Adventures in Baby Swaddling

Dear Monster,

   You grew so fast! And you're such a little Houdini with your arms! We had to buy you a larger swaddle that would actually hold you in. We tried to let you sleep through the night without the swaddle...nope, you wanted nothing to do with it. Your physical therapist says this is fine for at least another couple of months so we're gonna roll with it, work with you, and hope you're not still being swaddled by your significant other someday. ;)
~~~

Two blogs in one day?? Whaaaaaat??

I just had to share our swaddling story with you guys. Why? Because our brand new swaddle arrived today!! I'm going to post about our progress with it because it's a strange swaddler and it may or may not work so we'll be learning together!

As I'm sure you guys have read, Liam was in the NICU for 7 1/2 weeks after he was born. During this time it was very important for him to be swaddled as a premature baby's "moro" or startle reflex is usually brought on by excessive stimulation with their arms. So from about 3 weeks on, he was tucked into a preemie swaddle and he did just great!

The very first time Liam was swaddled. He loved every second.

We had been told that the more chances he had to contain himself and sleep the more he would grow. So, we were very please to see that Liam adored his swaddle time. We would wrap him up, in what now seem impossibly small swaddle blankets, and he would instantly fall asleep and rest for hours. This wonderful trait continued throughout his NICU time and onto his time here at home. We've gone through three different stages of swaddle so far.

1. Swaddle Blankets

We loved Carter's brand Swaddle Blankets. They are super stretchy and they're pretty big so there is some growing room!

2. Halo brand Micro-Fleece SleepSack Swaddle (Preemie)

The NICU sent us home with this wonderful swaddle. Made of the softest Micro-Fleece ever (in my opinion), the SleepSack has adjustable velcro straps that help contain the arms but, unlike other swaddles, also allows for the arms to be outside the swaddle. It's also the only product that carries the gold seals from leading SIDS and safety organizations and is approved as "Hip Healthy" by the International Hip Dysplasia Institute. We freaking loved this thing!

3. Halo Brand Micro-Fleece SleepSack Swaddle (Newborn)

This size was also sent home with us by the NICU. Liam finally fit into it about a month ago. All of the things listed for the Preemie swaddle sack apply to the Newborn size. The only difference is that the velcro arm wrapper can be removed so that it can become just a sleep sack instead of a swaddle sack.

Well, Liam has finally grown out of the Newborn size and, as much as we would love to continue with the Halo brand, Liam has figured out how to maneuver his arms out of the swaddle, then he uses said arms to twist himself into some awful position, then he cries...at 2am. This coming from a kid that has been sleeping through the night for the last 3 months. Uh-uh. Not okay. Mommy loves her sleep entirely too much. So, Sean and I had to find a different brand. What we stumbled across in our search was the Pea Wee Baby SwaddleBuddy Sack! We ordered it on Thursday and it arrived today! I am so so so excited about this thing!

Here is how it works:

Here is ours that came today:

 The directions:

Our brand new swaddle is in the wash right now and I can't WAIT to use it tonight! We love the color! We love the idea behind the design. We're just hoping it actually works well. It may take a couple of nights but I will keep all of you updated as we work through the growing pains of trying something new. 

If you have a kiddo, did you swaddle? What was your favorite brand? How long were you able to swaddle? 

In general, have you tried anything new this week? Something new coming up for you?