Giveaway: HALO SleepSack Swaddle

This give away is now closed.  Thank you to everyone who entered and congratulations to Dee, comment #29,and who said, "I learned donate a portion of each sale to First Candle/SIDS Alliance and The Canadian Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths and also offer safe sleep educational materials free of charge.

Like our first child, LB still needs to be swaddled to fall asleep.  Unfortunately, I'm all thumbs when it comes to getting him in one.  I could never master using a regular blanket to do it, that method of folding here and there just results in a swaddle that's so loose it's no use at all.  Brad was a little better at turning one of our receiving blankets into a swaddle but LB is a lot longer than ER was at the same age. We could tell early on, he was going to quickly outgrown the blankets. We needed to look into other options. 

As I looked for swadding products I became aware of the two aspects to swaddling safely: 1) Avoiding suffocation and 2) Preventing Hip Dysplasia.  Prior to this rearch I was mainly worried about suffication from the blanket coming loose and working its way up to covering his mouth as he kicked around.  Here are some tips from Dr. Tanya Altmann, Pediatrician and Mother, provides tips for swaddling safely in this video, specifically about avoiding suffocation.

I'll admit I didn't know that much about Hip Dysplasia but it is one of the most common conditions among newborn babies, affecting about 1% of North American newborns (about 75,000 per year).  To learn more about this condition and how to swaddle safely, here is a video from Dr. Charles Price, Director of the International Hip Dysplasia Institute.

We were having to swaddle the little guy pretty tightly and I read that we shouldn't extend LB's legs straight when swaddling. There’s a temptation to stretch the legs out and that needs to be resisted...but it's oh so hard to because it seems impossible to get him into any kind of swaddle without doing just that! Babies need to be able to straighten themselves out naturally and gradually. There should be room in the swaddle – or sleepsack – for babies to bend at the hips. By now I was getting kinda worried about hip dysplasia!

It's a relief to have a product I can use to ease my concerns and I just love how easy the HALO SleepSack Swaddle is to use!  I'll show you! To start, unzip the garment and place your child on top.  Put the arms through as shown and zip up.  Now your baby is in the sack like design, that's roomy and can't be kicked off.

Pull one side of the swaddle wrap over and tuck under.  Then pull the other side over and press down.  The fastener strips will secure the swaddling.  Sometimes LB struggles a bit at first, but the swaddle wrap has always stayed securely in place. 

Here he is, all swaddled up in HALO SleepSack Swaddle and ready for sleep.  I love its soft fleecy feel and how even the fastener strips are soft, no worries about them brushing against baby and scratching him.  It's getting cold in Michigan, and I was concerned about LB being warm enough.  I don't have those fears any more because I feel this will give him the extra layer he needs.  The sleeveless design will keep him warm but not overheat. The area for his legs and feet is nice and roomy.  He gets the comfort from being gently swaddled but I think he also has more freedom of movement than with a traditional swaddle. 

I also like how the HALO SleepSack Swaddle can be used to transistion him from swaddle to a wearable blanket.  Eventually, we'll be able to position the swaddle wrap so that his arms are out and then into a SleepSack wearable blanket.

Find out more about HALO SleepSack Swaddle:
- Halo website: https://www.halosleep.com/
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HaloSleepSack?ref=ts
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/HaloSleepSack

Giveaway:

One reader will win a Swaddle size (newborn or small) and in their choice of gender style (girl, boy or neutral)

To Enter:

Leave a comment on this post, I'd love what size and style you'd request if you won and who it would be for!

Extra Entries: Leave an additional comment for each method you choose.

• Tell me something you learned on the Halo website.
• Follow Halo Sleepsack on Twitter.
• Follow me on Twitter.
• Tweet this giveaway on Twitter and use @KTnestingspot in it.
• Follow my blog with Google Friends Connect
• Subscribe to my blog with email.
• Leave a comment on a non giveaway post on my blog.

Giveaway open to US and Canadian residents now through Nov. 7th at midnight EST.  Winner will chosen with random.org, be notified by email, and have 48 hours to respond before a new one is chosen.

Disclaimer: A complimentary review product and press materials were provided for this post.  The opinions and experience related within are personal and unbiased.  No other compensation was received.