Swaddling a baby
Categories: Newborns, Babies, Pregnancy & birth, Resources
I've always wished I had detachable arms because they always got in the way when I try to sleep. (Of course, I've never solved the problem of how one would get them reattached when one woke up, but I'm still working on it.) Babies, according to just about everyone, have a similar issue. They prefer to be wrapped up with their arms tucked in tight at their sides.This is called swaddling a baby. We did this for our first two and I assumed that I would remember how to do it for our third who was born earlier this week. Alas, I am old and forgetful, so the process didn't come back to me. Now, I could have just asked a nurse to show me how to do it, but being the complete nerd that I am, I turned instead to the internet. There are quite a few videos on YouTube that demonstrate various ways to swaddle an infant.
The one that I like best is the ultra swaddle, although the blankets at the hospital weren't long enough to do it right. If you're using a really big blanket, the Baby Burrito video makes it look pretty easy. Taking the simple swaddle one step further, this video uses a second blanket to create a burka-like wrap that seems pretty secure. Lastly, here's a fun pastime for new parents and their friends -- a swaddle battle. See who can swaddle the kid the best, the fastest, and the most successfully.
After watching all these videos, you'd think I'd be a swaddle master, but unfortunately, I'm not. It's not all my fault, however; I have a very uncooperative partner -- one who likes to wave his arms about and kick his legs like mad. Still, I'll keep practicing and, someday, I'll get it right. Probably right about the time he's ready to go off to college.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Kathy Abbott 5-10-2008 @ 9:53PM
As a Lactation Consultant I don't recommend swaddling a new born. Babies like to bring their hands up towards their mouth when they are getting hungry. This is a feeding cue. Crying is the very last sign of hunger. It can be very difficult to get a crying baby to latch onto the breast. By keeping a sleeping baby tightly swaddled you run the risk of missing early feeding cues and having to feed a distraught infant (crying is more a sign of stress than of hunger). Better to keep the baby skin to skin as much as possible, and at the very least leave the baby's arms exposed.
Kathy Abbott, IBCLC
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Kat 5-11-2008 @ 2:09AM
I was never good at swaddling, horrible at it. with my second child I went out and got swaddle blankets. they have a little pocket for the feet, wrap the rest around the baby, it sticks with velcro and stays on...it was a lifesaver!
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Sherry 5-11-2008 @ 3:57AM
My kids both hated swaddling and would scream and kick like they were being murdered if you even tucked a blanket around them. They liked their personal space and always slept with their arms thrown up over their heads. If the kid doesn't like it, which it seems he doesn't, why bother?
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kelly jeanie 5-11-2008 @ 8:45PM
Oh my goodness, I had no idea that even something as innocuous as swaddling could be considered controversial.
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Holly 5-11-2008 @ 9:54PM
Swaddling was wonderful...but the bigger my daughter got, the more challenging it was to keep her wrapped tight. We got the Miracle Blanket and loved it. I wrote about it on my blog. You can even find a discount for purchasing it there.
http://hollytriedit.blogspot.com/2008/01/miracle-blanket-helped-me-sleep.html
I bought three of them, so we would always have a clean one.
Holly@http://hollytriedit.blogspot.com
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