Swaddling

[chezababy]

I'm hoping this is the best place to ask this. I'm expecting my second baby in December and would like to know what type blankets people recommend for swaddling. I've seen receiving blankets recommended but I don't seem to be able to find them in the UK. I don't want to buy the special swaddling ones in case baby doesn't like it. My dd didn't like being swaddled so they ended up being a waste of money. So I'd like suggestions for normal blankets that are suitable for swaddling please.

 

[MollyNorwood]

I don't know if my reply will help you, but I will tell you what helped us.
We brought a packet of 2 stretchy cotton jersey material wraps from Big W (Don't know the UK equivillent store sorry- similar to the US's Walmart/ Target) that was only $10 and we folded one in half length wise and swaddled her in that. We then opened the other up fully and swaddled her in that too. It was the only we could wrap her that she felt secure and comfortable enough to sleep, and in fact started sleeping through the night.
Stretchy wraps really helped us

 

[Rainbow82]

We used cellular blankets from aldi, think they were £2.99 and were softer than some of the others but we only tried a couple times, DS hated having his arms in, he likes to sleep starfished lol.

 

[Sqwidge]

I used the Aden and Anais swaddle muslins. They are huge, but are useful for not just swaddling, use as light blankets in the summer, Amelia went through a long period of picking up lots of stomach bugs, so used to cover me and her whilst feeding her, so if she was sick there was less chance of it going everywhere! Big muslin bib for when she was eating on the go and i had forgotten a bib! I did use it to cover the pram, i know they say not to do that, but they are very light and i didn't tuck it all up - just enough to get the sun off her.

 

[CaptainMummy]

I just used any old cellular blanket

 

[Perplexed]

Cellular blankets and large muslin cloth that are meant to be used as swaddles. Honestly though for me muslin swaddle blankets have many uses... I change baby on them on top of the changing pad, use them as burp cloths, use them as stroller blankets, etc so it's not a waste if baby doesn't end up being swaddled in them. My LOs were only swaddled till around 2 months of age but I've continued to use the muslin cloth in its other uses.

 

[bdb84]

I have several of the Aden and Anais swaddle muslins. DD was never a fan of swaddling (beyond the first week or so), but they got a ton of use as nursing covers and now as blankets. I adore them. They are unbelievably soft.

 

[Mushymilkfor2]

I'm with everyone else on the muslin blankets, although I didn't get aden and anais as I found them too expensive. I found other ones that are exactly the same for $15 at an overstock store.

They are super amazing, and work well for soo many things outside of swaddling like the others have said. They're soft, lightweight, and just awesome.

 

[_jellybean_]

We LOVED Halo Sleepsack Swaddlers. They were the only ones my babies couldn't wriggle out of! We spent so much money trying a bunch of different brands because he kept unswaddling himself (DS1), and finally bought the Halo brand and it worked great, BUT it's more expensive than the other brands AND completely worth it because getting sleep is worth so much in the early days.

We stopped swaddling around three months b/c iirc we were worried they'd roll over soon.

 

[Ecoden]

DD could break out of anything without velcro from the beginning. Whether a pro like a nurse swaddled her, whether we swaddled her, it wasn't the technique that was the problem. We have a major houdini. Miracle blanket worked until about 2 months then we switched to Summer Infant swaddleme blankets (with velcro) and I love them. They're so easy to get right and she rarely breaks free.

 

[timeforababy]

I used a large cotton tea towel from ikea. Worked a treat and can layer up when its a bit cooler it leave him in there if it's warm in the day time

 

[chezababy]

Thank you. I was thinking of using cellular blankets but then read they were hard to use because they are thicker? I'm sure it's what they use in the hospital though. I've seen the muslin swaddle blankets but they are expensive. We can always buy a valcro swaddling blanket if baby likes being swaddled but I really don't want to spend on them until I know they will be used.

 

[misspriss]

I used the Aden and Anais swaddle muslins. They are huge, but are useful for not just swaddling, use as light blankets in the summer, Amelia went through a long period of picking up lots of stomach bugs, so used to cover me and her whilst feeding her, so if she was sick there was less chance of it going everywhere! Big muslin bib for when she was eating on the go and i had forgotten a bib! I did use it to cover the pram, i know they say not to do that, but they are very light and i didn't tuck it all up - just enough to get the sun off her.

Me too! Love these, we ave soooo many as MIL and we had packs of them from DS, and we got some girl colored ones for DD...I use them to swaddle, for burp cloths, folded up to boost DD in the baby carrier, to cover her in bright sun, as oversupply/overactive let down absorbers (lol).