The Gro-Snug Newborn Swaddle and Sleeping Bag
We've long been fans of The Gro Company and the innovative products they bring to the nursery market. We've tried a fair few of their products over the years so I was excited to be given the opportunity to try out their brand new product - the Gro-Snug - with Little E.
The Gro-Snug combines a swaddle with a first sleeping bag, making it perfect for newborns. You have the option of having the baby's arms inside for swaddling, leaving one arm out or having both arms free. It's easy to use and you don't need to worry about folding or wrapping, you simply place your baby inside the Gro-Snug and zip it up.
We received the Gro-Snug in Grey Marl for Little E (it's also available in Rainbow Spot and Pure White). The Gro-Snug is aimed at babies from 5lbs to 11lbs so Little E was up at the top of the weight range. He's never really tolerated being swaddled as his arms are very animated. Restricting his arms makes Little E a bit cross. In the interests of trying the Gro-Snug fully I did try him with the armholes closed and he didn't mind it for a little while but started to get a bit irate when he realised he couldn't free his arms. I then switched him to arms open which he was absolutely fine with. To do this you simply open the sets of two poppers which close the arm holes and then the Gro-Snug acts as a first lightweight sleeping bag.
The Gro-Snug has all of the usual quality features I have come to expect from my experience of The Gro Company products, so seams are finished well, zip ends have covers so they can't rub anywhere. The zip closes at the feet end so there's no risk of the zipper catching on little hands or faces. The chest panel on the Gro-Snug is reinforced to offer a stronger sense of reassurance for babies. For the armholes the poppers are fully enclosed so wriggly babies won't pop them open accidentally, they close firmly too. The shape of the Gro-Snug promotes the important 'frog leg' position for newborns and doesn't restrict the hips or legs at all.
The grey marl fabric used is beautifully soft, we've washed it a couple of times now and it's still as brand new. I wish I'd had the Gro-Snug from Little E being newborn as he had a strong startle reflex which often disturbed him in his first ten days or so. I did try swaddling him but used muslin swaddles and he was never happy with his arms being restricted in that way. I think that the stretchy fabric of the Gro-Snug, which allows a little arm movement, would have been much more palatable to him. We are still getting a lot of use from the Gro-Snug as it functions as Little E's first sleeping bag and he looks so comfortable and sleeps peacefully in it. The lightweight fabric is perfect for this time of year and I can feel confident in him being warm and cosy while he sleeps.
As with all Gro Company sleeping bag products the Gro-Snug includes it's own nursery thermometer which makes it clear for each product how many layers of clothing should be worn in addition to the sleeping bag for the temperature of the room the baby is sleeping in. I was quite surprised by this when I first came across Gro sleeping bags as it never seemed to be enough layers for an anxious mum but I followed the guidelines and they are very helpful in ensuring that your baby doesn't get too hot or cold.
The Gro-Snug is avaiilable in two weights, dependent on the temperature of the room it will be used in - Cosy - for cooler rooms between 16-20° C and Light - for warmer rooms between 21-25° C - we have been using the Light version which has been perfect for Summer nights. With an RRP of £22:99 I think this is excellent value for money for a product which takes the confusion out of swaddling and answers the question 'is my baby ready for a sleeping bag' simply.
To buy the Gro-Snug visit The Gro Store.
Disclosure: We received the Gro-Snug for review purposes.
