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The Book Review You Didn't Know You Needed
- Jaclyn Covert
- Oct 15, 2020
- 11 min read
Updated: Oct 16, 2020
Book Review + Products to Go With!
The one book Conley and I both read before having Crockett was “The Happiest Baby on the Block,” by Dr. Harvey Karp, which I highly recommend for all new parents (actually, all expecting parents because I know I’d want a refresher). Dr. Karp teaches the reader about the “Five S” Method of soothing a baby: Swaddle, Side/Stomach, Shush, Swing, and Suck, which has been highly effective in my personal experience. The book is excruciatingly repetitive and Dr. Karp lets you know just how smart he thinks he is (and he is), but if you bear with it, I found the lessons and techniques extremely helpful. Dr. Karp provides both practical advice on how to physically sooth your baby + provide an ideal sleep environment and educates the reader on the “fourth trimester” + the science of baby sleep and brain development. This book helped Conley and I establish an approach to the first few weeks / months of Crockett’s life and the “Five S” model worked wonders in our home.
Here is a rundown of each piece of the "Five S" puzzle, and the products Crockett loved that went along with.
Cliff Notes Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OtPSfyZXNw&t=39s
(1) Swaddle
Crockett was a little Houdini right out the gate. He fought the swaddle from Day 1, but also LOVED being swaddled to sleep so we were put to the challenge of finding a swaddle he could not break out of.
Luckily, since my sister Juliana has three kids (all with their unique preferences) she owned a good portion of the market share on swaddles so we were able to try out a ton of swaddles for free before finding the magic. If Houdini lives with you, skip this whole section and trust me on this, you need the Miracle Blanket (pictured left with my sleeping angel baby).
Also, I highly recommend texting friends who have babies ahead of you to borrow swaddles before buying a bunch! There will be a magic swaddle for you, but it may take a few tries before finding it.
Muslin Blanket / traditional swaddling: LOL. Okay okay, I’ll at least discuss. Unless you’re a L&D nurse (God bless those wonderful humans), GOOD LUCK achieving a correct swaddle technique your baby cannot break out of (and if you do achieve it, mad props to you). The nurses at the hospital swaddled Crockett so perfectly in a receiving blanket those first few days of life and taught us so patiently how to do the same, but we were never able to master this skill. Especially with a crying baby post diaper change in the middle of the night. We quickly gave up and went for the “cheater” swaddles.
Instruction video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhsYw61ZsO8
Halo: For Crockett’s first month of life, the Halo cotton newborn size swaddle worked great (he was born 7.5 pounds and 20 inches for size reference). I could TIGHTLY wrap Crockett’s arms close to his body and if I tucked the swaddle wings in just right, Crockett would stay swaddled.
Reasons it’s great:
It zips from the bottom, making for quicker and easier diaper changes during the night.
It’s a zip/velcro combo for easy use.
You can ditch the wings later on to use as a sleep sack (we did this when first transitioning Crockett to the crib).
It comes in multiple sizes so you can get the right fit for baby and not have excess fabric. For us, this is why we loved it so much for Crockett’s first month. It was both easy to use and fit him nicely.
Technique tips:
Same rules from the above video apply. You want baby’s palms facing down and slightly under their bottom (or right up against their body).
Come across and down with each wing so it makes a “v” neck and isn’t rubbing against baby’s chin (making him want to open his mouth expecting food).
Tuck the first wing under baby’s body.
Make it TIGHT TIGHT TIGHT.
Happiest Baby Sleeppea: This swaddle also worked for the first month or so for Crockett, but he was able to slip his arms out of the inner band when he really wanted to so the Halo worked better. Happiest baby has some tricks online to help with this (see links below), but if you’re having to modify the swaddle, you’re no longer taking advantage of the “easy” factor of this swaddle and you should skip right to the miracle blanket discussed below.
Reasons it’s great:
Zips from the bottom, making for quick and easy night time diaper changes.
It’s a zip/velcro combo for easy use.
Mesh portions so baby is not overheated.
Snaps at the top so you can use “arms free” as a sleep sack.
It comes in multiple sizes so you can get the right fit for baby and not have excess fabric.
Technique Tips:
Towel trick to keep arms down: https://www.happiestbaby.com/blogs/baby/baby-breaks-out-of-snoo-sack-swaddle
Another tip for babies with “crazy legs” (also mine): https://happiestbaby.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115004947433
Miracle Blanket: Truly, a miracle worker. We started using this when Crockett was about one month old mixed in with the Halo then started exclusively using the Miracle Blanket by two months. Crockett could NOT break out of this. By the time he figured out this swaddle, it was time to transition him out of the swaddle (for us, around 3.5 months).
Reasons it’s great:
It works WONDERS if your baby is breaking out of other swaddles. This was the only swaddle that ultimately worked long term for Crockett.
It has an inner arm swaddle before wrapping baby up. This prevents baby from sneaking his arms out during the night. You can rest assured the swaddle will stay tight and secure.
Cons:
Can be difficult to master, but I promise it’s worth figuring out. There is a learning curve, but once you master it you will have your baby swaddled in a flash and they will NOT break out of it.
Not the easiest for middle of the night diaper changes. You have to unwrap your baby like the little present that he is to get to his diaper. Once you’ve mastered the art of quickly swaddling in the MB, it’s no problem. But until then, you might be fumbling in the dark cussing me out.
Excess fabric. I wish they made two sizes. I felt like there was too much fabric until Crockett grew a little which is why I liked the Halo for his first month.
SwaddleMe: The SwaddleMe never worked great for us. Crockett could wiggle his arms free easily. It is, however, an easy to use swaddle so if your baby embraces swaddling, it’s an option to consider.
Reasons it’s great: Velcro for easy use.
Cons:
No mechanism to keeps arms down.
You have to undo completely for diaper changes. For this reason, I’d opt for Halo or Sleeppea.
Nested Bean Zen: Gave up pretty immediately on this one, but my mom kept trying because of the weighted “bean” in the middle that is supposed to be soothing. Crockett made quick work of this swaddle and could get out easier than all the others we tried because of the weighted bean.
Woombie: This is a simple zip up sack. If your baby does well with his arms over his chest, this would be a good option, but you cannot keep baby’s arms down in this one.
Anna & Eve: I actually did not try this swaddle, but it’s a great arms-only swaddle that keeps baby’s arms to his side. This could be combined with another swaddle or used independently, for example, if baby is really hot at night. Makes for super easy diaper changes and very easy to use. We loved the miracle blanket so never had a need for this since the miracle blanket has its own inner band mechanism.
Transition Swaddles:
Love to Dream: great option for babies who want their arms up. While Crockett liked this position, it was a no-go for actually sleeping. It did not sufficiently curb his startle reflex and he would wake himself up (remember when you used to say “stop hitting yourself” to your younger sibling as you hit them in the face with their own hand? That’s the startle reflex).
Merlin Suit: This is a marshmallow suit that muffles baby’s startle reflux essentially via extra padding. This works great as a transition from swaddled to unswaddled because baby’s arms are “free” but the startle reflex is still tamed. We used this for about a month when transitioning Crockett from his bassinet to his crib and it helped dramatically. After the Merlin Suit, we used the Zipadee Zip for a week or two then graduated to the sleep sack.
Zipadee Zip: This starfish swaddle is also great for arms up babies. We used this swaddle to transition from the Merlin Suit.
Sleep Sacks: We love two brands here.
Halo Sleep Sack: We use the Halo cotton sleep sack when we want a lighter outer layer, for example, when Crockett was in a helmet he was hotter at night. The Halo cotton sack has a TOG rating of 0.5. TOG is the measure of thermal resistance. It stands for Thermal Overall Grade and is the standard of measure for how much heat a garment retains. More on TOG here.
Kyte Sleep Sack: This sleep sack is extraordinarily cozy and soft because it’s bamboo. Crockett sleeps in this most nights. Look out for the Kyte sales (annually in July and periodically throughout the year) because it’s silly how expensive they are pre-discount. You can also buy at buybuybaby with your 20% off coupon. Infographic source: Kyte Baby.
And now, a piece of advice on swaddling and sleep transitions generally. Babies go through so many transitions and periods of growth and development their first year. It feels like their world (and therefore yours) is constantly changing. I learned that life was significantly easier and smoother if we did what worked now instead of constantly worrying about the future. I hesitated to use the Merlin Sleep Suit because it would create "one more transition" down the line, but what I realized is that by worrying so much about future sleep issues, I had created a bigger current sleep issue. Every baby is different. What works for your sister, your best friend, or even a sleep professional, does not mean it will work best for your baby. Follow your instincts and allow life to be easier RIGHT NOW without fear of retribution later. Yes, you can work on building positive sleep habits that will pay off later, but i'm simply saying if you find something that works great and is safe for your baby for the time being, that's okay and probably makes a wholeeee lotta sense to do! When it no longer works, you'll figure out what comes next. Just don't get caught up trying so hard to avoid future sleep crutches that you create very real current sleep problems. More about how I learned this the hard way in this blog post.
Helpful article on transitioning here.
(2) Side/Stomach
No gear here! All you need is you. A piece of unsolicited advice your mom, grandma, and every woman the generation ahead of you will likely to tell you is that babies sleep better on their stomachs. While this is true, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends back sleep as the only safe sleep for baby. Putting baby to sleep on his back has been shown to reduce the risk of SIDS. That being said, if you need to calm your fussy baby, placing baby on his belly either directly on your chest or on your forearm with baby’s face in your palm, is a great way to calm baby down.
(3) Shush
If you like sleeping with the windows open by the ocean, white noise is essentially that, but for babies. The goal of the “shush” is to mimic the sound of mom’s womb. It’s comforting AND blocks out all the noises in your house. White noise can be used to calm baby down and for sleep. From what I’ve read, it’s recommended to use actual “white noise” sounds for baby instead of ocean or rain or “shush” sounds.
Two household gems in this category:
Marpac Hushh: This is a highly portable and highly effective sound machine. It’s powerful for its size. I actually bought two of these because we loved and used it so much. We used this for Crockett’s first few months because he would sleep wherever I was (couch, living room, kitchen, bedroom) so it was nice to just pop this on the back of his sleeper or next to me if he was sleeping on me. I keep it in my diaper bag and use it on the go for car rides or appointments. Battery lasts about 10 hours.
Hatch Rest +. This multifaceted machine is great for a variety of reasons:
App Connectivity. Can control from an app on your phone. If you forget to turn the white noise on or need to turn it up because someone started jack-hammering outside, you can easily do so without going into baby's room.
Light + Noise. The Hatch also serves as a night light, which is great for MOTN feedings and diaper changes. The light setting comes in a variety of colors. We use red for bedtime and MOTN because I’ve read red is least disruptive for sleep.
Favorite Settings. Multiple “favorite” settings you can easily cycle through. During our bedtime routine I start on one setting with the red light bright and white noise faint and gradually dim the light and increase the white noise by simply touching the top of the machine to cycle to the next “favorite” setting. I also have a pre-set MOTN setting with enough light for me to change a diaper while the white noise continues.
Clock. There is a clock on it which is handy when you’re wondering what the hell time it is anyway. You can dim the clock light to pick how bright (or not so bright) it is and even turn it off if you want.
Audio Monitor. We never use this function since we have a baby monitor in the room, but if you needed you could use this as an audio monitor (perhaps when traveling).
Program feature. You can program nap times and bedtime to have the Hatch automatically go to a pre-set during specified times. You can also program a “time to rise” so that the white noise will slowly decrease and light will slowly increase to wake baby up (it's an extremely rare occasion in my house that we are waking up the baby so we haven't had a reason to use this feature yet, although I suspect it will come in handy during the toddler years).
Portable. The Hatch is portable. I don’t use it for on-the-go because of it’s size, BUT the wonderful thing about it being portable is you don’t have to worry about a MOTN power surge or power going out cutting off the white noise. It will continue to power on preventing a sudden disruption in baby’s sleep.
Double duty. We keep two Hatches in Crockett's room because we have a small house. One is about two feet from his crib and the other is next to his door (to specifically drown out hallway / kitchen noises). I have the "Decibel X" app and have measured the decibels where Crockett's head is in the crib multiple times ensuring that they are at a safe noise level. I am not a doctor so do not want to purport to give medical advice on white noise and hearing, so i'll drop a few articles below:
(4) Swing
Dr. Karp teaches the “jello jiggle”, which his bassinet (the Snoo) is designed to accomplish. (Jiggle, not shake). This is a technique to calm your baby and also help you baby fall asleep. Crockett was a big fan of the jiggle and all things "swing". To this end, two products we loved in our house...
Fischer Price Swing: Crockett loved hanging out in this swing and would occasionally nap in here. There were also some nights where I would put C in during the night and just lay on the floor next to him. Magic.
Baby Bjorn Bouncer: As a family, we LOVED this portable, light-weight and easy to store bouncer. Crockett was happy to be bounced in here and it’s extremely portable, which made this our most used item the first three months. This bouncer traveled with us to the kitchen, living room, bathroom, office, couch, kitchen table, pretty much every part of our home. It was a great way to be hands free (simply bounce with your foot), next to the baby, with him happy as a clam. I could carry the bouncer in one arm and the baby in the other room to room. So easy and so convenient. When Crockett started engaging with toys more, we got this toy bar to add to the entertainment value. The bouncer also served as our post-meal recliner. Crockett struggled with uncomfortable reflux, so after feeds we would put him in the bouncer for 15 minutes or so (without bouncing!) so he could be at an incline while his food digested a bit.
(5) Suck
Crockett was born a sucker. He found his thumb (accidentally) Day 1 of life and never stopped looking for it again. Once he could control sucking his thumb, he gladly did so, but before then, he was alllll about the paci. Finding the right pacifier is like finding the right bottle for your baby. Every baby is different so keep trying until you find the right fit! We had 7 pacifiers going at any one time---two in his sleeper, two on the changing table, one by the bath, one on each side of mom and dad's bed. That way at any given point we knew exactly where to go to grab a paci . C was not picky and loved all pacis. Mama loves the cuteness factor of the Wubbanub.
XOXO,
The Mom Next Door
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