By Betsy, Contributor, Funky Mama Bird, (@funkymamabird)
I have siblings that are 11 and 13 years younger than I am. Siblings born when I was old enough to not only remember their infant days, but to be an active participant when my mom needed a break. And did she ever need some breaks since both my sister and brother had colic as infants.
Fast forward many years and when I was pregnant with my son, I broke out in a cold sweat just remembering those days when I was an extra pair of hands. Now the primary hands would be mine and I felt doomed. DOOMED. So I did what many mother’s do and I bought a copy of The Happiest Baby on the Block
Great book and I highly recommend it even though my son did not, as it turns out, have colic. What I took away from the book was the suggestion to swaddle. I loved the idea of swaddling, particularly if my kid was anything like my siblings. The problem of course was that whole, “Up, snug, down, tug” whatever that the book instructed you to do. Um, yeah. No. I could barely make sense of that thing while I was fully rested. I could only imagine the horror that would occur at a sleep deprived 3am.
So I checked in with the expert authority on material goods, Google, to see if there were any easier methods of swaddling a baby. And this is where I discovered the Miracle Blanket.
The design of the Miracle Blanket is simple; one long piece of fabric with a built-in pouch for the feet and two flaps to hold down the arms. Simple, easy to use and completely effective. When my son was wrapped in it, we referred to him as The Blue Burrito. Observe:
Gunne Bear LOVED that thing. No really; he loved it. Swaddle = Sleep in our house, with our swaddled baby clocking in at 12 solid hours a night by 10 weeks of age. Unwrap even one arm, though and he couldn’t sleep for 12 minutes.
We swaddled when he was sleeping, napping or just upset and it worked every time. My one and only complaint about the Miracle Blanket is that it only comes in one size. One size that my son grew out of at 4 months of age, during a crucial developmental leap that more or less required us to strait jacket him 24 hours a day for two weeks straight. So I made my own Extra Large miracle style blankets out of flannel, using his outgrown one as a template and enlarging it by 4-inches all the way around. Worked like a charm until he outgrew those at 6 months of age and we weaned him to a sleep sack.
For new moms, expecting moms or moms of colicky or sleepless infants I have only this advice: Go buy a Miracle Blanket. In fact, buy two because when the kid spits up all over one, you’ll be happy you have the second one handy so you can all go back to sleep without having to run the washing machine at 2:43am. Not that I know anything about that.
To the makers of the Miracle Blanket I say this: Thank you! You saved us and your product rocks like Bob and the horse Bob road in on. Now please, make your blankets in a larger size for those of us who have kids who still startle awake at 6 months of age. I have every intention of swaddling my next child in a Miracle Blanket and I’d like to think that I won’t have to reinvent the wheel next time around.
In summary: The Miracle Blanket, it makes The Best (Blue) Burrito I’ve Ever Eaten Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!
[...] The Miracle that is the Miracle Blanket | Our Mommyhood [...]
I swear by The Happiest Baby on the Block! My first child never let me put him down, I read this, and the other two slept all the time. And if they were the least bit fussy, we’d just swaddle him right up. I wish I’d had one of these blankets, my husband had the hardest time swaddling!
Adam was four when Mack was born and woud ask if we could “untie” him for a little bit!
Lula Lola´s last blog ..Full of Hot Air
Asking if he could untie him is hilarious!
My husband had a hard time learning how to swaddle even WITH the miracle blanket. Seriously; I would demonstrate at least once a week!
Beth´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday- Who Me Edition
Like Lula Lola, we swore by the 5 S’s and I could still rattle them off. My oldest loved being swaddled and never tried to break free and my youngest hated. So we never had a miracle blanket but I have heard they are amazing!
Kristin @ Ellie-Town´s last blog ..Christmas in July
My kid is 12 months, and I STILL use two or three S’s to calm him down from a fit. If I had a large enough blanket, I’d probably still swaddle him, too!
Beth´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday- Who Me Edition
So true! We swore by Miracle Blankets when the twins were infants, and we swaddled until our pediatrician told us to stop when they were four months old.
Except for the time my son had to have eyedrops at age 2, and a kind nurse told me that swaddling him in a beach towel and then sitting on him would be pretty much the only way to ensure the drops made it into his eyes. God bless her.
We just ignored our pediatrician when he told us the same thing. Kid was bawling his head off at 4 months and I was like, “What? Stop the one thing that works? You’re insane!”
Beth´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday- Who Me Edition
Twitter: Melissa_DrMom
That is a wonderful book, one of my favorites when I had my first son! The 5 s’s worked wonders and am a huge believer in swaddling…the more snug the better
We didn’t have the miracle blanket, but it does sound amazing
Melissa (Confessions of a Dr. Mom)´s last blog ..Lessons From The Yogurt Lady
Oh, yeah; that sucker had to be SNUG to work well. And the 5 s’s are total life savers. Completely.
Beth´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday- Who Me Edition
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Natalie H and Beth. Beth said: The Miracle that is the Miracle Blanket http://bit.ly/ci1tuE [...]
Twitter: saididneverdo
The Kiddopotamus makes a larger swaddle that is similar to the miracle blanket. My son is 15 pounds and it still fits…the only problem is he breaks out of it. Good bless the one piece swaddle!!
We tried the Swaddle Me and is just didn’t work for us; he could bust out in minutes. The Miracle Blanket was the only one that could hold him in!
Beth´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday- Who Me Edition
We LOVED LOVED LOVED the miracle blanket at our house. We actually has to sew it because it got so streached out and had a huge hole in it!
Katie@SassySillySpunkyMomma´s last blog ..Confessions
We had to sew one of ours as well, because I was trying so hard to use it past the time when it fit him comfortably. That’s what made me give up and make my own. =)
Beth´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday- Who Me Edition
I read the book, watched the DVD and was completely sold on it after my friend recommended it. It worked for her son. It worked for my friends’ twins when I babysat them. I felt armed to deal with any crying fit from my baby and then she was born and completely refused to be swaddled once she recovered from her jaundice induced lethargy. I kept trying and trying and forcing and she would just fight it EVERY SINGLE TIME until she would be free. We finally gave up. The ‘ssshhhh” sound didn’t end the crying either, she refused the pacifier BUT she does like her swing. Thanks goodness! I couldn’t believe that my baby just wouldn’t go for so many of the s’s. And yes I swaddled really tight! Yes, I made the “ssshhhh” sound as loud as her crying. It just wouldn’t work with her!
[...] The Miracle that is the Miracle Blanket | Our Mommyhood [...]
This is very interesting! I will HAVE to look into one. I have an 8 week old who does not like to sleep at night.
Hannah´s last blog ..The Death of My Table