Go ahead, read the title again. That's right -- I have a 2.5 year old and a 3 month old sleeping in the same room thanks to Pea Wee Baby.
We've known for a while that Lia (3 months) had to move out of our closet and into a room with her big sister Kira (2.5 years). First of all, a closet in an earthquake-prone area is not the best place to put an infant. Secondly, although I was getting more sleep than when she was next to me in a bassinet, the fact is I still would wake at every snort/shuffle she makes, plus she was waking up at night with arms out of the swaddle. With me going back to work, something had to give.
So I started researching. From Kira, I knew that the key to a successful night's sleep was a successful swaddle. However, it was hard to get a good swaddle around Lia, who was much bigger (and stronger) than Kira was at this age. At my wit's end, at three in the morning, I started imagining a device that would keep Lia's arms down so she didn't bust out of the swaddle and wake herself up.
Thank goodness Tamara at Pea Wee baby saw my tweet about my little Houdini baby! Pea Wee Baby offered to give me a swaddlebuddy in exchange for an honest review. This is my fourth night of trying it out, and let me tell you:
SWADDLEBUDDY WORKS!
My daughter has YET to bust out of the Swaddlebuddy and has slept soundly from 9pm to 7am. In fact, she sleeps so well now, we are sleeping both daughters in the same room without major incident. Incredible.
Lia in her normal wiggly way...
In her Swaddle Buddy
And in a minute, she is calm...
..and ready to SLEEP!
In her Swaddle Buddy
And in a minute, she is calm...
..and ready to SLEEP!What I love about the Swaddlebuddy:
Durability: it is a durable but simple design that pins down the arms using velcro in the back. We've used it for four days, and I don't see any wear and tear on the swaddlebuddy.
It adjusts as your baby grows: The velcro is durable, and the "catch" portion of the velcro is wide, allowing you to adjust your swaddle as your baby grows.
Use any swaddle you like: The Swaddlebuddy comes with a nice receiving blanket, but works just as well with a SwaddleMe or any other brand of swaddle contraption.
It allows you to loosen up that swaddle just a bit: When I was swaddling without the Swaddlebuddy, it was always a struggle to get the swaddle tight enough so that Lia's arms wouldn't escape without feeling like I was "squishing" her. Now I can lighten up a bit on the tightness knowing that the Swaddlebuddy will keep Lia's arms down without tension.
Nice colors: I reviewed a pink swaddlebuddy with nice brown detailing, which is very cute.
Honestly I don't see anything in the design that I don't like. If you are a parent of an infant and like sleep...this is absolutely a tool you need in your sleep toolkit!
