Swaddling a newborn: pros and cons - types of swaddling a baby

How and why to swaddle a baby June 8, 2012, 03:00 | Katya Baranova

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For some parents, swaddling became a real salvation: their children lay quietly in the crib until it was time to feed or change diapers. Others never managed to teach their child to fall asleep in diapers: he demanded freedom and constantly strived to get out of his “imprisonment.” Children really are different, and no one will ever tell you what is right for your son or daughter. But it’s still worth a try, because, according to some studies, swaddling has a very, very positive effect on children.

It is believed that when swaddling a child, conditions are created similar to those in the womb : it is cramped and warm, it is difficult to turn around and some kind of pressure is felt from all sides (it should not be excessive). This should calm the baby down and help him get used to the new environment where he will live more easily and painlessly. Diapers help babies develop their sense of touch due to the fact that their arms and legs constantly bump into dense and warm fabric - just like it was before when he was not yet born. With wide swaddling, the baby's hips move apart in different directions, which prevents the development of hip dysplasia, just as when wearing him in a sling.

On the other hand, swaddling that is too tight slows down muscle development, as it does not allow the baby to move his arms and legs freely. Often its use is explained by the fact that they want to avoid bow legs in the future. Today it has been proven that the curvature of the legs depends solely on heredity and cannot in any way be corrected or prevented by straightening the legs during swaddling. If you study more closely why tight swaddling was used in villages, you will discover an important fact: it was used only when the baby had to be delivered after a difficult birth, when there were some injuries or when he was born premature. Otherwise, there was no need for the babies to be tightly entwined.

They say that babies wake themselves up with their hands during sleep (I didn’t notice this in mine, and therefore in this matter I can only rely on someone else’s experience). In order to prevent this from happening, it is necessary, accordingly, that he cannot remove his hands from the diapers. However, there is an opinion that since swaddling is necessary to recreate the atmosphere of being in the womb, the child may well take out a pen and, for example, bring it to his mouth. Don’t be scared, consider swaddling a failure and rush to redo everything. If the baby is calm, you can leave everything as is.

So let's get down to business:

1) Fold the top edge of the diaper, approximately 20 cm in size.

2) Place one of the baby's arms under the folded edge.

3) Throw the same edge of the diaper over the baby’s body and tuck it under the legs.

4) Place your child's other hand under the folded edge.

5) Throw the other end of the diaper over the baby’s body and behind his back.

6) Shorten the remaining length at the bottom by folding the diaper back. Children like their diapers to be snug, but not too snug. Make sure you don't overtighten the diaper so your baby can move his legs freely.

1) Place the diaper in a diamond shape on a flat surface. Fold the top corner of the diamond 15-20 cm.

2) Place the baby so that his shoulders are on the folded side of the swaddle.

3) Lower the baby’s left arm down. Take the left corner of the diaper and throw it to the right, and then tuck it under the baby’s back.

4) Straighten the baby's right arm and place the bottom corner of the diaper over the baby's right arm and chest.

5) Wrap the rest of the diaper around the baby. Make sure his legs can bend and straighten freely, and also move slightly to the sides.

1) Fold the diaper into a triangle. Place the child on it so that the base of the triangle passes through his shoulders and the top is below his legs.

2) Wrap one corner behind the child’s back, covering the handle of the same name.

3) Tuck the bottom of the diaper.

4) Throw the second corner of the diaper over the baby’s back, covering the second arm with it.

For more active children, swaddling “under the arms” is suitable, when everything is done in the same way as in the described methods, but the diaper is located under the arms and below – in the area of the baby’s navel.

My baby loves freedom so much that we swaddled him only a short time after the maternity hospital, then he immediately had a whole wardrobe of rompers, vests, blouses and overalls. What do you think? Does your baby need swaddling? Have you swaddled your children? Are you planning to swaddle?

Katya Baranova , etoya.ru

Photo: babyworld.co.uk, abc.net.au, ecobabyhq.com

Why are babies swaddled?

The tradition of swaddling a baby has been around for a long time. Our ancestors swaddled newborns for centuries. While the baby is very small, he often soils his diapers and needs to be changed. Therefore, it is easier to wrap it in a piece of cloth than to change it every time. This helped maintain warmth, air circulation, and physical and psychological comfort for the baby. And in the old days there was no choice of clothes. Babies were usually dressed only in vests. In addition, swaddling has its advantages:

The baby feels more protected, just like in the womb;
Doesn’t scare himself by jerking his arms sharply

After all, coordination of movements is still weak;

Does not injure yourself;
A wrapped baby sleeps better

Because it does not wake itself up with random shudders and twitches, which often occur in newborns;

Diapers are easier to wash, boil, and iron.

In the modern world, when almost everyone uses disposable diapers, and the choice of comfortable clothes for babies from the first days is quite wide, swaddling is finding its supporters less and less often. And yet, many parents continue to swaddle their babies, especially in the first weeks of life.

Why did grandmothers swaddle

In Soviet times, women didn’t even think about why they swaddled their baby. Just like a thousand years ago, this was rather a necessary measure.

Firstly, diapers are more affordable in economic terms. They do not need to be changed as the baby grows, like clothes.
Secondly, diapers are easier to wash and sterilize; they do not require such delicate care as baby clothes.
Thirdly, our grandmothers were deprived of such pleasure as disposable diapers. Frequent changes of underwear did not tolerate slow changing of clothes, in which diapers are undoubtedly superior to blouses and panties.

Despite these quite sound arguments, supporters of swaddling also have serious misconceptions.

Types - methods of swaddling

There are several types of swaddling:

Tight;
Free;
Wide;
Natural.

With the tight swaddling method, the baby's legs and arms are stretched along the body and wrapped quite tightly in the swaddle.

With this swaddling, the baby's movements are sharply limited. In general, tight swaddling is not recommended, but it is noted that this way the baby sleeps best. Newborns often make erratic movements with their arms and may wake themselves. If the arms and legs are tightly wrapped, then the baby is fast asleep.

An alternative to tight swaddling is loose swaddling.

With this method, the baby's arms are left free, and only the legs are wrapped. Another way is to place the child in a special envelope. So he doesn’t interfere with himself, and there is room for movement.

Wide swaddling is used when a child has orthopedic problems. For example, hip dysplasia.

The algorithm of actions for this type of swaddling is as follows: the baby’s legs, bent at the knees, are spread wide and fixed with special panties or with the help of diapers, one of which, folded into a rectangle, is placed between the legs, and the other, in the form of a triangle, is wrapped like panties. Often such swaddling is enough to correct the pathology.

Natural swaddling is not actually swaddling, but rather keeping the baby in a free, natural position. The baby is dressed in clothes and a diaper and not wrapped.

The skin of a newborn baby is very delicate, so it is worth paying great attention to the fabrics from which the diapers are made, the quality of hygiene products and, of course, diapers. You can read about the advantages and disadvantages of diapers from popular brands using our link.

Loose swaddling or baby clothes?

Since all the negative aspects of swaddling are associated precisely with tight wrapping, pediatricians completely allow loose swaddling, at least in the first month of a child’s life. At the same time, the baby’s arms remain free, and the legs take a relaxed position.

With free swaddling, the baby's arms remain free and the legs are in a relaxed position.

Free swaddling is optimal, convenient, traditional, and satisfies the needs of both children and parents. Yes, some grandmothers are not satisfied with such swaddling, mainly for aesthetic reasons. Well, is it possible to compare the amazingly beautiful, elegant, regular and even cushion that is obtained by tight swaddling, and the sloppy, jerking, bag-like formation created by loose swaddling?
E. Komarovsky
https://articles.komarovskiy.net/k-voprosu-o-vrednosti-pelenaniya.html

To prevent your baby from accidentally injuring himself with his nails, you can wear special gloves on his palms.

To prevent your baby from scratching himself, you can wear special gloves.

It is important to choose the right diaper material depending on the time of year. So, flannel fabric is suitable for winter, and thin cotton for summer.

Video: pediatrician (candidate of medical sciences) talks about the benefits of free swaddling

An alternative to loose swaddling is the use of rompers and vests. This children's clothing has the following advantages:

Convenient in the summer, when the baby may overheat in a diaper.
Easier to wash: requires less water, detergents, takes up less space when drying.
At night, the baby definitely doesn’t undress.
The child’s motor activity is not limited at all.
You can involve dad in changing clothes (unlike swaddling, which is difficult for men to master).

Rompers and vests are comfortable clothes for babies, even dad can easily change his baby's clothes

Meanwhile, some pediatricians, for example, Dr. E. Komarovsky, consider the above advantages to be unprincipled. To swaddle or not to swaddle is a personal choice of parents, who should feel how comfortable their child is in a given situation.

By the way, diapers were originally invented for reasons of economy. The baby grows quickly, and he needs to constantly update his rompers and undershirts. The diaper remains relevant for a long time and requires virtually no costs.

Of course, buying a lot of rompers and baby vests will cost the family more than a set of diapers

In anti-diaper propaganda, at least in our country, economic motives are clearly visible. Any domestic factory, any workshop, any housewife can start producing diapers within 24 hours. But beautiful pants, vests, rompers, suits, overalls - multi-colored, with pictures, lace, ribbon ties, buttons and pockets - this is more complicated. This is an expensive and, as a rule, overseas product. And such a vest costs as much as five diapers. Isn’t this the essence of “diaper harmfulness”?
E. Komarovsky
https://articles.komarovskiy.net/k-voprosu-o-vrednosti-pelenaniya.html

Video: is it necessary to swaddle a newborn (explains Dr. E. Komarovsky)

What you need

If the parents decide that they will swaddle the child, then even at the stage of preparing the “dowry” for him, it is necessary to stock up on films. When using disposable diapers, you will need fewer diapers. Sometimes 5 pieces are enough. After all, a child can stain a diaper by burping or peeing when changing a diaper.

If you don't use disposable diapers, you will need a lot of diapers. At least 20 pieces per day. After all, they need to be changed quite often. If it is possible to wash, dry and iron them right away, then 20 pieces is enough; if this is not possible, the diapers take a long time to dry, then it is better to have a supply.

In addition to diapers, you need a place where the baby will be swaddled. A changing table is best suited for this. It has shelves for diapers, the ability to conveniently place everything necessary for caring for the baby, and the mother does not have to bend down every time to change the diaper or change the baby's clothes.

Currently, the range of diapers is quite large. These include ordinary cotton and flannel diapers, knitted diapers, special envelopes, diapers with a hood and others. Therefore, it is not difficult to choose exactly what suits both mother and child.

Not all mothers know about the rules of hygiene for newborns, but yet this is very important for the health of the baby. Read about how to properly wash a newborn girl in our next article.

A few more popular questions

How many times a day should I wrap my baby in a diaper? If the baby is calm while awake, he can be swaddled only before naptime and at night.

Which diapers to choose? Firstly, they must be made of natural fabric. Secondly, choose material according to the season - in the summer, chintz is comfortable, and in the cold season, for example in November, they swaddle in a warm flannel.

Is it possible to refuse swaddling? Yes! Whether you should swaddle your newborn baby at all is up to you to decide. And the main adviser in this matter should be the baby himself. If he happily accepts “cloth captivity,” why not swaddle him, continuing the traditions of his ancestors!

Opinions "For"

What is good about swaddling? Proponents of this method give the following arguments for it:

Swaddling a newborn helps him adapt to the world around him , creating a “cocoon” in which the child feels much more comfortable;
The baby does not frighten or wake himself up with erratic movements of arms and legs, which often occur in newborns;
There is no possibility of accidentally scratching or hitting yourself;
Swaddling helps a newborn baby maintain a normal temperature without overheating or getting cold (natural fabrics are a must);
In some cases, wide swaddling is vital;
Helps parents who do not have the opportunity to use disposable diapers (there is no need to change the child’s clothes, changing a diaper is more convenient);
Diapers allow you to save on diapers and clothes , which your baby outgrows very quickly.

Pros and cons of swaddling a newborn

There are many different arguments given by opponents and supporters of various baby swaddling systems. There is still debate among pediatricians about whether or not to swaddle newborn babies. Positive arguments for wrapping children include:

maintaining body temperature;
fixation of limbs;
more restful sleep;
ensuring the comfort of the newborn.

In addition, swaddling is a mandatory measure for children with congenital pathologies of the arms or legs, as well as for premature infants. There are not many negative aspects and they relate to the conservative method of tight swaddling, when you have to forcefully straighten the baby’s limbs and press them tightly to the body. The main disadvantages of swaddling are:

Inability to adjust temperature. Because of this, the baby overheats. Diaper rash and diaper dermatitis appear on the baby's skin.
Constantly being in a thick, warm diaper leads to insufficient physical and emotional development.

Tight swaddling

This method, such as tight swaddling, is currently used much less frequently than before . Some pediatricians, when telling young mothers whether it is necessary to swaddle a newborn, express strong arguments in favor of abandoning this method of wrapping babies. In this position, the child’s movements will be unnatural and constrained. Blood circulation and heat exchange may be impaired. However, in some cases, when the child is hyperactive or has developmental pathologies, this technique will help calm him down faster. Then it is recommended to swaddle the baby tighter when he sleeps.

Free swaddling

The loose or wide swaddling technique is a more gentle option, in which the baby is given the opportunity to move his legs and arms a little. A variation of this method is to wrap only the lower limbs. In this case, the legs are not fully straightened. On the contrary, they are given a free, relaxed position.

Why are many experts against

Opponents of swaddling have no less compelling arguments:

Tight swaddling interferes with normal blood circulation;
Swaddling inhibits the physical development of a child , preventing his motor activity, reduces motor skills and muscle tone;
At high ambient temperatures, the child may overheat ;
Tight swaddling increases the risk of developing pathological joint conditions , since the child is in an unnatural position for a long time;
Swaddling has a bad effect on the child psycho-emotionally . The child tries to break out of the diapers, experiences discomfort, and is nervous. May be developmentally delayed in the future;
The use of diapers does not usually involve diapers . A mother may simply not have enough energy and time to wash and iron a mountain of diapers every day, especially if there are no helpers;
The need to change diapers frequently , which can once again bother the baby or lead to irritation if the diaper is not changed on time.

Consequences of tight swaddling

Having studied the opinions against swaddling, you can see that tight swaddling is especially not recommended . Experts tend to believe that this method leads to extremely negative consequences:

Impaired motor abilities;
Increased risk of joint dysplasia;
Risk of developing psychological pathologies in the future;
Negatively affects the functioning of organs and systems of the body

It compresses the lungs, disrupting breathing, blood circulation, and more.

Therefore, it is recommended to use loose swaddling, in which you can swaddle the baby completely, but not tightly. It is better if the handles remain free.

Age restrictions

Now that there is no doubt whether it is necessary to swaddle a newborn, you need to decide how long to swaddle the child.

In addition to possible inhibition of development, there is a risk that the baby will get used to sleeping curled up and will resist freedom. At what age should a child be swaddled to prevent attachment?

Usually, the need for swaddling at night continues in children for about six months. By this age, the baby outgrows it and refuses to be wrapped.

If this does not happen, pediatricians recommend gradually reducing the degree of fixation and the frequency of swaddling.

Until how many months should I swaddle so that the baby does not wake himself up with his hands? From 1.5 months to 3. Then the throwing of the limbs goes away on their own.

When asked at what age a baby should be swaddled, doctors unanimously say - at least one month. This does not mean tight, but loose swaddling.

How to swaddle correctly (video)

Proper swaddling of a baby includes several stages.

Before swaddling your baby, you need to clean his skin with water or a wipe. You need to swaddle a clean baby.

The diaper must be washed and ironed. The requirements for diapers for newborns are especially strict. It is recommended to wash them at high temperatures and iron them on both sides with a hot iron and steam. It is unacceptable to dry the diaper after the baby has peed without washing it. Although baby's urine is invisible and odorless, it can cause irritation if it comes into contact with the baby's delicate skin.

For swaddling, you need a spacious, flat surface on which you can spread the film and lay the baby down. Ideally, a special changing table.

There are different ways to swaddle a baby.

Complete swaddling of a newborn.

Lay out a diaper, if the room is cold, then use two at once: one flannel, the other chintz.
Place the baby in the center, head above the diaper.
Fold one edge, passing it under the opposite handle, and bring it behind the body.
Fold the other edge in the same way, completely covering the child.
Fold the lower part of the fabric up the legs, unfold the ends, wrap around the legs and secure them to each other.

Loose swaddling with open arms.

Dress the child in a vest. It is convenient for newborns to wear undershirts with sewn-up handles; this will help the child not to injure himself.
Place the baby on the diaper so that the arms remain above the edge.
Wrap both edges of the diaper around the baby one by one, leaving the arms free.
Straighten the bottom of the fabric and, lifting it up, wrap it around the legs and secure it.

Swaddling with an envelope

Place the diaper so that its corner is at the top. Bend it.
Next, fold one edge, then the bottom, then the second edge and wrap it around the child, securing it at the back.

For convenience, you can use special envelopes that will limit the baby’s movements, but will not restrict them.

How to properly swaddle a baby

It is better for young parents to master the swaddling technique in advance, so that later, when the baby is born, they do not waste time on training . In order to perform this simple procedure, you need to prepare a wide diaper, gauze diaper or diaper. It is important to pay attention to the time of year in which the baby was born, because flannel fabric is not suitable for hot summers.

You need to use a thin cotton diaper, which will provide sufficient ventilation and help avoid the appearance of diaper dermatitis. The most common wrapping method involves placing the fabric horizontally. It is most convenient to perform the procedure in the following sequence:

Wrap the diaper around the newborn's hips and place the baby perpendicular to the wide side of the diaper.
Lightly press the baby's hand to the side, take the corner of the fabric located on the same side, wrap it around the body and adjust the edge on the back.
Take the opposite corner, carefully straighten the child’s other arm, and place the edge of the diaper behind the back.
Pull the lower corners in different directions, place them on the baby’s chest and in the area just above the elbows, and secure behind them.
Straighten out all the folds that might get in the way of the baby.

When to stop swaddling?

Experts believe that swaddling a baby for a long time is not worth it. Usually, using diapers for up to 2-3 months is sufficient. Moreover, complete swaddling is best used in the first weeks after birth, when the baby’s movements are especially chaotic. Later it is better to switch to free swaddling with open arms. After three months, swaddling is not necessary at all, unless there are special indications. You can swaddle your baby only during sleep.

When swaddling a baby, you must remember that tight swaddling is still not advisable. The swaddling technique is not complicated, but it is worth mastering it before giving birth.

There are no contraindications to swaddling a baby. Each mother decides whether to use it or not, based on the characteristics and needs of her child.

Related materials:

child development | Children | child | parents | Pregnancy

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