Are weighted sleep sacks safe for babies
Are weighted Sleep sacks safe for babies?
One of the most important prerogatives of a parent is to make sure that babies are safe and comfortable. At the same time, you don’t also need to see to your health, rest, and sometimes work. Yeah, sure, it could be very difficult to achieve a balance between doing these things – manually, that is. The need to multitask catalyzed the invention of a lot of things that are baby materials today. One of those things is weighted sleep sacks.
All these do not, however, remove the need for caution. Are these help aids safe for the baby? Would you choose comfort at the expense of your babies’ safety? Due to this, quite a number of government-approved regulatory structures have been put in place.
As for the case of weighted sacks, let’s take an introspective drive into what they are, how they are used, and whether they are safe for the babies. Hang on!
What are weighted sleep sacks
Don’t get lost in thoughts. Weighted sleep sacks are nothing technical. They are baby sleep sacks that have extra weight to them. These sacks were primarily built for baby therapy.
How does this add up? Over the years, medical professionals have found out that there is a connection between weighted sleep sacks having a calming and psychologically beneficial effect on babies – especially at night time when the baby needs to sleep.
It was initially used to put autistic babies (or those who have trouble sleeping) to sleep. Over time, these sacks found their way to the mainstream baby product market.
Currently, there is a substantial amount of people that use it for their babies. Must these people have had a reason for using these sacks, right?
Let’s examine some of the benefits these sacks have to offer the babies and the parents.
What the concerns Experts have about weighted sleep sacks
For the sake of balance, let us first consider some of the objections raised concerning the use of weighted sleep sacks. Then, what are the possible cons that are associated with using these products?
It may hamper the flow of the baby’s breath – There are certain objections to whether the weighted sleep sacks would not place an extra load on the baby’s chest and lungs. If this happens, it reduces the volume of air a baby can draw in a while sleeping.
The risk of suffocation
There have also been objections about weighted sacks suffocating the babies – especially when they flip.
The risk of overheating
Finally, some individuals (and experts alike) have raised concerns regarding the amount of heat a weighted sack can generate. Some believe that the heat may be too much, and it may predispose to baby to sudden death syndrome.
Are weighted sleepsacks safe for babies
All the advantages above speak more of comfort and convenience. When it comes to safety, however, certain conditions weighted sleep sacks must meet. Any deviation from these specifications can pose a threat to the baby’s wellbeing. So, what are these conditions?
The weight
The number deciding factor is the weight of a weighted sack. Ideally, a weighted sack is supposed to have a total weight that equals 10% of your baby’s original weight. Anything more than this predisposes your baby to the same consequences of over-swaddling the baby.
Explicitly, if your baby weighs 20 pounds, the weighted sleep sack is only supposed to weigh 2 pounds. That is if you are serious about keeping your baby safe.
The material
Another thing that determines whether a weighted sack is safe is the composition of the materials that make up the sack. Some raw materials are deemed dangerous to the health of a baby. For example, there are some materials that can cause the baby’s body to itch uncontrollably. That betrays the very concept of comfort, doesn’t it?
For instance, it is safer to buy blankets, clothing, or sacks that are made from wool or organic raw material than those made from synthetic materials like nylon.
The design
The extent to which this contributes to the safety of most baby materials cannot be overemphasized. Take, for instance, which would you consider safer between these two: a weighted sack with zippers made of iron and a weighted sack made of rubber zippers? Of course, the one that has rubber zippers!
Weighted sleep Sacks that have sharp-edged zippers, badges, and the likes are considered relatively dangerous. This is because those aspects of its design pose a threat of injury to the baby.
Summarily, weighted sleep sacks are safe for babies provided that the above are considered during the design process. Any weighted sleep sack that has any contrary make may pose different dangers to the baby.
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What are the benefits of using sleep sacks
It is warm and cozy
Primarily, weighted sleep sacks are always warm and cozy. They are a good means of providing warmth for the baby without unnecessary swaddling. Just so you know, when you swaddle a baby too much, the baby becomes very uncomfortable. However, with weighted sleep sacks, you don’t need to sacrifice comfort for warmth.
You could also think of it like this, conventional blankets and swaddle cloths can be kicked off when the baby is sleeping. Weighted sleep sacks, on the other hand, cannot. Nevertheless, they are optimal for keeping your baby at just the right temperature, irrespective of how cold the environment is.
The sacks help babies relax
Sure, these sacks are beneficial even when babies are not sleeping. A baby in a weighted sleep sack experiences a soothing sensation. You know what that means don’t you?
It allows parents to feed their babies without necessarily trying to calm them at the same time. As an extra backing to this claim, research has shown that weight is associated with melatonin and serotonin. These are hormones that keep the body calm.
In addition, increased weight can increase the level of melatonin and serotonin in the baby’s body. Finally, weight is known to contribute actively to decreasing the level of cortisol a hormone that gets high when a baby is stressed – in the baby’s blood.
Either way, you look at it; it is good news all through. You can successfully multitask without running back to pat or soothe your baby. Just get a weighted sleep sack.
Sleep sacks are convenient
The importance of comfort – both for the baby and the mom- cannot be over-emphasized. Weighted sleep sacks allow the baby more freedom of movement as opposed to swaddling. It is also easy to wear and remove, as the case may be. Besides, it allows you and your baby more sleep time.
Age requirements for a weighted sack for a baby
As you may have observed, none of the reservations above – about the use of weighted sleep sacks – are without a solid basis. Despite the assurance of safe designs, age is still very important. That is, of course, if you want to be on the safest side possible.
It is advisable that you purchase a weighted sleep sack that is designed for the age range of your baby. In most cases, weighted sleep sacks are designed with a 6 month range in mind for babies below 1 year old. That is, you will get babies between 0-6months old, 6-12months old.
Are Nested Bean sleep sacks safe
Nested bean sleep sacks are another significant variation of the sleep sack. The difference between them is the design. While a normal weighted sleep sack adds additional weight throughout the baby’s weight, nested bean sleep sacks are only weighted at the chest.
They are designed that way to make babies feel the sensation of a mother’s touch.
Generally, these nested bean sleep sacks take a different approach to achieve the same end. They increase the level of dopamine and serotonin hormones in sleeping babies.
Just like in the case of weighted sleep sacks, nested bean sleep sacks are only safe when they are within the recommended range of 10% of the baby’s body weight. However, weighted sacks are light and flexible, and they permit babies to roll from one side to the other when sleeping.
There have also been concerns about the risk of SIDS. You know, SIDs are inked to extra weights on the chest of babies. For instance, babies who sleep on their tummies. There is no concrete evidence that links SIDs and nested bean sleep sacks. For the sake of reiteration, the weight of standard products never exceeds 10% of the baby’s weight. That sure would not pose any threat to the baby’s breathing, would it?
Finally, just to fulfill all righteousness, there are certain rules you are recommended to follow to be on the safe side. That is if you intend to use nested bean sleep sacks for your baby.
Since it places additional weight on the chest, it should not be used for more than a period of 30 minutes.
The baby – especially older babies must be able to remove the blankets with ease.
You should supervise your baby when they are under the nested sleep sacks.
Here is a list of the top 10 best Sleepsacks in different categories
1. HALO Sleepsack 100% Cotton Wearable Blanket (Best overall)
2. TEALBEE DREAMSUIT  (Best for Toddlers)
3. Baby Merlin’s Cotton Magic Sleepsuit  (Best Transitional Sleepsack)
4. Baby deedee Sleep Nest Teddy Baby Sleeping Bag  (Warmest Sleepsack)
5. Hudson Baby Unisex Baby Cotton Long-Sleeve Wearable Sleeping Bag (Best cotton Sleepsack)
6. Nested Bean Zen Sack (Best weighted Sleepsack)
7. aden + anais Essentials Classic Sleeping Bag (Best muslin Sleepsack)
8. Baby Sleeping Bag, 4 Season Basic Merino Wool (Best wool Sleepsack)
9. HALO Early Walker Sleepsack (Best with feet Sleepsack)
10. Simple Joys by Carter’s Baby 2-Pack Microfleece Sleepbag Wearable Blanket (Best fleece Sleepsack)
Conclusion
No artificial product is perfect. The safety of these products is dependent on how they are used. That is the case for nested bean sacks and weighted sleep sacks. If you pay attention to experts’ recommendations on how to use them, then you and your baby are good to go.
