Is it Safe to Swaddle Your Baby? 4 Benefits and 3Risks Explained
Over the last month, I have been watching tons of videos on social media on how to swaddle a baby. My baby boy is past the swaddling age, but that does not exempt me from learning more about swaddling. While watching these videos, I kept asking myself, why should you swaddle your baby? How safe or beneficial is it to swaddle the baby?
After spending hours and hours of research, I came up with this article to guide you on swaddling a baby. In this article, we will discuss the benefits, risks, and tips to swaddle a baby like a pro. Without further ado, let’s get into it.
What is Swaddling?
Swaddling refers to wrapping a newborn baby in a piece of cloth such that it slowly adapts to the outside world. When you’re pregnant, the unborn baby does not come into contact with light, movements, and sound. Therefore, swaddling the baby creates an imitation of a similar environment, making the baby at ease.
What are the Benefits of Swaddling a Baby?
Swaddling a baby is beneficial in four major ways, which include:
1. Increases Breastfeeding Success
This article on breastfeeding failed to mention how swaddling a baby makes them breastfeed better and makes the nipples less painful. When you swaddle a baby, you reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), making them composed. A composed baby is less fussy and breastfeeds better.
2. Promotes Healthy Sleep
Swaddling a baby also makes you more cautious of how you sleep, regardless of whether you are tired or sick. When you let the baby sleep without swaddling them, they move their arms around, searching for a breast to latch on.
These attempts activate your parental instincts, making you pick them up immediately. Similarly, if you share a bed with a baby who is not swaddled, any slight movement from them tempts you to pick them up, breastfeed, or cuddle them.
These distractions make you sleep less and disrupt your sleep patterns for you and the baby. To avoid these inconveniences, swaddle the baby before taking them to bed.
3. Keeps the Baby in a Safe Sleeping Position
Getting a baby to sleep soundly is an arduous task. Any position you put them in does not work, and you are left to deal with a fussy baby who won’t sleep no matter how much you try.
Through trial and error, some parents stop putting babies on their backs to their tummies. However, there was a catch. Research by PubMed found that putting babies to sleep on their tummies increased the risk of SIDS and resulted in thousands of deaths every year.
Finally, the parents switched to swaddling babies and put them on their backs the results were incredible.
4. Reduces the Risk of Rolling Over
Most babies know how to roll over by the turn four months. Although turning over is a huge milestone in the development of the baby, it puts their lives at risk.
To minimize the risk of turning over on their tummies and suffocating, it is prudent to swaddle them. Additionally, you should keep the baby’s bed/bassinet free from stuffed pillows and blankets since they pose the risk of suffocation and choking.
What are the Risks of Swaddling a Baby?
Although swaddling is beneficial to a baby, it can get risky if not done the right way. These are some of the risks of swaddling a baby:
a) It Creates Dependency
Once your baby gets used to a swaddle, it becomes hooked to its comfort and struggles to sleep without it. Dependency on a swaddle can become a huge challenge for you since the baby must finally wean off it.
b) Risk of Hip Dysplasia
When you swaddle the baby poorly, their knees and hips are left to stretch out. Consequently, it becomes hard for them to bend or move their legs, and their risk of hip dislocation or dysplasia becomes high.
c) It Might Lead to Overheating
Another drawback of swaddling a baby is that it can cause your baby to overheat. If you dress the baby warmly and add a swaddle on top, they end up experiencing extreme heat, which is both unhealthy and uncomfortable.
Tips on How to Swaddle a Baby
If you want to swaddle your baby safely and conveniently, follow these tips:
- Avoid over-swaddling the baby or using double blankets since they might lead to overheating.
- If the baby is learning how to roll over, stop swaddling them.
- Avoid wrapping the swaddle too tightly since doing that might result in hip dislocation.
- Swaddle the baby during sleep time for better and healthier growth.
- The swaddle should not come off easily as it poses a high risk of suffocation to the baby.
- Avoid weighted blankets and blankets, which can put excess pressure on the baby’s chest.
- Put the baby on their back since it is safer.
Bottom Line
Swaddling remains one of the best ways to promote healthy sleep and development in babies. However, you should be aware of the risks associated with the practice. Before swaddling the baby, invest enough time to watch tutorials on how to swaddle the baby without risking their lives and health.