I didn’t think our requirements were that challenging. Most swaddling blankets tend to be 30×30 in size or so. This is fine at newborn stage, but what about when the babies get a little meat on their bones?

We found a nice big blanket from a Canadian brand called “Baby’s Own” – and haven’t found many others. This seems to be a nice selection of flannel swaddle blankets at Under the Nile, a shopping site focused on products made with organic cotton. I think we’ll have to pick some of these up. They look soft, right fun the photo.

Bonus – nice solid colors and no silly little graphics all over the place. I’d like to know just when baby clothing jumped the shark and had to be covered with trucks, cows, frogs, baseball mitts, etc.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Came across this one, the 4Moms Cleanwater Infant Tub with Thermometer, in the Magic Beans newsletter. I think the cleanwater option, at this stage, is marginally useful, but  really like the built-in thermometer. We’re always worried about getting just the right temp for the little guy – particularly in winter. For twice the cost of the cushy Fisher-Price tub at Target,  we won’t make the upgrade. But if we were shopping from the start – or doing a new registry today – this is definitely something we would have liked to check out.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Great deal on bumpers for the Stokke Sleepi at Design With Reach.

The Sleepi is a nifty crib, unique in a few ways:

• oval shape
• it’s on wheels, so easily moveable
• modular, so it expands with the age/size of the kiddo

That oval shape means non-standard sheets and accessories, but that extra effort has been worth it so far.

We’ll do another post on the Sleepi soon. But if you’ve already got one, we highly recommend these cozy bumpers from Tea Collection. They come in gray with pink trim, “celadon” sea green (shown) with tan trim, and gray with pink trim. About a third of retail price, just under $50, at DWR right now.

There seems to be no consensus on acceptability of bumpers. Some authors and pediatricians recommend against, others roll their eyes. We think it comes down mostly to aesthetics.

We just got ours. Very pleased with the height (not too tall), color and texture. The material is a soft, quiltish weave (see detail below) that see in some of Tea’s other items.

A colleague lent me Harvey Karp’s The Happiest Baby on the Block DVD, a companion to his popular book. Includes visual examples of the 5 S’s or esses. Used alone or together, they’re often a magic tonic for the crying newborn or infant.

• Swaddling
• Sushing
• Side or stomach position
• Swinging
• Sucking

There are a ton of Karp videos on the AlphaMom channel on Brightcove. Here’s one where Dr. Karp outlines the 5 tips. Click the big Play button below.