Our gorgeous Woolbabe fabric makes a divine swaddling wrap for your newborn and can also be used as a blanket for older children.  It's versatility and quality means you'll get plenty of use and be able to pass it down to other siblings, cousins or friends.

Why swaddle your newborn?

Swaddling a newborn can help baby to calm, relax and settle your baby ready for sleep. Swaddled babies will typically sleep for longer and wake less frequently than un-swaddled babies as swaddling helps to control their startle reflex.  It works particularly well for about the first 2-3 months (the 4th trimester), as it reduces your baby startling herself awake. So any time after your baby's startle reflex stops is a good time to start weaning off wrapping.  If however your baby starts to show signs of rolling, then you should also stop swaddling as this can be a SIDS risk.

Why use a Woolbabe swaddle?

Our 100% natural fibre wrap washes up beautifully and just gets softer and easier to wrap the more you use it. The 30% merino content means the wrap helps to regulate your precious newborn's temperature, helping to settle baby quicker. In cooler temperatures the merino helps to create an air pocket around bubs to keep them toasty and in summer, the merino can help wick away moisture, without the clammy feeling of 100% cotton. 

The swaddle blanket is the perfect accessory for travel - use it in the pram, as a play mat, a lightweight blanket over the knees in a capsule or as a cover when breastfeeding. Older children will enjoy snuggling under one of these wraps on the sofa or in bed too. 

How to use a Woolbabe swaddle

1. The Wrap & Placement

Lie wrap diagonally & fold top corner down. Lie baby across the top edge so shoulders are just below the fold line.

2. The First Wrap - DOWN

Fold the left side of the wrap downwards & across the baby & tuck firmly behind their back. Ensure their arm is straight down by their side inside the wrap. Pull wrap snug around behind the neck, by pulling wrap on the right hand side.

3. The Feet Wrap - UP

Fold the bottom corner of the wrap up & tuck in well down behind the unfolded shoulder (inside the wrap). Ensure there is plenty of room for baby's legs to relax in the open froggy leg position.

4. The V-neck Wrap - DOWN

Ensure second arm is straight by baby's side. Fold the right-hand corner of the wrap down over the shoulder to the middle of the chest. This should make a firm v-neck on the chest with the first shoulder.

5. The Final Wrap Around - UP

Ensure both arms are still by baby's sides. Hold the v-neck firm with your left hand, while wrapping the rest of the wrap across & upwards over the left arm & round behind the baby. Tuck end of the wrap into the chest. Check legs & hips still have lots of wriggle room.

A note about safe swaddling - stop before baby is rolling:

Once your baby is close to rolling, you need to quickly wean off swaddling. Swaddled babies sleeping on their tummy have 7 times the SIDS risk of swaddled babies sleeping on their back. So if your baby can potentially roll onto her tummy while she is asleep, then this could be very unsafe.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends stopping swaddling when baby first shows signs of rolling - it's very rare a baby will roll that early. It is much more common that babies start to roll onto their tummy at 4-5 months, and effective swaddling actually reduces the likelihood of rolling.

What should baby wear for sleep once we have weaned from the swaddle?

When your weaning from swaddling, it's a good idea to start transitioning baby to a Woolbabe Sleeping Bag.  If you're using a Woolbabe Swaddle, you can start to wrap your baby with one arm out of the swaddle so they get used to the idea of being unswaddled. You then unwrap the other arm and wrap their body only and then you can remove the swaddle completely. When transitioning this way, you can wrap over the top of a Woolbabe Sleeping Bag (more details in this article). Depending on your baby's room temperature, a 3 Seasons Sleeping Bag is a great option to start with.

We recommend you closely watch for signs your baby is close to rolling and swap to a sleeping bag as soon as baby shows signs of being close to rolling.