Question about miracle blankets

My DD's boys are almost two months old and are still not sleeping very well. I have been searching the internet (and TS of course!) for tips and advice that might help them (and DD!) get a better night's sleep. The boys have been very fussy lately and DD thinks they're just tired, but when she puts them down they don't sleep for long and also don't seem to sleep very deeply. They are both so active when they sleep and I've wondered if that may be what is keeping them from sleeping better? DD does swaddle the boys but they're nearing 10 pounds and easily wiggle out of the receiving blankets.

I'm curious if using the miracle blanket to swaddle might help them sleep longer, or at least to sleep better when they are sleeping? For those of you who have used the miracle blanket, do you think it would be hard to transition them to the blankets at two months of age? They look like baby straight jackets on the website! Would that be too big an adjustment for the boys now?

If you do/did use the miracle blanket, how long did you use it? The website says it can be used "for months" but I don't know if it would be worth buying them now if the boys are going to be too big for them soon.

Thanks for any and all info you can give me!

 

Hi Kathy-
I had heard such great things about Miracle blankets- I had to buy them- I don't think we used them but twice!!!!!
my little guys would inevitably get an arm out!! We only swaddled until somewhere between 3 and 4 months and then occasionaly did with one if they were really irritable - also I found that buying larger size receiving blankets and using the ones from the hospital were the best. I ended up passing them along to another twin mom who didn't find much use for them either!!!
best wishes-
Lanie

 

I think Miracle Blankets are soooo worth it! I was able to swaddle my really huge twin boys until they were 5 months old and nearly 20lbs, so I feel I got my money's worth for sure. By the time they were 5 months, they were able to wiggle their arms free, but they slept through it usually. I would go for it because it can't hurt and most babies get a lot of comfort from being swaddled tight. I hope she gets some good sleep soon. Just let her know it's not at all unusual for them to still wake often at their age. She's still in the really hard part, but it will get better.

Kelly

 

We started using them at about 6 weeks. We didn't have a sudden miraculous improvement in sleep, but at least they didn't wiggle out of them, and I think that did help (along with the natural improvement that comes with age) for them to start sleeping longer. We wrapped them really, really tight (per the instructions) -- they are definitely straitjackets.

We originally only bought 2, but then had a disastrous day when someone threw up on hers and it was still in the wash at the next naptime -- then I bought 2 more.

The MB instructions actually say to stop using them around 3 months (I think), but we used them for one DD until 3.5 months and for the other until 5 months. She was definitely growing out of it by then -- her feet didn't fit in the pouch anymore -- but it still worked to hold her arms. Some people use them up till 6-7 months.

 

We loved the miracle blankets. I think we got them at around 6-8 weeks and noticed an immediate and dramatic sleep improvement. We swaddled them very, very tightly and they could not get out until they were probably too old for it anyway. If I was telling someone how to do it, I'd say to make it tight enough you hear their breath suck in! We continued to swaddle them until about 8 months, but my girls were tiny and only 15lbs at 1 yr, so probably only about 12 lbs at 8 months. I'd recommend 4 blankets for twins too. We only had 2 and it was pretty rough. Some days I'd be hand washing it to make sure it would be dry in time for night, and other times I was so desperate I'd just let them sleep in a dirty blanket because nobody would get any sleep without them. My girls were very attached to their blankets.

I do agree that young babies will still wake in the blankets to eat or fuss, but for us, it was significantly less often, and more importantly, getting them back to sleep was 100 times easier. Another cool thing I liked was it was so easy to carry them wrapped in the blankets! No arms or legs splaying about in the middle of the night when you pick them up or as you try to put them back down.

 

We LOVE LOVE LOVE our Miracle Blankets! We used them with our 3 year old dd first & she was sleeping through the night at 6 1/2 weeks & is still a great sleeper (we used it with her until 4 mos of age when she was wiggling out) & are now using them with the twins. We started using them the first night home & are still using them & they sleep all night. We put them down at 9-10 & they sleep until 8 AM. They are FANTASTIC! Worth every penny imo. They worked for my kids anyway. GOOD LUCK! You might be able to find them on ebay cheaper than the website too. Not sure, but I do know there is a slight discount if you order 2 from the website.

 

They are worth every penny! And, when it comes to sleep, I don't care how much it costs, it's worth a shot...even for just an hour or two more every night. My Morgan could get out of anything. We called him our Little Houdini. Admittedly he did escape his MB some, but not every night. And as I said above, any extra sleep you can get is worth it. We transitioned them out around 4 months. We were so nervous that they would have sleepless nights again, but the boys did great. We put them in those Halo sleep sacks the first week or so, but then they were able to go to normal PJs. Babies at 2 months are likely to wake several times a night, but they also have no control over their arms. All that flapping around may mean *more* wakings if you have a sensitive sleeper.

We did try getting bigger receiving blankets, but my guys were just too big for them. I do know other twin mommas who pinned their babies in. I even know one who duck taped them in. LOL!

Shannon

 

In a word, YES!! get them. We started with the swaddle-me and switched to MB at 3mo when they started busting out of the velcro. I wish we'd gotten them earlier. My boys are *very* active, but if you swaddle tight enough with the MB it does work. We also put them in sleep positioners (in the MB) around 4mo when they began to roll. We swaddled till 5mo, and then weaned them off. Owen's sleep has never been as good as when he was swaddled <_< . But, they just got too big and too active for it. Even though we only used them for about 2 months, it was STILL worth it. It really helped our feisty little guys stay asleep. I'm keeping them and passing them off to friends with newborns.

 

i was swaddling mine as they did in the hospital and then started using them. The one caution i have is that although you do want a tight swaddle, you have to be careful that their arms aren't pinned behind them - it seems to me to put great pressure on tiny shoulder joints. ITs not so easy managing that, as they are designed to really hold their arms in, but i found that i could make the arm piece looser, and still swaddle tightly and have the good effect.