.
Blackout Curtain Shades with Suction for making baby’s room darker
