Anyone who has had a baby in hospital will have watched in wonder as the midwives deftly wrap your tiny newborn in layers of towels and blankets like a little cocoon so they sleep soundly in their cot. You will no doubt have tried to recreate this at home – and if you are anything like me you will have failed miserably. I have tried various ways of swaddling over the years – using special ‘swaddling blankets’ (which just like look normal blankets) and following instructional videos on You Tube. You think you’ve got it, you start feeling smug – and then you look down to see your baby lying in their cot having un-swaddled themselves.
Sound familiar? Then you need a Gro-Snug.
The Gro Company are well known for their Grobag baby sleeping bags, which we have used ever since Gemma was born 9 years ago. Their newest product covers the best of both worlds for a newborn, offering the option to swaddle or use as a baby sleeping bag.
Swaddling couldn’t be simpler. You simply lay your baby inside the Gro-Snug with the arm holes popped shut, and do up the zip – that’s it!
We used the Gro-Snug like this for the first few weeks as Eliza really liked to be ‘tucked up’ and I think it made her feel like she was being cuddled – which is her favourite thing 😉 It’s far, far easier than trying to swaddle a wriggling baby, especially in the middle of the night when you are working through bleary eyes. It makes nappy changes easy too, as you don’t need to completely un-swaddle – just undo the zip and change, while leaving the arms and top half snugly covered.
Over the last week, Eliza has become much more active, and now prefers her arms to be free to hold her comforter. We don’t need to worry about buying a new product for this stage though, as the Gro-Snug works as a newborn sleeping bag too. Just undo the poppers at the shoulder, and you can have arms out! There are 2 poppers so you can adjust to the size of your baby’s arms, and the ‘bag’ section itself is generous so it will last a good while. It is made from soft, stretchy cotton so there is the room and the flexibility for Eliza to move her legs around inside – she was born breech and so often sleeps with her legs curled up, a bit like a frog. The Gro-Snug does not restrict this at all, and so she can sleep soundly.
As for the practical, every day side – the Gro-Snug can be machine washed and tumble dried (very important, especially in a busy household with 4 kids), it has baby safe YKK zips, nickel free poppers, and no rough edges or seams, and the chest is lined for comfort. Each Gro-Snug comes with a free nursery thermometer and what to wear guide, and you can choose from a Light or Cosy version depending on the time of year your baby is born. The Gro-Snug fits babies from 5-12lbs, at which point they can move on to a Grobag.
I have teamed up with the lovely team at The Gro Company to offer one lucky reader the chance to win a Cosy weight Gro-Snug – perfect if you are expecting a baby during the autumn/winter months. Enter via the rafflecopter form below, and don’t forget to let your friends know about the giveaway too – good luck!
Terms and conditions. Open to UK residents, competition ends on 3/8/15. Winner will be randomly selected from all correctly completed entries and contacted by email. Winner should claim their prize within 10 days or it may be redrawn. Prize supplied directly from The Gro Company. More competitions at ThePrizeFinder
Keep everything calm and gentle, no loud noises or sudden movements, no bright lights or older siblings bouncing around.
Feeding before hand, calm environment, snuggle blanket, read a story, lights off, sing a lullaby
Black out curtains, no bright colours, no mess, calm peaceful home.
Try to set a routine early and have soft lighting for those first few weeks so when baby wakes there is no light slamming on
A well ventilated room not too hot or too cold.
make sure the temperature is just right and slowly dim the lights and keep it dark!
Have a strong routine from a very early age
Try and get a night time routine and don’t make eye contact during the night feeds!
Stick to a routine 🙂
Good temperature and calm parents!
a regular routine is the most important thing x
Getting them into a regular routine and not letting them get overtired
Wind down time x
Relax about it. Understand and accept that babies are supposed to need help to go to sleep and are not supposed to sleep for long and go with the flow. 🙂
A book and songs before bed help my little one sleep
A well ventilated room not too hot or too cold and some black out curtains.
comfortable room temperature and soft light
A good routine never fails! 🙂
Don’t overstimulate your baby.
Would love to win for my baby