The Summer Infant SwaddleMe Adjustable Infant Wrap

For anyone who is looking to purchase a great swaddle, I would highly recommend Summer Infant's SwaddleMe.  It is so easy to use and my baby loved it!

My firstborn did not like to be swaddled at all but I thought I would try it this past summer from the start with my daughter as I'd heard that for some babies, it can mean (gasp!) sleeping 4 or more hour stretches right from the beginning; babies feel more secure while swaddled because it mimics the feeling they had in the womb and it reduces or eliminates waking from the startle reflex (a response that newborns have until they are 3-5 months old - they respond to a feeling of sudden loss of support; their arms flail back and this is what generally wakes them from sleep).  There are also some studies that suggest that correct swaddling may reduce the risk of SIDS.  So, before my baby was born, I was equipped myself with an arsenal of different swaddles and proceeded to try them all upon bringing her home.  I was pleased to find that this was the type that she (and we) preferred.

Summer Infant's SwaddleMe is very affordable, you can pick one up for around $13 and sometimes for less if you purchase in two or three packs; they come in a variety of colors and patterns as well as in different sizes so you can continue to use them as your baby grows. (I used mine from the time my daughter came home from the hospital until she was about 5 months old.  I stopped swaddling her arms when she was close to rolling over and just secured it around her chest to "wean" her off of it.  Within a month she no longer used it).  To use the SwaddleMe, you simply place your baby on top of it, slip their feet into the pouch at the bottom, wrap them in the upper portion, and velcro to the desired tightness.  After a few tries it's easy to tell just how tightly you will need to wrap her; my little houdini could get her arms out if I left her too much room in there so I would need to pull it quite taut before velcroing.  A nice feature of the SwaddleMe is that you can leave her arms swaddled and just pull down the "leg pouch" to change a diaper, thus disturbing baby less.

I prefer this product over other brands because it is easier and quicker to get on and off and also seems less cumbersome than the others.  Ease of use is of the utmost importance when you are trying to put your sleepy (or sleeping) baby to bed at night and don't want to risk waking her with too much jostling/messing around while swaddling. 

You can find the Summer Infant SwaddleMe here:  Summer Infant SwaddleMe 2 Pack