In the last few years, swaddling has gone mainstream. So it is not surprising that blankets for swaddling, once the crafty territory of doulas and hippie moms, have hit the market and are showing up in hip boutiques.

Everyone from Dr Karp (famed baby whisperer and author of "The Happiest Baby on the Block") to your seventy year old grandma, is telling you the multi-benefits of swaddling. More peaceful sleep, calmer baby, less colic, ok, ok - Sold! But finding the right blanket is no easy task. Like everything baby out there, there are a million systems. Why should swaddling be different? There are systems with velcro, systems with tails, systems with angel wings and systems like sails. It's all very Suessian.

But back to the Doulas and hippies. And the doctors, not Suess.

A recent article in Pediatrics* concluded that babies who sleep in swaddling wraps get twice as much REM sleep and sleep longer than other babies.The researchers used a very lightweight swaddle blanket to tightly wrap the babies. They also concluded that swaddling makes is easier to place babies on their backs, which studies have shown to reduce the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

Another recent study in JAMA** (the Journal of the American Medical Association) further concluded that babies sleeping in 2 or more layers of clothing (excluding a diaper) had more than a 6 fold increase in the risk of dying of SIDs. This study also recommended swaddling babies in a lightweight blanket. The Solana Swaddle Wrap™ is the only baby blanket on the market to conform to these current Physician Recommendations

The blanket is crafted of an oversized square of light and gauzy fabric, which gets softer with each wash. It allows the baby to feel your warmth and touch right through the cotton and is cool enough for Arizona summers, and a perfect first layer for Vermont winters. It's also cute in that simple chic way.

Solana Babywear sells the blanket along with Dr Karp's video. I cannot think of a more thoughtful gift for a new mom or a wiser purchase for yourself when pregnant. Listen to your Grandma and heed the baby whisperer! Mommies with Style enter coupon mommieswithstyle at checkout for free shipping.

*2002, December issue of Pediatrics **JAMA. 2002; 288: 2717-2723