Tag Archives: swaddle blankets

Who makes the easiest swaddle blankets to swaddle a baby?

Posted by on January 8, 2013 Comments Off
Easiest Swaddle Blanket to use for your babyI understand parents who are swaddling challenge with traditional square swaddle blankets. My husband tried with our first son numerous times, but we realized swaddling was not his forte and started looking for alternative methods that we can safely and easily swaddle our son. The good news is there are a lot different swaddle blanket designs that make swaddling easy!
The top three easy swaddle blankets that are easy to use are the Woombie, SwaddleMe, and Halo sleepsack. I listed the three different types swaddle blankets in order that is best for your baby base on their size and age.
The Woombie is a cocoon style swaddle sack for your newborn that makes swaddling as simple as pulling up a zipper. The Woombie with its stretchy fabric will wrap around your newborn like a sleeping bag. It will keep them warm and comfortable like a traditional swaddle but without all the worry of the swaddle coming loose. You can read more about the Woombie from an earlier review. The cocoon style swaddle is great for all preemies and little babies, but bigger babies might find the sleeping back too tight, especially around the neck opening. My son has a small neck and it got a little uncomfortable for him as he got bigger, so we transitioned to another swaddle. A drawback of the zipper is then whenever we tried to unzip, it would always wake up my son.
Swaddle ME swaddle blanketAfter 2 weeks, my son was swaddle in a SwaddleMe blanket. The SwaddleMe design looks like a pouch with two wing flaps to wrap around your baby. This design is easier for bigger babies compare to the Woombie because you have more room to place the baby in swaddle sack. Also if your baby is a little active with their legs, it is easier to get them inside without much of a struggle. You can read more about the SwaddleMe from an earlier review. Overall, the SwaddleMe allows for comfortable and easy swaddling of bigger babies with their unique wing flaps that wraps around the babies arm and chest. These wings are held securely together with Velcro straps that maintains a tight swaddle. However, the Velcro sound when you release the baby from the swaddle could easy wake up a sleepy baby.
Variety in Halo SleepsacksAfter 2 months, we switched our son to an even bigger swaddle sack by Halo. This swaddle sack is a combination of the Woombie and SwaddleMe. The Halo sleepsack has a sack that you zip up to secure your baby in and then it has Velcro wings to secure a nice swaddle. It’s easy to use and necessary at this point to use because my son is so active and strong now that he can easily extract himself from the other swaddles. You can read more about the Halo Sleepsack from an earlier review. Overall, the Halo sleepsack is a great transition swaddle blanket for babies who are almost big enough to go swaddle free. The Halo sleepsack can transition into a wearable sleeping blanket that will give babies the freedom to use their arms while keeping them warm.
Try the easy to use Woombie, SwaddleMe, and Halo swaddle blankets for your newborn and you will enjoy the benefits of a longer nights sleep for your baby and yourself.

Are muslin swaddle blankets too thin for the winter?

Posted by on December 11, 2012 Comments Off

I’m a big fan of the muslin blankets because I live in a traditional warm area of the United States. But, with winter upon us the night temperature can easily drop below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. As a cautious parent, you are probably thinking a muslin swaddle blanket is not warm enough for your baby. You are probably right because muslin blankets are designed for hot and humid environments to help cool your baby.  Here are some things you can do to make sure your baby is adequately kept warm in their swaddle blanket –

  1. Turn on the room heater for the baby’s room and keep it nicely warmed around 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Instead of using a single muslin swaddle blanket, I’ve seen parents use 2 muslin blankets at a time to further insulate their baby from the winter cold.  But you can always use more muslin blankets until the baby is warm enough.
  3. Mix and match a muslin swaddle blanket with another thicker cotton swaddle blanket or fleece swaddle blankets.
  4. Switch to the pouch swaddle blankets by SwaddleMe, Miracle Blanket, and Halo. These items are great because after I swaddle my baby in a muslin fabric, I can further cover them in one of these ouch swaddle blankets. It provides another layer that I don’t have to worry about my baby kicking off in the middle of the night.
  5. Go away from the swaddle blanket if your baby is old enough and start using sleepsacks to help keep them warm. There are plenty of thick and warm sacks from Halo or Merino Kids that are great and comfortable for any baby to sleep in

During the winter, parents can sometime cover their babies with so much insulation that they can actually get too hot. Here are some signs you need to look for to make sure you are not overheating your baby

  1. Check for redness in his face.
  2. Check for sweat on his forehead and hair.
  3. Check for wet and damp clothing that is un-related to a leaky diaper. Usually the spots that I look for is the back of the clothes around the shoulder area.
  4. Increase fussiness during the night because he or she is uncomfortable

Yes, muslin blankets are too thin for a baby during the winter. Muslin swaddle blankets are great for hot and humid days, but during this winter season, parents should look at alternatives for better options in keeping their little ones warm and comfortable during those cold nights.

 

What is the best way to keep your newborn warm at night?

Posted by on August 9, 2012 Comments Off

A swaddle or receiving blanket is the best solution to keep your newborns warms. Swaddle blankets are great are creating a tight snuggle fit around the baby. The tightness reminds the baby of it’s time in the womb because that is the environment they are most familiar with.

In the meantime, the swaddle blanket will do its job of keeping your newborn nice and warm. To check if your newborn is too hot, look at the swaddle blanket and feel if it’s wet from sweat. If it is wet, try lighter swaddle blanket like muslin fabric which are more breathable and will help cool down the newborn a little more than traditional flannel cotton blankets.  Another option is to keep your room temperature closer to 72 degrees Fahrenheit.

JJ Cole muslin swaddle blanket review

Posted by on July 17, 2012 Comments Off

JJ Cole collections of products are perfect examples of quality product. Their fine products extend into the swaddle blankets that they make. JJ Cole has a traditional swaddle blanket that is generously size at 48×48”. These blankest are made from muslin 100% pre-washed fabrics which has many great benefits.

First, pre-washed fabrics are less like likely to shrink when you try to wash them at home. They colors are more set and will fade less after multiple washing. Also, pre-washed fabrics will potentially have less chemicals in the fabrics because they will have been washed away. Some chemicals, such as the flame retardant compounds are added to infants’ and children’s pajamas, during manufacturing as required by law under the jurisdiction of the manufacturer’s location.

Second, these swaddle blankets are made of woven cotton fabrics called muslin. Muslin fabrics are soft, lightweight, breathe-able and looks like gauze. Muslin fabrics were initial made as clothing for warm and humid climates. This makes the JJ Cole muslin swaddle blanket great for swaddling your newborn during the hot summers so as a parent you do not have to worry about overheating your baby.

Start today and give swaddling a try with these wonder muslin swaddle blankets from JJ Cole.

Are you still not sure if you want to swaddle your newborn? Then, I recommend reading some more information on the potential benefits of swaddling.

How to swaddle your baby?

Posted by on June 10, 2012 Comments Off

To swaddle a baby is to wrap the baby in a blanket that will restrict the movement.  The key is restricting the movement of the baby.  By limiting the baby’s movement, the baby will be less startle when it sleeps and have uncontrolled reflex movement. A startle baby will naturally wake up in response to the non-comfortable situation. The restricted movement will help keep babies sleeping in the supine (baby’s back on bed, facing up) position. This has shown to reduce the occurrence of SIDS.  Lastly, the restraint in movement brings comfort to babies as it reminds them of their time in the mom’s womb where movement was restrictive.

To begin swaddling you will need the proper equipment. Please see the Top 5 swaddling blanket list for the best swaddle blanket that fits your baby and you. Once equipped, you will need to lay the blanket down a flat surface unobstructed by other items the baby can grab and potential fall on top of your baby.

Lay down the swaddling blanket in a diamond shape.  Fold the top tip of the swaddle blanket down.  Then length of the fold should result in a fold crease that is longer than your baby’s shoulders.  You do not want the edges to rough up your baby. Additionally, the edge makes it easier for babies to loosen themselves out of the swaddle. Place your baby on top of the swaddle blanket with the shoulders slightly below the folded crease. Hold the right arm steady, but keep the arm bent in its natural and comfortable position.  You can hold the arm to the side or on top of the chest.  Try each position one at a time and see which position your baby prefers.  With one hand holding the left arm, bring the left portion of the swaddle blanket over the arm and body of the baby.

From Swaddle Love by R. Moya

Next, hold the two feet down, but keep them in a natural bent position. In this way, the baby’s kicking won’t hinder your from swaddling the him or her. Pull the bottom portion of the swaddle blanket up and over the shoulder. To get snug fit, tuck the swaddle blanket over the back shoulder and in-between the bottom portion of swaddle blanket.

Swaddle Step 3

From Swaddle Love by R. Moya

Then, with one hand hold the left arm in a natural, comfortable position. With the other hand, pull the left portion of the swaddle blanket over the arm and body of the baby.  Pull the left portion over until you get the right tightness to for your baby.

Swaddle Step 4

From Swaddle Love by R. Moya

Viola, after these steps your baby should be completely swaddle and ready for longer naps, less crying, and feeling more comfortable.

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What is swaddling a baby?

Posted by on March 9, 2012 Comments Off

What is swaddling a baby?

As a new parent you probably heard this word floating around in talking other parents or in your own personal search for baby care.  The short answer is swaddling consists of wrapping a baby in a blanket.  Below are some images of newborns swaddle in different types of blankets.

 

When you take your newborn home, he or she will be swaddle because there are some essential benefits for the baby when they are swaddle. A blanket will keep the baby warm and secure. Newborns are use to the mom’s body temperature around 37 degrees Celsius or 97 degrees Fahrenheit.  When he or she enters the world at a freezing 23 degrees Celsius or 75 degrees Fahrenheit, you can understand why a baby would cry non-stop until parents swaddle them.  A thick blanket or multiple blankets will help maintain a good warm temperature for newborns. A swaddle baby will cry less because the swaddle blanket will re-create the womb like environment from which the newborn is familiar with and this leads to the baby being more comfortable and calmer. A swaddle baby will sleep longer because newborns will have random reflex movements of the arms, legs, and head. These quick movements will startle the newborn when they are asleep and will shorten their sleep time.

 

Swaddling is wrapping babies in warm, comfortable blankets to help soothe newborns from the shock of entering this world. Start swaddling and you will reap the benefits as a parent.