Hush Little Baby

One of the first skills a new parent must master is the art of swaddling. After all that time spent in the cramped, warm space of mommy's tummy, babies tend to like being wrapped up like little burritos. While I still say receiving blankets are a must-have, when it comes to swaddling, they usually prove fairly worthless. It's difficult to get it just right and baby usually wiggles out of it within minutes. Plus, baby often outgrows them very quickly.

A simple solution, and one that REALLY WORKS, is The Miracle Blanket. This little wonder is easy to use and keeps baby wrapped up just the way he or she likes it. My cousin bought me The Miracle Blanket as a shower gift and even though my baby was never a good sleeper, he did seem happier when we wrapped him up good in this little lifesaver. Unfortunately, his reflux meant that The Miracle Blanket was often in the pile of dirty laundry so we still had many nights where we had to attempt swaddling with a traditional receiving blanket.

While out one day I found another swaddling blanket that I decided to try. The Swaddle Me Adjustable Infant Wrap proved to be a pretty good buy as well. This one features Velcro tabs that keep it securely closed, and it was easier to wrap baby up in than The Miracle Blanket. However, I do think my baby had an easier time of wiggling his arms out of the Swaddle Me than The Miracle Blanket. But the other nice thing about the Swaddle Me Adjustable Infant Wrap is that there is also a Velcro tab running across baby's abdomen giving you access to his lower half for diaper changes without completely unwrapping him. The important thing is keeping baby snug, warm and happy and I think both of these products make excellent choices.