Swaddling Clothes
Becoming a parent turns the topics of burps and messy diapers into everyday conversation. It also makes you a connoisseur of baby products. Don’t get Merritt and me started on collapsible baby gyms, one-piece potty chairs, or folding baby swings. Things have changed a lot since our youngest siblings were born 10 and 16 years ago! They have gelled baby oil. Tagless clothes. They even have SmartWool socks for toddlers. Ruth wears hers as socks and gloves. Yes, we could go on for hours about all the great toys they make these days! (How did we grow up to be normal adults without them?) There’s one I just have to share with you, however…The SwaddleMe, however, has something Jesus’ 
mother Mary had never seen: Velcro. It keeps even the most determined little one snugly wrapped.
Besides the obvious benefit of keeping the baby warm without the danger of suffocation from blankets, swaddling also helps babies sleep better. You’ve seen babies startle themselves awake, their arms raising quickly? It’s called the startle reflex. They usually grow out of it between four to six months, but until then, swaddling can help keep babies from waking themselves up.
It took me a few days to decide to try the SwaddleMe with Ruth. But it wasn’t long before we wouldn’t leave home without it. Whether sleeping on the couch at Papa and Nanna’s, in the bassinet at Grandpa and Grandma’s, in the playpen at her uncle and aunts’, or in the cradle at home, Ruth always knew it was naptime when we swaddled her up. Once I left Ruth with her Aunt Jessica, and was gone longer than I had planned. I came back to a very tired little girl, who was quite fussy and past ready for her nap. I swaddled her up, and she instantly let out a big sigh, closed her eyes, and went to sleep. If we’d only had a video, it would have been the perfect advertisement for SwaddleMe!
We’ve since discovered there are multiple brands of swaddles and wearable blankets. I would have tried the Halo Sleep Sack when Ruth grew out of her first Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe, but the Sleep Sack only has the optional Swaddle in the first size. At 6 pounds 10 ounces, Ruth was almost too small for the size small SwaddleMe, though (they had a preemie size, but I hadn’t bought it, expecting to have a bigger baby!). With the SwaddleMe brand, it’s important to have the right size so the baby doesn’t wriggle down inside the blanket. It has the advantage over the Wearable Blanket, however, of not having to fit their arms through sleeves at bedtime. Ruth quickly grew too tall for the size small (I think it shrunk, even though I hung it out to dry every time), kicking the feet pocket open and waking herself up with one foot in, one foot out. We chose the fleece fabric in the size large SwaddleMe, and the stretchy fleece seemed to give her a little more room to squirm without bursting the Velcro open–plus it has a bit more give as I wrap her up.
I know our little girl will soon be past the startle reflex stage, but I think we will keep swaddling her until she becomes strong enough to “Houdini” her way out. It keeps her warm and cozy at night, and I don’t have to worry about her working her way under blankets.
Yes, everyone laughs at our little green “glow worm” daughter, teasing us about putting our child in a straight jacket. But they don’t laugh at the fact that she’s slept through the night since she was almost three months old (for which I credit not only the SwaddleMe, but having her on a routine).
We like the BundleMe from the J.J. Cole Collection, too… But didn’t I tell you not to get me started?
You sold us. 🙂 I bought a swaddle me for my 6 week old nephew. My sister is so excited and can hardly wait for it to arrive.
Really enjoyed the story about Ruth, thanks Gretchen. 🙂
What a little cutie! Adorable! 🙂
I didn’t think people still swaddled their babies; it made me think about the Middle Ages when babies were in swaddling all day long the first months so they would have straight legs and back, but after reading your post it makes sense to wrap them up snuggly to sleep. That it is a bit like in the womb. (And the part about not getting under the blankets was convincing as well..) I might actually swaddle my babies in the future! (I hope there are babies in my future!) 🙂
Thank you for sharing the sweet glimpe into your life of mommy-hood. :)Ruth is such a pretty baby! Her hair looks almost red in the pictures.
Funny thing about being an oldest in a large family, I find I can keep up with most moms in these “baby product” conversations. My friends tend give me wierd looks when I take part in the labor and delivery conversations though. 🙂
~Samantha
The first picture is adorable! Ruth is very cute.
I think you are probably right about keeping her on a schedule. I know a mom who keeps her baby on a schedule, and he has been sleeping through the night since about 3 months old, too. =D
My grandma has been teaching women to swaddle their babies for over 30 years! So needless to say my mom has done the same thing with all 8 of us kids. It really is so comforting for the baby to feel the tight, reassuring comfort of a swaddled blanket. We never used a SwaddleMe blanket but found a receiving blanket work perfect.
Swaddling is so comforting to a little person!
Oh, I just has to say that Ruth is just adorable and beautiful!
Gretchen, swaddling saved my sanity! 😉 Emma didn’t like it as much, though it did help her sleep better, and Jack just LOVES to be swaddled. He calms down as soon as he’s swaddled and often falls asleep on his own when he’s swaddled. Can we say life saver?
And I love the Bundle me, as well… 😉 There’s a reason Moms never run out of things to talk about…
These things look wonderful, I just found out about them, from a mom at our play group. My girls are now 3, 2, and 1 so I can’t use them anymore, but I will be buying one when God blesses us with another little munchkin!
It is so wonderful being a mother, we truly are blessed to care for such precious little bundles, that grow into special little friends.
Valerie
Oh, your little “glowworm” looks so adorable! She’s getting so big, too…*sigh* They do grow fast, don’t they?
~Emily
Ruth is beautiful!
The mention of the straight jacket made me laugh, for that’s what came to mind when I saw the picture! She looks like she loves it, though 🙂
So cute! We had problems getting our little Gabe to sleep unless he was swaddled. I didn’t have any of those fancy swaddlers, and the receiving blankets you buy in the store were just too small, so I started making my own. I just buy a yard of cloth and it makes the perfect size blanket for wrapping baby up tight. People are now requesting them for their own babies. lol
Funny how such a little thing helps the baby sleep!
Little Ruth looks so cute in her SwaddleMe! I’ve never heard of such a thing! I will definately keep this in mind for “some day.”