Aden & Anais Crib Sheet Review and Giveaway!

If you follow Nicki's Diapers on facebook, it's no secret that I am a huge fan of Aden & Anais blankets. The only person in my family that is a bigger fan of them is 4 month old Emmett! He LOVES being swaddled in the muslin wraps, both cotton and bamboo. When he's awake, there's no place he'd rather be than with his face snuggled against one, whether that's on my shoulder or tucked into a carrier.

After first discovering how much Emmett loved having his cheeks on an Aden & Anais blanket, I had thought about laying him down to sleep on one in his crib, but having a loose blanket in there at such a young age still makes me nervous, then I heard Aden & Anais was releasing a crib sheet and I could not have been more excited!

After receiving the Aden & Anais crib sheet, I was even more impressed! Aden & Anais products are always top quality and this sheet continues with that long-standing tradition. It washes up beautifully and soft and fits nice and snug on Emmett's crib mattress. It's been washed several times now and just like the blankets, it gets softer and softer with each wash. It's breathable, so my usually roasting baby wakes up without sweaty head :)  This sheet is unique in that it keeps baby warm in the winter and cool in the summer. No need to buy different crib sheets for different seasons, this one is perfect year round!

If you love the idea of having an organic crib mattress, but don't love the price tag, the next best thing would be an organic crib sheet! The Aden & Anais 100% Organic Cotton Crib sheets are made from certified organic cotton that is grown in an environmentally and socially responsible manner so you can feel good about putting your baby on it each night!

Whether you chose the Classic Crib sheets or the Organic Crib Sheets, there is a print or solid color to match every nursery! Emmett's crib has the Liam the Brave Flying Dogs that perfectly match his primary color nursery. In the ever growing baby industry, there are a lot of products out there, but this one is worth every.single.penny. It would also make a great shower gift for one lucky baby!

You can now get your own Aden & Anais Crib sheet for your little one! We have a full stock, but these are expected to sell quickly! Would you like to win one? Enter below!

Aden & Anais Sale! Select 4-packs 25% off!

Now through March 15th, get 25% off select Aden & Anais Muslin Wrap 4-packs!

Alpha Bit 4-pack, Baby Cakes 4-pack and Little Man 4-packs 

$49.95 SALE $37.50!!

Item of the Week

Snug & Tug Swaddle Blankets

$19.99 SALE! $17.99!

Item of the Week runs Tuesday through the following Tuesday!

Tuesday is DOUBLE DEAL DAY with overlapping Items of the Week!

Item of the Week

JJ Cole Swaddle Pouches On sale for $10.75! Item of the Week runs Wednesday through the following Wednesday! Wednesday is DOUBLE DEAL DAY with overlapping Items of the Week!

Weekly Giveaway

The wonderful people at Aden & Anais were generous enough to sponsor this giveaway! Here is your chance to win one of the ever popular Moo Cow Single Aden & Anais Muslin Wraps! There are a few ways you can enter. You can do each one of the entries however you must post back here to our blog and tell us WHAT you did. Be sure you follow the Nicki’s Diapers blog - publicly for your chance to win! We will choose our winner on Wednesday, November 17th.

How do you enter to win? (Each worth 1 entry per day unless otherwise stated)

• Follow the Nicki’s Diaper blog publicly.
• Blog about our giveaway and link back to our site. When you post back here you must link to the URL where you blogged. (2 entries)
• Follow Nicki’s Diapers @nickisdiapers on Twitter and Tweet about this giveaway. Leave the URL where you Tweeted.
• Tweet @nickisdiapers #clothdiapers (1 entry for each unique tweet)
• Like Nicki’s Diapers, Planet Wise and Best Bottom Diapers on Facebook - Be sure to state your facebook name when you post back here.
• Suggest the following facebook pages to your friends: Nicki’s Diapers , Best Bottom Diapers , Planet Wise. You must post back here telling us which friend accepted your page suggestion. (1 entry per page for each person you suggest that LIKES us)
• Grab our button and place them on your blog. Post a link to the blog here. (2 entries per blog - per button)
• Start or comment on a discussion on the Nicki's Diapers facebook page discussion board.
• Blog about "tricks" you use(d) to get your newborn to sleep and include a link to www.nickisdiapers.com (2 entries)
• Tag @nicki's diapers in a facebook post.
• Have a friend subscribe to our blog. Post their username in your comment. You can do this as many times as you can get friends to subscribe!
• Talk about Nicki's Diapers on any forum and include a link to www.nickisdiapers.com.
• Sign up for the Nicki's Diapers newsletter (enter your email address on the top right of our homepage).
• Start a thread about this giveaway on any baby or cloth diapering related forum and include a link to your thread. (2 entries)
• Tell us what your favorite Aden & Anais Muslin Wrap print is from www.nickisdiapers.com
• Place an order at nickisdiapers.com, myswimbaby.com or clothdiaperclearance.com between November 11th and November 16th. Include your order number in your entry.

Good luck to you all!

Swaddling Your Newborn

When my second son, Sean, was born, I was already well aware that one newborn essential was a good swaddling blanket. Little did I know that it would be a lifesaver.

Sean’s first two weeks were spent sleeping all hours. Then, like a light switch at the 2 week mark, the screaming began. It was all too familiar to us and we knew right away what was wrong. Like my first son, Ian, Sean has a milk protein allergy. I immediately eliminated all dairy from my diet, but unfortunately it takes 2 weeks to entirely work its way from my system and another 2 weeks to get out of his. In the mean time, we were left to deal with a baby that could not be comforted in any way, except to be swaddled.

Not only did Sean spend his naps and night swaddled, for those 2-3 weeks that he was still working the dairy out of his system, he spend the majority of his waking hours swaddled as well. It made him feel warm and secure and minimized the amount he cried.

Most people won’t have to use swaddling for such an extreme situation, but it’s nice to know just how effective it really is.

There are three main benefits to swaddling your baby.

1. Babies sleep longer- Because baby is used to being curled up tight and warm in the womb, swaddling mimics this feeling and allows them to relax and feel more secure. Also, babies are born with a Moro reflex that can cause them to startle themselves awake. Being wrapped tightly minimizes that built-in reflex.
2. Fewer scratches- When baby is born, they will likely have long, papery nails that can have sharp edges. Because their movements are jerky and uncontrolled, they will likely scratch their face. Swaddling keeps those arms and hands in nice and tight, preventing those not-so-pretty scratches.
3. Less crying- As previously mentioned, babies have a built-in startle reflex. The flailing of their arms and legs can scare them, causing them to cry. By keeping their arms and legs tightly wrapped, less crying results!

Our favorite swaddling blanket for Sean was the Snug & Tug. It’s a blanket made specifically for swaddling that features a large pouch that your baby can’t kick out of, and velcro closure to ensure that no amount of wiggling can undo the swaddle. The blanket comes in two sizes and 6 colors. We found that we needed to have at least 2 of these so that there was always a clean one. We did NOT want to have to go a night without one!

Some other fabulous swaddling blankets that we have at Nicki’s are the Aden & Anais muslin wraps and the Moby swaddling blanket. The Aden & Anais blankets come in a 2-pack or a 4-pack. They are super soft, lightweight (yet nice and warm!) and come in a variety of colorful patterns. They are very generously sized and can therefore be used for many other things, such a play blanket on the floor, a burp cloth, or a cover while nursing.

The Moby swaddling blankets are made of stretchy, 100% cotton in a variety of colors. They have plenty of fabric to get a nice, tight swaddle. Each blanket comes with a matching hat for your newborn and a matching drawstring storage bag.

Here is my poor little Sean at a play date with Corey’s daughter, Gretchen. What a difference the swaddle made!

~Annie