I am a mother of premature twins. I registered for this product and received it for my baby shower...the following is my experience

I brought my children home from the hospital and tried to use the "newborn" size on them. Their entire bodies fit into the little pocket where the feet are supposed to go so at that point the blanket was too big. My kids didn't grow into the "newborn" size until they reached about 3 months old. In the meantime I swaddled them with receiving blankets. When they finally reached the size where I could use the Swaddle Me blanket, I was so excited to use it...but here's what I found:

Swaddling using a receiving blanket vs. Swaddle me blanket

When you swaddle an infant using a receiving blanket, if they kick the blanket or get out of it (which my children often did)...the blanket lays beneath them. They are too small to get themselves tangled in it so it just lays there, of course they get angry and you have to redo it. With the Swaddle Me blanket, I found that I was constantly worried. It takes a lot more effort on their part to get out of the swaddle, they can also turn their head into the blanket. Therefore, even though they were swaddled I was constantly checking on them making sure they didn't smother themselves or get tangled in the blanket.

Warm space or hot space?


Let's face it: when you bring a newborn home you turn on the heat. It could be in the middle of summer, and your house is the only one running the heat, because you know your child needs that. You have to be careful when using this blanket and running the heat. The blanket can get a little warm and doesn't really have a way of circulating air. I even turned down the heat in my home (my kids were born during late fall), and when using that blanket they would wake up doused in sweat. This then worried me that they were becoming overheated.

What about the expense?


When you use a receiving blanket, you can put two or three together when your child grows. With this product, when your child grows out of it it is done. There's no way to adjust the size. It costs about $12, and realistically, even if you only have one child you will have to buy more than one, because one night your child will soil the blanket and you will need to have a backup. Also, some children don't like being swaddled, and this blanket has no other purpose. When you use a receiving blanket, if your child decides he/she doesn't like to be swaddled, it can be used as a burping cloth, just a blanket, a barrier between them and strangers etc. If your child decides they don't like this, there is no other way to use it.

So in what way is it NICE? What are the good things????

First time parents may really enjoy this ESPECIALLY if they have a child who loves being swaddled. Also, when you have newborn you really don't want people touching them too much. This is the perfect thing to use in public. Imagine yourself at church, and Mrs. X wants to hold your new born baby. Well you have your baby swaddled and politely explain that holding is fine you just want her to watch your child's face ("she's still pretty new so try not to get in their face"). You hand your swaddled baby to Mrs. X, and your baby is safe from germs passed from all the people who insist on kissing their hands and feet. Another good thing is that it's easy for strangers and the elderly. If you have to run to the grocery store and leave your baby with your sister-in-law who has no idea how to do a traditional swaddle, the swaddling blanket is easy to teach someone to use in a hurry. Therefore I think it is a GREAT tool to use in public, or if you leave your baby with someone who can't swaddle, but receiving blankets in my opinion are much more effective for over night use.

Recommended: Yes