On the right are what my husband and I call "arm bindings". I know it sounds a little barbaric, but if you have a baby that sleeps better swaddled but tends to wriggle out and wake themselves up, these things really help. We came up with them after our kid outgrew the one precious Miracle Blanket we owned (which I also highly recommend!). I loved our larger handmade swaddling blankets, but our little escape artist could wriggle out of even the tightest swaddle in no time! In desperation, I grabbed some scrap fabric and just cut out a rectangle, and placed it under her to function like the flaps of the miracle blanket had, and it worked! I quickly made some more, and we continued to use them for several more months. Ever since then, I've always made a couple to give along with swaddling blankets to our friends having babies. Last year, we sent this gift to some friends out of state, and since we couldn't demonstrate in person, my husband made this silly video to show them how it works. Please forgive the horrible fake Australian accent!
To make your own, cut a strip of fabric about 10" by 40", and finish on all four sides. You could even serge the edges instead of doing a normal hem. I always use flannel, but I'm sure other fabrics would work fine too (even jersey). If you're planning to use them right from birth, you might want to have some smaller ones too. They just need to be about 4 times as long as the baby is wide, and about as wide as the baby's arm.
Now if only there was something I could whip up to help a 3 year old sleep! Oh, I meant to mention - it's well past 10 days after her amoxycillin exposure, and she's totally fine. Phew! I'm so relieved! And my husband is so lucky! ;-)
What a funny video! I love the demonstration, though, because I've wondered how those blankets work. Very cool!
ReplyDeleteLOL! Okay. That is just plain cool! We never needed anything like that with the boy (he loved being swaddled and very rarely ever broke out), but with baby #2 on the way, I wanna be ready! :)
ReplyDeletecute little blankets! that fabric is perfect!
ReplyDeleteLoved the video! We have a Miracle Blanket in preparation for a future little one, so I'm glad to hear it worked well for you. I love your version of the arm wraps which is great for bigger babies!
ReplyDeletethe video is a riot!!! that is such an amazing and brilliant idea. i have heard of these blankets before but don't have a small baby to use it on. could you sew that strip into the swaddling blanket to make it all one piece?
ReplyDeleteI found a website using stumbleupon.com for making weighted blankets....there is your answer for helping a three year old sleep :D link to the wieghted blanket... http://craftnectar.com/2009/09/03/calming-the-senses-with-weighted-blankets/
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