When to start using blanket/comforter in crib?

[BayAreaMom]

Hi,
I can't find this post easily, but I'm sure it's been asked before- perhaps with a variety of answers. My 9-month old daughter has slept in her crib with only a fitted sheet and a bumper. She wears a Halo Sleep Sack. She is big for her age (22 lbs) and perhaps getting ready for a blanket. I though perhaps 1 year was the right age to introduce this, but my neice- who is 2 weeks older, but only about 18-19 lbs, is using a poofy PBK down comforter in her crib already.

Thanks
Darcy

[SnuggleBuggles]

1 year but I would stick with a thin blanket rather than a comforter. Having baby in a confined space with something so big and thick just worried me, even when ds was 2 yo (and I probably didn't need to have worried much). Ds never used a sleep sack so we just layered his clothes, being careful not to overheat him.

I googled SIDS recommendations and found this (which reinforces what I have read in plenty of places):
The CPSC, AAP and NICHD recommend that infants under 12 months be put to sleep in a crib with no soft bedding of any kind under or on top of the baby. Consider using a sleeper or other sleep clothing as an alternative to blankets with no other covering. If using a blanket, put baby with its feet at the foot of the crib. Tuck a thin blanket around the crib mattress, only as far as the baby's chest.
http://www.nncc.org/Release/sids.html

At a year (even 9 months) SIDS' rates are pretty minimal but I worried about suffocation.

Lots of people do things that aren't in line with safety recommendations (myself included on occaision) but you have to make an informed decision about it. Some people don't research things at all either. I'd hold off on blankets and comforters at least till the 1 year mark.

Beth

[C99]

I'd use a thin cotton or fleece blanket at first, at around 1-year. My DD has been using a hypoallergenic cotton/poly comforter and cotton duvet cover in her crib since she was around 14 months. Truthfully, I don't think size has much to do with whether a baby is ready for a blanket or not - it's more to do with the ability to roll over or kick off a blanket in his/her sleep. Both of my kids roam all over the bed when they sleep, so their comforters are often kicked off or adjusted in the middle of the night