Should you swaddle your baby?

Follow me at @drClaire When I was in medical school, the nurses in the newborn nursery taught me how to swaddle babies. They taught me how to lay the blanket down and how to tuck the edges around the baby so that he became a little “papoose.” Sometimes it worked like absolute magic to calm a cranky newborn. Over the years, I’ve taught parents to swaddle and have swaddled my own babies. But not only does it not always calm a baby, it’s not always a good idea. And as with everything we do in life, it’s important to use common sense when you swaddle. Swaddling has been part of caring for babies for centuries — millennia, really. It makes a baby feel like he’s back inside the womb — or like he is being snuggled close. It has been shown to help many babies sleep better. It can be particularly helpful for babies with neurologic problems or colic, or for babies born addicted to drugs. It also can really help some parents get their babies to fall and stay asleep on their backs, which is what we recommend to help prevent sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS. Some babies have trouble with sleeping on their backs because they startle themselves awake; when they are swaddled, that’s less likely to happen. But there are downsides to swaddling. Because it keeps the legs together and straight, it can increase the risk of hip problems. And if the fabric used to swaddle a baby comes loose, it can increase the risk of suffocation. The most recent warning about swaddling come...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Children's Health Family Planning and Pregnancy Parenting Prevention Source Type: news