Babies have a reflex they are born with called the Moro Reflex. This is when the baby seems to startle or catch themselves like you would if you were falling! This reflex is there to help babies begin to develop protective skills relating to movement. This reflex typically integrates by 3-4 months (integrate is when it disappears and becomes a skill). While it’s pretty cute to see your baby startle (haha I thought it was sooo cute with Maddy), it can become a hinderance when they are sleeping which is why swaddling is important!
There are a million swaddles out there and I’ll be honest we didn’t try them all BUT we did try a GOOD handful, and I wish I could write this post promising you that these swaddles will work for your baby, but the truth is, you’ll probably have to do your own research because every baby is different! I’ll provide you with some feedback on the ones to guide you so you don’t have to spend as much money. Also if you can get these second hand, I always highly suggest that to help cut costs!
So let’s get started!
1. the classic swaddle
the classic muslin swaddle is what you’ll probably first learn. This is the way they swaddle your baby in the hospital and requires a lot of skill (hahha i’ll be honest, i still don’t know how to swaddle WELL this way). This can be done with any muslin cloth which is great because we used our muslin clothes for all things and still do! Even at 6 months, we use the clothes to keep Maddy’s legs warm or to lay them out when we want to cover a surface. More importantly, I use them for her backdrops of photos occasionally. I’ll link my favorite that we bought and still use!
Pros:
- versatile and breathable
- can be used from birth-whenever your baby is ready to not be swaddles and you don’t need to buy different sizes
- affordable
Cons:
- complicated and babies always seem to squirm out of these quickly
2. love to dream swaddle
This is probably one of our favorite swaddles! We were given hand-me-downs from our friends and are SO thankful for them. From her second day of life, Maddy always enjoyed sleeping with her arms up near her face. This is the swaddle we ultimately used every night until she was ready to not be swaddled! You can find this swaddle at target or amazon. My nephews called this her starfish swaddle but I liked that it gave Maddy more ability than most swaddles and didn’t feel as tight, but still stopped her from startling awake. It was a rough transition the week we took her off of it, but if I would use this again. Also as they get older (she’s in the medium size in this picture), they have removable sleeves to help with the transition from swaddle to sleep sack! Overall a 10/10 from Maddy and me!
Pros:
- Light weight
- Allows more mobility
- has zippered arms to help with sleep sack transition
- Allows baby to keep hands up if they like that
- double zipper, allowing for easy access at night.
- different sizes, beginning with newborn!
Cons:
- A bit pricey for what it feels like, and you’ll likely have to buy 2 (Maddy blew out of her diaper pretty often Haha so it’d get onto the sleep sack)
- There are different sizes so you’ll have to spend more $
3. ollie swaddle
The famous OLLIE SWADDLE! When I asked for baby must haves on my instagram, I actually had a lot of people reply with this swaddle!
I’ll be honest, Maddy didn’t really take to the swaddle. As I mentioned before, she enjoys having her hands near her face, but this was for sure the best swaddle in a sense that she wasn’t able to escape or break out of it!
It’s extremely easy to use and the material is nice, stretchy and breathable.
I’m saving this as it is a bit pricey and maybe my second baby can use it more than Maddy 🙂
Pros:
- breathable
- great for babies who genuinely need a TIGHT swaddle
- easy to use
- high quality
- one size, so you’ll only need to buy one until your baby is done
Cons:
- can make a baby frustrated if they don’t like the super tight feeling
- price range $65
4. aden and anais easy swaddle
Potato quality photo, but as you can see, this is the very first swaddle we brought Maddy home with! it is so easy to use and I packed it in our hospital bag, knowing I’d probably have a difficult time using the muslin cloth.
While it was easy, I did make sure Tim and I watched a video on how to use it prior to packing in our bag! I suggest either keeping the instructions or googling it. We didn’t use it past the first month because Maddy was growing so fast, but we really REALLY liked it in the beginning.
Pros
- GREAT for the first couple weeks
- easy to use once you watch the instructions
- light weight
Cons
- not easy to change diapers
- baby can break out pretty easily once they get stronger
I hope this information was helpful for you! These swaddles are not all the ones in the market, but they are ones we personally used for Maddy! You’ll want to consider TOG rating (Thermal Overall Grade) which is how they measure insulation and warmth, depending on weather and whether you keep your air conditioning or heater on. You’ll also want to consider what your baby needs and general tendencies! 🙂
Wishing you all the best of luck as you search for the perfect swaddle for your baby As your baby gets older, they’ll eventually transition to a sleep sack (safer option than a blanket) and I’ll link a post about sleep sacks HERE when the post is finished.
Please let me know if you have any questions. Happy sleeping to your baby and hopefully even happier sleeping to you!
