When it comes to swaddling your baby there are proper ways of doing it without harming your baby or not getting the proper results.  How does one properly swaddle a baby?  The tips below will help you and give you a better understanding of how and why all the while answering any questions you have regarding the subject.

Swaddling Tips

- You want to choose the right blanket.  Believe it or not all blankets are not created equal when it comes to swaddling your precious newborn or preemie.  The blanket should be in the shape of a square as well as light weight and flexible.  You don’t want your baby to overheat, risking SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).  It is definitely important to NOT use thick blankets.

- Get good at swaddling!  How can you achieve this? Practice, Practice, and Practice.  I know it sounds very basic, but in all reality if you want to get good at anything you must practice, and this includes swaddling your new baby. Just don’t give up. Swaddling is a very soothing practice for your baby as it simulates the womb that they grew accustomed to for 9 months.

- Don’t wrap the legs too tight.  You want the blanket to be secure in the arms but allowing them to move their legs freely when needed.

I know that in the beginning as a mom I wanted to give up on swaddling but once I got that extra practice it was a piece of cake.  Check out Luna Lullaby’s video on swaddling for a better understanding.

Source: ehow

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Swaddling – An old tradition with modern versatility

Swaddling is a tradition as old as recorded history. There are records of swaddling in texts written ancient Romans, ancient Greeks, and even the Bible. Today’s swaddle wraps are a far cry from the old ones, but they work in the same fashion.

How it works

Swaddling refers to a specific technique used to wrap a blanket around the infant. The blanket is wrapped tightly but not too tightly so that the baby is not pinned into position but his or her limbs are snugly tucked into their body.

This position accomplishes two things:

1. First, it emulates the feeling of being in the womb, making the baby more comfortable and keeping them warm.
2. Second, the blanket prevents the baby from waking up when they accidentally move their arms or legs. This allows for longer periods of uninterrupted rest.

Swaddling today

Today’s swaddling blankets are different from the older ones in several important ways. First of all, the best modern swaddle wraps are made from cotton muslin. It is softer than ancient fabrics so that it is more pleasant next to a baby’s sensitive skin. Additionally, it has a little stretch to it, allowing it to be used for swaddling more easily.  Finally, it is a thin material that provides insulation and ventilation so that the baby is warm without overheating.

These blankets come in a variety of colors and patterns, but they all are a great source of comfort to both mother and child during this special time.

Baby blankets come in all shapes, sizes, colors and fabrics. With so many choices, how can you decide which one is the best for your infant? The best fabric often depends on the use of the blanket and the climate where you live.

Here are some popular fabrics and the pros and cons for baby blankets made from them:

• Wool. Wool blankets really only make sense in places where the temperature is consistently low and the weather is harsh. They are too rough to go next to baby’s sensitive skin but can be used when layering in very cold conditions.
• Flannel. Flannel can be made from wool, wool and synthetic fibers, or wool and cotton fibers. Like wool in its pure form, it is best used in cold climates because it can overheat babies when the temperature is warmer. Although these blankets are good for layering, flannel blankets would not be recommended for an all-purpose baby blanket.
• Faux fur. While faux fur may seem silly to many parents, it is popular with some moms because it has a soft texture and fun appearance. Today’s faux fur is made from cotton but can be difficult to clean and keep sanitary.
• Fleece. Fleece is made from processed polyester, making it a synthetic fiber than many parents prefer to keep away from the baby’s sensitive skin. Again, this is a good material for layering blankets, but not for a baby blanket.
• Cotton muslin. This is the preferred fabric for baby blankets because it is not synthetic, is relatively economical, can be easily washed and sanitized, and is very soft to the touch. This is the most popular choice for baby blankets and the only one sold by Luna Lullaby.

The first reasons many women cite for using their nursing cover is that they enjoy the privacy it affords them while nursing in public or while others are around. While breastfeeding is a wonderful way to bond with your infant and offer the child immunities and nutrients that are unavailable in formula, it can also be very inconvenient.

If your baby is hungry in the middle of the playground, you may not be able to retreat to the privacy of you car in order to feed the baby without anyone seeing. This is where a nursing cover comes in particularly handy!

This great item looks much like a baby blanket, only it is stiffer in construction and has a neck strap to keep it on securely. The nursing cover allows you to satisfy your baby’s hunger without sacrificing your own modesty as it keeps you and the baby covered during these special moments.

Other reasons why you may want a nursing cover

Not every woman feels self-conscious about nursing in public. Many see it as a natural part of motherhood. However, even the least self-conscious mom will enjoy a nursing cover because it offers additional benefits besides privacy.

Some of the things that all moms enjoy about a nursing cover include:

• Minimizing distractions from other people or noises so baby feeds more consistently
• Catches spills so that mom’s clothes stay cleaner
• Can be used as a surface for diaper changes
• Folds up to fit in most diaper bags for maximum portability

A new mother’s best friend

Sometimes it seems that there are an infinite number of infant products on the market, especially blankets. With so many different types of blankets, and often with so many names for the same blanket, it is easy to get a little confused and overwhelmed. One type of blanket that is particularly important and useful is the receiving blanket.

These blankets are the ones used to “receive” a newborn infant after he or she is born. As infants have been in the womb for the previous nine months, they can initially have a little trouble regulating their own body temperature after birth.

Purpose of the receiving blanket

A blanket helps keep them warm as they adjust to life outside of their mother’s body. Often, hospitals will offer new mothers their own blankets so that the newborn is wrapped in something sterile and appropriate. However, some hospitals will allow the parents to use their own blanket. In either case, receiving blankets are used throughout the infant’s first months, usually until he or she outgrows them.

Receiving blankets can be differentiated from other blankets by the following characteristics:

• They are soft and lightweight
• They are usually square shaped to make swaddling easier, although some are rectangular instead
• They are smaller than other baby blankets because they are intended to wrap the infant without being overly cumbersome
• They are thin to facilitate layering so that the baby will be comfortable in a range of temperatures.

If you have had the opportunity to look for baby or infant products recently, you were probably shocked by the sheer number of products available. This can make it challenging to by anything for your own baby as well as for anyone you know who might be expecting a child, even something as simple as a baby blanket.

One of the first things to consider when choosing a baby blanket is which fabric the blanket is made from as this is one of the most important characteristics of the blanket. Cotton muslin baby blankets are the best ones available for several reasons including cost, durability, appearance, and quality.

Your choices in fabrics

Here are some of the other popular materials and why they pale in comparison to cotton muslin for baby blankets:

-        Silk. Popular in Asia, this material is impractical as it stains easily and is difficult to clean.

-        Wool. Although there are over 200 types of wool on the market, they are usually too rough for a baby’s skin. Wool blankets can be good as layering blankets for babies who live in extremely cold and harsh environments.

-        Synthetic microfibers. Brightly colored, stain resistant, and cheap, these blankets have their strengths. However, many parents do not want synthetic fibers near their infants, preferring organic fibers such as those in cotton muslin instead.

-        Cashmere. The softest and most sumptuous of blankets, these are prohibitively expensive and difficult to clean, making them a poor choice.

-        Regular cotton.  Standard 100% cotton material is ok, but depending on the blanket it may lack the flexibility and breathability of muslin.

Bigger and better than expected

This week we received another review back from a blogger reviewing one of our products. And this time it was the team at Macaroni Kid, a popular mom blog from York PA, that tested out our Soothing Swaddle Blanket.

We’re pleased to report that they were especially impressed with the size of the blankets – which are over 3 feet long and much longer than many competitor blankets.  And even though they had experience with swaddling their children, they found great value in the instructional DVD that comes with the 3 packs.

Here’s a sample from their review:

That was always a problem that I had with my other swaddling blankets, they never seemed big enough. Along with these extra large blankets comes a DVD with step-by-step demos on how to swaddle your baby. Even after having a child and learning how to swaddle her, I found this helpful for future use and with the larger blankets I know it will be much easier!

> Read the full review from Macaroni Kid

Luna Lullaby Earns “Bragging Rights”

A few weeks ago, we sent our “New Mommy Package” to the popular parenting blog site Bragging Mommy so they could get a close up look at the products for themselves and tell everyone what they think.  And this week, they released their review of our 3 product lines and the good news is they didn’t just like they, they LOVED them!

> Read the Bragging Mommy Review of Luna’s products

Enter to win a FREE pillow or blanket

OK so on to the real reason you’re reading more – the giveaway mentioned in the headline!  As part of their review, Bragging Mommy is sponsoring a giveaway of  either of a blanket or pillow to one lucky winner.  Hop on over to their site and checkout the simple contest rules and enter to win today:

> Enter to win FREE stuff from the Bragging Mommy

About the Bragging Mommy

The Bragging Mommy is a popular parenting blog written by a group of 5 moms with 8 kids.  They work hard to provide “mom and kid tested” reviews of products that parents can and should be using by testing each product on their own and offernig their reviews to readers.

They also do great giveaways from time to time where readers can win a product they’ve reviewed.