This new swaddle design provides the one thing a child craves to fall asleep restfully: a mother’s touch.

After her second child was born, Manasi Gangan spent many sleepless nights trying to calm her fitful boy to sleep. Unlike her older son, nothing worked more effectively to encourage slumber than holding her new baby close throughout the night. “I discovered that a mother’s touch is an essential part of soothing new arrivals, aiding their transition from the womb into the world,” Mansai says, “so I created a swaddle of sorts that simulated my touch. Slowly my son started to drift off and stay asleep with little help from me.”

Protection of a mother’s warm embrace. Mansai’s invention has evolved into the first swaddle uniquely constructed to harnesses the proven power of a parent’s touch to soothe and comfort a child, combining it with the traditional benefits of swaddling, and providing a time-tested, truly safe and secure environment for your baby. Made from 100% cotton and containing non-toxic filling in parts, the Zen Swaddle™ system fastens with Velcro® closures and uses custom accessories to create the effect of a warm embrace: The Peaceful Touch uses gentle pressure like that of a hand resting on your baby’s chest, while The Loving Embrace surrounds your baby on either side, from torso to thigh, with the comforting, reassuring feeling of resting in your arms. Trials with babies show that using the Zen Swaddle enables them to self soothe through minor disturbances, increasing the duration of sleep.

What I learned through extensive research with medical professionals, research scientists and childcare professionals is that touch is integral to babies’ sense of wellbeing. Babies find restful sleep in the Zen Swaddle™ because it provides them with the calming benefits they receive from their parents’ touch.

Passionate about Parenthood. Last year, Manasi founded Nested Bean Inc. with a mission to manufacture the best, safest products that cater to babies’ needs -and provide parents with peace of mind. The Zen Swaddle is the company’s inaugural product. “I gathered a team of professionals with a wide range of experience -juvenile product design, engineering, marketing, retail and management- to join in this mission,” Mansai says. “Several ideas were created and discarded until we developed the Zen Swaddle, the one design that met all of our goals to perfection.” Designed for babies weighing seven to 14 pounds, the Zen Swaddle has undergone rigorous safety testing at CPSC-accredited labs. “The Zen Swaddle is close to my heart because I helped with product development and branding,” says children’s apparel expert Caletha Crawford, who introduced me to Nested Bean. “It will be available at some great stores, such as like Tottini in Seattle and Magic Beans in Boston, at the end of July.”

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