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Why Newborn Baby Swaddling Is The Way to Go

Filed Under: baby advice, BLOG, sponsored, swaddling Tagged With: , , , ,

* I was compensated by Baby Miracles to discuss swaddling and their Baby Gift Box Sets. All opinions here are my own.

Way past the newborn and baby ages here, but still couldn’t resist sharing some much needed newborn baby swaddling advice.

It is no secret that I have shared here in the past that my first was not a very good sleeper having suffered from colic.

The early days are still a bit of blur to me...
The early days with my first…

There wasn’t much I could do to get her to sleep peacefully.

Trust me I tried.

But then along came my second daughter only a mere 16 months later.

Newborn pic of Lily Swaddled
And then it was two…

She was the complete opposite. This baby loved to sleep.

Early on, I found that she especially loved to sleep when swaddled.

I kid you not, I would swaddle her and it was like someone waved a magic wand to put her fast asleep.

Even though, she was essentially a good sleeper on her own, I wasn’t going to knock swaddling as it seemed to help further her good sleep habits from the earliest of ages.

Why Newborn Baby Swaddling Is the Way To Go

But why does swaddling work?

A newborn baby is used to be hold closely and snuggled tightly in the mother’s womb before birth. So, once they are born into this world, they still crave that closeness.

Skin to skin closeness while trying to soothe to sleep is the optimal way most infants like to fall asleep. However, this is not always feasible, plus as much as you want to hold your newborn, it helps to get them comfortable in falling asleep without always doing so. Swaddling is a great way to do.

[Tweet “Ever wonder why swaddling works with babies? Find out why now #ad “]

But again why? Because swaddling mimics the close quarters that a newborn baby was indeed used to in the womb.

How often can you swaddle your baby?

This is really a personal choice. My baby only liked it to sleep swaddled. Therefore, it was only at sleep time.

I also made sure to wean her off of this.

Why? 

According to Kidsco, because once the baby begins to learn to roll over swaddling can become a hazard as it can actually cause suffocation. Also, too long swaddled mean that the baby will sleep through feedings. So, I tried my best to make sure that I would open the swaddle up around feeding times, because a missed feeding once in awhile might not be an issue. But too many can hinder a baby’s growth.

See eating and feedings equal growth for a baby. So, you want to make sure the baby is still awake to eat, too.

Therefore what are some other safety precautions for swaddling?

1. Babies should always sleep on their backs.

I know this has changed over the years (especially since I was baby over 40 years ago). But it had been determined that making sure you put your baby to sleep on their back is best, especially to prevent SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Again once they can roll over, swaddling should cease to exist.

2. The Crib should always be empty of all toys and blankets.

As tempting as it may be to put a stuffed animal or blanket into the crib with your newborn. This is something that really shouldn’t be in the crib with them until they are quite a bit older. At this tender young age, the crib needs to be empty as once again this could end up causing more issues, especially with SIDS, too.

3. Make sure to regulate room temperature.

The baby is already swaddled in a blanket. Therefore, they are most likely snuggly and warm. So, the overall room temperature should be between 65-70. Why? So the baby doesn’t overheat.

So how do you swaddle a newborn baby?

  1. Place a big receiving blanket to avoid overheating the baby in a diamond in front of you.
  2. Then, fold down the top corner of the diamond and place the baby in the center with their neck at the fold of the blanket.
  3. Don’t force the baby’s limbs straight, let them be comfortable, hips flexed and knees bent.
  4. Next, fold over the left side in front of the infant and tuck behind the baby.
  5. Now, fold up the middle piece in front of the baby.
  6. Plus, fold over the right side and bring it over the top and under the baby.
  7. Lastly, pick up infant supporting their head and bottom.
  8. Remember though if at first you don’t succeed then try, try again as practice makes perfect!

Want more help with swaddling, as well as with keeping your baby safe while they sleep?

Then check out The Ultimate Baby Gift Box.

Baby Gift Box Items

What is The Ultimate Baby Gift Box?

Created by Baby Miracles it is a line of baby sleep boxes designed to be an attractive and functional way to keep your baby safe as they snooze. An infant sleep box is a box made for the purpose of keeping a baby safe during daytime naps and at night when babies are vulnerable to sleep related accidents and SIDs (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

The Sleep Safe Baby Gift Box

What is included in The Ultimate Baby Gift Box?

The Baby Miracles infant sleep box comes packed full of ALL THE ESSENTIALS in their STARTER SETS:

  • Hats to maintain body heat
  • Mittens Booties
  • Burp cloths
  • Bibs
  • Onesies
  • Gowns
  • Receiving Blankets
  • Hooded Towels
  • Napsack ( wearable Blanket)
  • Blankets
  • and many other Layette items available.

Check out the different packages and prices here.

Swaddled Baby

Now that you have all the newborn swaddling baby info, go forth and swaddle like a pro!

Have you ever swaddled your baby?

About Janine

Janine is a published author of the books, The Mother of All Meltdowns and Only Trollops Shave Above the Knee. She has been featured on The Huffington Post, Mamapedia, Today Parenting Team and SheKnows. She also runs her own graphic design company at J9 Designs.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. Jhanis says

    This reminds me of our first night with our son in the hospital. He just wouldn’t stop crying. My husband was already panicking because there was not much I could do as the stiches still hurt (cs). So we called for a nurse and when she arrived, she took one look at my son, took him from my husband and swaddled him up. Apparently, my son didn’t like the way my husband wrapped the blanket around him. LOL

  7. Aunt Gloria says

    So simple and makes lots of sense! Babies do like to feel close and cuddled. Good info for all new mothers and experienced ones as well. Love all those baby clothes and things! 🙂

  8. Cynthia says

    Ya know, hehe, I am not a “human” mama, but when we got our tiny 3-week old kitty, I “swaddled” him. Hehe. For a few days (until he got bigger – he was growing fast), I kept him in my hoodie pocket. 🙂
    I think ALL of us like to be cuddled and swaddled. 🙂 Enjoyed the read. Hope you have a great week! xo

  9. Jenny @ Unremarkable Files says

    I love those little swaddlers for when they are little. We swaddle our kids WAAAAY past the newborn stage. My son is 9 months and we still do it. Of course he just rolls right out of it and goes to sleep, but wrapping him up signals to him that it’s time for bed. We don’t have time for an elaborate bedtime routine with bath, stories, songs, massage, etc. But we do have pajamas and swaddle, and that means bedtime!

  10. Bev says

    Eve loved being swaddled as a tiny baby! We tried to do it the old-fashioned way, but we found having velcroed swaddlers worked much better for us. As many times as the nurses at the hospital showed us how to do it, we found we could never get it right!

  11. Leslie says

    Even in my 30s, I can see the attraction in swaddling. It’s kind of like being held in a nice warm hug! We definitely swaddled all of our babies. But even with constant instruction from NICU nurses, we ended up using velcro swaddlers most. Nothing works better!

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