I can't believe Violet turns one next month. I also can't believe she ever used to lie immobile on her back. During the night, she migrates around her crib a lot, which has made blanket coverage impossible and (I think) contributed to interrupted sleep. Now, sleep sacks as a temperature solution are not a new concept to me, but I hadn't bothered with them for Violet since with Laurel, the zip-front openings weren't the most convenient for middle of the night diaper changes.
But now there's gunapod -- a super cozy fleece sleep sack that you can access from every direction (and inspired right here in Boston). It features the classic front zipper, plus side zip openings that run all the way around, plus button snaps on the top. So, you can open just the bottom to let baby's feet hang out or change a diaper. You can unsnap the top if your baby is standing in his/her crib demanding to get out and it's time to get changed for the day anyway. You can even unzip the side to do a stealth diaper check while you nurse. (We have done all three of these things; the latter I found particularly handy.)

The first couple of times I used the gunapod I was thrilled to find Vi's hands and feet toasty warm in the morning -- I sleep easier knowing I don't have to check her blanket situation in the middle of the night. And while Vi's sleep has been a little up and down the last few months as we've dealt with new foods, colds, blanket problems, and whatever other baby matters interrupt sleep, it dawned on me the other day that her sleep has been more consistent the last couple of weeks since we started using the gunapod. This, of course, is not a guarantee that your baby will start sleeping through the night if they use a gunapod (I wish it were that easy, my friends!), but we're at least able to address the cold-in-the-middle-of-the-night factor. Plus, I've found that getting Vi into the gunapod at night provides a nice bedtime cue, particularly since I recently dropped our bedtime nursing. I prep her bottle, get her in the sleep sack, we cuddle up, and she feeds. And then blissfully enjoy a good night's sleep.