How to Prevent an Infant or Toddler from Playing with Their Blanket Sleeper Zipper

Avoiding Modifications

Forgive the unzipping if you notice the child unzipping their blanket sleeper. If you come into their room to check on them and see them unzipping, tackle what sent you in their originally then zip them back up.

Speak to your child in words they can understand. Having them listen has its benefits, as some children will listen and take mental notes on the parents' intonation, asking them to zipper back up. Some might stop unzipping shortly thereafter without much action being taken.

Keep explaining to them that no matter what you do to their sleeper, they will always be loved. Make sure that they keep hearing that you want them to be healthy, safe and secure when they wear them, but expect some resistance from them. Some will try every measure possible to do what they want, whenever they want. Expect them to cry or have a temper-tantrum, due to your necessary restrictions. Crying or temper-tantrums may erupt after taking the necessary precautions to ensure they can't take their sleepers off. Avoidance of allowing the child to keep the blanket sleeper unzipped will make them try other ideas. If health is a potential risk factor you can't see become a problem, make as few modifications as possible, but show the child you care!

Avoid dressing them into their nighttime clothes too early. Especially on a warmer night, avoid dressing them out of day clothes and into nighttime clothes to prevent them from getting too warm, too quickly.

Avoid the hassle during a clothing change, and avoid raising suspicion that you are about to change them into their sleeper, unless you can't help but mention it. While a diaper change overnight night may be needed, if you didn't already put a sleeper on them at bedtime avoid changing them - unless it's pertinent that you do so. They'll tend to forget anything about their clothing if they don't assume the action is being taken for too long.

Look for zippered sleepsacks instead, if the child is young enough to wear one. With the ability to place in the child's arms into the sack and avoid the zipper pull tab's movement, these most often provide adequate warmth for a cool to cold night with or without a sleeper underneath. They often fit those for the first few months, but some online merchants sell patterns that will allow you to make bigger sizes.

Making Modifications

Purchase and sew a blanket sleeper zipper-flap onto the garment. Something that wraps over the zipper pull tab is enough to deter most kids from unzipping their garment on countless days. Use this flap anytime your child uses a zippered blanket sleepers!

Cut away the feet from the sleeper and reverse their directions - sewing them on backwards (intentionally). Your child won't be able to touch a zipper they can't reach without your help. However, this comes at an expense of you always having to deal with the zipper. Your children might often ask you why you placed the zipper on their back, but keep reminding them why their zipper is placed there in the first place. Making structural modifications to any blanket sleeper will void the clothing's warranty.

Make modifications to the zippers. Find and use an invisible zipper, if possible. Some superstores (such as Walmart, Kmart, Costco, and several online merchants) sell what are called "Invisible zippers." What fun the child will have if they can't see the zipper easily but see their undergarments or skin instead! Use zippers that have locking features installed in them. Locked zippers will only allow the caretaker or parent to zipper the zipper back up, but not back down. At online merchants such as Ebay and Etsy, they tend to be associated with autistic people, but can be a godsend to parents. Purchase a sleeper with a zipper in the back. Many online retailers sell sleepers with zippers in the back for this exact reason. It keeps the zipper out of sight and out of mind to the child, making it more difficult for them to unzip if they are determined to wriggle out. If your child still wears diapers (or similar disposable garments), putting their closing method in the back may make the diaper change take longer. On top of unzipping the sleeper, you will then have to turn the child over to tackle the diaper-change. Potty-trained children must never be forced to not be able to unzip their sleeper's zipper. Causing this may make them have an "accident" which could have been avoided with your help. If the child just started potty-training, you may make the child feel unstable and unable to learn potty-training with one on and may want the child to be in diapers for longer. Also avoid doing so, if your child is presently nighttime toilet-training or is a current bedwetter - at any age. Zipper relocation must be a "method of last resort." The child must have a comfortable and peaceful sleep.

Avoid using sleepers that might be too warm for the child. Heavier-weighted fleece ones might cause them to feel too warm and the body's natural reaction will be to remove the heat as quick as possible, even if that comes at unzipping it naturally. However, lighter weighted ones work just as well or better for cooler nights.

Find and use a sleeper that doesn't use a zipper. Most zipperless sleepers could be made with snaps or hook-and-loop fastener, but you'll have to look hard to find these.

Remove any zippers and stick-and-sew on some hook-and-loop fastener closure tapes. if you know how to remove zippers and install hook-and-loop fastener. You can try having a tailor fix this, if you are not able to handle this yourself.

Use small safety pins on the inside of the blanket sleeper. Small safety pins can be placed around the garment's zipper from the inside and can be placed on big kids, adults, and small kids. You can use the special diaper-safe safety pins made for cloth diapering kids of all ages, if necessary.

Avoid putting glue into the zipper. Never bond the zipper shut by using glue of any sort. After being glued closed, you will need to rip it off to remove it . Once you stick hardened liquid in the zipper mechanism, it will glue shut so that the zipper won't budge.

Require that a shirt be used overtop of the sleeper, in case these modifications can't be made - for whatever reason. You will want something that will effectively overlap the sleeper, once you have pulled up the sleeper tab.

Changing Clothing Styles

Require your kids use fingerless mittens when they wear their sleeper. Fingerless mittens make it hard for small hands to nimbly work their tinier zipper closures. The bigger the mittens enclosure, the better possibility your child won't be able to unzip it anymore. If fingerless mittens can't be found in the child's size, try having them wear a pair of their socks on their hands for short periods of time. If you can't seem to find a pair of completely-fingerless mittens, let them wear a pair of socks on their hands.

Use swaddling methods in lieu of using a blanket sleeper. Not only will the child enjoy feeling cocooned in a blanket, towel, or similar, they'll also feel safe and secure. Doing so throughout their sleep should give them additional warmth. Enjoy the time you spend with your child, if you swaddle them this way, for it will depend on your ability to clothe them properly and handle them, such like they were when they were a baby. Relax when they relax and know they are secure.as you hold them.Prevent an Infant or Toddler from Playing with Their Blanket Sleeper Zipper Step 7.jpg