"Woombie" review

Here in babyland the name of the game is SLEEP. So, when our little boy started to get out of his swaddle and wake-up more often, we went in search of some help.

As a newborn, we swaddled him with a regular blanket. Then we tried the velcro things, but he got out of those immediately (just like my other two children). After that he grew too long for a regular "triangle" blanket swaddle, and we tried the "double swaddle", as suggested by a kind friend. That worked well for a while, but he eventually started to throw a huge fit when we tried to swaddle him. This caused most of the swaddles to be very loose, and that basically defeated the whole purpose.

Sooo, we bought a Woombie. I had always heard about them, but had never seen one used. A few friends said they had used one and liked it. I went in search of them online and found the cheapest ones on the actual "Woombie" website (they were $10 cheaper than the other retailers!). We bought a "convertible Woombie", which means it has snap arm holes that can be opened when the baby needs their arms out to roll. Here are the details of our purchase:

- convertible style Woombie
- heather gray color
- "big baby" size (14-19 lbs)
- $23 including shipping

Woombie's motto is "swaddle, snuggle, sleep". They were designed by a nurse with "safety and comfort in mind". I think if that is their product's goal, they have accomplished it. Samuel does sleep safely. There are no loose blankets and he cannot possibly get out or stuff anything into his mouth (unless he bit off the snaps or the zipper :) As for comfort, he seems to really enjoy the stretchy fabric and the closeness. He actually puts his hands down to be "zipped-in" and he kind of calms down once he's in it. There is room in the upper half of the wrap for him to move his hand up and down from his chest to his mouth. I think this comforts him because he can still suck on his hands through the fabric. Gross, I know!

When we first put him in it he slept for 8 hours! That made me think it was a magical cure for night sleeping! :) But, since then he has varied from 6-8 hours again as he was doing before. I do feel like he is staying warmer, and I don't need to put an extra blanket on him. And the whole swaddling process is a lot easier and quicker. It's working for us right now - it's not perfect, but neither is the baby.

So my final assessment is that for $20, it's worth a try if you're looking for a swaddler. Every kid is different - it might be your answer to a good night's sleep!