Sleepea, the new swaddle from Happiest Baby, “takes all the origami” out of swaddling and makes it simple. Dr. Harvey Karp, author of The Happiest Baby on the Block and more, is taking his 5 S’s and putting them to action with this new product.
The 5 S’s entail swaddling, side or stomach position (to calm a fussy baby), shush (not necessarily meaning quiet, but using calming sounds), swing, and suck. You can read more about each step here.
“If you imitate the womb, you’re able to flip on the switch called the calming reflex, which is kind of almost an off switch for crying and an on switch for sleeping,” Karp says.
Sleepea builds upon Dr. Karp’s extensive studies into babies’ sleeping patterns. The swaddle is designed to make swaddling a five-second affair. An inner band keeps the baby’s arms at its sides, and two mesh sections—one at the top and one at the hips—ensure the baby doesn’t overheat and helps parents ensure the hips are in the right position. The Sleepea can also be unzipped without undoing the swaddle, making for easy diaper changes, and is made with quiet Velcro and from organic cotton.
“Parents get very confused about swaddling and they go, ‘Well, my baby doesn’t like it, or my baby wants their hands free,’ and what I like to tell parents is that your baby doesn’t get a vote yet,” Karp says. “They don’t know what’s best for them. We’re overly urgent to what we think the baby wants, but the baby doesn’t know.”
And what do babies need? Karp says the swaddle keeps their world small as it was in the womb, and that’s what comforts them, whether or not they take to it immediately. The effectiveness of the swaddle is also a huge part of how the baby responds. The Sleepea takes too-loose or improperly executed swaddles out of the equation.
The Sleepea is available in graphite, sky, rose, and teal. For more information on Sleepea and Happiest Baby’s other products, head to happiestbaby.com!
