Swaddling: How, Why and When

Swaddling involves wrapping your newborn in a soft cloth to give him a sense of security.

How to swaddle?

To swaddle your baby, follow these steps:

Take a soft square sheet and spread it on your bed or rug.
Slightly turn one of its edges towards yourself and put your newborn on the sheet with his neck touching the folded side and his face pointing towards you.
Making sure his tiny hands are placed parallel to his body, wrap the right side of the cloth and tuck it gently towards your baby’s left side.
Follow the same procedure for the left side.
Fold the extra piece of cloth at the bottom. This cloth is also known as newborn wrap or baby wraps.

Your very own cute caterpillar is ready! You can hold him in your hand or put him in the crib to sleep.

Why swaddling?

Wrapping up your newborn gives him a sense of security. It, in no way, is done to keep the baby warm; so if you are planning to use a soft blanket for this, don’t!

Keep in mind the following points:

Make sure you baby-wrap him up in a light manner, otherwise it may interfere with your baby’s blood circulation.
Also ensure that the face of your baby is not covered with the cloth as it may cause suffocation. Improper wrapping may lead to some serious health risks including SIDS. Ensure that no part of the baby wrap is covering the tiny mouth, eyes or nose.

When to swaddle?

Wrap your little one when he is about to sleep. You may open the sheet when your baby is playing with you as he can see and feel you which is a sense of security for him. Ideally you should wrap your newborn using a baby wrap till he is a month old. After that you will feel that your baby would want to move his limbs instead of staying tied.

Not every parent is in favor of this technique. If you are not, and you are having trouble with your baby’s sleep routine, try it in his first month. Some babies like to be wrapped and hence they fall asleep quickly.

Newborn wraps may also work wonders at times when your baby is colicky. Make sure you go through our article on Colic.

Some parents really want to use chic and colorful baby wraps to show off their precious bundle of joy, in style. Make sure whichever baby wrap you use for swaddling, it is soft and comfortable for your baby.

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