28 October 2013

Product Review: HALO Sleepsack Wearable Blankets

The month of October has been well known as Breast Cancer Awareness month. For many years now, Breast Cancer has been alleviated, prevented and treated at early detection because of several Breast Cancer advocacies. Nonetheless, another advocacy for the month of October has not yet been that known in the country, which is the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Awareness Month.  

As a woman, I have never been aware to this kind of advocacy not until I became a mother. I heard and have read stories of babies sleeping and never waking up, which made me more wary when my firstborn E arrived. Thanks to my mommy friends from  the The Mommy Avenue who have been my online advisers and to Halo Philippines for advocating safe sleep for babies and extending such here in the Philippines.

What is SIDS?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is defined as the sudden death of an infant less than one year of age that cannot be explained. Accordingly, it is the leading cause of death among infants ages 1-12 months. SIDS is a type of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death: suffocation, asphyxia, entrapment, infection, ingestions, metabolic diseases, cardiac arrhythmia, traumas (accidental or non-accidental) or SIDS. In the Philippines alone, there were recorded 172,483 extrapolated incidents of SIDS, making us second in the Southeast Asia Region being next to Indonesia as per The Right Diagnosis have monitored.  

Possible Causes

According to studies of the Remedy's Health Communities, SIDS risk factors include:

  • Stomach or side sleeping - SIDS occur more on babies who do sleep on their stomachs.  Likewise, because babies can roll over to their stomachs, babies put down on their sides also are at higher risk. Because of this, doctors place an important emphasis on back sleeping.
  • Soft sleep surfaces and loose bedding - water bed, sofas, pillows, plush toys and blankets are at higher risk for SIDS and infant suffocation. Co-sleeping is a related risk factor.
  • Excessive warmth  - babies who sleep with many layers of clothing and those who sleep in overheated rooms are also at higher risk for SIDS.
  • Smoking during pregnancy and secondhand smoke - Infants whose mothers smoke during their pregnancy are three times more likely to experience SIDS. 
  • Alcohol and drug use - Similar to smoking, these activities also make the baby susceptible to SIDS.
  • Teenage Births - SIDS often occur in babies born to teenage mothers than in babies born to older women. 
Reducing the Risks


Created by a father who lost his own daughter from SIDS, Bill Schmid was determined to prevent other parents from experiencing the same situation. he then founded Halo Innovations Inc, which from then on offered and catered HALO Sleepsack Wearable Blankets replacing loose blankets that can cover baby's face while sleeping and cause suffocation. It's a warm cuddly blanket that baby can't kick off to help baby sleep safe and sound. Today, the HALO Sleepsack Wearable Blanket is the number 1 trusted choice of hospitals and parents in US and Canada.

Winning Moment


Last July 12-14, Mommy Mundo held the Belly Blessed Fest 2013 at Podium Mall Atrium. They were dancing lessons, lectures from experts and of course, raffles! Luckily, I was able to get a HALO Sleepsack Wearable Blanket for my baby girl A! Well, thanks to my good friend Mommy Glaiza of Moomy Musings for actually winning it for me. Ahaha! 

Product Review


Advantages:
  • My daughter was never a blanket baby. She hated being swaddled. Halo Sleepsack was like a little cocoon for her, which made her less gassy.
  • Halo has different sizes. Just be careful what size you will be getting. It's but good that I got a medium size for my baby, which can be used up to 12-18 months old. Well personally, you can still let your baby use this if and only if she/he still fits on the sleep sack. If not, better get a larger size.
  • It's good for travel. Less the hassle since you don't have to worry about blankets being left on buses (if you do take a public ride).
  • Diaper changing wise. It helps mommies to keep baby warm even changing nappies.
Disadvantages
  • Practically speaking, I don't think it is advisable on hot weather (summer). It is important to note that the Philippines is a tropical country. It's good that we got the Halo Sleepsack just in time for the rainy season and cool breeze of Yuletide season.
  • Perhaps, it is not yet that affordable for some mommies. But Php 1450-Php 1500 is not that bad for a safer sleep for our baby and for our peace of mind right?
Elucidation on the Cons noted

It must be noted that the kind of fabric of the sleep sack that I got was a micro fleece. Practically speaking, micro fleece halo sleep sack is not advisable on hot weather. It must also be noted that the Philippines is a tropical country and that micro fleece fabric is recommended on chiller months. What I got was perfect for the Yuletide season and rainy days.

Asking how about those hot weather days? Fret not! Halo sleep sack has a cotton material, which is very suitable to tropical climates like ours. Halo sleepsacks' reason for being is to REPLACE LOOSE BLANKETS WHICH ARE DANGEROUS FOR BABIES. So where there is a comforter or loose blanket, (which are prevalently used in our country due to lack of safe sleep education) Halo is the safer alternative.

Secondly, on pricing issues: perhaps, it is not yet that affordable to some mommies. But Php 1450-1500 is not that bad for a safer sleep for our baby and for our peace of mind right? When we actually compute on how long will we use the product, it only comes down to Php 8/day! Also, Halo products are made with such quality and durability that they can even last till your next baby! Therefore, a low price does now always mean value for money. Sometimes, even if you pay a bit, more, you will get value far beyond from what you paid/pay for. Further, Halo sleepsacks offer a more economical replacement to those comforter set which averages from Php 2000-10,000 a set.

And because of this, at the end of the day, I loved the product! Hopefully, maybe in time, SIDS Advocacy will soon be pervasive. Let us spread the word through the following:
  • Like https://www.facebook.com/halophilippines
  • Read further details in http://www.halophilippines.com

Help save babies! Spread SIDS Advocacy!

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