Many parents remain confused with whether they should swaddle their baby or not. If they should then how long to swaddle the little one. A few people find swaddling to be restrictive, which doesn’t allow the baby to move much and cause discomfort for the child. However, this fact is that babies adore being swaddled and parents should never hesitate in swaddling them at all.

Why Do You Need to Swaddle a Baby?

Swaddling brings the babies a lot of comfort. The main reason is that the baby gets a similar feeling when he was in his mother’s womb during swaddling. Various researches say that babies would do well with a few more weeks in the mother’s womb. However, since their heads would grow too large in that period, they won’t be able to pass through the birth canal.

Swaddling provides the baby a similar feeling, just like in the womb,swaddling keeps the baby held securely. So, for the first few weeks that should have been spent in the womb, swaddling can provide a similar feeling to the womb for them. Moreover, the world is an entirely different environment for a baby from the womb and swaddling makes the transition a bit easier. Swaddling also helps with the startle reflex which causes uncontrollable sudden movement of the limbs (babies may outgrow it after some time).

How Long to Swaddle a Baby

If you are living with a fussy baby, swaddling can be one of the soothing options. While how long to swaddle a baby can be a confusion for many new moms and dads. Following are some guidlines about how long to swaddle a baby.

Best Age for Swaddling

Babies start to act very fussy if they aren’t swaddled right from the start when you get back home from hospital. The fussiness is usually caused by flailing arms, the sudden limb movement (startle reflex) or just being unsettled and swaddling can help the baby in such situations. If you baby is around 3 to 6 weeks, you will find swaddling to be a surprising option to cure such fussiness. The baby would hit the peak of fussiness when he is 6 to 8 weeks old. Swaddling is quite common from the birth to 3/ 4 months. Swaddling can help a lot with decreasing or completely putting an end to the fussiness. Swaddling even ensures that the baby can stay asleep for long by preventing the flailing arms and the startle reflex.

When to End It

There isn’t a definite age or time when it becomes necessary to stop the swaddling completely. You should trust your own intuition and instincts after your baby is 3 to4 months old and also consider the baby’s needs and requirements like the amount of movement he needs and his behavior when he is swaddled before deciding when to stop using the swaddle. There is no need to get worried if your baby continues needing the swaddle and doesn’t sleep without it long enough even when 6-7 months old as some children do need to be swaddled longer than others.

Options for Better Swaddling

There is the chance that the baby might roll over while being swaddled once he grows a little older and there is a tendency in mothers to stop using the swaddle at such a stage even if the baby doesn’t fall sleep long enough without it.

• Sleep Positioner

A better solution to the problem is to use a sleep positioner like a SafeT sleep which ensures the baby not roll over onto the stomach while swaddled.

• Sleep Sack

A sleep sack is another swaddle option that can be used once the baby grows old so that he can move his arms a bit more easily. Even though the sleep sack provides more room for moving arms around, it still provides the baby similar amount of protection as the other swaddle options.

Here is a video sharing more tips on how long to swaddle a baby:

How to Swaddle a Baby

Step 1:

To start with, pick up a thin and large blanket and spread it out. Fold a corner of the blanket slightly and then lay down your baby on the blanket on his back with his head over the edge of the blanket’s corner that you had folded.Move up the corner of the blanket (lying towards the legs) and put it across his body and then tuck it underneath him.

Step 2:

When picking up the corner of the blanket lying towards your baby’s legs, make sure to fold it in such a way that there is room for the baby’s feetmovement. If the swaddle is too tight, it might lead to overheating of the baby’s body while there is also a chance that the baby might develop hip dysplasia (causing the baby’s hip to be partially or totally dislocated). If your baby has dysplasia already, you shouldn’t swaddle him.

Step 3:

Once you have folded the bottom of the blanket, fold the sides of the blanket. Fold the right side first by moving the corner of the blanket across the body of the baby and then tuck it underneath the baby’s body. Then fold the left side similarly so that only the baby’s neck and head remain exposed.

Step 4:

After you have completely swaddled the baby, ensure that the baby remains on his back at all times. If the baby rolls over onto his stomach when swaddled, the baby would face problems with breathing while the chances of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) would increase as well in such a case. Therefore, once your child learns how to roll onto his stomach, you should stop swaddling him. If you have any problems when swaddling the baby or have any concerns, make sure to call the doctor.

If you want to know more about how to swaddle a baby, the following video can give you professional and detailed demonstration:

Swaddle Tips

• Don’t Straighten the Legs

Paediatric orthopaedists recommend that the baby’s legs should not be straightened or should not be pressed together tight when being swaddled.

• Tightly Tuck in the Top

The baby is capable of loosening the blanket with his movement if the top isn’t tucked in properly. So make ensure that the baby’s arms are kept straight and the top is tucked in tightly when swaddling your little one.

• Keep Checking for Overheating

There is a chance of overheating with swaddling. Sweating around the neck and ears or redness around the neck and ears are signs of overheating. Once you realize that the baby is overheating, you should remove the swaddle and then take off a layer of the baby’s clothing before swaddling him again. You can also turn on a fan to cool the baby down being swaddled.