It’s been a big year for Love to Dream NZ – busier than ever, but not without its challenges.
By mostly word of mouth, it seems, Kiwi parents are catching the global buzz of the unique Arms-Up™ swaddle that has been a ‘sleep saviour’ for those early months with a young baby. The sleepwear range then progresses through to transition swaddles, sleep bags and sleep suits for children up to age three, which are also extremely popular.
‘Hearing from parents who have used Love to Dream at the Baby Expos we do around the country is always encouraging,’ says Hannah, who works as the graphic designer for the NZ branch of the brand. ‘Often we have mums who walk past our stand and can’t help but say to us, “Your swaddles were the best thing for my baby,” and, “Your swaddles are the one must-have item I swear by for new mums.” They’re so excited to tell us how great they found them, and it’s really nice to hear.’
Tash, who works as the social media coordinator also attends the expos and adds, ‘Often they’ll be with their pregnant friends and explaining to them all about how the swaddles work and what they’ll need. We sometimes joke that they should join the team!’
The idea of the Arms-Up™ design does make sense – as many ultrasound images reveal – babies naturally bring their hands up to their face and mouth to self-soothe.
But, before the invention of the Love to Dream swaddle, there was nothing in the market that combined the benefits of swaddling with the ability for self-soothing.
Australian mum and founder Hanna-Lia Krawchuk realised this could be exactly what babies need when she was compelled to extensively research baby sleep solutions after enduring months of severe sleep deprivation with her traditionally swaddled firstborn son.
What she found led the established fashion designer to set about developing her own solution – a new kind of swaddle.
The purpose of a traditional wrap-style swaddle is to calm baby’s ‘startle reflex’ by restricting their movement, making them less likely to wake excessively. It also keeps baby warm without the need for blankets, and the snug fit replicates the womb, providing a familiar and cosy feeling for newborns. The age-old design was, and still is, loved by many – but it was about to get a revamp.
What emerged from Krawchuk’s earliest designs was the signature – and now revolutionary – ‘winged’ swaddle, which was able to achieve not only the snug swaddling effect with an Arm-Up™ design but also featured a twin zipper to make night-time nappy changes way easier, while keeping baby swaddled as they’re being changed.
The range of movement enabled by the Love to Dream Swaddle Up™ also contributes to healthy hip development, and the selection now available of swaddles of different thermal grades helps parents dress their babies according to the season and baby’s room temperature.
The unconventional swaddle was obviously a winning combination – brought to the Australian market in 2010, it was an immediate hit. Just twelve years on, Love to Dream is now sold worldwide in more than 45 countries.
A message from a grateful parent, Elise Bowley, came through to the team at Love to Dream NZ as we were putting together this piece. She thanked them for creating a ‘life-changing product’ and then wrote a google review, saying:
‘The love to dream swaddles are an absolute must have for new babies. First time mum here and we have been using the swaddle up swaddles for 2-3 months now, not long since our boy was born and he won’t sleep without it. He loves to have his arms up when he sleeps so this swaddle fits his needs perfectly and I swear it’s the secret to him sleeping 6-8 hour stretches though the night.
The two way zip is a life saver for those night time nappy changes and saves so much time compared to when we were trying to origami him in and out of a traditional cloth swaddle.
If you were thinking about trying one out, then this is your sign. A word to the wise though… buy two because it’s not fun when your only one is in the wash and baby won’t sleep without it 😂‘
Reviews like that are also all across social media, with many Kiwi Influencer Mums who swear by the range, including Charlotte (@lottiecairns), Kim (@mykiwiwelshfamily), and Claudia (@claudia.harris.x).
