Most parents’ top priority upon bringing a new life into the world as a newborn is to guarantee that their little one is happy, healthy, and safe. Swaddling has been a popular method for helping parents put their babies to sleep.
It will also make them feel more at ease for some decades now. This is because parents naturally want to provide their children with as much comfort as possible.
You should swaddle your baby for a variety of reasons, including the following: your newborn is having trouble remaining calm, they want you to hold them always, and they have difficulty sleeping or being awakened by their flailing hands.
Swaddling your baby can help with all of these issues. If you have had trouble swaddling your baby, it’s important to evaluate the possibility that the issue is not your newborn but your swaddling technique.
Each swaddling technique works for a certain circumstance. Your kid may feel a sense of calm and comfort as they acclimate to the new environment around them. This is if you are aware of how to use these techniques and when you should use them.
Arms Free Swaddle Technique
Your newborn cannot communicate their needs to you, so you will have to learn to read the baby’s cues as you adjust to life with them. Don’t worry if you see that your baby cannot keep their arms in the swaddle.
If the infant cannot turn over or pull the wrap to cover the face, it is fine for the baby to sleep with one or both arms out of the swaddle. A wearable blanket also called a sleep sack, can provide many of the same advantages as swaddling if this is the case.
Swaddling a baby without using their arms becomes more effective as the baby ages. As babies become more mobile, it allows parents and babies to settle down together.
Babies are able to improve their initially restricted capacities for managing the safety of their airways, temperature, and comfort when you swaddle them without involving their arms.
They will become accustomed to a sense of independence, which will help them build their muscles. In addition, they will learn how to self-soothe if you let their arms out of the swaddle at some point.
One Arm Swaddle Technique
With this technique, your child will continue to feel the same sense of comfort and safety that they are accustomed to.
Before you take off the blanket entirely, take it off one arm at a time for a few nights. After that, take it off both arms at the same time for a few nights (or more). This technique is ideal with a standard swaddling blanket as well. Alternatively, buy a swaddle that has an arms-in or arms-out option.
Two-Blanket Swaddling Technique
When using a two-blanket swaddle, the baby should have fewer layers of clothing on than when using a single wrap. This is to prevent overheating. Each layer of clothing is considered a separate layer.
It quiets the mind and makes it easier to fall asleep. In addition, since the baby’s arms are unable to move about, the baby is more likely to remain calm.
Babies begin to develop some muscle strength anywhere between the ages of three and four weeks old. As soon as they are able to free one of their hands from the wrap, you should switch to using two swaddles.
Hospital Swaddle Technique
The nurses in the hospital are typically the ones who teach new parents how to swaddle their infants properly. Your newborn can be comforted by simulating the environment of the womb by having a small blanket wrapped around their body in a relaxed manner.
The use of a hospital swaddle technique, if performed correctly, has the potential to be a useful method for helping to soothe babies and promote sleep.
What Are The Advantages Of Swaddling Your Newborn?
It may seem like a lot of extra work to swaddle your baby, but doing so can help protect your infant from their natural Moro reflex, which will result in better sleep for both of you! Swaddling your infant also comes with a number of other advantages, some of which are as follows:
- Your baby will have an easier time falling asleep and will sleep for longer and more soundly if you swaddle them.
- If you swaddle your infant, they are more likely to fall asleep on their back. This is ideal since it lowers the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.
- Swaddling your child helps keep their hands bonded to their faces. This prevents them from scratching their faces and disturbing themselves. This is because their hands stay bound to their faces.
- Because it imitates your touch, swaddling the little one can help reduce the amount of anxiety that your newborn experiences. It will assist in teaching your baby how to calm themselves down on their own.
- If your child has a stomach ache, swaddling them will help quiet them down.
If You Want To Swaddle Your Baby Safely, Follow These Tips:
- Swaddle just after the baby is born. Do not begin swaddling when the risk of sudden infant death syndrome is highest, between 2 and 3 months.
- If you leave your infant in the care of another person, you should ensure that they are familiar with the proper way to swaddle a baby.
- Do not swaddle the baby above the shoulders or cover her head with a blanket.
- If you choose to swaddle the newborn, make sure that you do so for every nap, whether during the day or the night. This will allow your baby to become used to the sensation of swaddling.
- Use a snug swaddling blanket, but don’t squeeze the baby. The hips and knees of your newborn should move freely.
- If your swaddled baby begins to show signs of rolling over onto her side or belly, stop swaddling immediately and place the baby to sleep on their back.
- Be sure to check the temperature of your newborn on a consistent basis. A possible contributor to sudden infant death syndrome is overheating. Use your two fingers to feel the back of the baby’s neck as well as her stomach.
- When swaddling your newborn, choose a thin, not too heavy, sheet.
The Right Time To Stop Swaddling A Newborn
Approximately three to four months after your child’s birth, or immediately after your little one begins to roll over, you should stop swaddling them.
When you do that, you provide the baby with the ability to use their limbs to help them adjust to the new position when rolling over. Swaddled babies are unable to do that because it restricts their movement.
Proper Swaddling Works
The safe sleep rules specifically forbid a loose swaddle.
Don’t consider easing out of the swaddle as the first step in transitioning your baby to sleeping without it. Instead, you should assist your baby in acclimating by swaddling them with one arm out, then both out, and lastly, without any swaddling.
To master the art of swaddling your newborn, you will need lots of time and patience. While it can be beneficial, it’s important to avoid risk by following proper procedures.