⚠️ 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, 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 and your baby to transfer your scent onto it, helping them form an attachment 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 😴🤞🏻
With that said, if your baby is still catnapping, resisting sleep, or waking frequently overnight, book a consultation or download our Sleep Essentials Guide at www.settletosleep.com.au so we can support you in restoring sleep for you and your family 🩷🌸💫