Miracle Blanket Review

The Miracle Blanket was invented by Mike Gatten, father of 3, after experiencing many sleepless nights with a colicky firstborn. In order to avoid this with babies 2 and 3, Mike used his extensive research to come up with solutions, and the Miracle Blanket was born. After more than a year of researching, developing, and testing, the company officially launched the escape-proof swaddle wrap in 2002. Since then, the Miracle Baby company has expanded to include sleep sacks and clothing in its line of products and is now based in Alabama.

Performance Comparison

Likes

The Miracle Blanket is an item of baby sleepwear that falls somewhere between a traditional swaddle blanket and a transitional sleep sack. According to the Miracle Baby website, what makes this swaddle so effective is that it combines classic swaddling with lateral abdominal pressure providing babies with a cozy and secure feeling that helps to calm and soothe. With a pocket for the legs and two small flaps to keep the baby's arms in place, it is much easier to get a secure wrap in the Miracle Blanket and it is less likely that your baby will be able to wriggle their arms out, even if you have a little Houdini on your hands. A long stretch of fabric wraps around the baby multiple times so it is essentially self-securing, which means no tucking or folding is required. This will be a huge relief to some parents who like the idea of traditional swaddling but find it nearly impossible to master. Miracle Baby also has very helpful instructions on their website for new users.

We love that it is free of zippers and velcro. You can wrap the swaddle as tight or as loose as you want without the restriction of a fixed zipper and there are no hard or scratchy materials that may get in the way of your baby's comfort. The lack of Velcro also means that there is no loud trsschht sound if you have to readjust the wrap. This can feel like an absolute god-send to parents who just worked so hard to shush their baby to sleep. Velcro also tends to wear out quickly and can snag other fabrics during use or a wash cycle, so we prefer to avoid it altogether.

The Miracle Blanket can be used from 0-14 weeks, or until your baby starts to roll over. At just over 3 months, this is an average usage range for the swaddles in our review, however, the durable construction and 100% cotton material make this a product you can save and pass down to a little brother or sister. Because there is no fixed sizing, you can be sure that it will fit your baby, no matter how tiny or chunky.

Dislikes

We love the Miracle Blanket, however, it is not for everyone. It is not as involved as using a traditional swaddle blanket and you don't have to learn a very complicated technique, but it does require more work than a simple zippered swaddle. There may be a bit of a learning curve before you find a method that works best for you and your baby.

The wrapping process is fairly straightforward. One flap over each arm then under the baby's back to keep them secure, and then you wrap… and wrap… and wrap. Some users mention that there seems to be an excessive amount of fabric to deal with, and it tends to get tangled and twisted if you don't lay it out flat beforehand. The multiple flaps under the baby's back can also become lumpy if you don't take special care to tuck it securely. We also find that with the greater freedom of wrapping style, there is more room for error until you have your method down.

After the wrapping process is complete, your baby is surrounded by 4+ layers of fabric, and there is no option to remove layers from this swaddle if you feel your baby is getting too warm. Taking extra care to dress your baby appropriately for the temperature of their nursery can help you avoid this. Miracle baby indicates that the cotton material that they use for their blanket is a 3 season fabric for their blanket, and it is best suited for nurseries between 67°-72°F.

Conclusion

Bridging the gap between traditional and modern swaddling with high-quality material and an escape-proof design, the Miracle Blanket is one of our favorite swaddles out there. The unique wrap style brings along our favorite aspects of a traditional swaddle blanket, but does not involve a complicated folding and tucking process. The soft material is cozy for your baby and the material stays sturdy through heavy use. This is our first choice for newborn swaddling and we think it is a great option for most parents and babies.