The HALO SleepSack Swaddle

From the time Baba G was first born until he was around three months old, we'd use the Aden & Anais blankets to swaddle him (using The Happiest Baby on the Block wrapping method). It worked like a charm, and he was a great sleeper. (Don't hate us 'cause we lucked out in that department, all you zombified parents!)

He still IS a great sleeper (once again, don't hate!) thanks to the HALO SleepSack Swaddle. Once Baba G became strong enough to wiggle out of the A&A wraps, we knew it was time for Plan B. I didn't want to go cold turkey with no swaddle whatsoever, because he 1) has a tendency to scratch his face up pretty badly after flailing about during sleep-time, no matter how often I trim his nails, and 2) I didn't think he WOULD sleep through the night if he all of a sudden went from being in a straight-jacket to no restrictions on his limbs whatsoever.

The SleepSack Swaddle is a good in-between, because he can move his legs around but his arms pretty much have to stay in place. He also can't roll over (which he is now strong enough to do when not in a swaddle).

Zzzzzz...

In case you can't tell from the picture above or have otherwise never seen one of these contraptions, it's basically a sleeveless bag that you put your kid in, and then those side-flaps cross over his stomach, holding his arms down. They attach to the bag with Velcro so you can adjust the snugness as needed.

Baba G, now four months old, is in fact strong enough to move his arms around underneath the Velcroed flaps -- but by the time he's doing that, he's already slept through the night and is on his way to waking up.

One of my favorite parts of the day is taking him out of the SleepSack, or watching my husband do it. I always like to shout, "BREAK FREE!" when we rip the Velcro tabs off, and then Baba G  immediately stretches out like so:

Sssstttreeettttch it out! (Picture taken while bedroom light was still off, hence the blurriness)

Then he takes some time to let the prospects of the new day sink in:

Light is STILL off at this point

Lights on... getting in a good stretch!

And then finally he goes for his toes. Once he starts gnawing off his toes and fingers I know it's feeding time. But we are very lucky to have one happy baby boy.

I bet you can't do this! (Or at least EAT your toes...)

Believe you me, I am dreading the day (which is coming very, very soon) where we need to bid adieu to the SleepSack Swaddle. It's so easy to use and I just love it. But Baba G's pediatrician said we need to start phasing him out of being swaddled in any way. Stay tuned on how much longer he keep sleeping through the night . . .

The bottom line: WORTH the $16 - $25 you'll spend (Amazon prices). Can you really put a price on a good night's sleep? No, no you cannot. Be sure you pay attention to the sizing and availability; I ordered one in Blue from Amazon without checking its status and then realized it wouldn't be in stock for several months. There's really only two sizes, too: Newborn and Small.