Do blankets w/Velcro work better than regular blankets for swaddling?

[kristine_elen]

I just watched "The Happiest Baby on the Block" DVD and it looks amazing. It says you should swaddle tightly, and I want to get some swaddling blankets for the new baby (due early August) but I'm not sure if I should just make/buy a big blanket or buy the SwaddleMe (or similar) kind that have Velcro.

I tried swaddling Jack kind of halfheartedly when he was an infant and I was not very good at it.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

[caridura]

I had the Miracle Blanket and found it much easier to use. I tried to swaddle with the regular blankets at first, but I could never get it tight enough and it always came undone. I would highly recommend something like the Miracle Blanket or the Swaddle Me.

[kelly ann]

We thought we swaddled DS, but now I realize after using the mircale blanket that we we just wrapping him loosely. The only regular blanket that sort of works for us (if the mircale blanket is in the wash) is one of the blankets from Mr. Bobbles.

[kjezierski]

SwaddleMe (which has velcro) didn't work for us. The Miracle Blanket was truly a miracle!

Kathleen
Mommy to Alex
04/29/04

[aa2mama]

I can't compare since I never had any blankets that had velcro, but I definitely found that some blankets were easier to swaddle in than others. We had quite a collection of blankets, and the easiest ones for me to swaddle with were ones that my SIL made for me. She just bought flannel with a bit of give and serged the edges. They were easier to swaddle with because they were square and bigger than the usual receiving blankets. DH could always get a tighter swaddle than me, though, and every night it was his job to swaddle DS before bed.

[gour0]

Definitely the amazing miracle blanket, hands down. It is easy and stays secure. I used a tiny piece of masking tape to keep the end in place and that kept it from coming undone any.

[mudder17]

Never tried a blanket with velcro, but the Miracle Blanket is a winner, hands down. As she got bigger and stronger, we did use a safety pin for the ends, but before that, it was an amazing thing to watch. :)


Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif for Leah

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif , 16 months & counting


http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/catcatcvi20040222_4_Kaya+is.png

[sidmand]

I don't know if it was just a learning curve thing or a size thing, but I definitely found the Kiddopotamus Swaddle Me with the velcro much much easier when DS was a total newborn (not that he's not still, but for the first three weeks or so). In fact, we sent SIL out to Babies R Us to get us some of them because at first the Mircale Blanket was WAY too big and he would get totally lost.

He still can kick and squirm out of many swaddles, but not if I do a really tight one.

Again, not sure if it was just learning how to better do it, but I really think he was just too tiny at first and the Miracle Blanket didn't work because it was too big to contain him correctly. Now (at about 10 lbs) we do fine with either. The newborn velcro blankets are actually getting a bit small (not sure if we shrunk them or just that he grew).

Until you get the hang of swaddling, I think the velcro ones are a lifesaver, but the Miracle Blanket has been great now.

HTH.

Debbie

Mom to Sawyer!
http://lilypie.com/baby1/060607/0/3/1/-5/.png (http://lilypie.com)

[vdrake71]

I did not buy a swaddling blanket for Baby #1, but with all the recommendations from the board, I am buying the Miracle Blanket for Baby #2. I know one person who also just bought the Miracle Blanket for the 3 months old and said it really is a Miracle. I am waiting to try it out with Baby #2.

[mabuckles]

Another vote for the Miracle Blanket. These are great. How I wish I would have known about these when Madison was a baby. I got mine at BabyCenter and spent enough for free shipping and also went through ebates.

[ilovetivo]

The SwaddleMe didn't work for us either. I have a pink one that we tried to use once if you want it. We just used a stretchy waffle blanket though. We swaddled for 5 months.

[Sarah1]

Kristine--

I'm glad you asked this. I wasn't a very good swaddler w/Audrey (like you, it was a half-hearted effort) but this time I am going to try the Miracle Blanket, since everyone says it's really easy to use.

[kristine_elen]

I just emailed you. Thanks!

[kristine_elen]

On the same wavelength again. By the way, have you seen that "Happiest Baby" video/DVD? My cousin strongly recommended it and I just watched it (checked it out of the library). It's pretty impressive. It's almost as if I can't wait to have this baby and have her cry so I can see if his five "calming" steps really work. (Be careful what you wish for...)

[kfk]

We didn't like the miracle blanket or the swaddle me. The MB just never fit either boy correctly and they busted out. They could pretty much bust out of the swaddle me eventually as well. What worked was to do a "double-layer" swaddle with regular blankets (taught by the nurses in the NICU). Stack 2 blankets, each with one corner folded down. Lay the baby on the blankets with baby's head above the folded-down corner. Bring in the sides of the inside blanket and wrap around baby's arms to pin them to the baby's side. Then wrap the outside blanket in the standard burrito/swaddle wrap. Using a thermal/stretchy blanket for the outside blanket helps, but is not necessary. A standard lg. flannel receiving blanket (hospital size) works fine.

[essnce629]

I don't think there were any special blankets around when I first had Conner so I just used regular blankets. I found that the stretchy thermal waffle-weave ones worked the best since you could stretch them to get a tighter fit than the regular flannel ones. I loved the Little Tikes brand waffle weave blankets from Target for swaddling.

***Latia
Conner 8/19/03
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/a/aug2003angel
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif 22 months & counting! http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/9870.gif

[starrynight]

If you don't know how to swaddle well ask a nurse to teach you and they will :).

I never used a velcro blanket but they didn't have them either when my kids were that swaddling age. I just used large enough lightweight blankets (like the carters ones) and it worked out fine. My son hated it but my girls both loved swaddling. I wouldn't go out and spend a lot on special swaddling blankets until you are sure baby will like it.

[barbarhow]

Anna loves it and I do too! Initially she looks alarmed and then she gets this big grin on her face and her eyes roll back in her head and she is out for 5-6 hours. Love it, love it, love it!

[mudder17]

Happiest baby definitely worked for us! And we're just starting to use the Happiest Toddler DVD now--checked it out of netflix.


Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif for Leah

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif , 16 months & counting


http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/catcatcvi20040222_4_Kaya+is.png

[kristine_elen]

So glad you mentioned that. I looked on Netflix for Happiest Baby and they didn't have it so I didn't even try for Toddler. Now it's at the top of my queue -- ahead of Sopranos, so that's really saying something.

[sidmand]

I forgot to say that DS screams when we first swaddle him, but as soon as we pick him up (and I call him baby burrito), he's fine and usually out like al ight pretty soon after. But you would think I'm totally torturing him while swaddling (or chaning his diaper or giving him a bath for that matter). But he likes it when I'm done!

Debbie

Mom to Sawyer!
http://lilypie.com/baby1/060607/0/3/1/-5/.png (http://lilypie.com)

[phirey]

Y'know, maybe it's the NICU nurses who have all the secrets. They taught me how to swaddle DD from day one and we had perfect burritos every time using just standard flannel receiving blankets -- in fact we only ever needed one. But I do intend to get a Miracle Blanket for DD#2 just in case.

[Sarah1]

No, I haven't. But I saw Harvey Karp on a talk show once and he made a lot of sense. I have the "Happiest Toddler" book but have to say I don't love that. But I'll probably check out that video if I can find it at the library.

BTW, Babycenter has the Miracle Blanket on sale for $25.95 (I think that's the price) right now. I ordered it yesterday.

Is your baby a girl???? You said "her"!

[ilovetivo]

I emailed you back yesterday. Did it go thru? I got a "bounceback/but don't resend yet" email.

[kristine_elen]

No, nothing came through, not even in bulk email. Do you want to PM me? I'll also try you again.