How to swaddle a baby
Swaddling
is the ancient practice of wrapping a baby to help him sleep.
Swaddling
recreates the feeling of comfort in the womb and can help soothe the baby, but
in recent years doctors have questioned its safety. Therefore, it is important
to learn how to do it correctly, as well as to know the benefits and risks of
swaddling.
Where to get a swaddling cloth
Swaddling
cloth can be purchased at most baby stores. There are different types of
swaddling cloth. Some of them are simple
square or rectangular lids. Others look like bags and allow you to close the
baby. Some have extra flaps on the sides that wrap around your child's body and
secure with duct tape.
When to swaddle a baby
Most
often, you will swaddle your baby before he falls asleep and help him calm down
when he is naughty. It is very important to stop swaddling as soon as your baby
starts trying to roll over. It can be from 2 months of age. Sleeping bags or
comfortable blankets that don't squeeze your baby's arms and chest can be worn
for as long as you want.
How to swaddle a baby
Follow
these simple steps to swaddle your baby safely:
- Spread your swaddle blanket out and fold one corner down.
- Place your baby lying face-up on the blanket, with their head at the edge of the folded corner.
- With one hand on your baby, pick up the left corner of the blanket. Bring the blanket across your baby’s body. Tuck the blanket between their right arm and their body. It should go under their lower back and bottom.
- Gently straighten your baby’s left arm so it’s against their side. Pick up the right corner of the blanket and bring it across their body. Tuck it under their left side.
- Fold or loosely twist the bottom corner of the blanket and tuck it under your baby.
- The swaddle should only expose your baby’s head and neck.
- Don’t swaddle so tightly that your baby can’t bend their legs.
- Place your baby on their back to sleep, not on their side or stomach
Pros and cons of swaddling a baby
Swaddling
can help your baby sleep, but there are pros and cons. The benefits of
swaddling a baby include:
- Sleep better. For babies, swaddling is like going back into the womb. A study of 16 babies aged 10 to 16 weeks found that swaddling increased the time they slept and reduced the number of times they jumped up and woke up on their own.
- Less crying. A study of 368 babies who cried
excessively found that babies under seven weeks of age cried slightly less
after swaddling.
- Premature babies. Swaddling has been found to help
premature babies improve nerve and muscle development and better organize motor
movements.
- Soothing and pain relieving. Premature babies who were swaddled at the time of weighing experienced less anxiety than babies who were not swaddled. One study found that swaddling could help relieve pain in premature babies after a heel blood test.
- Sleeping position. Parents who swaddle their babies
are more likely to place them on their back when swaddling, which is the
recommended sleeping position for babies.
Disadvantages include:
- Increased risk of sudden infant death
syndrome.
Researchers say swaddling reduces arousal in babies, which means it's harder
for them to wake up. This may sound like a good thing. However, studies have
shown that lower arousal may be one of the causes of sudden infant death syndrome, the sudden unexplained death of a child under 1 year of age.
- Loose bedding. If your swaddling is done
incorrectly, your baby may squirm. This means the swaddling cloth stays loose
in the crib, which can block your baby's airway. Loose bedding increases the
risk of sudden infant death syndrome.
- Overheating. Because the swaddling cloth has
an extra layer, you need to make sure your baby doesn't overheat. Touch his
chest or the back of his neck to see if he's sweating or feeling hot. Remove a
layer of clothing or switch to a lighter, more breathable swaddling material
such as muslin or cotton.
- Development of hip dysplasia. Improper swaddling can increase the risk of hip dysplasia. The problem is how the hip joint is formed. The hip joint is a spherical joint. When developing hip dysplasia, the hip joint is not in the center of the cavity and in some cases can slide in and out. Studies have shown a link between tight swaddling and hip dysplasia. Cultures that traditionally swaddle babies with straight legs, like in a cradle, have higher rates of hip dysplasia than cultures that wear babies with flared hips. A traditional swaddling training program for Japanese grandmothers found a reduction in hip dislocation in infants from 3.5% to 0.2%.