The Secret Swaddle | my sleep solution

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

I am a huge fan of swaddling. I cannot even begin to count the number of hours of sleep I have enjoyed thanks to a good swaddle–both of my babies took to it very well.

When Caroline was 4 months old, she was snugly wrapped in a Miracle Blanket, with a fleece SwaddleMe on top of that. Why? (a) nice & warm–it was winter and (b) the miracle blanket was not much of a miracle at four months. It worked wonders for a couple of months, but I have had the same two problems: the bottom foot pod can easily be walked out of if you have babies with sweaty feet AND the wrap is not secured with velcro, making it reasonably easy for a squirmy baby to get out of. The SwaddleMe’s outer layer solved the problem I had with the Miracle Blanket. I could never use the Swaddle Me alone after the newborn phase because my babes could get their arms out & up to their mouth to suck on, which woke everyone. I kept Caroline in her mb+sm getup until we stopped swaddling at about five months.

But Everett has been a challenge.

I know, I know. BIG SURPRISE. Everything about him & his existence has challenged me–and forced me to get creative in new ways. His lack of fondness towards sleep forced me to try tons of different sleep solutions (including The Woombie, which I really wanted to work, but made him madder than I’ve ever seen him!!!)Currently, Everett’s rapid growth is bringing another challenge. Not only can he muscle is way out of any wrap, but he doesn’t FIT in anything! He is so big! But I did find ONE thing that works. Hallelujah! So I thought I would share. It’s not fancy. It’s not expensive. It’s just…a mother’s desperate solution for sleep. Ha! :)

WHAT YOU NEED:

  • Summer Infant SwaddleMe
  • a thin, breathable blanket or piece of fabric, folded or cut, about 8″ x 36″ (I recommend 100% cotton so it can breathe)

& the visual:

Need more? Well. I even managed to make a short video. Sometimes it’s just easier to show you how to do it. :)

Make sense? What was your lifesaving swaddle solution?? I’ve heard some really good ones!!

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Posted in babywise, everett, products I love, styleberryMOM, styleberryPHOTO

show hide 26 comments

Cindy - poor baby, can’t move at all!!! why you guys don’t want your baby to move? must be very frustrating for the poor baby… this is just because you can sleep more at night? a little selfish, don’t you think?

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-shawna- says:

Swaddling is an ancient practice that is natural for the baby and certainly not just for the mother at all. It is up to every mother to do what it right for her, but “selfish” is hardly the word I would use to describe it. It gives the baby more restful sleep because their natural reflexes do not wake them up.

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Stefanie - It’s like magic!! My little girl just turned 3 months and went from sleeping 8 hours per night to 3 hr stretches because she was constantly breaking out of her halo sleep sack swaddle. Naps were also very difficult and I had to keep running up to her room to put her paci back in. Tried this swaddle last night and it worked! Back to 8 hours solid sleep and she’s currently taking her morning nap…we’re at 2 hours without a peep. Woo! Thank you Shawna for sharing!!! And thanks for all you do for all of us mamas!

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-shawna- says:

yesssssss!!! :)

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Brittany - Hi Shawna, love your site! I’ve been using my stylebaby log for 3.5 months and think it’s genius! My question is your opinion on swaddling when baby starts rolling over. My little one is rolling belly to back at 15 weeks and on the verge of back to belly during tummy time/floor play. Were you concerned keeping the swaddle once yours started rolling? We tried arms out of the swaddle last night and it was a disaster. He still likes it but I’m afraid he will roll and without arms be unable to get back. Thanks for your opinion!

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-shawna- says:

I would say trust your gut. I was never comfortable with a swaddle once mine started really rolling over, but I know it is very baby dependent. Just know, the first nights out of swaddle will likely always be terrible, whether they are ready of not! Good luck! & SO glad you love your stylebabyLOG! :)

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Amber - We do this too!

My little girl is 2mo old & she still manages to wiggle herself out of everything else….besides this.

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Megan v - This!!!!!
We have a wriggler who won’t stay in any swaddle except the “double swaddle” which is too hot and complicated, especially for middle of the night changes! The receiving blanket arm wrap is the perfect addition to the swaddle me! You’re genius. Seriously. I bow down!

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Hillary - I’m a new follower. Found you through Pinterest and loved your post about losing the baby weight. I lost 80 lbs. after college and gaining weight this pregnancy has terrified me that I was going to go back to unhealthy habits. However, I’m eating well and exercising as usual (and at 25 weeks, I’m up 10 lbs. and gaining right on track). Your post helped me see the light at the end of the tunnel. Can’t wait to read more about your adorable family!

Oh, and I was clueless on how to swaddle, so I’m bookmarking this post to use in the fall when our first baby arrives.

Lots of great stuff here — thank you!

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Sara B - I did something similar with my third baby when he outgrew the miracle blanket – rectangle of fabric for the arm pinning and a huge square of fabric for the rest of the job. I just got cotton guaze at Joann’s – much cheaper than aden + anais!

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Megan - Hi Shawna!

I saw that you IG’d some charlie bananas the other day and I was wondering if you’ve started using them? I’d love your input on likes and dislikes, etc. A comparison would be amazing if you had time! I always love your break down of things! XOXO

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-shawna- says:

LOVE!!! More to come, but I am only buying CBs from now on. :)

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Mary - Thanks for the videos and cute baby! I started with the SwaddleMe because my husband found it easy to use. Then we switched to the Halo when our son got big. The sleepsack design made it easier to wean him off swaddling with it.
Mary recently posted..How many swaddle blankets do parents need?

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Veronica - I love his happy little face in all the pics!

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Jessica Sliman - Exactly what we did with Neva too. LOVE it. She was a big baby too and we didn’t move up to the next size (they were huge!) so we stopped swaddling her about five months.
Jessica Sliman recently posted..Our weekend.

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Sarah - Do you know where you got that crib sheet? I love the orange color!

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-shawna- says:

garnet hill, years ago!

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Kendall Stoy - You should probably patent that while you can…

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donya - Yep, this worked SO well for my first born. I remember googling and googling and googling, and finally finding this solution on YouTube. Worked like a charm. So glad it’s working for Everett!
donya recently posted..Tuesday Odds & Ends #21

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Candice - Yep, this is exactly what we did with our little one. Only we didn’t have a SwaddleMe, so we just did a regular swaddle on top with another receiving blanket. Glad it’s working for you!

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Erin - Love your blog posts especially with video. Whenever anyone is pregnant or has just had a newborn I send them your blog :)

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Cara - This is exactly what we did with my little guy! Works like a charm!

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Beth - Yes! We called that the “super swaddle” in our house. :)
We didn’t have the swaddle me, but just used two of the 123 swaddle blankets (Nordstrom sells them and I’ve seen them at Target too). They are cotton and Large! We were able to keep ours swaddled until about 9 months with the method and the large blankets. Love your pictoral. Very helpful. Glad it is working for you!

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Kelly - I am trying this tonight!

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ashley - seriously, this works! now only if my little one’s cold would go away so we all get some sleep again! :)

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10 things I learned from New Mom’s Group » The Intuitive Mama - [...] to get her hands out of the swaddle, she actually slept.  Here is a video demonstration from StyleBerryBlog.com.  (Kimberly’s comment about bat wings:  ”A quick caveat about the bat wings. I [...]

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