The Miracle Blanket

Some babies don't need to be swaddled. Those that do? Need straitjackets.

A newborn of just a handful of days old probably can't wrestle itself out of one of those postage-stamp-sized receiving blankets, if you can do a good job of wrapping it close and tucking it well (the baby burrito is quite an art, I have learned). However, as the days pass by and those fists get moodier and jerking, startled arm movements wake your baby again and again, you need something bigger or better. Maybe you scored an oversized blanket or two. Great! But those curious little fingers still manage to work their way out by the end of naptime. Some babies are fine if that happens; some, like my daughter, won't sleep for more than 30 consecutive minutes if they happen to be startled awake or are able to move their arms. For awhile I would do a double-receiving blanket swaddle... the first one I used solely to pin her arms down in, and the second one was to keep the first one in place. I heard rumours of a "miracle" swaddling blanket, and I needed to know more.

If you have a light sleeper, this blanket truly is the miracle it claims to be. Now that we are told to always put babies to sleep on their backs, poor sleepers are common; they don't feel secure with their arms free in open air. This blanket has it all: 100% cotton; inner arm flaps that tuck under baby's back to secure them in place; a footbag; and an overwrap that goes around the baby twice to prevent loosening and provide a snug, custom cocoon fit (one size fits all). I used this blanket for every nap and nighttime from the time my daughter was about 3 months old (would have used it sooner, if I had it earlier) until 5 or 6 months. She always really fought sleep, so having her swaddled was a HUGE help in getting her to settle down and give in. I used to panic when it was in the laundry... it couldn't dry fast enough!

One warning I will give: don't wrap the baby's arms in the flaps and outer wrap without using the footbag. I did this once and when I checked on her through the night, she had been able to shimmy the blanket up much closer to her face, almost up over her mouth. The footbag keeps it from travelling up to an unsafe area on your baby.

During my second pregnancy, I sorted through all my bins of baby items and lovingly brought the blanket out and washed it, ready for round 2. My second child? A fabulous sleeper with no need for swaddling. Go figure.

Available here in several lovely colours. Watch the little video to see how it works!

Safety 1st Crystal Clear Monitor

We forgot our regular monitor (one of those $100 Fisher-Price ones) at home when we went to visit friends for the weekend. We went to Wal-Mart to pick up the cheapest monitor we could find just to get us through the weekend and then keep in the trunk for whenever we go places.
The Safety 1st Crystal Clear Monitor cost us $20.
It actually is crystal clear!! I could not believe it, it is so clear that you can hear the hum of the furnace through it! There is no feedback either - no annoying hum that all monitors seem to have!

The receiver can be plugged in or has room for a 9-volt battery so you can take it with you when there are no plugs available. Not sure if plugging it back in will recharge the battery or not. It has 2 channels and a great volume control.

For $20 I seriously could not recommend a better monitor.

Sugar Peas wool diaper cover

I'm pretty sad I only have one of these! I should have bought more at the time (2 years ago) because I've found they aren't quite the same anymore. I have one in a bigger size that isn't the same texture of wool. This brown one seems to be felted better.

A brief background on wool covers (since they aren't as widely used with the cloth diapers as the polyurethane laminate are): wool is breathable and naturally anti-microbial. It doesn't need to be washed often (or even rinsed, unless it gets poop directly on it), but when you do wash it you have to use a special wash, such as Woolite or Eucalan. It also needs to be periodically lanolized , but only if you sense they are feeling more damp than usual. A wool cover, when it has a soaked diaper inside of it, feels somewhat humid to the touch; however, it's working hard to evaporate the moisture into the air. They are fantastic for overnight.

So, this particular wool cover is just a really nice fit (on my babies, anyways...). The shape is great, good snug fit around the legs, and a nice high waist panel. A friend of mine did have trouble with the leg gusset thread coming undone, but she took them back for replacement and was only able to get a refund... however, she loved them so much that now she wishes she'd kept them and fixed them herself!

Purchased at The Extraordinary Baby Shoppe.

DermaMed Natural Healing Cream

Guest blog post by Lindsey Bost, mother of three.
I would like to review a product that made a WORLD of difference with our 3rd son. Its called DermaMed Natural Healing Cream for Infants & Children. Jacobi had an unknown allergy that caused his skin to peel off, crack and bleed and blister up. He would scratch his face so bad he would be bleeding all the time. We went to specialists, switched formulas, had steroid cream, we switched him to rice and almond milk...nothing helped. The one product that helped, and by helped I mean brought him serious relief, was this product. At 25.99 a jar, our son's skin improved miraculously. The problem did not go away until 6 months of age, but that cream got us there. I bought it at "Abundant Health" in Goderich. They carry a line of adult products as well. The jar is quite small but a little goes a long way. Anyhow, I just wanted to note this product as a miracle product for our family, and anyone with skin conditions.