Babies & Sleep: Why Your Child Loves to Be Swaddled

When you have a newborn baby, everybody around you is going to give you as much advice as they’ve ever heard. You’ll hear from half of a group of people that using a pushchair is not as good as wearing your baby in a carrier. You’ll hear from another group of people that putting your baby down to sleep with a blanket is just fine, even though the midwives and nurses and doctors and everything in science will tell you that empty cots are safest. There is one thing that your baby will love though, and that’s being swaddled.

Sure.There are some people who say that their babies fight the swaddle or they cry when they are going into a swaddle blanket. Whether you are gifted muslin swaddles or you know from pregnancy books that swaddling is ideal, it can help to learn why babies love it so much. When you consider the way that your baby has spent the past nine months swaddling is something they will love. Not only will it make them happier, it will make you feel safer that your baby is wrapped up and secure. Babies have spent so long in a squashed place that the idea of stretching out can be scary. They feel safer when they are swaddled and snug and tucked in. So here are all of the reasons that you should absolutely swaddle your newborn baby.

Did you know that swaddling can help to reduce the SIDS risk? The Journal of Pediatrics once quoted that swaddling helped with reducing the rate of SIDS. The assumption is that swaddling makes it very difficult for babies to cover their heads or face with blankets. It also stops them from rolling over because it keeps their arms in the same position. Of course, you should never put a baby to sleep on their stomach, especially not a swaddled baby. Swaddling is early to be used for babies on their backs and as you know from safe sleep guidelines, a baby on their back is a safe baby.

It is super soothing. Babies can feel very soothed by the swaddle that you have wrapped them in. Of course, it’s not going to immediately stop any crying or lull them into a sleep, but the process of being swaddled can actually make a baby quite frustrated because they want to thrash their arms while they cry, and you’re stopping them from doing that. Swaddling offers a good foundation for some other techniques such as white noise and motion.when you start with the swaddle and then add on other soothing techniques such as a pacifier or white noise your baby will come faster.

A swaddled baby will cry less. A baby will always cry no matter what, but if you have swaddled your baby you are effectively soothing them. By ensuring that your baby is wrapped up well, they feel warm and secure. Swaddling alone can help them with a 28% reduction in crying.

A swaddle isn’t a miracle thing to do but it is going to help you and your child – give it a go!