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Tuesday, August 11, 2009

WFMW: The Double Swaddle

Swaddling has been used for centuries to soothe & calm young babies. We swaddled Wendy for every nap & bedtime until she was seven months old; it really helped her to sleep better. It was easy when she was a newborn, but as she grew & became stronger, it was harder to get her swaddled securely enough that she would stay that way. David is only 12 weeks old, but we were already having trouble keeping his arms secure - until I figured out this trick, which I call a double swaddle.

(The idea isn't original with me; I figured this out after watching a video about the Miracle Blanket. I thought it was a great idea, and then realized I could accomplish the same thing just using two thin receiving blankets - of which I have a whole stack!)

It starts like a traditional swaddle, except that you lay out two blankets, one on top of the other, both with the top corner folded down.

Place your baby right in the middle, with his head above the top edge of the blankets. (Be sure to smooch his baby cheeks when you do this; it's essential for the swaddling process.)

Here's where it is different. Take his left arm and pull it down against his left side. Take the top layer of blanket on that side, wrap it around his arm, and tuck it under his rump.

Do the same with the other arm. At this point, his arms are pretty effectively pinned against his sides, with the blanket tucked up under his behind.


Then use the outer blanket to swaddle him like you normally would, tucking one side in snugly, and wrapping the other around & tucking it underneath.


And there you have it! A securely wrapped bundle of cuteness. I wish I had figured this out when Wendy was a baby, because it would have saved us a lot of frustration from her getting loose & waking herself up. David can't budge at all when he's wrapped like this, and he loves it - he usually grins up at me once he's securely wrapped.

Because there are two layers of blankets, make sure you don't over-dress your baby before swaddling him like this. David usually just wears a onesie & socks to bed, and he seems to be perfectly comfortable with his two flannel receiving blankets around him. (The only reason he was in a footed sleeper for these pictures is because he was fresh from a bath.)

Double-swaddling definitely Works for Me! For more great tips & ideas, head over to Works-For-Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family!

For my previous WFMW entries, click here.

20 comments:

Amber @ Classic Housewife said...

Oh, how smart! If I ever have another baby I am definitely going to remember this, I'm sure of it! =)

Hopeful Q-Mom said...

Where were you with this suggestion three months ago? My girl outgrew her sleep sack with the swaddle attached and I spent a week getting no sleep as she got used to sleeping without being swaddled. She sleeps great now at 5 months. I will remember this when I have my next one!

Anonymous said...

yeah it is great.. similar to what the miracle blanket does ... I saw it called an uber swaddle and did it too!! :) when baby started escaping even THAT but not sleeping well, we got a Peke Moe sleep sack - http://www.pekemoe.co.nz worked great for us! all the best :)

Unknown said...

yep, wish I had know this one! great post & great pics!

Heidi of Operation Organization said...

How clever! We used a 'swaddle me' back in the day - loved it w/the velcro....I'll be sure to pass this idea on to all the new mamma's in my life.

steadymom said...

Love this! So cute...

Jen @ After The Alter said...

Cute! I just forwarded your blog to my friend who just had a baby! I think she'll find this very helpful.

Joanne : The Simple Wife said...

Aww...I love the baby burrito.

Audrey loved it when she was small too--being swaddled made her feel so safe and secure.

Kinda makes me wish there was a baby around to wrap up!

Melissa said...

Why couldn't we think of this? Besides the fact we could barely remember our names? Thanks for the pictures - he's a cutie! This will be helpful if there is a next time!

Kara said...

Great suggestion! My little one has just about outgrown the swaddling, though. He still likes it sometimes, if he's super tired and cranky, so I'll have to remember this.

stephanie said...

why did i not think of this! you are awesome. and david is seriously adorable.

annies home said...

I love to swadle my little ones and my daughter became real good at it with my little one

Muthering Heights said...

Wow! I'm going to give this a try!

Lainie said...

I am very pro-swaddle. If God blesses me with more, I'm giving this a shot. Thanks!

Kristenph said...

Wow, what a wonderful idea. I never was very good at swaddling my babies. If I have another one, I'll have to remember this method.

www.homeschoolblogger.com/kristen

Ellen said...

I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate this post. It is a huge gift to me! I've been afraid to go anywhere overnight without my husband because I simply couldn't wrap my 3-month-old tightly enough. He would get out of the swaddle every time and wake up early, messing up our nights kinda badly occasionally. Well, I did this last night, all by myself, and he stayed in all night long. He slept the longest he ever has! It was great! And now I'm not afraid to go away for the weekend with my parents while my hubby works. Thank you so much. This was a very timely blessing.

momtoQTs said...

LOVE this. We tried it out last night and DD slept for 7 hours without waking once. I hope this continues. Thanks SO much!!!

Anonymous said...

Oh, that's just genious!!! Thanks! So glad I ran across this post. Gonna try it tonight!

Anonymous said...

"Oh, that's just genious!!! Thanks! So glad I ran across this post. Gonna try it tonight!"

That's my quote above. I indeed tried it that night, and my little guy slept 9.5 hours, and has slept minimum 8 hours every night since then. Thanks!!

Ker said...

So glad I ran across this post! My 5.5 month old still desperately needs to be swaddled for naps and sleeping, but even the swaddleme w/ velcro isn't strong enough to hold his arms in. Can't wait to try this!