Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

HALO Safer Way to Sleep Initiative (Giveaway!)

· by · 54 Comments

HALO is a company I have worked with several times. I believe in their products and I believe in their mission. HALO are the makers of SleepSacks, which range from infant swaddlers all the way up their new SleepSack Big Kids line.

HALO SleepSack Big Kids

Several of you inquired about the Big Kids design when I had my last review of the SleepSack Early Walker. HALO sent me the Big Kids design so I could show it to you. We are enjoying using it for Darah because she tends to run a little bit hot (just like her mama) and this time of year, that means her comforter is just too warm for her. The SleepSack Big Kids helps keep her body safely covered without overheating it. We love it!

The focus of my post today, though, is on the HALO Safer Way to Sleep Initiative. This initiative has helped 1,000 hospital nurseries make the switch to HALO SleepSack Swaddles instead of blankets. Babies and new parents are introduced to safe sleep practices from day 1! HALO believes that by modeling proper baby care in the hospital, and by providing free Slafe Sleep Practices kits, they are furthering the cause of SIDS prevention, which is the mission of the company.

My family has been using HALO SleepSacks from the very beginning with Layah. We didn’t realize the concern with hip displyasia with a tighter swaddle, so once we did, we fully made the switch over to HALO, which have been deemed “hip healthy” by the Hip Displaysia Institute.

sleepsack swaddle

Additionally, I really appreciate how their products have grown with my child. HALO has gone above and beyond by making products for safe sleep that go beyond the first 6 months of life, when the risk for SIDS is the highest. And I get major warm fuzzies when I read about the Safer Way to Sleep Initiative. HALO is very focused on making a difference in the lives of babies and their families, and in reducing cases of SIDS through safe sleep education.

HALO is a fantastic company, and I’m proud to use their products, as well as to recommend them to others!

Win it!: In celebration of the Safer Way to Sleep Initiative, HALO would like to offer a lucky reader a HALO SleepSack Swaddle!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page. 

This post contains affiliate links. I only promote what I already use and love! 

Bumper-Free Bedding for Baby #2 (and a Pinterest Contest!)

· by · 2 Comments

I absolutely adore the bedding set I picked out for Darah. I spent HOURS pouring over different options, trying to find good deals, and eventually going back to a set I fell in love with during the first 30 minutes of my epic quest. It was a splurge, but I didn’t care. I never regretted that purchase for a second. You can find an image of it on my Pinterest board if you are super curious!

The set did come with a bumper. And yeah, I had heard some rumblings and mumblings about how bumpers were no longer considered to be all that safe. But to be honest with you, I dismissed them, figuring that generations of babies had done just fine with bumpers in their cribs. Plus, it was so darn cute!

And then the American Academy of Pediatrics decided to weigh in on the issue. They officially came out against crib bumpers. And that’s when I finally got my head out of the sand and started paying attention.

HALO, the fabulous brand behind the super smart and super safe SleepSacks, has risen to the challenge of creating worry-free bedding by creating the Safe Sleep Crib Set, which is designed to create a safe sleep environment for babies (and a cute one, too!).

The five-piece set has everything your baby needs for a healthy and happy night of rest. It consists of the following:

  • HALO SleepSack wearable blanket
  • SleepSack Swaddle
  • Two coordinating crib sheets in soft cotton jersey
  • matching crib skirt
What I really love about this bedding set is that it goes beyond what might look cute and provides you with exactly what the baby needs for sleep, leaving out all the accessories like bumpers and quilts that can actually pose a breathing threat to babies. With our old set, I knew the quilt shouldn’t go in the crib and only used it as a decoration, hanging above the crib like a tapestry. But how many other parents opted to put it inside the crib as a blanket for their infants? I love that this set comes with a SleepSack and SleepSack Swaddle to provide plenty of coverage for baby, with no risk of any fabric getting in their face.
You can find the HALO Safe Sleep Crib sets now on Amazon as well as Babiesrus.com. The sets retail for $109.99 but are on sale currently at both sites! It is available in six different patterns including pink, blue and neutral tones. We have picked out the Caroline’s Garden Set (below). Adorable, no?
Would you like to win a set for yourself? Well, it’s not so hard to do if you are on Pinterest (and if you aren’t on Pinterest….GET ON THERE, NOW! YOU ARE MISSING OUT!). HALO is sponsoring a “Pin It to Win It” contest. Click here for all the details on how you can win your own set. The contest ends on April 15th, so hop on over now and get entered!
If you’d like to stay up to date with all the HALO happenings, follow them on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter!
Disclosure: I received a complimentary safe sleep set for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

HALO SleepSack Swaddle Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

· by · 3 Comments

Do you think that Snuggies are the original wearable blanket?

Nope! That honor goes to the HALO SleepSack Wearable Blanket! 🙂 SleepSacks are these really awesome wearable blankets for babies. One of my nieces wore SleepSacks religiously as a baby, as they kept her nice and warm. And most importantly, they kept her very safe as they eliminate loose blankets in the crib to help prevent SIDS!

We had some SleepSacks for Darah, but they were honestly never a hit. She was such a fan of the swaddle that the SleepSack was just too loose around her legs for her comfort. She was very used to be snug as a bug in a rug!

So I was intrigued when I learned that HALO had created the SleepSack Swaddle. I had the opportunity to check it out, and while I don’t have a baby to put in it, I still had a few initial observations.

1. It looks very easy to use. Swaddling does have a bit of a learning curve when you do it the old fashioned way, but this swaddler looks extremely intuitive. That’s a great thing for a nervous new parent!

2. I’m not convinced that a newborn would love it, as it leaves the legs covered but not cocooned, which is what I found to be the real reason that babies love to be swaddled. In some ways it mimics being inside the womb – all warm and cozy! But the HALO SleepSack Swaddle does keep the arms close to the baby’s body which is very comforting.

I did spend some time on the HALO website learning about why they designed their swaddler this way, and I came away with some surprising information that really has me thinking. They state that many parents wrap their babies too tightly and this can actually cause hip dysplasia after birth. Their hips need to have freedom of movement and their knees need to be able to extend. There’s no doubt in my mind that we wrapped Darah up very tightly, and for many, MANY months. This gives me pause to wonder if there really is such a thing as swaddling too tight!

How we swaddled Darah is water under the bridge, and I’m not going to waste time worrying about what I cannot change. With that said, when we are ready to have another baby, I’ll be doing more research on this issue and also looking to the HALO SleepSack Swaddle blanket as a viable swaddling option.

Buy it!: The HALO SleepSack Swaddle is available at many fine retailers, including Target, Amazon and Babies R Us. The SleepSack Swaddle retails for $26.95.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a HALO SleepSack Swaddle in your choice of size! The contest will run until July 31st at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: This contest is open to all the Facebook fans! Like Stuff Parents Need AND HALO SleepSack on Facebook and come back here to tell me you did for your mandatory entry.

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Follow HALO SleepSack on Twitter
2. Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need on Google Friend Connect (found on the sidebar)

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of the page.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.