Oh Baby Baby! I am expecting my 3rd child any day now
and in honor of this upcoming birth, I have teamed up with Buddy Doo's Adventure-Roos
& Little Angel on a Mission to feature some of our absolute
must-have baby & mama items!
Day Sixteen Features:
As we all know, the safest way to put baby to sleep is on their back! When those little newborns come home they have no control over their reflexes, so we have always found that if they aren't swaddled then they wake themselves up. Conventional receiving blankets, just don't stay and therefore Halo Sleepsacks have always been our go to products for swaddling! Read more about Halo in the below review by my friend at Buddy Doo's Adventure-Roo's!New mother's have plenty of fears when they take home a newborn, but I know the one that topped my chart was SIDS. There's so much mystery surrounding SIDS, and while there are ways to protect your child, nothing is guaranteed. Some things to remember are: room temperature (big culprit! SIDS has been linked to warmer room temperatures), no loose blankets or toys in the crib, and always place baby on back. Halo SleepSack Swaddles are great ways to keep your baby warm while eliminating the loose blanket problem!
For my review I was sent the exclusive BUYBUY BABY pattern 'green mouse', a perfectly whimsical and gender neutral print. We chose the cotton interlock because we tend to have warmer weather throughout the year, plus we already own a few of the microfleece (check out Buddy Doo just a day after he was born in a Halo SleepSack Swaddle microfleece below). I've always been curious about the cotton sleepsack swaddles, and I'm really excited to see how thin the fabric is. Overheating is a serious problem with babies and newborns, and many parents don't realize when it happens. Since sleepsacks are designed to be worn over clothes and pajamas, you can sort of adjust the temperature simply by changing out what they are wearing underneath. This gives you more options and let's you customize the temperature depending on the season! The instructions are also built in.....in other words: daddy-proof!
The iconic 'back is best' logo common to Halo's products is found sweetly on the left chest, complete with its own embroidered mouse! The zipper goes from bottom to top allowing for quick and easy nighttime diaper changes, and even has a layer of fabric underneath the zipper to protect little one's sensitive skin from irritation. One thing I would change is that the top metal part of the zipper be wrapped in fabric too so the sudden coldness of metal against skin wouldn't shock or surprise baby. I also wish there was a hook or something at top to prevent it from coming completely undone. There's nothing worse than nighttime changes where you're fiddling with trying to put the zipper back through in the dark!
I do like that the zipper doesn't start at the very bottom and instead starts a few inches up. This helps keep the little legs enclosed during diaper changes while also keeping them warm and toasty. The sleep sack itself is rather roomy (pictured is a size small, fitting 13-18lbs) and let's baby kick those little feet til their heart's content without worry of the blanket coming loose in the crib. It also allows for proper hip alignment which can (many times done unknowingly and unintentionally by parents) be an issue with normal swaddling blankets. Although the legs are free to move around as they want, the arms are tucked in nice and snug to prevent sudden and unwanted wake ups due to the "moro" or startle reflex.
(YES! I made that diaper! Heart snaps and all <3 p="">3>
No one likes diaper changes, especially when its four times a night and you don't exactly have the best night vision. The best part though is that most newborns don't actually wake up during nighttime 'wakings'; they are usually hungry or need a diaper change, and if you're quick and gentle enough, you can easily feed them or change them without waking (which of course means more sleep for you). You'll quickly learn that cold wipes on a warm butt will startle the fire out of your snoozing baby, and when their bottom half comes from a warm and snugly sleepsack and into a cold room, you will probably be peed on. The design of the sleepsack allows for easy changes without having to actually remove them from the 'blanket', which I think we can all agree is a big thumbs up. When its warm, we would dress Buddy Doo in sleep shorts instead of pants and this made it even easier!
What I really like about the sleepsack swaddle is that you can wear it two different ways. Buddy Doo loved being swaddled with his arms tucked in, but I have friends with babies that absolutely hated that. When Buddy Doo was a newborn he had to be swaddled, no exception, but every baby is different. I like that there's an option out there that lets you have the best of both worlds at a reasonable price and with quality to last for multiple babies (who may like to be swaddled differently). The Halo SleepSack Swaddle is a fantastically frugal addition to any new baby registry that both grows with baby and with family.
What really makes the Halo Sleepsack Swaddle unique are not only the huge wings, but how far you can tuck them in behind the other. You see that right wing on the picture above? That's almost entirely velcro (the soft, non-irritating kind). With that much velcro, there's no possible way you won't find the right fit for your baby. Plus, its like the biggest bullseye for your sleep-deprived new parent brain. How many times have you had to 're-do' a sleep swaddle because the velcro was too small and either kept slipping, you only managed to land the opposite wing on a small portion of it, or they kept breaking out like a baby Hulk because the velcro wasn't strong enough? The impressive size and ability to get a secure, snug fit makes us love it even more.
Overall, we really like this sleepsack swaddle. We chose the microfleece version as the one to bring to the hospital with Buddy Doo, and the 100% soft cotton interlock didn't fail us either. I would make some minor changes to the zipper, but it's still the best bang for your buck and most versatile sleepsack swaddle on the market. Another thing I noticed after taking it out of the wash is that it would be really convenient if there was a hidden pad the sticky velcro could stick to (instead of sticking to everything else in the dryer!). We cloth diaper, and our aplix diapers have what I'm talking about so that the tabs don't catch everything. While you could stick it to the other wing, I just felt like it didn't get completely clean that way. Maybe I just need to attach it looser or something? Anyway.. I certainly recommend you check one out for yourself to see what the fuss is all about :) Beware though, don't check them out unless you have time to waste....they have so many adorable patterns and styles that it'll take you a little while to pick just one ;)
(Buddy Doo in his Halo SleepSack Swaddle size newborn the day after he was born!
HALO Innovation’s SleepSack® wearable blankets have become the standard for hospital nurseries and parents alike. In fact, 1,000 hospital nurseries use the HALO SleepSack Swaddle instead of blankets through the HALO Safer Way to Sleep Initiative. That is 1.5 million births getting first-hand, in-hospital experience with the HALO SleepSack Swaddle and safe sleep practices! Modeling safe sleep practices for parents in the hospital is the key to safer sleep practices at home. HALO Innovations also offers free Safe Sleep Practices kits to childbirth educators to help further the cause of SIDS prevention.
Buy it: You can purchase Halo SleepSack Swaddle (sizes newborn or small) for $26.95, and the SleepSack for $24.95.
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WIN IT!: One lucky reader will win Halo SleepSack Swaddle to help practice safe sleep! Open to US legal residents 18 years of age and older. Enter in the Giveaway Tools below. ALL entries WILL be verified, so don't waste your time or ours cheating...you won't win! GOOD LUCK :)
HALO® SleepSack® Swaddle Micro-Fleece | Blue.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is the Diamond Pink Elephant sleepsack swaddle
ReplyDeleteI like the HALO® SleepSack® Big Kids Micro-fleece | Truck.
ReplyDeleteI like Plushie Dot Velboa Blue!
ReplyDeleteI like the Bee Buddies swaddle.
ReplyDeleteI like the Animal Friends.
ReplyDelete