swaddle

When choosing a baby blanket, mamas look for something soft, warm, and functional. One that can help swaddle your tot into a tight burrito and also fend off a chill as they relax in their swing. When choosing our six favorite baby blankets, LilSugar readers echoed our love for Aden and Anais' cotton muslin blankets.

The 100 percent cotton wraps, which are stretchy, breathable, and versatile enough to use for swaddling or draping over a stroller when a baby is resting, have become a must-have item on many mama-to-be's baby registries. Their growing popularity has spurred a number of new companies to enter the muslin blanket market, each with their own unique patterns and designs to appeal to every mom out there. Here are some of the new ones we have seen on store shelves.

Snug as a bug in a rug. That's how many mamas describe their newborns once they are swaddled up tightly in a blanket. New moms work hard to perfect their swaddling technique, watching the maternity ward nurses like hawks and testing out various sizes and shapes of blankets before finding the perfect one.

While some lil Houdinis find a way to break out of any type of wrapping, many find comfort in the warmth and security the carefully wrapped blankets provide. But, there comes a point where the lil ones start moving around too much to remain in the swaddle, and their parents must make the transition to swaddle-free sleep. Doctors recommend weaning a baby from her wrappings around the four-month mark (or when she starts to roll over) for safety reasons, but many parents keep up the practice in order to maintain a restful night's sleep (for both the parents and the baby).

When did you give up the swaddle?

Calling all lil Houdinis! Moms know that newborns love the warmth and security of a tight swaddle. The practice, which can be traced back to the Greeks and Romans, re-creates the feeling of the womb, preventing babies from startling themselves mid-sleep, helping them obtain REM sleep, and possibly even helping to prevent SIDS. Obtaining the perfect swaddle — one that even the strongest babies can't break out of — is a feat that many mamas can only hope to attain.

For years friends have sworn by the effectiveness of the Miracle Blanket in transforming their newborns into sleeping baby burritos, and several other brands have come up in recent conversations. The latest one to catch my attention is the Woombie ($25), a cocoon-like sack with a zipper up its front that will not unravel over the course of the night. Made with a cotton and Lycra blend, the peanut-shaped sack is snug enough to give babies the comfort of a traditional swaddle, but stretchy enough to allow babies to stretch their arms and legs and wiggle their way to comfort.

Our Sugar HQ moms who tested the Woombie found that their babies slept longer and more comfortably in it than in similar products. Though they were originally taken aback by the straight jacket-look, they found that their babies were comforted by the fabric and were happy when they awoke each morning. In fact, both moms just ordered larger sizes of the sacks as their tots have outgrown their newborn versions.

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