Stuff Parents Need

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

Ahmelie Swaddling Blanket Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: if you are going to swaddle your baby, don’t even attempt to use a receiving blanket or the vast majority of swaddling blankets on the market. They are TOO SMALL!

I think many parents give up on swaddling their infants because they don’t realize that they have equipment that does not prepare them for success! When Darah was born, we were gifted with 3 blankets that seemed ridiculously huge. The woman who made them for us said, “You need a bigger blanket for swaddling than you realize.” She was SOOO right. Darah was a small baby, and even she had outgrown her other swaddling blankets within a month or so. We used those “huge” blankets on her for the better part of the next 2 years. She actually still has one in her big girl bed with her!

There’s a company that realizes how big swaddling blankets actually need to be in order to be effective. Ahmelie has been featured on this site several times, not only for her swaddling blankets, but also for her hooded towels and her beautiful burp cloths. The fabrics Ahmelie uses are absolutely stunning. I have truly never seen prettier baby accessories.

And I really appreciate the size of her swaddling blankets. I’ve actually purchased swaddling blankets from Ahmelie several times for friends who have had babies. While I typically don’t like to veer from the gift registry for people, I am eternally grateful that someone knew to get me a huge blanket for swaddling, so I try to pay that forward by gifting them to others. Plus, these blankets are so gorgeous that I know the recipients will be pleased!

Here’s a picture of our Ahmelie swaddling blanket at its full size. Pretty big, right?

Now, here’s a picture of Layah all bundled up in her beloved blanket:

If you are currently expecting and want to try swaddling (which I HIGHLY recommend as a way to comfort and calm your baby), please do yourself the biggest favor and get a huge swaddling blanket, like the ones found at Ahmelie’s shop. Her blankets are $16.00 each are are worth so much more than that! AND…you can use code STUFF10 to save 10% off your purchase at Ahmelie.com! Woo hoo!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a swaddling blanket from Ahmelie!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

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

Woombie: A New Swaddling Technique

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In our house, we are swaddling evangelists. Darah LOVED to be swaddled. Like, more than any other baby I know. She was tightly swaddled including her arms until she was about 5 months old (by her insistence!) and was tightly swaddled with arms out until she was probably 16 months old (again, by her insistence). Even now, at 2 and 5 months, she likes her blanket to be very loosely swaddle-like around her (of course she pops right out of it, but it’s a sleep cue to her, we think). Her swaddling blankets have been one of the very biggest work horses in the nursery.

So it won’t surprise you to hear that we will be swaddling baby #2. But I have learned a few things about swaddling in the time since Darah was bundled up like a pea in a pod. Most notably, I’ve learned that you have to take care not to make the swaddle too tight around the legs, as that can impede their hip development. I also know from experience that a loose swaddle on a newborn and young infant is kind of pointless. This has really left me scratching my head about what to do!

woombie review

Oh bloggers, how you help me so! Thanks to some great reviews that I read, I learned all about this fabulous product called Woombie. If you have never practiced swaddling, then the look of it may make you nervous. Let’s be real, it looks like an infant straight jacket. But as a swaddling aficionado, I’m super excited at the look of it. It’s this perfect balance of a snug and tight environment, which little ones crave (think of the womb!) while also leaving some stretch opportunity for those growing legs and hips.

I also like that if you happen to have a major squirmy worm on your hands, there’s no blanket to come unraveled, which means no suffocation risk. That’s great for peace of mind. We received the newborn original Woombie in raspberry (FABULOUS color, by the way) and the material seems to be just too right…breathable, yet will keep your baby nice and warm without overheating.

Woombie offers a very impressive variety of styles and options for your little snuggle bear. The Houdini is for those babies who can get out of ANY swaddle. Not this one! I’m also drawn to the organic line, as well.

Prices for the Woombie vary depending on which style you select. The original that we reviewed retails for $26.99 and fits 5-13 pounds. They also offer a size for 14-19 and 20-25 pounds, as well as a 3-6 pounds for preemies. Woombies can be purchased online at Amazon or you can find your nearest retailer.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win an Original Woombie in your choice of available colors and size!

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HALO SleepSack Swaddle Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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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.