I initially thought that Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is just a rare occurrence, but I was so surprised to find out that it is actually one of the leading causes of babies’ death. More online reading led me to articles that relate real-life stories of parents who lost their babies due to SIDS! You kiss your baby good night, and then you wake up in the morning that your little one is already gone?! That scared the hell out of me.
According to studies, there are some practices that can reduce the risk of SIDS. I decided to stick on the said practices despite having oldies around me who kept on bugging me why Zayne’s crib looked so bare. Dapat may unan baka ma-flat ang ulo. Dapat may padding sa gilid kasi mauuntog. I patiently told them that it’s actually safer for babies to sleep on a bare crib with tight-fitted sheets. Si Zayne lang ang laman ng crib. No pillows. No blankets. No stuffed toys. We don’t hang clothes or lampin on the crib. (One time as I was looking for my baby pictures to convince my husband that Zayne really looked like me, I saw some of my baby photos. Ang dami kong unan sa crib with matching thick blanket! Was Mama trying to kill me? Hahaha! Thank God for the Internet. Parents now know better!)
Aside from these practices, I made sure that I was buying the safer alternative for my baby. I was given some blankets and swaddles, but I used them as a towel instead. I only used Halo SleepSack for swaddling Zayne. Yes, I am that kind of a praning mother.
One-day-old Zayne wearing a Halo SleepSack Swaddle
I went to a baby fair and bought two pieces of Halo SleepSack for Zayne. When friends asked me what I wanted as a baby shower gift, I would always say, “HALO!” My office mates gave me another Halo SleepSack. Don’t ever think that you’ll have too many of Halo SleepSack. Zayne soiled all three on her first two nights at the hospital! (She was a five-pounder baby so the diaper was still too small for her. Major poop tagas on the first day! Got the picture? Haha! :p)
Halo SleepSack was my lifesaver! This is not a sponsored post, ha! But I believe that it really is a great “tool” for parents. It is safer than using a blanket. Zayne was very ginawin. We even had to turn off the hospital’s AC because Zayne was crying non-stop. Giniginaw lang pala. The nurses put her in a double swaddle on her first night. The following day, I put her in her SleepSack with the AC still turned off. Ang sarap ng tulog! And because it’s a wearable blanket, I could just put her inside the sack and zip it. Medyo dumugo ang groggy ko pang utak with all the many folds that I had to do with the conventional swaddle! And I almost had a heart attack when I saw a part of the swaddle covering Zayne’s nose!
People were always surprised when we tell them that Zayne had already been sleeping through the night as soon as she turned a month old. Yes, there were times when she would wake up to feed or to demand for a diaper change, but she never woke us up for no apparent reason. I really have to thank Halo SleepSack for that. (The first time it happened, my husband and I jumped out of our beds asking, “Bakit hindi tayo ginising ni Zayne?!” Hahaha!)
I also loved the versatility of the design of Halo. I bought a newborn Halo SleepSack swaddle that lets the baby’s hands be covered, too. Iwas ginaw. Iwas gulat. Babies have the tendency to wake up with their own movements. ‘Yung anak ko pa naman, akala mo naka 10 baso ng kape sa sobrang magugulatin! A few weeks later, she started to discover her hands so I stopped using the arms wrap of the SleepSack.
All their SleepSacks also have the words BACK IS BEST in front. This is a good reminder for parents to always put their babies to sleep on their backs.
I also find it ideal for babies who are super active! There was this one time when I was too sleepy to put Zayne on her SleepSack. I ended up waking up in the middle of the night because her feet got stuck in between the spaces of the crib. Alam niyo ’yung sabi ng mga tanders tuwing makukulit ang mga bata dati? “Isasako kita e!” Ayun, less kulit while sleeping with Halo SleepSack! Hahaha!
Starting Position :p
O ‘di ba, tulog pa rin?!
A SleepSack was also a staple in our diaper bag for the first six months. It would come in handy during our monthly visits to the pediatrician.
My husband and I were too scared of co-sleeping with Zayne so she stayed in the crib for a few months. She started sleeping with us when she was around four months old. That was the time when she was aggressively feeding at night. I still put her on her ever reliable SleepSack. I only stopped using it when she was around six or seven months old. That is because she would wake up and immediately sit or stand up. Ayun, para siyang laging talo sa sack race! Hihi.
If you’re an expecting mother who just stumbled upon this blog, believe me when I say that Halo SleepSack is a very nice investment. Yes, I consider it an investment because it is quite pricey, but I am pretty sure that my future babies can still use the SleepSacks. My husband and I specifically bought neutral colors. When one of the sellers at the fair gave us pink, Boyet said while laughing, “Huwag pink Ate, susundan ko pa agad ‘to ng lalaki!” Hahahaha!
If you’re still single and clueless about what to give a friend as a baby shower gift, consider giving her a Halo SleepSack! You’ll definitely get the Best Tita for Life award! Hahaha!
But seriously, I consider Halo SleepSack as a newborn necessity. :)
Malayo pa ako sa pagbili ng Halo hahaha pero eto ang so far, pinaka comprehensive review na nabasa ko. Yung iba kasi parang ni-copy paste lang hahaha
ReplyDeleteBtw, I think napansin ko sa IG or in one of your posts re: sophie the giraffe teether. would you recommend it? or a splurge lang? a friend was asking it for her baby. mas bet ko ang review mo eh haha