I exposed one of my areas of motherhood ignorance yesterday.
Several of you caught it. Hey thanks…I have been feeling inadequate in this area since Ryan was born.
I was reminded of my cluelessness in this area recently when reading Manic Mommy’s job description. I read this list thinking, “I am doing OK in every area except for this one”.
I have read parenting books. I have researched. I have spent hours in thought. Still, no answer.
So I offer up to you, wise and dear readers, my burning question of motherhood:
Does it really matter what weight pajama you dress your child in if you keep your house at exactly the same temperature year around?
*gasp*
*ahem*
*avert your eyes*
Yes, I have just admitted that I have no idea whether the boys should be in footy fleece or shorts and t-shirts.
No book has addressed this. The only reference they make is something like…just dress your baby in one more layer then you are wearing.
FINE! But I sleep in shorts and a camisole and under two blankets.
Since babies can’t sleep with blankets, do my blanket layers count? So would that be 2 layers or 4?
What if I throw off one blanket during the night? Should I rush in and strip a layer off of him? So would that be 1 layer or 5?
What if I start the ceiling fan in the room during the night? Should I turn on his fan and add a layer (or not) or leave the fan off and subtract a layer? So would that be sleeping naked or packed so tightly into multiple pajama layers that the poor child can’t bend his arm to place thumb in mouth?
I live in Texas. During the summer it is hot. But we don’t like the house to be hot so we run the air conditioner. Texas winters are mild. But we have very thin blood and run the heater if needed. So really the temperature is the same every night.
To prove my schizophrenia on this issue I took the above picture tonight (see the Stars Hockey in the background?) where Ryan is warm and cozy from head to foot and Rhett is sporting shorty wife beaters. How did I get here?
Oh, did I mention that Ryan won’t wear anything else and Rhett will scream unmercifully if his “orange jammies” are dirty. That is my thought process. My parenting book will be in stores soon…
***
Please note that the title is from one of the greatest pajama resources of all time, Sandra Boynton’s Pajama Time. I can’t leave you hanging so let me finish so you can get on with your day:
Now all around the room in one big line,
wearing our pajamas and looking so fine.
It’s Pajama Time!
Hop in the bed. Turn out the light.
You can have a party in your dreams tonight.
IT’S PAJAMA TIME!
(Hush, Hush)
It’s Pajama Time!
(Hush, Hush)
it’s pajama time.
(shhhhhhhhhhhhh.)
Hey – thanks for visiting a new girl. Pretty nice after being invited to the ‘cool table’ and all!
No advice on pajamas – our house is always freezing and we pile on the fleece. But, Pajama Time is an all time favorite bedtime book around here.
Holly, at least your children wear pajamas. My two boys refuse! They sleep in their underwear and have one cover. And this is during the winter in Virginia.
Now me? I am bundled from head to toe and sleep with several covers.
So you are not strange or weird. You and your boys are perfectly normal.
Still say from May thru Sept they should be in shorts and tees. Just saying.
And, I starting singing the rest of the book as soon as I read your title. Love Boynton. Currently have an entire Boynton shelf.
I say let them wear whatever gets them to bed 😉
After 102 cumulative years of parenting experience, I can tell you with absolute certainty that it does not matter at all what they wear to bed. Unless it is a wet bathing suit. These are not recommended.
That’s funny. I used to have this exact same PJ dilemma all the time.
Will they be too hot? Too cold? What happens if they throw off the covers during the night and wake up?
(answer turned out to be: they would wake up anyway).
Then I moved to Texas – and: problem solved!
Do not ask me.
My husband and I come from very frugal backgrounds, so we never turned on the heat. Until the morning Social Butterfly woke up with purple hands and feet (she was wearing feetie p.j.s). Convinced their was something wrong with her heart, I rushed her to the doctor. His suggestion? Turn on the heat. Embarrasing.
mine sleep in footy jamas just like ryans all year long. no issues here.. but I have always wondered the same thing.. hmmmm
I’m all for the wear what works, wear what’s clean philosophy.
we don’t actually wear jammies anymore — unless it’s chilly they wear jammie pants. i’m manning them up on this one — t-shirt and undies boys. t-shirt and undies.