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In this post, we’ll go over how to dress your baby for sleep. Dressing your baby for sleep is an important part of ensuring they have a comfortable and safe sleep environment without getting too hot or too cold. As a mom of four and pediatric sleep consultant, I have a lot of personal and professional experience with this and know how important it is for your little one.

the basics of dressing baby for sleep

Most babies wear 2 garments to sleep: a pajama “onesie” underneath a swaddle or sleep sack, depending on their age. Let’s break each of these items down further and talk about when you might want to use each.

• Pajamas Underneath - many parents dress their baby in some sort of single-garment pajama for sleep for several reasons:

  • They are easy and convenient to get on and off in the middle of the night for overnight diaper changes (pro tip: zipper onesies are MUCH easier to get on and off than snap onesies!).

  • The “onesie” often replaces multiple other pieces of clothing (ex: a footed pajama onesie replaces a separate shirt and pants, and it also keeps tiny feet warm instead of needing socks), again, providing convenience and ease of use

  • They are made from a variety of different fabrics and materials—everything from thin cotton to muslin to a thicker fleece, to name a few of the more common ones—and so can be used in a wide variety of room temperatures, seasons, and climates.

  • Once babies stop waking overnight for diaper changes, and certainly once they start to begin potty training as toddlers, many parents transition to two-piece pajama sets or use a combination of onesies and two piece pajamas.

• Swaddle or Sleep Sack On Top - many parents use swaddles for younger babies before they attempt to roll over. Once they roll over, sleep sacks, also called wearable blankets, are a popular choice.

  • Swaddles help newborns sleep better and longer by reducing their startle reflex. They provide warmth, comfort, and emulate the position baby experienced while in the womb

  • Sleep sacks provide the comfort and warmth of a blanket without the potential safety hazard of having a loose blanket or bedding in baby’s crib. I’ve linked my personal favorite brand here.

  • As soon as your baby attempts to roll over, it’s time to stop using the swaddle and start transitioning to a sleep sack.

  • Sleep sacks can be used for babies and toddlers of all ages. Sleep sacks with separated legs made specifically for toddlers can be a good alternative to traditional blankets while enabling walking before bedtime.

key considerations when dressing baby for sleep

The two key considerations for dressing baby for sleep are ensuring a comfortable temperature and safety. These can be interrelated, but we’ll review each separately.

1. Maintain a Comfortable Temperature For Sleep

   Much like Goldilocks and The Three Bears, your goal here is to achieve a temperature that is not too cold and not too hot. There are three variables to consider to ensure your baby maintains a comfortable temperature:

   1. Baby’s room temperature

   2. The thickness, material, and style of what baby wears underneath the sleep sack or swaddle

   3. The thickness, material, and style of sleep sack or swaddle

   My favorite combination is a lightweight long-sleeved cotton or muslin sleeper onesie underneath a fleece sleep sack. This works great for us in our home that we keep at 67 degrees year-round for reference.

   If your home or climate is warmer, a short-sleeved cotton or muslin onesie underneath a fleece sleep sack might be a great choice (remember that you can use either a long-sleeved or sleeveless fleece sleep sack as well).

   Unless baby’s room temperature is very cold, you likely do not want to have a fleece sleep sack on top of a fleece sleeper onesie as that may cause baby to become too hot.

   Keep in mind that you can adjust either the temperature in the room or what baby is wearing to ensure a comfortable sleep environment for your baby.

2. Dressing Baby Appropriately For Sleep Enables Safe Sleep

   Many parents, especially parents of young babies, worry about their babies becoming too cold at night. By using a pajama onesie paired with a swaddle or sleep sack and the guidance I shared above, you can rest assured that your baby will be warm enough overnight. Importantly, this will also allow your baby to be safe while sleeping and to adhere to the Safe Sleep Guidelines published by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which recommend against any loose bedding, including blankets, in a baby’s crib or bassinet, in order to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Loose and soft bedding can be a suffocation risk for babies, especially young babies who are not yet fully capable of rolling themselves out of potential trouble if the blanket were to cover their face during sleep. Baby sleep sacks align with this recommendation by eliminating the need for loose blankets and thus are considered a safer option. While baby sleep sacks are generally considered safe, it’s crucial to follow recommended guidelines to ensure optimal safety for your little one. These include ensuring the sleep sack is properly sized and maintaining a comfortable temperature for sleep.

safe and better sleep for baby

With the tips in this article, you can be sure you are dressing baby for sleep in a way that will ensure their comfort and safety.

If you’re interested in learning other ways you can ensure great sleep for your baby, be sure to check out my ebook, the Ultimate Guide To Better Baby Sleep. As a pediatric sleep consultant and mom of four, I’ve learned a lot from both my personal experience as well as my expert training that can help you learn how to create healthy sleep patterns and habits for your baby—starting as soon as day 1 home from the hospital and without any crying. Sweet dreams to you and your baby!