6 Best Swaddles To Help Comfort Your Newborn

sleep • Updated July 7, 2023

New-born baby sleeping on a bed wearing a blue hat

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In This Article

Why Is Swaddling Important?
How Do I Choose a Swaddle?
6 Best Swaddles To Soothe Your Newborn

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Swaddle products are essential for the safety and comfort of your newborn, but there are so many choices on the market. How do you know where to start?!

Swaddling gives your newborn the sense that they are still in the womb by keeping their arms tight to their sides and providing a snug and secure feeling. Newborn babies need lots of help transitioning from the comfort and safety of their mom’s belly. The swaddle is one of the fantastic products that can help your baby transition to the outside world.

Swaddles also encourage safe sleep for newborns. In a swaddle, a newborn will lay on its back. They are also tightly wrapped in the swaddle, as blankets are a suffocation hazard. Always follow AAP safe sleep guidelines with your infant whenever they are asleep!¹

I recommend having a variety because you never know what your baby will like! We had so many swaddles in our house. It seemed like our little one was constantly leaking out of his diaper (laundry alert!!), or he quickly changed preferences. We had to mix it up to get the best possible sleep since we all know that’s hard to come by with a newborn.

The great news is that swaddles are products you do not have to use for long. So your collection makes an excellent hand-me-down for friends or family members with newborns. I handed down my swaddle collection to two of my long-time best friends who had babies just a few months after I did. We affectionately now call ourselves “the sisterhood of the traveling swaddles.”

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If you deliver in a hospital, your baby’s first swaddle experience will probably be in a soft receiving blanket. The nurses will wrap your babe up nice and tight. A receiving blanket is a great first swaddle for a baby, but getting them wrapped up tight takes a little getting used to. The biggest pro to receiving blankets is that they are very inexpensive. They might even give you one or two in the hospital, even though they technically aren’t supposed to.

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The Ollie Swaddle is a mom-favorite. They will last longer than other swaddles and work well for tall infants because there is no defined end to them. You tie it up so it looks like a mermaid’s tail! Since the swaddle is Velcro, your baby will not outgrow it until they are ready to be in a sleep sack or other transitional product. The Ollie comes in various beautiful colors to match any aesthetic and is made from soft fabric. A con to the Ollie Swaddle is that they are more expensive than other swaddles.

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This swaddle allows your baby to keep their hands beside their face while being safely swaddled. Some babies prefer this style instead of having their arms swaddled down by their sides. We found this product an excellent option for many babies as they start trying to escape from their Velcro swaddles but are not quite ready to have their arms entirely out.

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The SwaddleMe Original is a budget-friendly swaddle blanket that is pretty easy to use. It uses the same “arms-down” concept as a receiving blanket or the Ollie swaddle. This product uses Velcro, like the Ollie, to keep the arms down. The biggest difference? The SwaddleMe has a defined bottom, and newborns grow fast!

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Nested Bean’s Zen One Swaddle is another great option because its multipurpose design with its removable mesh sleeves allows your baby to sleep with arms in, out, or in a free position for self-soothing. It can grow with your newborn and infant until the next stage of using a sleep sack, making it a perfect transition when the time comes. And you know what our favorite part about this product is? It is gently weighted on the chest and sides, mimicking the pressure your baby feels when you hold them. That weight helps babies self-soothe and sleep longer when they’re not in your arms.

Butterfly 2-in-1 Swaddle and Transitional Sleep Sack

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This 2-in-1 Butterfly Swaddle is a great sleep training system because it’s both an organic swaddle and a transitional sleep sack. The mesh butterfly wings under the sleeves help promote better sleep for your baby and prevent their startle reflex. Our favorite part is that it also has a silent closure that allows you to make any adjustments quietly without waking your little one. Plus, the soft fabric and moisture-wicking material will keep them comfortable! Two big thumbs up from us.

When You’re Ready To Transition Out of a Swaddle

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Your baby must be at least 12 pounds before safely fitting into this transitional product. We tried the Baby Merlin’s Magic Sleepsuit as soon as our infant could safely wear it, and it quickly became an absolute favorite in our house. In the Merlin, we got our infant to sleep through the night! He never took to a pacifier, and he could access his thumb from the Merlin suit, which taught him to self-soothe. It is padded and helps calm their startle reflex until they grow out of it and are ready to move into a sleep sack.

There are so many swaddle options that it can be overwhelming, especially for first-time parents. Always follow AAP safe sleep guidelines when putting your infant to sleep for naps and nighttime. Hopefully, this guide helps you understand which will fit your little one well! Moms, have you tried any of these products with your baby? Which was your favorite?

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