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- After trying to swaddle the traditional way with a blanket, my husband and I were amazed at how easy it was to use the .
- It has a loose fit at the bottom for hip health and a tighter fit at the top to help your baby feel secure.
- There’s also a zipper that unzips from the bottom, making middle-of-the-night diaper changes a breeze.
- Transitioning out of this swaddle as my baby grew bigger was easy, and I never worried about any loose fabric being in the crib since the sack uses secure Velcro fasteners.
When I had my daughter Ellie, I had an unplanned C-section with complications that left me essentially bedridden for the first week after her birth. These unexpected complications led to my husband caring for our newborn almost entirely on his own.
While we were in the hospital, he unabashedly rang for nurses around the clock. We had the best nurses who taught him how to change a diaper, soothe the baby, give her a bath, and swaddle, among many other things. I tried to teach him how to swaddle before Ellie was born, but in typical fashion, he decided to not pay attention. I’m sure he was wishing he’d practiced more when he was calling the nurses in frustration after his fifth consecutive failed swaddle attempt.
I could almost see the relief in his face when we were discharged and a nurse handed us a to take home instead of a traditional swaddle blanket.
It’s basically a zippered sack with armholes, flaps, and Velcro fasteners that help create a secure swaddle to dampen the startle reflex. The bottom is loose and roomy to allow the baby to move legs and hips freely without damaging hips, while the top is more fitted. Even if you’re a swaddling pro, it’s not easy to swaddle a newborn at 2 a.m. and traditional swaddling with a blanket can potentially damage a baby’s hips if not done properly.
Design of the swaddle
I loved this swaddle for so many reasons, the biggest one being that the design is just so intuitive.
To swaddle, slip your baby’s arms through the armholes, zip the sack from top to bottom, pull the non-Velcro flap across the baby’s midsection and tuck it into the opposite side of the sack. Then take the other flap with Velcro and wrap it around the midsection again, securing the two large fasteners. Even though I had practiced traditional swaddling before Ellie was born, I quickly preferred this to a blanket because it was just so simple.
Another reason I love the is because of the zipper. Newborn babies require a lot of diaper changes. In the first couple weeks after Ellie was born, she pooped almost every time I fed her, which meant that my husband and I did a lot of diaper changes in the middle of the night. With a traditional blanket swaddle, you’d have to unwrap the whole thing to access the dirty diaper, but with the Halo SleepSack, you just unzip from the bottom instead of the top.
The swaddle sack comes in a variety of fabric weights, sizes, and prints, so you can find the one that works for you and your baby. The sizes offered are premie, newborn, and small, which would fit your baby through 6 months old, 26 inches, or 18 pounds — whichever happens first. Ellie was a big baby, staying above the 90th percentile through 6 months, and she started rolling early, so we unfortunately had to transition her out of the swaddle earlier rather than later. I say “unfortunately” because using the swaddle was such a breeze.
Transitioning out of the
It’s not always easy when babies and kids outgrow their parents’ favorite, trusted products, but discontinuing the use of a swaddle as soon as a baby can roll is a must because it can quickly become a safety hazard.
When we first starting transitioning Ellie out of the , we swaddled her with just one arm out for a week or so, then we left both arms out until she completely outgrew the sack. She was still secure with the fabric wrapped snugly around her belly and chest, but she was able to safely roll around with both arms out.
What makes it stand out
Among all the convenient features that make this a great swaddle for a newborn baby and caregivers alike, the No. 1 thing in my mind is safety.
Swaddles can help babies sleep because it makes them feel secure, but swaddling with a traditional blanket isn’t always safe. If a baby thrashes around a lot and gets a swaddle blanket loose or it somehow works its way up around their face, it’s a serious suffocation risk.
The two large Velcro pieces on this swaddle never even came loose in the middle of the night, let alone undone. Even if the fasteners had come undone, the flaps are still attached to the sleep sack, so there aren’t any loose pieces of fabric in the crib.
The cons
I honestly only have good things to say about the , but thinking back now that Ellie’s transitioned out of it, there are two things that could potentially be an issue depending on your situation.
While I loved the secure Velcro fasteners, they can be loud. If you have to undo them in the middle of the night, it could startle your baby, although Ellie never minded. She actually slept through some diaper changes because we didn’t need to shift her like we would with a traditional swaddle.
Since you’re zipping up your baby in the sack and wrapping the two flaps over their midsection, the multiple layers of fabric could also get pretty warm at night, especially if your baby sleeps warm or the bedroom gets hot. Since we keep our bedroom cool, this was never a problem for us. In fact, we’d layer a long-sleeve pajama under the swaddle without a problem.
The bottom line
Every baby is different, and some even resist a swaddle, but if you have a baby who likes to be swaddled, the is worth it because, in my experience, it’s convenient for parents and secure for babies. But since every baby is different and has unique needs, you should still double-check with your pediatrician or nurse.
If you do use this swaddle sack, make sure you take your baby’s size and weight into account when choosing the size. I would err on the side of buying bigger rather than smaller so your baby can grow into it, and you can make sure you’re not restricting their legs or hips with a sleep sack that’s too snug.
Some parents go through five or 10 different swaddles until they find the one that works for their baby. If the Halo SleepSack doesn’t work for you, check out our guide to the best baby swaddles.
Pros: Safe for babies, available sizes from premie to 6 months, easy and intuitive to use
Cons: Velcro can be loud, multiple layers can be too hot for warm sleepers
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