babies blankets - Stuff Parents Need

You should see my child’s stuffed animal collection. It doesn’t yet rival what I had going on at the peak of my stuffed animal frenzy (I think I had close to 200 plush friends by the time I was 10). But given the fact that Darah is only 2, I’m going to go ahead and declare her collection OUT OF CONTROL. I know that I’m the enabler in this situation, and it’s because I empathize with her love for all things snuggly. Stuffed animals are her VERY favorite thing to play with, you see. She takes her animals for walks in her stroller, reads them stories and bounces on the bed with them.

The only thing that comes even close to being enjoyed as much by Darah would be blankets. Yup, blankets. Give this kid a blanket AND a stuffed animal, and she will nearly pass out from the joy of it. Not kidding. She’ll play uninterrupted for quite a long time, usually putting her various stuffed animals to “night night” and rocking them. It’s ridiculously sweet.

So you can imagine my excitement when I discovered Snuggle Paws, which are stuffed animals that come with a child-size blanket. Thank you for making the PERFECT toy for my child! Not only is the concept excellent, but the execution is outstanding. This toy is TOTALLY worthy of its name. It is the softest, snuggliest little critter that you’ll ever meet. the stuffed animal can easily function as a pillow when traveling. And the blanket! Oh!!!! It feels like cuddling up with some clouds (or at least what I imagine that might feel like!).

Snuggle Paws animals come with a handle on top (super plush, it does NOT interfere with the child’s ability or desire to play with the animal) and velcro paws that can hold the rolled-up blanket. This makes it an excellent travel companion. You’d better believe it will be going with us this Christmas when we fly to California. If Darah isn’t feeling sleepy on the plane, don’t think I won’t break out that awesome blanket, either!

I’m guessing by now that you realize I’m totally ga-ga over this product. It certainly does seem as though it was made with my child in mind. Perhaps it was made for your little one, too?

Win it!: One lucky person will will your very own Snuggle Paws!
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(Image from Target.com)

Before I had a child, I thought that receiving blankets (or swaddling blankets for babies) just like the ones shown to the right made the perfect gift for new parents. After all, babies like to be swaddled, right? So a receiving blanket would be an extremely useful gift!
Only now do I realize how very wrong I was. I shudder to think about how many receiving blankets I’ve given at baby showers.

You may be very confused right now. Am I saying that babies don’t like to be swaddled, and therefore, don’t need blankets? Absolutely not! Most newborns absolutely love to be swaddled, and really NEED to be swaddled to help them feel secure, especially during the first 3 months of life (my little one is days away from being 4 months old, and she is still all about the swaddle). The blankets pictured above, along with the vast majority of receiving blankets you will find in stores, are simply WAY WAY WAY too small (the ones above are 30 x 30)! Darah was a smallish baby when she was born, and when we got her home we found that her receiving blankets could not contain her 6 pound 9 ounce little body. We received a homemade receiving blanket at a shower, and it was HUGE. We couldn’t imagine that we needed something that big, but in fact, it became our saving grace at nap time. Our traditional receiving blankets are sitting in her closet gathering dust while her homemade blankets are working overtime.

I haven’t really seen receiving blankets in any national chain stores that are truly big enough (edited to add, since writing this post, Amazon has started to carry some larger ones…always check the size!). But I have found a store on Etsy that makes exactly what you really need. Let me introduce you to Ahmelie. This shop carries a large selection of swaddling blankets that can actually get the job done (they measure 44 inches square for the large blankets). I was blown away by the beautiful patterns she offers. The price is outstanding, as well, starting at $11.00 per blanket. If you are expecting, I am begging you to get a large swaddling blanket like the ones at Ahmelie. If you are going to a baby shower any time soon, this would be a gift that the parents will thank you endlessly for once their bundle arrives (I promise!).

Buy it!
Ahmelie has swaddling blankets with a designer look, but without the designer pricetag. Head on over and stock up for yourselves or for your friends and family who have babies on the way! All orders come with a blank hand sewn card. BONUS: Anyone who places an order and mentions this post in their note to the seller will receive a free bib/nusring clip, which can be used to turn napkins and burp cloths into bibs or to secure a blanket in place so it can be used as a nursing cover!

Win it!
TWO lucky readers are going to win 2 swaddling blankets each of your choice from Ahmelie! Oh how I envy you! The contest will run until Sunday, December 12th at 7:59pm CST, when the winners will be chosen at random and emailed. The winners will have 48 hours to reply or a new winner will be selected. You must include your email address in your comment or make sure it is listed in your profile! You must complete the mandatory entry in order for any subsequent entries to be counted. Open to residents of the United States.

How to Enter:
Mandatory entry: Go check out Ahmelie’s swaddling blankets. Come back here and tell me which two you would pick if you won!

Additional Entries:
1. Subscribe to my blog via email or RSS. Leave a comment with your email address for the subscription (2 entries, so leave 2 comments)
2. Become a fan of Ahmelie on facebook (2 entries, so leave 2 comments)
3. Make a purchase at Ahmelie (5 entries, so leave 5 comments)

Disclosure: I received no product or compensation for this review and giveaway.