Swaddling your baby is the perfect way for both of you to get more sleep. Swaddling has been shown to reduce crying, reduce some risk factors for SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), and helps keep babies from wakening themselves when they wiggle. A newborn baby is not yet used to the wide open feeling of life outside the womb. Swaddling helps them to feel calm and secure as they adjust to this big new world. Best of all, you'll get a little more sleep as your little one sleeps for longer periods.

The American Academy of Peditricians recommends swaddling infants up to 3 months of age. Standard receiving blankets are too small for swaddling after the first few weeks, so an oversized receiving blanket or swaddling blanket is a great investment. These comfy, lightweight blankets can also double as car seat covers, nursing covers and play time blankets. We still use our daughter's newborn swaddling blankets for car rides, protecting our bed from spills, and as summer blankets. She uses them for tea party table cloths, building forts with her cousins, and cuddling while we read. Even her 10 year old cousin uses the oversized receiving blankets for cuddling on the couch.