Love To Dream
Swaddle UP Original, 1.0 Tog
7.9/10 overall£27.99
An arms-up swaddle design that lets babies self-soothe with hands near their face while keeping hips loose and healthy.
The verdict
Swaddle UP is an arms-up swaddle, priced at £27.99, that lets newborns self-soothe with hands near their face while keeping hips loose, tending to mean fewer startle-reflex wake-ups. It's a strong pick for newborns who resist a traditional wrap swaddle, but it only lasts until your baby starts rolling (often 3-4 months), after which you'll need a sleep bag next.
The arms-up design is the whole point of this swaddle, and it's a genuinely different experience to a wrap-style swaddle - instead of pinning arms down, it holds them up and forward so a newborn can find a hand or fist to self-soothe with, which tends to translate into fewer startle-reflex wake-ups and longer stretches of sleep. The zip-free, snug inner pouch gives a closer fit through the body than most swaddles, while the outer two-way zip means night changes don't require a full unwrap and rewrap.
This isn't really competing head-to-head with the Grobag sleep bag so much as covering a different, earlier stage - the Swaddle UP owns the newborn window where arms-up comfort matters most, while the Grobag is the safer choice once your baby shows any sign of rolling, since a swaddle restricts the arms a rolling baby needs to right themselves. Most parents we'd point to this product end up buying both in sequence rather than choosing one over the other.
A strong pick for newborns who resist a traditional wrap swaddle or who seem to want their hands near their face to settle. Less suited to babies who show early rolling signs, or for parents who want one product to last from birth through toddlerhood - for that, the Grobag's longevity is the better investment.
It only has a short usable window - once your baby starts attempting to roll (often by 3-4 months), swaddling with arms restricted becomes a safety concern and you'll need to transition to a sleep bag, so budget for buying both products rather than one. It also runs slightly small and new parents often find it fiddly to fit around a wriggling newborn for the first few attempts before getting the technique down.
Is the Swaddle UP Original, 1.0 Tog worth it?
- Arms-up design supports genuine self-soothing
- Snugger fit than a traditional wrap swaddle
- Easy zip access for night changes
- Hip-healthy certified design
What are the downsides of the Swaddle UP Original, 1.0 Tog?
- Short usable window before baby starts rolling
- Fiddly to fit on a wriggling newborn at first
- Needs a sleep bag as a follow-on purchase
Specs
- Sizing
- By weight, roughly newborn to 6 months
- Material
- Cotton-rich jersey
- Fastening
- Two-way zip with arm zip-off wings
- Hip design
- International Hip Dysplasia Institute certified
- Tog rating
- 1.0 (also available in 0.2 and 2.5)
- Machine washable
- Yes
How we scored it
Self-Soothe / Arms Freedom
Whether the design lets baby get a hand to their face to self-settle, versus fully restricting arm movement.
Arms-up design lets baby find a hand to self-settle.
Safety & Hip-Healthy Fit
Room for natural hip and leg movement and overall adherence to safe-sleep guidance.
Value & Longevity
How many months of use you realistically get before baby outgrows or rolls out of it.
Only useful until baby starts rolling, so the usable window is short.
Weighted by importance for this category — see our editorial policy for how we test.
How this review was done
We haven't used the Swaddle UP Original, 1.0 Tog ourselves yet. This review is built from Love To Dream's published specifications and product information, and scored the same way as everything else on the site. We'll update it, and the badge above, once we've tested it hands-on.
How it compares
|  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £27.99 | £35.00 | £26.00 | £40.00 |
| Overall score | 7.9/10 | 7.3/10 | 7.4/10 | 7/10 |
| Sizing | By weight, roughly newborn to 6 months | 0-3 months (multiple sizes available) | — | 0-6 months, 6-18 months, 18-36 months |
| Material | Cotton-rich jersey | — | Cotton-rich fabric | — |
| Fastening | Two-way zip with arm zip-off wings | — | Two-way zip with shoulder poppers | — |
Frequently asked questions
How does the arms-up design help my baby sleep?+
Instead of pinning arms down, it holds them up and forward so a newborn can find a hand or fist to self-soothe with, which tends to translate into fewer startle-reflex wake-ups and longer stretches of sleep than a traditional wrap swaddle.
When do I need to stop using the Swaddle UP?+
Once your baby starts attempting to roll, often by 3-4 months, swaddling with arms restricted becomes a safety concern and you'll need to transition to a sleep bag like the Grobag - so budget for buying both products rather than one.
Is the Swaddle UP hip-healthy?+
Yes - it's an International Hip Dysplasia Institute certified design that keeps hips loose and free to move while holding the arms up, which the brand specifically markets as a hip-healthy feature of the product.
Is the Swaddle UP easy to fit on a newborn?+
It runs slightly small, and new parents often find it fiddly to fit around a wriggling newborn for the first few attempts, before getting the technique down and finding it easier on subsequent nights.
Do I still need a Grobag if I buy the Swaddle UP?+
Most parents end up buying both in sequence - the Swaddle UP owns the newborn window where arms-up comfort matters most, while the Grobag is the safer choice once your baby shows any sign of rolling and needs their arms free.
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Reviewed by
Sepehr
Software engineer, soon-to-be dad, uncle to four — the tech-obsessed half of the two of us testing this stuff. Currently building this site with my wife, ahead of our own baby arriving.