While Mom and Dad might be sleep deprived, our newborn certainly is not. I actually forgot how much they do sleep. In the early days its: Eat, Poo, Sleep, Repeat. However, around week 2 & 3, Alexandros “came out of the womb” and went from being an adorable sleepy little lump, to a niggly newborn.

We instantly thought it was colic and tried everything from the Chiropractor to Colic Calm and Telament drops. He would breastfeed, I’d burp him – sometimes he’d burp easily but most times he just wouldn’t. Either way, he was then really niggly and unsettled, which became exhausting.

It was only on Christmas Eve that our really good friend, Kim, asked a casual question while she was holding him after I’d fed him: “Where’s his swaddle?”

Sox and I both looked at each other and it was like a lightbulb had just gone off. How could we have forgotten about the magic of swaddling? To be fair, George was a Winter baby and while the swaddling did help, he actually didn’t like being swaddled and would Houdini out of them, so we would just cover him in thicker blankets and really tuck him in tightly.

Alexandros is our Summer baby and it’s been really hot. Even the long sleeve onesies have had to be skipped. As a result, we clean forgot about swaddling. Well, that night we swaddled him in a light cloth and the result was instant – we had a settled, sleeping baby within minutes. I can tell you there was plenty of happy dancing in our home!

Both my children, regardless of the season, seem to Houdini out of the Muslin cloth swaddles though and while I did everything to “burrito” them properly, they just get their little arms out and become unsettled again.

Why is swaddling so important?

Young babies love to feel snug and secure, just like when they were in mom’s tummy. Swaddling mimics the closeness of the womb and suppresses the startle reflex, to help baby and parents get more sleep.

We have since discovered the most incredible swaddles… The GroSwaddle, the GroSnug and the Love to Dream Swaddle. We alternate these, while the others in the wash and they’ve been game changers.

The GroSwaddle:

This GroSwaddle has a unique shape and there’s no complicated folding or over swaddling. I especially love that it’s Hip-Healthy. There’s a large pocket where the legs go in and this design is recognised by the International Hip Dysplasia Institute.

The GrowSnug:

This is a revolutionary 2-in-1 swaddle and Newborn GroBag allows you to swaddle arms in or out for a good night sleep.

The Grosnug is extremely easy to use and for those who struggle to fold baby into little burritos with an ordinary cloth, you’ll love this. No folding needed because it has a long zip that opens from the bottom for nappy changes. The unique design creates space for Hip-healthy natural leg position, which is also recognised by the International Hip Dysplasia Institute.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love to Dream Swaddle:

The Love to Dream swaddle is a different looking swaddle since it has the unique arms UP design. I call this the “Magic Angel Wings swaddle.” The reason for my nickname is because when Alexandros is in it, he looks like he has little Angel wings, and “magic” because I’m pretty convinced it has sleepy dust sprinkled in it. Kidding, however, the minute he’s zipped up into it, it’s a matter of minutes before he’s fast asleep.  Alexi loves to sleep with his little arms up, on either side, so this swaddle just mimics that but prevents the Moro startle reflex. 

The other game changer is…

The GroFriends:

Say Hi to Percy the Penguin and Ollie the Owl.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have Ollie, and he’s the sweetest little Owl that is incredibly smart too (as all Owls are.) The GroFriend plays sounds including a soothing heartbeat, rainfall, white noise static and the beautiful Brahms lullaby. The volume is adjustable too.

Here’s why it’s so smart: It has clever CrySensor technolog, which means that the Grofriend automatically activates when baby cries, soothing them back to sleep. So the CrySensor activates if baby cries during the listening period of 3 hours and plays the white noise or lullaby for 20 minutes to soothe baby back to sleep. Winner!

It also acts as a bit of a night light and the GroFriends have warm glowing tummies, which you adjust in brightness. As it’s soft and cuddly, it can be attached to the cot, the carseat or the pram with it’s secure velcro fastening.

When Alexandros is swaddled and the white noise or rainfall is playing, we have longer sleeps – at least 4 hour intervals between feeds, which gives me a chance to make more milk, as opposed to feeding every 2/3 hours.

The Gro products are products of Tommee Tippee and you can shop these products at selected Kids Emporium stores, Baby City, Babies R Us, Takealot etc. See more here: www.tommeetippee.co.za/

The Love to Dream Swaddle is available at selected Kids Emporium stores and here: https://lovetodream.co.za