Swaddle Review from a Mama who’s tried {almost} all of them
There are so many swaddling options for babies these days! How is a Mom supposed to choose? Sometimes I am envious of our moms’ generation. They didn’t have to worry about which swaddling blanket was the best (or which anything was the best for that matter. They didn’t have the blessing or curse of amazon reviews. They didn’t have to compare their stuff to everyone in the online world, but rather just the small circle of people they actually knew in real life). They just used receiving blankets and put us on our bellies to sleep. (Not that I’m advocating that. Of course, safe sleep is important and back is best, etc, etc). I am so thankful for lives being saved, but with the back is best campaign, along came the swaddling dilemma (lying on their back, babies have the strong startle reflex which wakes them) and an increased need for tummy time to prevent flat-heads from forming. It often seems with one solution comes other problems.
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- As a first time Mama, when I was around 20 weeks along, I posed a question to Facebook friends about baby recommendations. 50 responses later, I was quite overwhelmed. Do babies really need ALL. THE. THINGS? Several recommended these velcro swaddles, so I thought they had to be the best! It turns out, our first (C) LOVED them. He didn’t sleep at all in the hospital (I thought that was normal…turned out he was SUPER hard- read more here about how to cope with fussy/colic-y/reflux-y/high needs babies) but I digress. At home, we wrapped him up in these babies, put him in the rock in play, and we were amazed! He slept for 3-4 hour chunks (at night, for the first 4 weeks and then things got pretty horrible until around 5 months). As a second time mom, I thought I needed to get some new ones for baby D. I made a special trip, and this time, came prepared, bringing them to the hospital. And D HATED them. He cried and fussed and grunted. He got overheated and he wanted his hands up ALL the time, maybe that’s why he tried to dive out of me, literally: read about that here. So, who knows? Every baby is different. So if you hear one Mama swear by a certain blanket, maybe just realize that one was great…for her baby. I still recommend these because many babies love them and they are super easy to use! My guy did bust out of them by about 6 weeks, so we moved on to the miracle blanket.
I love these large blankets! They are super soft and they are the only blankets I can actually get a tight swaddle in. You can use the Happiest Baby on the Block’s DUDU method (down up, down up), you can do this hands up swaddle method I demo in the video below, or countless other methods. I love that these blankets are also thin enough to be breathable, and come in so many cute designs. My niece LOVES hers so much that it has become her “lovey”/sleep comfort item of choice.
This one is the blanket I have used to most (for the longest period of time) for all 3 of my boys, as you can tell from the video (there is a large gaping hole and some great stains on ours). I used this blanket to swaddle my boys from about 6 weeks – 4 or 5 months (depending on when I transitioned them to their crib and they started rolling). The signature design kept my wiggly boys contained better than any of the others while still providing the tight structure they needed. They would bust out occasionally, so I would sometimes double swaddle (muslin blanket over miracle blanket). Baby E literally always kicked out of the bottom so we double swaddled him almost every time.
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4. Love To Dream Swaddle UP Original, Gray, Small, 6.5-13 lbs.
I thought D would love this one, since he loved his hands up so much. Sadly, it was a little too free for him, and he would move his arms and cry, and try to get his hands in his mouth. I think if he took a pacifier, it would have been wonderful. I tried it again for baby E, but he too didn’t do as well. I may circle back to it in a couple of weeks and see if he likes it. (Sometimes if your kiddo doesn’t like something he may in a few weeks).
5. Woombie Convertible Swaddle for 3-6 month/ Big baby 14-19 lbs, Gray
I heard awesome reviews about this one, and out of desperation once the 4 month sleep regression hit with our 3rd, I went ahead and ordered yet another swaddle. Sadly, he is right between two sizes. I ordered the bigger one, but I think it is a little too big for him. And right after I bought this a few weeks ago, he became a rolling machine.
6. HALO SleepSack Micro-Fleece Swaddle, Cream, Small
I heard about this from almost all of my friends pre-baby #1. I tried it with C and D and they could always move their arms out of the velcro part and wake themselves up. I tried it with E, and again, the same thing. However, the last week or so I tried it again (this time with his arms out since he’s rolling) and laid him in his crib to begin sleep training. He has done okay with it the last few days, so maybe we will move to this one for the time being. With my older 2, when I moved them to the crib I went cold turkey and took away their swaddle blanket completely. I tried that with E but he cried SO much for the first few nights, so I thought I would try the sleep sack. One major advantage of the sleep sack is that it prevents your big kids from climbing out of their crib if you keep them in one until they are 2-3.
7. Baby Merlin’s Magic Sleepsuit Cotton – Cream – 3-6 months
I do not own one of these, but a friend let us borrow one to try on Baby D. He didn’t do that well, so I gave it back. I’ve had several friends LOVE this one and say it was a winner for their kiddo once they transitioned out of the traditional swaddle.
8. Zipadee-Zip (MEDIUM 6-12 Months ( 19-26lbs upto 32 inches), Unicorns)
I do not own one of these either. I borrowed one from a friend for C, and tried it for a couple of weeks, but he didn’t do any better either, so I gave it back. Maybe I should have persevered, as I also have so many friends who say wonderful things about these. First featured on shark tank, they are great because they keep the babies feeling safe/contained somewhat, but are lose enough for the baby to roll over still safely. They kind of look like little flying squirrel suits in my opinion and come in all sorts of precious designs.
No matter which swaddle you choose, I recommend swaddling your baby (at least in the beginning), especially if your little one is having a hard time adjusting to life outside the womb (hello 4th trimester!). And if one swaddle doesn’t work, try to borrow another from a friend.
Read more about the 5 s’s in this book (or check out the DVD version from your library)!
Happy swaddling Mamas! And remember, no matter how little sleep you are getting right now, try to soak up those newborn days because babies don’t keep!
If you are hoping swaddling may be your “golden ticket” to a full nights sleep with an extra challenging baby- check out this post below, you may find it helpful in trying to trouble-shoot your baby’s fussiness.
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