Enjoy a Smooth Transition from Swaddling with Love to Dream

My babies have both loved being swaddled, as most babies do.  It’s comforting for itty bitty newborns as it reminds them of being in the womb.  Swaddling with blankets is something I quickly picked up and nobody else ever seemed to.  I quickly discovered the benefits of using a swaddle bag as they are pretty fool proof.  

The one downside to the swaddle bags we had used was that once baby got big enough they discovered their hands. Once that happens it’s pretty much all over as they would break free of even the tightest wrapped swaddle bag. Not to mention that babies love to sleep with their hands up “over” their heads. Quotation marks because baby arms are hilariously unable to actually get over their heads. 

We were sent a Love to Swaddle UP 50/50 swaddle bag to try out with Ava.  I immediately fell in love with it.  It addresses so many issues you may encounter using traditional swaddling methods or with other swaddle bag s plus it helps baby transition to a sleeping bag for extended use. 

The above is a Love to Swaddle UP Original so the diagram is missing the zip wings but it is a great illustration of the many features you will find in this rather genius swaddle.

Stage one utilizes the patented easy zip-off wings to function like the Love To Swaddle UP ORIGINAL to keeps newborns snug and secure without restricting movement or making them too warm. The unique “wing” design helps babies to sleep in a natural ‘arms up’ position, which prevents scratching and calms the startle reflex.

When your baby is ready to to transition to a sleep bag just zip off one wing so that one arm is free and the other is still swaddled.  This will ensure less disturbance in your baby’s sleep routine and makes the change easier on both of you.  Ideally, you should start to transition once your baby is able to roll from back to front, starts to wake up more often than usual.  This is all usually between 4 to 6 months.

After a few nights with only one arm swaddled, remove the second arm and your baby should successfully transition to using the Love to Swaddle UP 50/50 as a snug and comfy baby sleeping bag with their arms free.

Ava was actually transitioned a couple months ago because she is determined to move.  She started rolling back to front at just 4 months old so she was transitioned super early from swaddle to sleeping bag and from cradle to crib.  It was not a fun time in our little world.  She has continued that trend by beginning the early stages of crawling at just 6 months old. 

I did test out all three stages with her though as I was really curious about the first stage with the wings on.  I was surprised to see how happy she was to be swaddled in that way but then I realized that it wasn’t restricting her completely the way a traditional swaddle does.  She was able to get her little wing in her mouth and was quite happy to have her arms up the way she normally sleeps when she decides to sleep on her back.  (I always put her down on her back but she is decidedly a side sleeper.) Of course she loves the other two stages as well, especially the very familiar swaddle-free stage.

The Love to Swaddle UP 50/50 is full of clever features such as the zipper cover to top the zipper from irritating your baby’s skin and the two way zip which speeds up the diaper change process.  I also love the snug fit which hugs her body so there is no extra fabric pooling around or under her potentially causing a whole lot of discomfort.  The wings are also pretty easy to remove as well as to zip back on for storage or use with another baby.

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One Canadian Frugal Mom Eh reader will win their own Love to Swaddle UP 50/50! Giveaway closes for entry on August 17th 2014 at 11:59 pm EST.  See Giveaway Tools form for Entry and T&C.

Elizabeth Lampman

Elizabeth Lampman is a coffee-fuelled Mom of 2 girls and lives in Hamilton, Ontario. She enjoys travelling, developing easy recipes, crafting, taking on diy projects, travelling and saving money!