New Infant Sleep Guidelines Advise Against Weighted Swaddles and Blankets
Weighted swaddles and blankets are popular among parents trying to get their infants to sleep, but they should not be used on sleeping babies, according to new recommendations released by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
Among the new AAP’s new sleep recommendations are that weighted blankets, weighted sleepers and weighted swaddles should not be placed “on or near” a sleeping infant and that infants should not wear hats indoors except in the first hours of life or in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
The AAP also recommends, as it has in the past, that caregivers always place infants to sleep on their backs on a firm, flat surface and should never add “blankets, pillows, padded crib bumpers, or other items to an infant’s sleeping environment.”
In addition, the AAP strongly advises against co-sleeping with babies. In its updated guidelines, the AAP says babies should sleep in the same room as their parents for at least six months but should sleep on a separate, firm and flat surface.
In addition, caregivers should not use infant sleep products with inclined seat backs of more than 10 degrees and should not use infant car seats, bouncers and other inclined products for sleep. Only products that are specifically marketed for sleep should be used for infants’ sleep, according to the guidelines.
