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.

Aden & Anais Muslin Swaddle Wraps

I hesitated before starting this post today, because when a product has literally thousands of five-star reviews on Amazon, it doesn't exactly need any additional hype. But then I remembered that my goal in creating this site was to help people who might not otherwise be aware learn about baby and pregnancy products that rock. (Or suck.) And the fact is, I'd never heard of Aden & Anais blankets until the time came for me to build my registry and solicit opinions from my friends. Only then did I realize how universally beloved these wraps are. So I'm covering them on Baba G & Me in case 1) your friends aren't as in-the-know as mine, or 2) you don't have kids (or perhaps you do but they're well past the baby stage) and you're buying a shower/baby gift for someone and wouldn't have a clue about A&A if it weren't for little old me.

A typical four-pack

Why are the Aden & Anais blankets so special? As my friend CM said when sharing her experience with her newborn son, "They are by far the best blankets for swaddling." Her husband considered himself something of an Expert Swaddler (I'm proud to say my own husband eventually joined those prestigious ranks) and felt that the muslin material A&A used was the key. It is lightweight, soft, and stretchy, and can hold a swaddle-wrap together no matter how squirmy the baby.

Here's poor little Baba G when he was just a matter of days old, not knowing what in the hell is going on, all swaddled up in an A&A blanket next to his friend the fox. (We take this same picture, without him in a swaddle, on his monthly birthdays.)

Mom, this is embarrassing.

BG has grown out of a swaddle at night (we use a Halo Sleepsack now, which I'll write about soon), but we still go through many, many A&A blankets daily. While I rely on the BRU burp cloths for major spit-up duty, I absolutely always have at least two A&A blankets by me when it's feeding time, because they're large, absorbent and really easy to throw across a room. (As in, "Quick, he's spitting up! Throw me some blankets!" - me to my husband, or vice versa, on too many ill-prepared occasions to count.)

We use them for a ton of other things, too. Like putting them under Baba G when he's drooling on his playmat. 

Bring on the drool!

Or as a lightweight cover when he's taking a snooze on a warm day. (Don't worry, we never leave him unattended with a blanket in the Pack 'n Play.)

Too cool for school

Now that BG's showing signs of teething, I sometimes put an A&A blanket over my shoulder when I'm carrying him in case he feels the urge to bite down on something. He seems to like the feel of the swaddles, both to the touch and in his mouth. Who am I to deny him, right?

The bottom line: Since we have at least 20 of these blankets, I think it's safe to say that we love them. They get softer and softer with each wash, too. The only downside is that during the first few washings you will have A LOT of white fluff in your lint filter. But it's worth it! They're about $38 for a four-pack, of which there are ENDLESS designs.