reviewer
cncrned
Palo Alto, CA
Miracle blanket is a straightjacket.
1 star rating

Experienced Parent
Pros

    Helps baby sleep longer

Cons
    Retards baby growth.

SEP
16
2008

Miracle Baby Blanket — 

As a first time grandmother and experienced mother of three, I am horrified by the so-called 'Miracle Blanket' that restrains baby's arms and hands during the night.  Does it calm the baby?  Yes, when first put on.  Does the baby sleep longer?  Yes.  Busy working parents are quite pleased. 

But in the 'Miracle Blanket', does the baby develop physical skills properly?  Probably no.  My now almost-three month old grandson is put in the so-called miracle blanket 10 to 12 hours every night.  He has become reluctant to use his balled-up tiny fists for anything.  He flinches away when anyone touches his hands or fingers, or tries to open up his hands.  He is slow to reach out and touch objects in front of him.  The range of motion in his shoulders is poor.  The muscle tone in his shoulders and arms is poor.  Yet his less-swaddled legs are extremely strong.

When baby eventually gets hungry at night and starts to cry, he is completely restrained from waving his arms to build energy and strength.  He cannot wave his arms to release emotional tension, either.    I am a psychiatric social worker, LCSW, in California.



I_thumb_down Miracle Baby Blanket is not recommended by cncrned

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I_comment_shdw24 Comments about cncrned’s Review

 


AnaB wrote on Dec 9, 2008 at 4:12PM

I don't think the miracle blanket is meant to be used for such a long period of time, as another user mentioned; obviously the baby needs some time to interact and move about freely during the day - you can't swaddle him/her, then breastfeed and swaddle the baby again until the next feeding. I am about to have my own baby, but as far as I know - babies that are swaddled are much calmer and reasonable than those that are not. I have found The Woombie, which I want to try with my newborn, I think it is just as good as swaddling but mimics the woomb better as the baby can still move around but inside a cocoon. I'll be sure to review it here once I get to try it with my baby girl. You did bring up a good point though, hopefully your grandson's parents will realize what they are doing.

MBSwaddler wrote on Sep 18, 2008 at 10:53AM

This so called experienced grandparent needs to do her homework regarding swaddling and find out why the Miracle Blanket is aptly named. If she thinks a baby that never sleeps and whose parents never sleep will develop better, then she is not as smart as she obviously thinks she is. Her uninformed, anecdotal opinion flies in the face of the opinions and research of thousands upon thousands of REAL experts known as "pediatricians" and "child development researchers". And it is obvious that the Miracle Blanket does NOTHING that any other swaddling method doesn't do; it just makes it easier to do it right. She hasn't had a baby for a long time and things have changed - we've learned some great things in the recent past and one of them is how wonderfully beneficial swaddling is. For her to say that the COMMON issues her grandson displays has anything to do with swaddling is irresponsible. AND the blanket is labeled to warn against swaddling more than eight hours at a time or more than 10 hours in a 24 hour period - as should be practiced with any swaddling method. It sounds like her kids need to read the instructions.