Baby’s sleeping bag
A modern version of swaddling, Grosnug comes with zippers and clip buttons, writes Syida Lizta Amirul Ihsan
BABIES are born with Moro reflex, the involuntary movement of their hands when they feel like they are falling. Malays call it gayat (literally translated into fear of heights). This reflex makes babies startle and often disturbs their sleep.
Which is why swaddling is important and has been so in many cultures across the globe.
Malays call it bedung, often done with well-worn kain batik or kain pelikat to give newborns the comfort of a soft piece of cloth.
Swaddling keeps the baby feeling like he or she is in the mother’s womb, with a surrounding that’s snug and warm.
While some babies hate being swaddled, my 3-month-old son wants to be swaddled when he sleeps. I suppose he knows that will keep him sleeping soundly for longer.
The Grosnug is a modern version of swaddling that comes with zippers and clip buttons, instead of the traditionally large cloth wrapped around the baby. In short, Grosnug is a baby’s sleeping bag. Everything is encased, except for his head. There are openings on both sides, fastened with clip buttons for when the baby is ready to sleep with his arms out.
I tried the Grosnug on my son but for some reason, he doesn’t quite like it. It’s not tight, so he can wiggle his arms inside the bag, which makes him upset because he couldn’t stretch them out. On a traditional swaddle, he is wrapped snugly and only after a few hours, he would wiggle his hands out of it.
Time-saving
The good thing about the Grosnug is the zipper that allows for diaper change without taking the whole swaddle off. It saves time when a baby needs a diaper change in the middle of the night.
The cotton material isn’t exactly light so make sure your baby is appropriately clothed otherwise there is a risk of overheating.
For the Grosnug light, which is recommended for a tropical country like Malaysia, if the baby is in a room of 27°C, it’s best that he just wears diapers underneath.
Overall, while Grosnug readily gives a solution to a baby’s light sleeping pattern, it’s not as flexible as a large cloth that you can tighten and loosen according to your baby’s preference. Which is why I have to go back to large muslin swaddling cloth when it’s bedtime for him.
For more information and retailers, visit http://bloomandgrowasia.com.