Do You Swaddle?

Posted Tuesday, April 24, 2007 11:32 AM

DH and I are self-proclaimed swaddle experts. We have been overnight-swaddling Cooper since day one. He is a wiggler and sleeps GREAT when he's snugly wrapped (10 to 11 hours a night now, thankyouverymuch). Check out these pics of our little burrito:



We've used pretty much all the popular blankets, and tried different wrapping techniques. So I thought I might save you Nesties some sleepless nights - and some money - and share the ones we like best:

The Miracle Blanket
This thing truly is a miracle... a must-have... the answer. It's essentially a straight-jacket for babies and you might feel bad pinning your kid down with this one, but oh boy does it work. This blanket's key feature is the interior flap system that helps prevent little squirmers (like my son) from wriggling their arms loose and waking. We got Cooper to sleep 11 hours with this one!  $29.95, miracleblanket.com

Swaddle Me
This blanket is great for parents who aren't confident in their wrapping technique, or just want an easy, fast swaddle. The Swaddle Me's velcro flaps help you close the baby into a snug bundle in an instant -- but beware if you need to adjust or re-swaddle after baby is asleep. The ripping velcro is loud and woke our baby several times. Even though he quickly learned how to bust out of this blanket, he did sleep for an 8-hour stretch in it. $9.99, cotton, Babies R Us

Stretch Swaddle Wrap (shown in photos above)
This is one of the first wraps we used and is still a favorite. The lightweight, stretchy fabric is great for newborns who you may be afraid to squish (although we all know they are tougher than they look). There's no fancy flaps or closures, so you will really need to perfect your wrapping technique -- DH and I  liked the method of Dr. Harvey Karp as outlined in The Happiest Baby on the Block. We used these blankets until Cooper grew out of them, but can use them now as lightweight stroller blankets.  $15.95, gr8x.net

Are you a compulsive swaddler too? What wraps worked best for you?