Swaddling was something I was determined to master when I had Abby. Whatever was going to get me MOAR SLEEP was something I was going to perfect, come what may.
And I did. I am (self-proclaimed, but try me) the Best Baby Swaddler Ever.
I even hated when other people would swaddle her as I knew she was going to come undone and wake herself up. There would be tears. Mostly mine.
But Abby was a winter baby. She could handle an extra couple of layers, and since a large swaddle was one of the Key Things To Keeping a Baby Swaddled, it meant even more layers of muslin.
I thought about getting a little swaddle bag for Pepper, as they’re only one layer and quite light for summer. I wasn’t sure, as I still wasn’t sold on their ability to really stifle the startle reflex that I was pretty certain would keep waking her up. Then I was given one as a baby shower present and that was that.
She has not been out of one since she was born.
Ok, that’s a lie – one day she puked on one and had a poosplosion on the other, so they were both in the wash and I swaddled her. She sweated all over me.
Turns out Abby really liked to play with her hair when going to sleep, so the swaddles didn’t last more than a few months.
It also appears Pepper really likes sleeping with her paws up near her face. These cute little bags allow her to do that.
I really, really like to hold her (my last baby… waaaaaaahhhhhh) and it’s getting really, really hot. I’m so thankful someone smarter than me designed these so I can squish her all day long and not overheat her, but when I put her down she’s still snuggled.
The swaddle is stretchy, and after tucking their little wings in, sits super-close to the body to make the babies feel warm and comforted.
And I can let others zip her up in one without wigging out that I’m going to have to re-wrap her in half an hour anyway.
She also really hates getting her nappy changed, so the clever double-zip means she can be swaddled at the top and I just unzip her bottom half and get business done. No unwrapping the whole baby. Given babies poop nine million times a day, this has been fabulous for us, and our eardrums.
But for you? This is what it does:
Love to Dream asked me if I’d like a Love To Swaddle Up Organic which is even lighter than the one I originally had, and if I’d like to give one away to you guys.
A lot of you are already fans, so if you know someone who just had a baby or who is going to, then enter on their behalf! Or let them know… every mum needs the best sleep they can get!
Oh yeah… the babies. The babies do too.
So here’s what you’ll get:
A Love to Swaddle Up Organic
and a Love to Dream Wash Bag
because you’ll probably be washing yours as often as I do mine!
All’s you have to do is leave a comment telling me your swaddle stories. We will pick one that resonates with us and you will be the winnah!
It’s Ok. I don’t like games of skill either, but without a permit we can’t do a random draw. Sucky McSuckerson.
The competition will close next Sunday November 4 at 5pm Queensland time.
Please make sure you’re contactable in your entry – I’ve had a few winners go missing so don’t forget!
I will email the winner and announce it on my Facebook page.
Good luck xx
Stacey Roberts says
We used velcro swaddles with our first but they suck in the washing machine. Untangling a giant ball of wet washing? No thanks! Despite my plan to reuse everything with our baby I'm now pregnant with, I think (know!) new swaddles are in order! Thanks for blogging VM
Stacey Roberts says
No babies here, so no need for me to enter, I just want to say that Pepper is about the most adorable thing I have ever seen.
Argh you are making me want another one!
Maybe I should enter?
Stacey Roberts says
With my first, we were hopeless at swaddling. I couldn't master letting her have her hands up near her face (which she insisted on) and it made the whole business MUCH more upsetting for everyone! My second is due… oh wait, YESTERDAY (I'm not counting the seconds now, no sir). If she's the same as her sister I'm going to need to work out how to let her snuggle her fists to her face while still swaddling if I ever want to get any sleep!
Stacey Roberts says
I am due in the next two weeks (arghh!), with number 1. I haven't bought any swaddles as yet as I was just unsure which ones would be good. So for the moment will rely on the ol' muslin, but Pepper just looks so gorgeous and comfortable in her swaddle, I may just need to buy one for my little girl!
Stacey Roberts says
I have had a few friends tell me about these and I think we need to invest in a couple. I just had my first baby 3 weeks ago and she is the cutest most wriggly little thing ever! I am a bit like you with the wrapping because if anyone else wraps her she always manages to escape. We call her our little Houdini. Every time my husband wraps her I find myself standing behind him having to stop myself from giving him tips. But guaranteed every time he wraps her she escapes. The other morning I found her with the entire wrap around one leg and the rest of her uncovered. She had her arms above her head like she was doing a victory air pump. She is such a cracker!
Stacey Roberts says
I have heard of these also being very good. My baby Joseph is 9 weeks old now and I started doing the double muslin swaddle when it was still cool in August. I was obsessed with swaddling and didn't like how anyone else did it and everyone has their special way of doing it! There is noting like seeing your gorgeous bundle all wrapped up. Now that it's warm he is like a little hot water bottle! Once I realised this wasn't going to work anymore I went out and bought a Woombie in a summer cotton which is perfect for this weather. It zips up too and keeps them cozy. I only have one so when he has a poo explosion or something else of vomitous proportions I am stuck! I have been meaning to get a second one to have as a spare. I would love to win this swaddle you are giving away! Please email me when I win at christyos@mail.com. Thank you.
Stacey Roberts says
Oh this was a LIFESAVER for Lior. He loved being swaddled, and we really didn't take him out of it till he was like 5 months old!
Actually, I was incredibly nervous about taking him out of it. Even though he could roll to each side, I didn't think he would sleep without it. It took quite a few nights before he would settle without it. I had two we had borrowed from a friend – best things ever!
Stacey Roberts says
Oh god! Please! I need to try this! I will try anything to help settle my bubba boy who is freshly 8 weeks old! He has the worst startle reflex ever & no matter how tight we swaddle, forget it, his arms & legs are out & flicking about waking him up without fail! He's high needs, this kiddo & has rarely been out of my arms since birth(no exaggeration, he can maybe handle 5 minutes at a time without Mumma), its nice to be wanted so much by the little dude but his two sisters want a piece of Mumma too! If these things help even the tiniest bit, I'm sold! xx
Ps congrats on the birth of your little Pep!
Stacey Roberts says
Hi Stacey .. I have been reading your blog for a while now but this is my first comment .. so Hi 🙂 I am due to have my first bubba early next year. I am so clueless I didn't even know what swaddling was until I read this post! So I am loving all your newborn stories/advice, especially 'things I forgot about having a newborn'. Made me so excited to be a mama! I am planning on my baby being a veggie baby too .. so I love all your kid (and adult) food ideas. Thanks for being awesome. Emma xx
Stacey Roberts says
My Miss P had a pink one of these and she wore it until it would no longer fit! (It's now in the cupboard waiting for a sibling to come along). She used to suck on the left hand to get to sleep and it had a permanent brown mark, even when I washed it. Just lovely. But seriously, those are the BEST! I had wished I had two so that I didn't have to nearly kill myself washing and drying it between naps.
Stacey Roberts says
Let me just start by saying I think I'd like to challenge you to see who is the best swaddler of babies!! When my boys were babies I swaddled them like it was nobodies business & both of them loved it!
Now let me ask you a personal question ( tell me to mind my business if you like) – how do you know Pepper is your last baby? What if you change your mind? I'm curious because I had my first bubba 2 weeks before my 21st & my second nearly 3 years later. I believed I was done & dusted. Fast forward nearly 10 years & we've been trying for our third for the last 18 or so months. Something just changed for us & we decided after all that time our family wasn't done. So far it looks like the universe is telling us we are done but I'm not listening.
I guess I'm just asking if your super sure?? Because lets face it, you make pretty cute babies xx
Stacey Roberts says
our baby isn't due for another month, so we've been practising swaddling each other… thats the best I can do for now for a swaddling story!!
Stacey Roberts says
I'm expecting bub #2 next year and am entering this giveaway out of sheer panic that our sucky swaddling skills with #1 will follow us into second time parenting and bring as much grief as the first. These cute swaddling creations sound like they are idiot proof so we clearly need one! P.S Is it natural to be more freaked out with baby #2 than #1? #terrified
Stacey Roberts says
Oh I wish I had have had one of these for my own babies! My newest (and also last.. waaaaah) one is already 4 months old, but we weren't allowed to swaddle him as the poor little dude suffered a broken collar bone when he was born 🙁 The extra big muslin wraps I made for him are about to be chopped up and used to strain yoghurt to make labneh!! My little sis is preggo with her first baby though, and I would love to send her a fancy new swaddle instead of some old cheesey ones 😉 Thank you Veggie Mama.
x Rhi
http://www.flourchildren.blogspot.com
Stacey Roberts says
My daughter Sophie is 4 weeks old and I was DETERMINED to swaddled her! Her older brother hated being swaddled and always escaped – one of the reasons I believe he was a terrible sleeper. So we bought 4-5 different saddles and she hated them until we bought the love to swaddle – she loves to suck her hands! Being able to swaddle her has been fantastic, and mumma is getting alot more sleep! Will have to look into the organic as I'm also in Qld and love to sbuggle up with our last baby x
Stacey Roberts says
Excuse the terrible spelling – note to self don't try to comment one handed whilst feeding
Stacey Roberts says
My husband would give you a run for best swaddler. Early on with my son my hubby spent a night holding my son's hands down so he would sleep. It worked but wasn't practical for him (for me it worked!). So after that he dedicated his time to finding a better swaddling way. He came up with a hybrid style that worked. We just had bub number two and again his wraps guarantee sleep, mine never work! So little peach sleeps at night and not so much during the day! I need this amazing swaddle to even up the score!
Stacey Roberts says
OMG they are soooo cute. Almost worth having another baby!
Stacey Roberts says
My little one is still growing in my belly, but we've been trying to learn how to swaddle on a doll. My husband actually suggested that we use our dog for practice because she would wiggle. The dog is happy that I turned that suggestion away.
Stacey Roberts says
I am due with my first bubby in January. At classes they tried to teach us how to wrap the baby correctly, my hinnby managed to wrap our doll up side down and wih the blanket inside out, plus it was loose!! I'm scared to think how he will go with a real one who moves their hands as lega while your trying to do it!! I defiently need one of these swaddled for pear of mind for me and ease for my
Hubby!
Stacey Roberts says
A friend sent me to your blog today – loving the recipe ideas. We're not vegetarian, but we do eat a lot of vegetarian meals, and when I cook with meat, it's a flavouring, rather than the main event.
I'm pregnant, due 2 days before Christmas – so this “swaddler” is looking very interesting, since it is going to be so hot for the first while of bub's life (I'm in Brisbane, Qld). We thought we were finished having kids – this one is a little “surprise”. My other two children are 12 and 10!
My story isn't really about swaddling, but it is about wrapping up in layers! My first was born in Denmark – we were living there for 2 years. I remember one very cold day, in which my baby was dressed in about 5 layers of clothing, and so was I. We were out exploring for the day. I remember sitting on a park bench in a cemetery, baring my breast for a feed (brrr!), and then having to hug my baby very tightly to compress all the layers of clothing between us so that he could feed!
Since there can be only one winner, can you tell me where I might be able to buy one of these?
Thanks.
Stacey Roberts says
I come from a small mining village in Wales and I can remember my nana swaddling me up in her shawl. She would place me next to her chest then rap the shawl around her body and tuck it in. That way she could get on with her housework and I was safe and sound. She did this of us kids and we are some of the calmest, secure people you could ever meet and I believe that all down to her making us feel secure and contented. I did the same with my boys and we have the closest relationship.
Stacey Roberts says
I've heard those were fantastic! Im from France and my(big) baby girl was born there, she used to hate her sleeping bag with a passion and we don't do swaddling over there so the nights were quite hard in the first few months.. so this time around ( im 19 weeks pregnant), I really want to try it with the new bub but that swaddling stuff looks very complicated and that suit looks sooo much easier
Stacey Roberts says
I haven't used one but would love one for my new nephew. He has skin allergies and cannot have certain washing powder either. If I don't win will have to buy one as these sound great. Thank you
Mrs.GabbyWilson says
Our swaddle story is pretty simple no matter how tight I think I got my little baby Charles Davis the fifth yes thats correct the fifth. Sounds so cool no? In there he always manages to get his little hand out. So now when we go to wrap him up we always leave one hand out it looks funny and cute but we are determined to work with whatever works best for us. http://www.facebook.com/mrsgabbywilson
Lucinda Fuller says
So I hate swaddling with a blanket. It worked in hospital. But once Ivory was two weeks old swaddling was vertically impossible. She is such a squirmer.so to even get her into a tight wrap is a mission. Then she poops all the time, so she has to be unswaddled and re-swaddled. It’s the worst. My mum brought me a love to dream swaddle. Ivory loves it. I recently brought a cheaper swaddle, for those 3am poo explosions. Seriously, having one swaddle is not enough! But the cheap swaddle just doesn’t cut it. I would love another swaddle. I just cannot afford on right now. So while in doing her late night feeds I pray to God that we will make it through the night without any poo mishaps. Ivory is 4weeks old. This swaddle is by far my favourite baby shower gift!
lucinda.fullerz@gmail.com