While Red Nose Australia’s safe sleep guidelines recommend withholding having comforters in your baby’s bassinet or cot until they are over the age of 7 months, it doesn’t mean that you cannot introduce* one earlier.
So, when is the right time to introduce one?
You can introduce a comforter as early as you wish, provided it is only used during their awake time if they are under the age of 7 months.
During feeds, you can place their comforter between you to transfer your scent onto it, helping them form an attachment to it as they become more independent with sleep. You can also allow them to have and play with their comforter during their awake times.
We recommend purchasing at least* two comforters, in the instance that one ever goes missing (they may not take to their replacement if purchased afterward). If your baby has reflux, having a few extra comforters in their cot once they are over the age of 7 months serve as backups in the instance they spit up during the night and their main comforters need to be washed.
Having additional comforters also makes it easier for your baby to find and replace on their own from the age of 8 months, particularly if they tend to wiggle around a lot in their sleep, without needing to call out for you to replace them.
Lastly, there are comforters with dummy attachments available, making it easier for your baby to find and replace their dummy closer to the age of 8 months. This also reduces the risk of their dummy falling through the cot bars and having multiple ones in their cot overnight.
Did these tips help? Let us know!