Adventures in Baby Swaddling Part 2

Dear Monster,

   Your escape artist days are over! ha ha! ;)
~~~

Good morning readers! This morning, I am ecstatic! Why? Because THE SWADDLE WORKS! Huzzah!! As you know, last Saturday our new swaddle by the Pea Wee Baby Co. arrived! So, we tested it out the first night and found that we needed to throw a light blanket over his feet to make sure he stays warm enough to sleep through the night. Once we got that down, it was easy peasy! For those that have never seen or worked with one of these swaddles I made some visual aides! :D The swaddle takes some work to get down but once you have it, you have it and it gets easier and easier every time! So here we go:

How to swaddle a baby using a Pea Wee Baby Co. SwaddleBuddy Sack! 

Step 1:

 You should probably have a baby to swaddle...Just sayin'. Lucky for me, I found this one rolling around my floor. Let's get him swaddled and ready to eat then go to bed!

Step 2:

With this swaddle you'll notice that one end of the swaddle is obviously for the feet (it's closed) and the other end opens up into two separate panels and has velcro ALL over it! At this point I would NORMALLY say "read the freaking instructions" but, trust me, they won't help! The pictures kind of do but the written instructions include phrases like "square panel of fabric loop" and "hook tape". Uh.....huh. SO! I'm gonna make this as easy as I can! Point the end with the two open panels UP and the end that's closed DOWN. Separate the top panel from the bottom panel and fold it down. It should look like the picture above...Velcro, tags, panels, and all!

Step 3:

Lay your kiddo on the swaddle so that their armpits line up with the top seam. Then tuck the feet into the sack.

Step 4:

This is where it gets a little confusing to read, so stay with me. Bring the end of left arm wrap up between your little one's arm and torso. Then wrap the end around the outside of the arm and attach the velco on the end of the wrap to the velcro along the back of the swaddle. It sounds like complete chaos but when you have it in your hands and you're actually looking at it, it makes total sense! It should look like the picture above when you're done with this step. It might be a little awkward getting it wrapped around the arm the first time but practice makes perfect and after a couple of trial runs, Liam was a champ!

Step 5:

Repeat with the other arm wrap and the other arm. The first time you attempt this you may think that it looks completely uncomfortable and that your kiddo's arms are in some crazy position but, I assure you, they're not. I spent several minutes feeling his arms and shoulders and back and neck and everything just to make sure it all felt normal and comfortable and making sure that everything was in it's correct place. The entire time I was searching him for some sign of discomfort Liam was just chillin' out looking at me like I was a crazy person. If you keep the arm wraps and velco a little loose here, all will be well!

Step 6:

Raise the panel that as been bent down this whole time so that it reaches just below your little one's shoulders. You'll see the giant velcro patch facing up on the left side of the panel and the side that attaches to it is facing down on the right side of the panel.

Step 7:

Wrap the left panel underneath.

Step 8:

Attach the velcro on the right side of the panel to it's waiting velcro friend along the back of the swaddle and TADA! Swaddled baby!

Step 9:

Enjoy. ;)

I love love love this swaddle! It encourages Liam to keep his arms at his side throughout the night when before he was working and working to get his arms free. By the morning he was exhausted and he would always have one little fist sticking out. No more! He still has freedom to move his legs, which is great because Liam's a kicker and a bouncer, but I've found that he falls asleep faster without the ability to work at getting those arms free. In the morning we unswaddle him, do a couple quick arm stretches to make sure he is comfortable after sleeping with his arms by his side for the night (these stretches are by NO MEANS necessary- I just do them because I'm crazy and I think stretching helps him grow hehe), then we start our day. The only thing we've had to do a little differently is throw a little blanket over his feet at night so that he stays warm. The swaddle is 100% cotton so it's breathable but on winter nights it can leave the feet just a tiny bit chilled (again, the blanket is not really necessary- I'm just crazy about his body temperature and the calories he burns because he is a preemie). The blanket solved that problem and everything else has been fine! Also, if you browse back through the pictures, you'll notice that Liam wasn't fussing or thrashing or anything while I was wrapping him. He just hung out while I did each step and Sean took pictures. It feels like there are more steps to using this swaddle but Liam fusses a heck of a lot less when we're getting him into it than he has with his previous means of swaddling.

So, I've listed my reasons for loving this swaddle but here are a couple more provided by the Pea Wee Baby Company:

• Easy to use
• Bust-proof
• Baby is unable to kick out of leg pouch
• No scratching from zippers
• Fabric is 100% cotton to reduce risk of overheating
• No loose blankets
• Fabric stretches to prevent inhibition of lung function
• Legs are free to prevent hip dysplasia
• Even pressure across the torso relieves colic
• Baby's arms stay in the preferred swaddle position - at the sides
• Invented by a Mom!

So, there you have it ladies and gents, our new amazing swaddle that works like a dream! I'm so happy we found this hidden treasure and I hope you try it out if you're looking for a new swaddle!

I'm off to make myself lunch, watch some Grey's Anatomy, and enjoy my day off with my Monster while we wait for Dad to come home. I hope you're all having a lovely Friday!