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Reviewed / Lisa Lawrence
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Credit:
Reviewed / Lisa Lawrence
Reviewed's mission is to help you buy the best stuff and get the most out of what you already own. Our team of product experts thoroughly vet every product we recommend to help you cut through the clutter and find what you need.
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This swaddle will have your baby cozy in seconds and sleeping soundly through the night. It's also easy to change diapers without waking them. Read More
The Halo Cotton SleepSack Swaddle transitions easily from a full swaddle to a partial swaddle, then a straight sleep sack. Read More
If you live in a warmer climate—or your baby sweats while she sleeps—the breathable SwaddleMe Luxe comes with slits that improve air flow. Read More
These secure and versatile swaddles are perfect for babies who tend to adjust their arms throughout the night. Read More
Ideal for colder climates, the Halo swaddle has also proved to be quite durable. Read More
Parents all have the same hope for their newborns when venturing home from the hospital: Please, let this one be a sleeper!
From shushing to rocking, amid many mom tricks for getting babies to sleep, there are a few dangers, too. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) warns against having loose blankets or sheets in the crib with babies younger than 12 months of age, which is a hard sell for parents who innately want to keep their kids cozy and warm.
Enter swaddle wraps.
By wrapping a baby snugly and safely, the best swaddles keep a newborn baby calm and create a perfect recipe for a good night’s sleep for both baby and parent.
Starting at the hospital and continuing at home, our mom testers spent the first three months of their babies' lives testing every type of swaddle imaginable. During this experience, they determined the best swaddle is the Happiest Baby Sleepea (available at Amazon) . It’s tight, easy to get on and off a baby, easy to change a diaper in, and just great all around.
If you’re looking for a swaddle that can grow with your baby, we highly recommend the Halo Cotton Sleepsack Swaddle. This swaddle is what parents are often sent home with from the hospital—and with good reason. It’s breathable, easy to use, and features Velcro wings that safely tuck your baby’s arms to their sides.
The Sleepea was our overall winner for best swaddles.
The Halo Sleepsack is the best swaddle you can buy for transitions.
My summer baby absolutely loved her breathable swaddle from SwaddleMe.
SwaddleMe makes great, affordable swaddles.
Material is soft
Affordable cold weather option
Bulky
Velcro is loud
Too warm for everyday use
Soft material
Simple design
Makes for easy diaper changes
Hard to cinch tight enough
Loud velcro
Easy to use
Compressive for baby
Breathable material
Not durable
May not work for older babies
Affordable
Cute patterns
Velcro hard to clasp
Easy to break out of
Durable
Versatile
Extremely soft
Not escape-proof
Requires learning curve
Cute prints
Quality fabric
Hard for baby to escape
Too complicated
Too much fabric
High quality material
Versatile
Learning curve
Tough to make tight enough
Ilana Cohn is a writer and performer living in Los Angeles, and she used to run a podcast called, “Yer Mama.” She loves reading about the latest baby gear and sharing her opinion, so she was excited to have the opportunity to review products with baby number two, starting from day one.
Jenni Gritters tested swaddles on her second child, Lily Ray, who was born mid-summer and was a tenacious tester, escaping most of the swaddles she tried. Jenni previously worked full time as an editor at Wirecutter, and she now reviews all kinds of gear for Wirecutter, Reviewed, Forbes, Slate and beyond.
Kate Ellsworth is the Executive Editor of Lifestyle at Reviewed and her baby girl, Vivienne, was more than excited to try out a bunch of swaddles, especially when they had fun designs. Vivienne was born in the summer with the heart of a dancer, so she was adept at breaking out of even the tightest wraps.
Over the course of the first three months of our baby’s lives, we tried out many different swaddles. We would test each swaddle through at least two sleeps and we revisited each a month later. We wrote down the results as they were happening because as anyone who has a newborn knows, those first few months are a whirlwind of feed, burp, change, sleep (hopefully) and repeat.
To find the best swaddle, we looked at the fabric quality, ease of use, special features, storage, fit, comfort, ease of wrapping and adjustability, ability to change a diaper and overall experience.
We looked at several types of fit, as well, including Velcro wraps, traditional swaddle blankets, and more unique offerings (like the Ollie).
We also washed each swaddle in the laundry along with other clothing to see how the fabric changed with each wash and which got stuck to each other (spoiler alert: if it had Velcro, it got stuck to something).
Here's what you need to know about buying swaddles.
By immobilizing the baby's arms, a swaddle helps minimize their natural Moro—or startle—reflex, which can interrupt their (and your!) slumber, thereby helping everyone sleep longer.
Because swaddles mimic the feel of the womb—a warm, compact environment—they help calm a baby's anxiety, and ultimately help them to learn to self-soothe.
In addition, swaddles help prevent SIDS by keeping a baby on their back while they sleep and ensuring that there are no loose blankets in the crib
Swaddles may also help soothe colicky babies.
While swaddling works for most babies, every newborn is different. If your baby has hip dysplasia or any other hip problems, a tight swaddle may not be comfortable for them.
Other babies may prefer being swaddled with their arms placed across their chest, or with their arms outside the swaddle. As with much of parenting, finding the right swaddling method for your particular baby may take some practice.
Newborns spit up—and poop through their night diapers—often. You'll very likely be faced with having to change your baby's swaddle several times a night. Don't put yourself in the position of being without a clean swaddle when you're most desperate for sleep.
Once you find one that works for you, invest in at least three of them so that you'll always have a clean one on hand.
If you go to daycare, you’ll also need to invest in a swaddle to send along with your baby. Most daycares won’t allow blankets under one year, nor do they allow swaddles without arm holes, so it may be worth investing in one of our favorite swaddles that can transition to arms-out sleep.
You should stop swaddling your baby once they begin trying to roll over, as this may increase the risk of suffocation. This usually occurs around two months of age, but all babies develop on their own timeline.
Once your baby begins to roll over, you can transition them to a sleep sack, which provides many of the same benefits as swaddles, but enables their arms to be free
Thankfully, many of our favorite swaddles can ease that transition. The Halo Sleepsack is our favorite versatile choice. It allows your baby to sleep with their arms free, but keep that tight feeling around her chest so she feels more secured.
This is going to depend on where you live. If you live in a temperate climate, a lightweight cotton swaddle may be adequate for your baby at anytime of the year.
On the other hand, if you have a winter baby and live in a cold area, a fleece swaddle—like the Halo—may be the best option for keeping your newborn warm and toasty.
No matter where you live, remember to never put extra blankets in the crib with your newborn, as they can increase the risk of SIDS.
If you’ve been shopping for swaddles, you’ve likely noticed a TOG rating. The TOG—thermal overall grade—helps you determine which thickness is best for your baby. If you’re in a cooler climate, you want a higher TOG; if you’re in a warmer climate, you want a lower TOG. The higher the TOG, the warmer the fabric will be.
The highest TOG we tested was the Halo Fleece Sleepsack, which comes in at 3.0. The Halo website recommends it for sleep environments between 61 and 64 degrees (not outside—physically within your nursery).
The AAP warns against overheating, which can be a risk factor for SIDS. So while you can use a heavier swaddle for chilly nights, you should not dress your baby in more layers than necessary. Ideally, the agency recommends putting babies in no more than one more layer than an adult would wear.
If your sleep environment runs warmer, opt for a lower TOG. You should also use a lower TOG if you’re layering a swaddle on top of warmer pajamas. You wouldn’t want to use a fleece swaddle on top of fleece pajamas, but you could put a TOG 1.5 swaddle over fleece pajamas.
Here's how to wrap a baby in a swaddle.
Step 1: Lay the blanket out on a flat surface and fold down one of the corners.
Step 2: Lay your baby face-up on the swaddle blanket, with their head just above the folded corner.
Step 3: Making sure that your baby's arm is positioned straight down by their side, wrap the right corner over your baby, and tuck the end underneath them.
Step 4: Bring the bottom corner of the blanket over your baby's feet and tuck it underneath their bottom.
Step 5: Wrap the left corner over your baby, again ensuring that their arm is positioned straight by their side, and tuck the end of the swaddle blanket underneath the baby's bottom.
Still lost? We recommend YouTube. Something about watching the process can help it click in your brain. Aden + Anais has a great tutorial video on its website.
Once your baby reaches six months, you should transition to a sleep sack.
The AAP recommends ditching the swaddle as soon as your little one can roll, but that’s so much easier said than done, especially if that swaddle is the only thing that seems to help them sleep. As with all sleep-related baby advice, there is no one golden rule all babies abide by—you can follow these tips to make the transition easier, but ultimately, every baby is unique, and how they tolerate life after the swaddle will vary.
First, we recommend using a swaddle that can transition with your baby, like the Halo Sleepsack. That way, once they do need to start sleeping with their arms out, they are still sleeping in a swaddle or sack that looks, feels, and smells familiar. If you’ve been using a swaddle like the SwaddleMe Pod, consider transitioning to a different swaddle around two months, right before those first rolls start.
Between two and six months, your baby can stay in that swaddle if her arms are free. Most swaddles that allow for arms-out sleep come with guidelines about how to re-wrap your baby with one or two arms out, so keep those instructions handy even if your baby is just a few weeks old at this point.
After six months, you’ll have to say goodbye to even the best swaddles. It’s time to transition to a sleep sack, or a wearable blanket. Halo makes a 0.5 TOG sleepsack that one of our babies is obsessed with. Burt’s Bees Baby also has a great sleepsack for taller babies.
Once your baby crosses that one-year mark, you can start introducing blankets.
Kate Tully Ellsworth is the Executive Editor of Partner Content at Reviewed. She oversees editorial partner content that focuses on brands and products our editorial team and tested and loved. She also oversees Pets, Streaming, Sleep, Health & Fitness, Sex Toys, and Hobbies. You can find her work on Reviewed, USA Today, Taste of Home, Reader's Digest, and The Family Handyman.
Kate got her degree in English writing from Belmont University and enjoys writing about how to shop, where to shop, and when to shop. Her passions include Star Wars, baking, and the Great British Bake Off. She's based in Nashville, TN, where she lives with her beautiful husband and beautiful daughter.
Ilana Cohn created the show Overdue for AwesomnessTV, where she worked as the showrunner and directed an episode of the series. Ilana also created the series 4th Period Lunch for Mondo Media, Jingle Hit Factory for Nickelodeon, Embarrassing Mom for Disney and the Delores DiGagorio Series for Fremantle Media, for which she won a Webbie Award. Acting wise, Ilana was recently on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, she's in the cult film Detention, and has done voices on Comedy Central's South Park. She is a mother of two and works in Los Angeles as a writer, director and stand-up comedian.
Jenni Gritters is a journalist with a decade of experience working on parenting, retail, and psychology-focused stories.
You can find her bylines in Reviewed, the Wall Street Journal, Wirecutter, Forbes and beyond.
She typically covers products in the home, health, parenting and outdoor spaces, and has two children ages 1 and 3. When Jenni isn't writing, you can find her hiking in the Central Oregon mountains, where she lives.
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