My daughter was a crier.
(You may be thinking, All babies cry!
And thats true, but my second child cried maybe a quarter of the amount my daughter did.
She cried because she was hungry.
She cried because she was a gassy baby.
I swear sometimes she cried just to mess with me!
(Im kidding.)
If youre a parent, youve swaddled your baby, or at least attempted to.
And even if youre a kid-free human, youve likely heard the term.
But how exactly does one swaddle?
Unfortunately, wrapping a baby up in a square piece of cloth isnt easy; its not even intuitive.
The nurses wrapped those babies upand mere mortal mothers cant do it like those maternity nurses can.
Ive literally never seen a mom have that kind of swaddling success.
Because of this, I always venture to talk parents out of the standard, blanket-style swaddles.
Also: swaddling can be dangerous if you do it wrong.
Of course, the current recommendation is that babies should only be placed on their backs to sleep.
This usually happens between 4 and 6 months of age.)
But heres the rub: swaddling can be amazing for a crying baby!
I did the research and tried out some non-blanket swaddles.
These are the magical swaddles your kid wont get out of and that wont require YouTube viewing to master.
Simple, simple, simple
For the simplest swaddle, start with theSummer Infant SwaddleMe Original.
These swaddles are the absolute best.
The cotton fabric is also super soft.
Both our kids were born in the summer, which made this swaddle perfect due to the lightweight cotton.
For the baby who moves around a lot
For a mover-and-shaker, try theHalo Sleepsack.
The Halo Sleepsack is great for babies who like to kick their legs and move their arms.
Its adjustable so the arms can be either swaddled in against babys body or moving freely outside the swaddle.
The skirt of the sack is long, allowing for lots of movement from the waist down.
(Its inverted to allow for easy late-night diaper changes.)
Fasten using the velcro fastener strips.
This swaddle provides more of a cozy feeling thanks to the thicker swaddle wings and blanket-like skirt.
The most versatile
For versatility, tryAnna & Eve Swaddle Strap.
It feels secure and babies that dont like the skirt on a swaddle will likely take to it nicely.
For the arms-up infant
Arms up?
Go for theLove to Dream Swaddle Up Lite.
The Love to Dream is designed to mimic that position while also providing the comfort of being swaddled.
Your baby is placed inside the swaddle, enclosing their entire body inside.
Another bonus to being fully enclosed is that baby cant inadvertently scratch her face.
Swaddling is a powerful tool in a parents arsenal.
