The #1 BEST Baby Sleep Product
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So what’s your guess? The SlumberPod? Halo Bassinet? Mamaroo?
Nope, nope and nope.
The SlumberPod is cool, but way out of our price-range. Halo Bassinet: same. Mamaroo: I feel like our baby swing serves a similar purpose.
No, my favorite baby product ever is more affordable and versatile. I’ve even found it for $5 a piece before.
So what is it?!
In my humble opinion, the greatest baby sleep product ever is the sleep sack. Specifically: zip up sleep sacks that transition from a swaddle into a sleep sack. (To be fair, I haven’t found transition sleep sacks for only $5 - those were full-on sleep sacks.)
And here’s why I think they’re brilliant:
As a swaddle:
(a) It comforts and soothes baby in their newborn phase. In this phase, baby hasn’t yet learned to roll. Baby can often wake themselves up with their startle reflex, and they tend to be very active sleepers - this is because they haven’t yet fully developed movement inhibition when they sleep.
(b) It can also help baby feel snug and cozy, reminiscent of their time in the womb.
(c) It won’t come undone, like regular swaddle blankets or velcro swaddles can.
(d) The zip swaddle design allows for baby to still put their hands near their face (inside the swaddle.) This can be very comforting for some babies.
As a sleep sack:
(a) It is cozy, acting as a blanket - there are different fabrics used and different sleep sack designs to fit your needs. Some are heavier and some are lighter; some have sleeves and some are sleeveless. You determine which design will keep your baby snug while also making sure that they don’t become overheated (which can be especially dangerous for a baby.)
(b) It is safe** with no risk of covering baby’s face. (**when used properly)
(c) It becomes a cue in the pre-sleep routine, a signal to baby that it’s time to sleep.
(d) When baby grows, it can help prevent your toddler from crawling out of their crib, making it harder to lift their leg over the crib rail. (At this age, you will probably need to buy a larger sleep sack; the transition ones likely won’t be big enough for your growing toddler.)
(e) When your toddler learns to unzip it, and they are not old enough for a blanket or they are attempting to climb out of their crib, you can have your child wear the sleep sack backward (if the design allows for this to be done safely,) and zip it in the back.
They are cozy, safe**, and versatile. A veritable gold-mine of a relatively affordable baby product.
There’s a lot of hype about different baby products that, in my humble opinion, aren’t needed. And sometimes even unsafe.
But the swaddle/sleep sack: brilliant.
Note: I really like the newborn size SwaddleMe for newborns - this is not a transition swaddle, but it’s super snuggly. We used this size when our youngest was brand new, and she loved it.
And we’ve really enjoyed Halo swaddles for when our babies grow and need to size-up.
Runners-Up:
Snuza Hero - For the anxious mom who wants to be alerted to any changes in her baby’s breathing, (aka: me.) This product does NOT prevent SIDS, and you CAN’T expect it to be 100% effective of course. I simply wanted to share that I have loved using ours, and will continue to use it for any future babies we have. Note: you need to wait until baby’s umbilical stump has fallen off and completely healed.
2. Black-Out Curtains - To make baby’s sleep space as dark as possible. Once baby is about 3+ months old, they can start producing melatonin on their own. Darkness helps to promote its production. (I don’t recall where we bought ours from, so I linked a set that seemed to have good reviews.)
3. Sposies - Diaper inserts to keep baby dry all night long! This is the only way we’ve been able to keep our own girls dry all night long once they started sleeping through the night.
4. YTE Sound Machine - Excellent quality of sound, volume, and range of white noise options!
