Swaddle Blankets - How Many Is Too Many?

MUSLIN SWADDLE BLANKETS - ONE OF MY MUST HAVE BABY ITEMS

Okay moms! Especially first time moms. I know what you are thinking at this point in the game - What are the must have baby items vs the nice to have items? Maybe you are building your registry or asking other mom friends or are feeling totally clueless about what you need. Regardless I am going to weigh in on swaddle blankets today and share my two cents.

First things first, with my son seven years ago I started with ZERO actual muslin swaddle blankets. I had tiny flannel receiving blankets that I thought would work but they turned out to be better burp clothes than blankets.  A close friend brought me a four pack as a gift when he was born and thats when my "small obsession" started.

For my son,  I really only used the Aden & Anais kind. It was one of the most popular brands at the time and quite honestly still is when it comes to swaddles. Back then I didn't know that there was a difference between the regular muslin cotton vs the bamboo or even that the ones at Target were not as soft as the ones that came from the company. As my collection began to grow I learned all of this along the way. We used them to swaddle him in the beginning, but over time they just became his blankets for snuggling. I would take one everywhere we went. Car rides, trips, daycare. You name it - was had a swaddle along with us.

They were wonderful for the summer time because of how light weight they were. At the time I also used them for a car seat cover when needed and a burp cloth if he drenched me in baby puke. (Yes - this happens more often than you realize, especially if your baby has any reflux issues.)

My collection for my son was probably 25+ swaddles. Keep in mind though he was my first.

When it came time for my second several years later the swaddle market was getting even cuter. I went ahead and purged my son's collection first. I got rid of the BOY specific ones and held on to the ones that were gender neutral since we were having a little girl.

Gracie and I with her Little Unicorn Swaddle. You can still get this one now and it's still one of my favorite prints. 

I probably added another good 10 blankets to the collection and got ones that were pretty girlie. I found two new brands that I also bought from in addition to Aden & Anais. I really started to fall in the love the patterns from Clementine kids and Little Unicorn. You can buy these thru the company website or find it on this really fun baby site called Spearmint Love. My daughter is almost two now and we use a new one daily as her blankie. She is not specific about which one she has but she does insist on having one where ever she goes.

One thing that I started to use as burp cloths the second go around were the Aden and Anais muslin musy squares. These are mini version of the swaddles. I think the intention is to use them for a lovie but they were hands down my new favorite kind of burp cloth.

Now that it was time to prep for number three, I took more of a minimalist approach. I have come to learn that while having 20+ swaddles is NICE -it is not necessary. Having more like 8 -10 is a realistic number. You could actually have less, but if your baby turns into a blankie baby like mine are you will be doing laundry often.

Since my daughter is still using her swaddles and very much attached to them I knew that I needed to buy new rather than plan for those to be hand me downs. Otherwise there would be lots of blankie stealing going on between the two. My collection now is mostly all bamboo swaddles because I prefer the softness. I do however still get some that are not because the muslin cotton tends to be a bit cooler in the summer time. All the ones I have purchased have been kept out of my toddlers reach. I didn't want to show them to her and have her thinking they were hers before the baby gets here.

This time around I got swaddles from the following brands so far:
1. Aden & Anais- Only the bamboo ones.

2. Pattie & Co - Probably the softest one I own. It's from a company in the UK that had a rainbow one I just had to have for our sweet little rainbow baby.

3. Little Unicorn - Expect to pay more for these but the patterns are stunning.

4. Cloud Island - These ones are carried at Target. Not bad quality at all and perfect for the cool cotton I will need for summertime.

Last but not least realize this - the bamboo ones don't always hold up as long as the regular muslin cotton ones do. Many of our bamboos have tiny holes from lots of love. The more you wash the cotton muslins the softer they will get. I would recommend washing them several times before the baby arrives and get them extra soft and fluffy. I use dryer balls too to help with static and to keep them looking nice.


Wishing you all the best mama! Find something you love -then buy enough to get you thru. The baby needs far less "THINGS" than you realize, but they do need lots of love. You are going to be amazing at this.