4 Safe Sleep Tips for SIDS Awareness

If you know anything about Blanketmybaby, you know that we love, love, love aden + anais blankets.  For our baby, we used them for everything.  They are excellent swaddlers.  They are great for a burp cloth when needed.  Perfect for a play blanket or a stroller blanket.  They are multi-functional and amazing.  And, they come in 4 packs, which are super helpful because you always have one handy.

Not only are they great blankets, but aden and anais is also excellent at getting out awareness for SIDS.  Recently, aden + anais wrote an excellent article about SIDS awareness.  Since October is SIDS Awareness Month, we thought it would be really helpful to pass on.

October is SIDS Awareness Month – Educate Parents on Safe Sleep Tips

Many people are aware that October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but did you know that it is also Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Awareness Month?  SIDS awareness and education should be very important to any parent.  This month, and every month is a great time to educate parents and caregivers on the importance of safe sleep for baby.

When talking about SIDS, it is important to understand that nothing can be done to prevent SIDS, however parents and care givers can reduce SIDS risk factors.  On October 18, 2011, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) came out with an updated study about SIDS risk factors; click her to view the full study. Educate caretakers on the following risk factors:

1. Room-sharing without bed-sharing

You’ve probably heard statements such as, “We shared our bed with our children and nothing happened”. However, there is a surplus of research that shows bed sharing with an infant is dangerous.  There is NO research that shows bed sharing reduces the risk of SIDS.  Here is a link to over 20 research studies that have shown a direct link between bed sharing and infant death (you must be signed in to Facebook to view the studies).  In the October 18^th study, the AAP stated “The baby should sleep in the same room as the parents, but not in the same bed (room-sharing without bed-sharing).”

2. Always place baby on his or her back for every sleep time.

Since the AAP recommended that all babies should be placed on their backs to sleep in 1992, deaths from SIDS have declined dramatically.  This rule still holds true today.  Keep in mind that swaddling a newborn helps to keep them on their backs while sleeping, however if baby is old enough to turn over, they should no longer be swaddled.  Instead consider a sleeping bag or sleep sack.

3. Remove all lose bedding, bumpers and toys from the crib.

According to the AAP, there is no evidence that bumper pads prevent injuries, and there is a potential risk of suffocation, strangulation or entrapment.   For warmth and comfort consider a wearable blanket such as the aden + anais® classic and cozy sleeping bags.  Sleeping bags eliminate the need for loose blankets in the crib.

4. Don’t let baby get too hot.

Overheating is a SIDS risk factor.  Many people think that babies need to be bundled with hats and blankets.  Dress your baby in as much or as little clothing as you would wear.  Keep in mind that the AAP recommends that while baby is sleeping, room temperature should be comfortable for a lightly clothed adult or approximately 61-67 degrees Fahrenheit.

Support SIDS research every month and remember that a portion of all aden + anais® swaddles and sleeping bags go to the CJ Foundation for SIDS.  Learn more about risk factors or print a down-loadable PDF with safe sleep tips for your customers.

I Love Our Swaddling Blankets

We’ve talked a lot on this blog about aden + anais blankets and for good reason.  They are wonderful blankets, and we offer them at the lowest prices on the internet (as far as I am aware).  And to have four of these blankets around just makes life easier.  They are wonderful for swaddling your baby and calming them down.

I’ve been writing about these blankets for over a year now, but now I am actually experiencing their benefits.  Our little Emil, who is almost 3 months old now, loves his aden and anais blankets.  Our bedtime routine includes his last feeding of the night, a burping, a change and then straight to the crib for swaddling in one of his muslin wraps.  To top it off, I’ll usually hum a lullaby.  It doesn’t matter if it is his mom or me, Emil loves being wrapped in these blankets.

Our son has been having some tummy issues.  In fact, he’s had them since he was born.  He’ll eat and then in about an hour, he’ll get very fussy.  There are different kinds of techniques we use to comfort him, but one that works is keeping him warm and snug in a swaddling blanket.  It gives him a sense of peace and comfort when he is wrapped.

He has a wide assortment to choose from.  We have the Mod 4 pack, which includes fish, bees, frogs and caterpillars.  We also have the Little Man 4 pack, which has 4 different designs in aqua blue.  I love the camo blanket the best.  He looks so awesome in it!  Below is a pic of Emil while on our trip to Nashville in a crib that’s gotten some good use from our relatives.

aden + anais on sale!!!

We’ve lowered our prices again on all of our aden and anais 4 packs.  These fantastic swaddling blankets normally go for $45 retail, and you can get them on our site for only $39.95.  Plus, we offer flat rate shipping so you can stock up or buy some for that next baby shower that is coming up!

We are constantly trying to bring you superior products at great prices.  There are more and more retailers who are carrying these blankets, because they are truly wonderful.  So, our goal is to beat their prices!  Don’t be fooled by the aden and anais blankets you see in Target and Babis R Us.  These are not the same blankets as the original.  The quality is not as good.  If you don’t believe me, read some of the reviews here.  See Ed’s and Better Off’s comments.  If we truly believed these products were better, would we link to them???  Stick with the original, 47 x 47′s, which we have plenty of in stock.

How To Swaddle A Baby – Video

I think my wife is the Swaddle Queen.  We knew going into our pregnancy that these aden + anais blankets were great.  Our customers tell us all the time, and the swaddle blankets are our top sellers.  Well, there is good reason why.  The blankets are perfect for swaddling.

In this video, you’ll see why they are so good for swaddling.

1. They are large, 47 x 47 (these blankets are larger than the aden and anais at Target or Babies ‘R Us)
2. They are stretchy – you can wrap the blanket around the baby and give it a good tug to secure your swaddle.  When you have a fussy baby or an escape artist, like we have, a tight swaddle is a must.  You don’t want the baby waking himself up i the middle of the night by an arm out and scratching his face.
3. They are soft – just one touch, and you’ll know exactly what I mean
4. They are breathable – your baby will stay warm, but he won’t overheat.  We’ve had hot 90+ degree weather here in September.  Wrapping our baby in these blankets is still fine because they breath so well.

There are certainly a lot of great baby blankets out there, and each serve their purpose.  But when it comes to swaddling, you can’t go wrong with aden & anais.

Life With Emil

Little Emil Sztanyo had his one week checkup today, and he is doing great!  He checked in at 6 lbs and 14 oz, which is one ounce over his birth rate and up 11 from his last checkup.  Good job Emil and mom!  We have been breast feeding, and it seems both are getting the hang of it.

Life with Emil is wonderful.  We find ourselves just happy to hold him and look at him.  He is so beautiful and precious, and even his little whimpers and crying is adorable right now.  I don’t even mind changing the poopy diapers because I know it means everything is working well.  He had a bit of jaundice, but a little sun bathing and some milk, and it’s going away.

We’ve had such great support from family and friends.  We don’t have to worry about a meal for the next month.  The next month!  Our church is amazing.  Our only real problem with the food is how do we store it all.  Luckily, we’ve had some family and roommates who can put some down.

While Emil’s nursery is beautiful, he has spent most of his time in our room in his little bassinet.  It’s just easier for everyone this way, especially as mom recovers from the delivery.  Plus, we want to look at him as much as possible.  He sleeps so well, in his aden and anais blankets of course!  We got him the Mod 4 pack as well as the Little Man.  Both are adorable, and I’ll get some pictures up soon.  We’ve also got compliments on this blanket we took into his pediatrician today.  The Retro Disco Dot is from The Pat a Cake and it matches our diaper bag.

Here is a video of our second night in the hospital.  I thought it was our first, which shows how tired I was!  Our babies will never have the hype or glitz of these babies, but that is perfectly fine with us.  We like it quite fine with just us.

aden + anais cozy swaddles are here!

Blanket My Baby is offering aden + anais cozy swaddles to add to our terrific line of this industry leading brand.  We have five different prints to choose from, and they are all adorable!  The great thing about these blankets is that they are composed of the same muslin cotton that you love, but they just have a double layer of it.

It’s 96 degrees in Cincinnati today and cozy swaddles may be the last thing on your mind, but just like the ant and the squirrel, we believe in hard work and preparation.  So yes, while it’s hot and all you may be able to think about now is how to escape the heat, soon enough, Old Man Winter will come blowing in.  These blankets are perfect for cool walks in the park and cold nights at home.  While keeping your baby warm, they still breathe well so that baby will not overheat.

The blankets are perfect for swaddling as well as play blankets, stroller blankets, and a number of other functional uses.  The large 47 x 47 size gives you plenty of options.  Enjoy.  Find them all here!

Coming Soon … aden + anais Cozy Swaddles

You’ve heard us rave about our aden + anais collection of blankets.  And there’s a good reason for it!  These are some of the best made baby blankets on the market today and Blanket My Baby offers them for the cheapest prices on the web.  Plus, if you buy some for your friends, you can save even more with our flat rate shipping.  Ok, ok, enough with the hard sell.

So, since we love aden and anais so much, we are going to offer a new blanket line from them, the Cozy Collection.  Yes, I know it is summer.  Yes, I know I just talked about how great muslin is for breathing well and not overheating your babies.  Well, guess what, Fall and Winter will be here before you know it, and we are going to help you prepare.  Aden and anais’ Cozy Collection line offers the same great muslin fabric, but in a double layer.  Designed with fashion-forward prints and a double-layer of muslin, they are the perfect wrap for cold, wintery nights and brisk walks in the park.  You can get them from us in a single wrap, and we’ll have them up on our sight pronto.  Choose from styles like Dreamer, Mod Fish, Mod Frog, Star Light and Star Bright.

aden and anais featured on The Early Show

If you have have shopped Blanket My Baby before, then you know that we love, love, love!!! aden + anais blankets.  Why?  They are a terrific product.  Their primary use is swaddling, but they can be used for so many other purposes as well.

Recently, aden and anais was featured on The Early Show and for good reason.  Finally, these blankets are starting to get some of the national publicity that we knew they deserved.  When Dana Points, the Editor and Chief of American Baby is recommending the product, you know that these are quality blankets.

The short clip shows the blankets going for $44 for a 4 pack, but at our store, you can save 12% and get them for only $38.95, over $5 worth of savings!  Click here to shop our entire selection.  Plus, we offer flat rate shipping.  So, you can stock up and buy some of these for gifts for those upcoming baby showers.

aden + anais mod 4 pack

Best Baby Blankets?

Since opening our store, many of our friends and family are often asking us, “what are the best baby blankets on your site”?  Well, it really depends on what you are looking for.  From the very beginning of this site’s existence, we have striven to be your one destination on the internet for all of your baby blanket needs.  We’ve had our work cut out for us!  There are many different categories of baby blankets, and so the best baby blanket needs to begin with the question, “what are you using it for?”

Do you need a swaddling blanket?  Do you need a security blanket?  Do you need a receiving blanket?  Do you need a stroller blanket?  Some blankets will cross over into multiple categories, but others are designed specifically for one reason.  For example, the Snug and Tug on our site is strictly a swaddler.  However, our aden and anais blankets can serve as swaddling, stroller blankets, play blankets or many other uses.  Our Swaddle Designs lovies are definitely meant to be a security blanket as well as a fashion statement.  Many celebrity moms love these blankets.

So, what is the best baby blanket?  It’s really up to you!  Determine what the purpose is, then shop our store by category.  OR, shop our store by color.  OR, shop our store by price.  OR, shop our store by brand.  Ok, ok, I’ll stop.  But, you get the idea.  Some blankets may be better quality than others.  We love the aden and anais muslin wraps, but it’s hard to say which are the best.

Thank You BMB Customers

I haven’t been able to do this enough, but I wanted to take some time to thank you to all of our customers!  You guys are the best!  BlanketMyBaby has steadily grown each month for the past six months, and we don’t plan on stopping any time soon.  You are helping us do that.  So, thank you!

We are continuing to add more blankets to our selection in an effort to be your one stop shop on the internet for all of your baby blanket needs.  We are even looking into adding additional categories to our site.  So, be on the lookout for that.

Our most popular blankets have been and could continue to be our aden and anais 4 packs.  We have scoured the internet for you in an effort to give you the lowest net price of blankets + shipping.  Many of you have heard the great news at how great these swaddling blankets are, and you are spreading the word.  Again, thank you!  These blankets get softer with every wash and are excellent for swaddling.  Target has come out with their own line of these blankets for $29.99, but the quality is not the same and the blankets are smaller.  So, we look forward to being the best destination of aden + anais 4 packs.  Plus, if you are interested in the sleeping bags, let us know!  We might start adding those blankets for when your baby is growing and outgrowing his or her blanket.

Ok, I guess I’ll wrap it up.  I just can’t say THANK YOU enough!  We hope your Christmas shopping is going well and that you will be able to focus on this wonderful season for its true meaning.

Best,

Eric

Here’s one of out top selling 4 packs – Baby Cakes.