Moms report up to 2 hours of extra sleep (need I say more?).  Designed to mimic your touch, the Zen Swaddle by Nested Bean is an innovative swaddle that will bring baby comfort and deeper, longer sleep.  Combine the time-tested swaddle with the weight of touch and you have an unbeatable must-have for every home housing a newborn.

The Zen Swaddle made its appearance here at a convenient time — days before the birth of my son.  Obviously, as soon as it arrived I tucked it away in my hospital bag, thinking this would be much better than the hospital receiving blankets.  The first non-hospital issued garment to touch my baby was the Zen Swaddle.  So incredibly soft and well designed, this swaddle wrapped even my little newborn nicely.  He not only looked adorable, but also quite content as he snoozed his first days away inside the swaddle.

my sweet all swaddled and zen

The secret to the success of the Zen Swaddle lies in the weighted front panel.  The three areas (sides and middle) mimic your cradled arms.  This calms baby and offers them the security they need while you motor around about your day or attempt to get some sleep.  Perfect for turning restless babies into comforted, sleeping ones, the Zen Swaddle is a must for every expectant and new mom to own.  Touch, or in this case simulated touch, has been shown to trigger a self soothing response, improving baby’s ability to regulate stress.  The feeling of embrace and the snug swaddle combined create such a zen experience, baby can not help but drift off.

There are many parents who are intimidated by swaddling (though it is much easier than they think) and opt out.  It is a shame because, short of your arms wrapped around them, there is nothing more comforting to a newborn baby.  I’ve heard sighs of ultimate contentment come from my one week old just moments after being swaddled.  He sleeps better, longer and looks like the cutest little peanut in a swaddle.  The Zen Swaddle offers parents an easy way to swaddle, so not only is it superior in performance, but also in user-friendliness.

For the first month, slide baby into the center pouch (ensuring he won’t disappear into the sack), cover with the weighted panel, secure the left swaddle wing and then the right.  Pretty simple and any parent can do it.  Your swaddle skills can be nil because the Zen Swaddle utilizes Velcro.  Once baby is older than a month at least, they can be placed on top of the pouch, giving them ample leg room.  Hey, two sizes in one.  Baby can be placed arms in or arms out as well, depending on your preference.

So now we know it works, awesome, but how about we address the styling?  This amazing swaddle comes in Original, Dots, Pods and Wheels designs.  My baby wrapped above is in the Pods variety, which is just so beautiful.  The design has a very organic feel, drawing inspiration from the leaves, stems and buds of kumquats, but also has a minimalistic modern appeal.  If you know me at all, you know how much this pleases me.  It also features my very favorite shade of orange, just sayin’.  When I had my newborn swaddled in the Zen during my hospital stay, each shift of nurses oohed and ahhed over the beauty, and it certainly has made for nice photos.

Use the Zen for babies aged 0-4 months, 7-14 lbs.  High quality in design and materials, you can feel comfortable wrapping that delicate new skin in the Zen.  It is also machine washable and dryer safe, which I know for a fact as I had to test that out right away (darn fussy newborn tummies!).

Purchase the Zen Swaddle from Nested Bean for $39.99.

Product was provided by Nested Bean to facilitate this review; all opinions are 100% my own.