Think Your Baby Hates Being Swaddled?

I see dozens of visitors per day who find their way here by Googling "my baby hates to be swaddled."  Typically, this search leads them to my post about Aden & Anais swaddles, but I'm hoping this post, dedicated to all you moms who have babies who fight the swaddle, will be helpful, enlightening, and at best, help you get a few hours of extra sleep.

Let me start at the beginning.  When I had my first baby, I knew nothing.  I had never changed a diaper, burped a baby, or done much more than hold my niece and nephew.  So after groping my way through the first week, I decided to join a New Mom's group (if you live in Boston, Isis Maternity ROCKS) and meet some new moms who were going through the same stuff as I was and maybe even learn something.  

I seriously underestimated just how much I'd learn in these first few weeks.  But if I were forced to pick the one most vital thing I learned at my new mom's group it would be the importance of swaddling my baby.

My motto?  Swaddle early, swaddle often.  And oh, not every swaddle is created equal.  But the key to the perfect swaddle, as I was taught, is to wrap the baby very tightly.  My mom used to tell me I was putting my baby in a straight-jacket, and could she even breathe?  Yes, it was like a mini straight jacket, after all, the idea is for baby not to startle him/herself awake so keeping them snug is the idea.  And yes, she could breathe, not to worry.

Start with the right blanket.  Those teeny tiny fleece-like jobs they wrap baby in in the hospital are NOT, I repeat NOT swaddle blankets.  The best choice is one that is large and stretchy.  I used thermal blankets that were 100% cotton since they have great stretch and they breathe (another good choice is Aden & Anais).  It should be at least 30" x 40" and I found Gerber made a good, inexpensive choice.

So, big, stretchy, breathable.  Now here's what you do with it:

1. Lay the blanket in front of you in a square (none of the folding any corners stuff - just a square or rectangle).
2. Lay the baby down in the top-middle of the blanket, neck outside the blanket.
3. While baby's arms are snug by her side, take the upper left corner and fold it over her body on the diagonal so her left shoulder is covered.  Bring the blanket down under the right side of her body and wrap it under VERY SNUGGLY, leaving the right arm out.
4. Do the same with the right side, only wrap the blanket snuggly under the left side of baby's body.
5. Now you have all this material at the bottom.  Fold all that material upwards toward baby's chin.  baby usually sleeps with her legs in a frog-like position and this is comfy for her so be sure to account for that when snuggly folding the material.  Now wrap each side of the material under baby, pulling it around her little body SNUGGLY.
6. Voila - straight-jacket-like swaddling.

If you do this properly, there's little chance your baby will break free.  When my girls were infants and didn't move around much, I would re-inforce this whole thing by wrapping another blanket around it, basically securing it completely.

Sound crazy?  Research has shown that swaddled babies sleep longer and more soundly than unswaddled babies.  And since sleeping and eating are the bane of any new baby's (and parents) existence, need I say more?

Oh, and your baby DOES NOT HATE TO BE SWADDLED (or at least, most don't).  He or she might not enjoy the act of being wrapped tightly and messed with, but once he or she is asleep, chances are he or she is thanking you in their own way - by sleeping longer.

  Extra swaddling tips:  After laying your baby down tightly wrapped, roll up two receiving blankets and tuck them next to her body for extra coziness.  Keep in mind, she's just spent 9 months all warm and curled up inside Mom's belly - anything less is just unacceptable!

 

Comments

[Megan]

I liked the Miracle Blanket for my son. It made swaddling easier after 3 a.m. diaper changes. So, really, I didn't have to be all that awake ;) http://www.miracleblanket.com/index.htm

[baby gifts]

Thank you for posting the steps. It's a lot of help. I live far from home so I there's no mom to help me. Great post! =)