By Nicole Fuge, MD® Managing Editor
My bebe girl HATED being swaddled. No matter how well my baby-daddy and I wrapped her, she would always ninja her way out of it and startle-reflex herself awake. Ah the joys of those first newborn days and the sleepless nights that come with it.
Luckily one of my gorge mama friends had given me an ergoPouch Cocoon Swaddle Bag at my baby shower and said it was a game changer, and she was right! Thank f*ck I had it packed in my hospital bag!
Navigating the fourth trimester is hard, particularly when you’re running on next-to-no sleep, so anything that helps cut a few corners or puts your worrying mama mind at ease, sign me up.
The 7 essentials you need when you have a newborn
1 // COCOON SWADDLE BAG
This, right here, is a game changer when it comes to swaddling – because you don’t have to (one of the aforementioned corners to cut, #winning!). It’s a zip-up, no fuss swaddle in soft and stretchy organic cotton and bamboo. Plus, it’s hip-friendly and 3am-nappy-change friendly, and has arm-poppers in the shoulders to transform the swaddle into a sleeping bag once your babe shows signs of rolling. And like all of the gorge ergoPouch products, it’s TOG rated for warmth – they recommend a 1.0 TOG for now, and 2.5 TOG as the weather cools.
2 // BODYWEAR
This is particularly useful for layering underneath pyjamas and swaddles. Choose a singlet on warmer days, and a long sleeve bodysuit during Winter – see, easy! Made from organic ribbed cotton, it’s deliciously soft and washes well.
3 // FREE ROOM THERMOMETER
This little beauty measures the temperature of your babe’s room and recommends the right TOG and layers to dress them in… super helpful for sleep-deprived mama brains. The room thermometer comes FREE with every Cocoon Swaddle Bag and some of ergoPouch’s other best-sellers, it really is ah-mazing!
4 // LAYERS
Layers, onesies, pyjamas, whatever you want to call them, these TOG rated layers are designed to be worn underneath the Cocoon Swaddle Bag for added warmth during the chilly months (1.0 TOG is best for the cooler months). Made with three-way zips for easy nappy changes (YAY!) and hand and foot cuffs to keep those tiny tootsies warm and stop your babe from scratching their face.
5 // MATCHY MATCHY ROBE
Now this one’s for you, mama! It’s been a long nine months, not to mention the actual birth (regardless of how you did it), so you deserve to treat yourself to a little bit of luxury. This robe is made from 100% bamboo jersey fibres, has pockets for snacks (so it’s perfect for #isolife too) and other mum-things, and it comes in matching prints so you can totes #twin with your boo.
6 // BUTTERFLY CARDI
This is a sleep tool to help swaddled babies become unswaddled, so that when they show signs of rolling, you can gradually release their arms from the swaddle. Voila!
7 // WINDOW BLOCKOUT
If your bambino needs a dark room to catch some Zzzzs, ergoPouch’s Window Blockout is a #musthave. The static cling decal blocks 100% of sunlight from a window, so it helps your little one develop their circadian (day/night) rhythm. Genius!
