aden + anais and the CJ Foundation

About aden + anais®:

aden + anais was founded by two Australian mothers who missed their native muslin cotton swaddling blankets. After three years and nine muslin cotton baby products, aden + anais has received the Creative Child magazine 2007 Seal of Excellence and several prestigious iParenting Media Awards. www.adenandanais.com

About the CJ Foundation for SIDS:

The CJ Foundation for SIDS is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the special needs of theSIDS community through funding SIDS research, support services and public awareness programs. www.cjsids.org

I’ve previously done a review/giveaway of aden +  anais’ Hooded Towel and Washcloth set, and I’m happy to be able to tell you about another product, the sleep sack.  The CJ Foundation for SIDS and aden + anais have teamed up to increase awareness about SIDS and offer you this great giveaway.

SIDS is one of the biggest fears looming over parents for the first months and years of a baby’s life.  I know that I kept a flashlight under my pillow for at least a year so that I could go and check if Brandon was breathing several times a night.  Call me crazy, but over 2000 babies in the US die of SIDS each year!  I have a friend whose family member had a 1.5 year old die in his sleep.  It was SO sad.  They had no idea what happened, and even the doctors had no answers.  The child could already sit up, stand, and roll over by himself.  :(  They’re not sure if it was SIDS or not, but it’s important for us all to know about SIDS and what steps we can take to prevent it.

The latest research shows that overheating is one of the biggest causes of SIDS.  Check out this article:

New York, NY—February 4, 2010 – With the coldest of the winter months now upon us, parents and caregivers are more likely to crank the heating and reach for plush, thick blankets to keep their babies warm. Infants who are overdressed or covered in heavy blankets or many blankets are at higher risk for SIDS.  It is very important for babies to be dressed lightly and comfortably to avoid overheating. The CJ Foundation recommends the use of wearable blankets and sleep-sacks in place of blankets to keep infants warm while sleeping.

aden + anais®, creator of the original muslin swaddling blanket and unique muslin cotton sleeping bags, is proudly sponsoring the CJ Foundation for SIDS and their continuing efforts to educate parents about the importance of not over-bundling and over-heating their infants. Over 2,000 babies in the United States still die of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) each year, and overheating is a leading risk factor.

In an effort to support the CJ Foundation for SIDS’ mission, aden + anais® began sponsoring the foundation in October 2009 during SIDS Awareness Month. Each aden + anais® product is made of 100% breathable muslin cotton, which allows baby’s body temperature to adjust naturally, reducing the risk of overheating.

The CJ Foundation recently launched its Sleep in Safety, Grow in Style (SSGS) campaign to help educate parents about the importance of designing safe sleeping environments for babies. aden + anais® is working to help the CJ Foundation inform parents of the many ways they can keep their baby safe. While over-heating is one risk-factor for SIDS, SSGS and aden + anais® seek to educate parents about this and the other risk-reducing, precautionary practices:

• Consider the use of fans to increases ventilation
• Room temperature should be comfortable for a lightly-clothed adult, approximately 61-67 degree Fahrenheit
• Cribs should be totally free of all loose blankets, stuffed animals and crib bumpers
• Lay baby to sleep in an improved crib, on a firm mattress; do not let the baby sleep on soft things, like a couch, pillow, sheepskin, foam pad or waterbed
• No smoking when pregnant or near baby
• If possible, breastfeed baby
• Offer a pacifier at bedtime
• Co-sleeping should be in the same room but not the same bed or other sleep surface as parents

I think that no matter what you do (even if you don’t agree with everything in that article), it’s just important to be aware of all the issues and use your own judgement with your child.  Check to see if your child is too hot or cold at night, and make sure there is ample air circulation in the room – sometimes I’ll turn the air conditioning on for a few minutes, then turn it back off, just to get the air flowing.   Some people keep a small, quiet fan in the baby’s room, which is also great for some white noise.  If you want to be paranoid and anal like me, keep a little flashlight around so you can check on him periodically, or buy a video monitor.  I also use that to watch his little chest go up and down.

The aden + anais Sleeping Bag is a great way to make sure your child is warm enough, and the 4 layers of soft, breathable muslin fabric allows the child’s body temperature to adjust naturally so you don’t have to worry about blankets or overheating.  They also carry a “Classic Sleeping Bag” which is the same thing, but only 1 layer of muslin for the warmer days.  I didn’t know about the sleeping sacks when Brandon was a baby, but I plan to try them out with the new baby.

Buy One!

The aden + anais cozy sleeping bag retails for $39.99 and is available at adenandanais.com, amazon.com, or a store near you.

Win One!

aden + anais would like to offer one lucky babybix blog reader their very own cozy sleeping bag!  This is a $40 value!

To enter this contest, simply fill out the form below so I know how to contact you.  You must do this before you can do the extra entries below.

** Contest ended – Congrats Katie! **

For extra entries:

• Visit aden + anais and tell me what other product you like – leave the link.
• Tell me who would be the lucky recipient if you won.
• Tell me what store near you carries aden + anais.
• Tell me what your child wears to sleep (or what you plan to have your child wear).
• Follow aden + anais on Facebook or Twitter @adenandanais.  One entry each.
• Follow babybix – follow me on networked blogs, Friend Connect, become a Facebook Fan, follow @babybixcom on Twitter, or subscribe to my RSS feed. One extra entry for each one.
• Spread the word – RT this giveaway and leave me your Twitter ID (can be done daily), write an entry in your blog and link to this giveaway, or place my link in your blogroll.  One extra entry each.
• Go to babybix.com, sign up for an account (free) to track your child, and tell us what your favorite feature is.  If you already have an account, just let me know what your favorite feature is.
• If you haven’t taken my survey yet, you can get an extra 5 entries to any giveaway!
• Support the new babybix iPhone App (up to 12 extra entries)
• Add my logo to your site:



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• Help spread the word about the Baby Shower Event – add my button to your website (3 entries), blog about it (2 entries), tweet about it (1 per day), or tell me what other way you helped spread the word!

<a href=http://babybix.com/blog><img src=http://www.babybix.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/babyshower.gif></a>

If you do any of the above, please leave a comment saying which one you did.  Feel free to leave multiple comments if you do multiple extra entries.

This contest is open to US residents.  I will select a random winner on 4/5, and the winner will have 48 hours to reply to my email or I will select a new winner.  Good luck!