The Ollie Swaddle Review

The Ollie Swaddle Review ~ Maman Loup's Den
I received this item free for review. All opinions and cute swaddled babies remain my own.

You know what I suck at? Folding stuff. Fitted sheets, unless my Mom is visiting and folding them for me, wind up in a crumpled stack in my closet. I am equally challenged by re-folding a map after consultation. Thus, it can be expected that hours after giving birth, my already limited mental capacity is not sufficient for proper swaddling. Luckily, I was awake enough to remember I had packed The Ollie Swaddle in my labour bag! The Ollie Swaddle is designed to be effective and super easy to use. There are very few tasks I could have successfully completed at the moment I first wrapped Little Miss Cub in her silky soft pink cocoon, and luckily, securing velcro was one of them!

The Ollie Swaddle Review ~ Maman Loup's DenWhile we definitely did plenty of skin to skin, there came a point during our hospital stay when I had to put Little Miss Cub in her aquarium (aka: plastic bassinet) and try to get some rest. The trouble was, the nurses found she was just warm enough. In other words, if her body temperature were to drop any more, she would have to be taken and put under the heat lamp. The nurses, of course, were professional swaddlers, but I wasn’t about to call them in every time I changed a diaper to re-do the swaddle. The Ollie Swaddle allowed me to feel somewhat competent, and helped Little Miss Cub stay warm and secure when out of my arms. When the nurse came to check on us in the morning, she was impressed with it, too!

The Ollie Swaddle simply stays snug and stays put better than a regular blanket folded into a swaddle. This is great for kicky babies and for passing baby around for cuddles without her coming all untucked. Little Miss was wearing her Ollie Swaddle when she met big brother:

The Ollie Swaddle Review ~ Maman Loup's DenLittle Miss Cub, like her big brother (and her Papa), seems to sleep best with her arms above her head. The Ollie Swaddle is great for that, too. I wrap it under her armpits so she still feels securely enveloped. I find she sleeps longer stretches at night when swaddled, and I can easily fumble through a diaper change in the dark without having to re-do her swaddle. (You just open the Ollie Swaddle up at the bottom and roll it up over the legs to change a diaper… no need to full unwrap baby!) vOn warm nights (and there have been a few unseasonably hot summer nights in Calgary lately), I just put her in a onesie and her swaddle. She sleeps mainly between me and Papa, so she’s plenty warm enough. For cooler nights I like to combine one of her gowns (my favourite is her Kickee Pants gown from Gentle Nest) under her swaddle. The gown means easy access to change her diaper once I undo the bottom of the swaddle, plus the little hand covers on the gown keep her fingers toasty since her arms are not wrapped inside the Ollie.

Putting baby in The Ollie Swaddle is super easy. It’s essentially a blanket with Velcro on each end. I sat in my hospital bed watching the how-to video on YouTube only to realize that there is no special trick or technique: just wrap baby tight and secure the sturdy hook and loop closures. (If you’re a cloth diaperer, it may be useful to know that the hook & loop on The Ollie Swaddle is like the awesome hook & loop used on GroVia diapers: super strong.) If you want, you can secure the bottom of the swaddle with the attached elastic band. Then your baby looks like a Bubble Guppy!

The Ollie Swaddle is designed for use from birth to about 4 months. According to the folks at Ollie (whose social media presence, especially on Instagram, is superb), the swaddle:

[Is] designed to decrease fussiness and assist in self calming; improves quality and duration of sleep; [has] elasticity to allow freedom of movement; [is] made to grow with your baby [and is comprised of a] custom developed moisture wicking material to reduce overheating.

The Ollie Swaddle comes with a mesh laundry bag to protect it in the wash. The bag is also super handy for washing your nursing pads so they don’t get all mixed up with the rest of the load, by the way.

Both at the hospital and at home, The Ollie Swaddle is definitely one of my newborn essentials. 

Shop & Connect

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Visit The Ollie World or shop at Amazon.com (affiliate link).

Does your baby like to be swaddled?





4 responses to “The Ollie Swaddle Review”

  1. I’m afraid I must insist on seeing photos of Little Miss looking like a Bubble Guppy 😉

    1. Lindsay Gallimore

      Well, photo two has her tail!!

  2. Brother K

    Last night intactivists brought the Ollie Swaddle to its knees on
    Facebook and on the Internet for its boast that its product comforts a
    baby after his circumcision. Intactivists commented on their post with
    strong educational messages & links, and the company began deleting
    comments as soon as they were posted. At one point it appeared that 10
    comments a minute were being deleted. I was surprised the page didn’t
    see the public relations disaster they had created with their implicit endorsement and advocacy of baby circumcision. Intactivists were all over their Twitter and Instagram
    posts as well. Slowly the company’s wall crumbled beneath the avalanche
    of scorn and criticism, and they deleted their Facebook posts and the
    others on social media, and then they unpublished their Facebook page.
    The silence and complicity of the American Academy of Pediatrics
    makes our work very difficult but I am amazed at the power of
    intactivism in the social media. Circumcision is a shameful act, and
    tens of thousands of people saw the controversy firsthand on the
    Internet last night. I am proud to be a part of this movement to stop
    the most brutal human rights abuse in America in the 21st century.

  3. Angela Erdstrom

    The maker of the Ollie Swaddle supports and promotes forced genital cutting of children, which is a human rights violation, whether the child is female, male, or intersex.

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Welcome to my Wolf Pack!

My name is Lindsay and I am a 40-year-old mama of four trying to live an eco-friendly, budget-friendly life! I am a substitute teacher and Child Passenger Safety technician in Calgary, Alberta. Join me on my adventures!

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