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Vanessa’s Story: Finding Sleep in a Sweltering Summer
Back to Baby Sleep
This story comes from one of our beautiful dreamers, Vanessa, who navigated newborn sleep during a sweltering summer. Her son was born in January 2023, in one of the hottest summers she can remember. As a first-time mum, she worried constantly about layers - was he too hot? Too cold? Regular wrap swaddles didn’t work, and blankets felt unsafe in the heat. The early weeks were overwhelming, but Vanessa learned to trust her instincts, as so many of us do and she shares what worked for her family and her tips for other mums facing the same uncertainty. 💕
Our Postpartum Experience
Those first weeks felt like a whirlwind. As a first‑time mum, everything was new and overwhelming for me and my partner. Our son woke every three hours like clockwork for the first two months, and the exhaustion was something we weren't prepared for and we had to figure out how to communicate through the stress. I leaned on my mum constantly and I’m still so grateful for her help. The baby blues blindsided me; simply saying “I’m a mum” could make me cry with the weight of it. No one warned me about the intrusive thoughts or how big those hormone shifts can feel but I’ve since learned many mums experience this, too.
With my second baby, parts of it were easier because I’d walked the road before. But my daughter was very different from my calm, relaxed son and was clingier, fussier, and happiest in my arms. I carried a lot of mum guilt with a 2.5‑year‑old who suddenly wanted Dad more, especially while I was recovering from a c‑section and exclusively breastfeeding. We stopped co‑sleeping and moved him to his own room, changes made with love, but still bittersweet. My partner returned to FIFO work much earlier this time, so I often handled a newborn and a toddler solo. Caring for a baby felt familiar; balancing two little ones was the real challenge.
Our Sleep Journey
One late night in the newborn trenches, mid‑Google panic about swaddling in the heat, I came across Love to Dream. He was just 3 weeks old when I discovered the swaddles, and I remember the moment so clearly, because it felt like I could finally relax. I showed my partner: “Look at these little sleeping bags - they look like starfish!” TikTok was full of parents using them, and that’s where I learned about TOG ratings and layering for temperature. I screenshotted the TOG guide from the Love to Dream site and referred to it constantly. The very next day I went straight to Baby Bunting and bought my first swaddles and for the first time I felt confident dressing my baby for sleep. The zip‑up design kept him safely covered and he slept better almost immediately.
There are two sleep moments I’ll never forget:
- At 13 weeks, while transitioning our son to the the arms‑out stage (the Swaddle Up Transition Bag), we were house‑sitting at my dad’s. I braced for the broken sleeps then opened my eyes to full daylight. It was 9am. He’d slept twelve hours straight. I shook my partner awake in shock: “He slept through the night! I slept! YOU slept!” From there, his sleep kept improving. It felt like the tunnel finally had light!
- Our little girl slept well at night in baby sleep bags from the day we brought her home - so well we had to wake her for feeds early on. Day naps were another story. I’d been using a blanket and she’d only settle in my arms, overtired and upset. One afternoon, with her losing it (think Jack‑Jack on fire), I remembered: swaddle for naps, too. I zipped her into her Love to Dream Swaddle Up, rocked gently, and five minutes later she was calm, content, asleep. Now I swaddle every nap; she sleeps longer, I can reset, and I get real time with my toddler again.
Peace of Mind
What changed everything wasn’t just better sleep, it was confidence. Understanding TOG ratings helped me dress a summer baby and later a winter baby without second‑guessing. The Swaddles & Sleep Bags keep my little ones warm and safely covered without loose blankets or overheating (both of my kids were expert escape artists!). I’ve used them with my daughter since the hospital, and at 12 weeks she sleeps in them every night and for every nap.
My new favourite helper is the Love to Dream Sound Machine. It’s portable, so it comes along to my toddler’s gymnastics and swimming; it even helps in the car. The light lets me check on her in the dark, and the soothing sounds calm her when she’s fussy. Small things like these make everyday parenting gentler.
Bottom line: Love to Dream didn’t just give us great sleep moments - it gave me peace of mind in two very different postpartum seasons. I happily recommend their swaddles, Swaddle Up, and baby sleep bags to every mum‑to‑be and tired parent I know. 💛
To all the parents or parents-to-be reading this...
I won’t sugarcoat it. In the beginning, things can feel so overwhelming. It might seem like a never-ending cycle of feeding, crying, settling, and second-guessing. But I promise, it truly does get better. I thought it wouldn’t, but it seriously does.
You’ll find yourself awake at random hours, Googling questions and searching for answers and then, one day, you’ll realise that so many of those answers now come to you instinctively. Parenthood is one of the most rewarding and challenging journeys you’ll ever take. I still can’t believe I’m a mum of two! But I must be doing something right to have come this far… and i’m still learning as I go.
What’s comforting is knowing that most parents out there are going through something similar. You’re not alone! Talking about your feelings with your close ones, especially fellow parents that will probably relate. It really does help. And in this day and age, we’re lucky to have so many thoughtful products that genuinely make this journey a little easier. Finding the ones that support you and your baby can make all the difference!
You learn how to be a mum or dad in your own way. You grow with your baby. You become this beautiful little partnership and over time, you figure out what works naturally for you both.
You’ve got this.
Vanessa 💛"
The Starfish Swaddle from TikTok
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