Does Your Baby REALLY Hate Swaddling?

I frequently hear parents say “my baby hates being swaddled!” Is that really it though? 👀

Babies don’t just like being swaddled, they need it! They are used to being held tightly that way for their whole existence up until birth. Swaddling helps provide newborns with a womb-like feeling to help them stay calm and secure in this big scary world, and it helps prevent them from startling themselves awake.

Many parents see their swaddled newborn grunting and fighting when laid down in the bassinet, and assume the swaddle is the problem. However, it’s the unfamiliar (and not at all womb-like!) feeling of being laid flat on their back, on a hard, cold mattress, that most newborns are protesting.

Before giving up on swaddling, I recommend trying:

🥱1. Warming the bassinet first before placing baby in it
🥱2. Wearing the crib sheet against your skin for a while first
🥱3. Use the shush-pat method to transition baby from arms to bassinet while drowsy but awake

Now, babies are unique and individual human beings too 😊 so I allow for the fact that there really can be a small percentage of babies who truly don’t need to be swaddled. If you think this may be the case, see if being swaddled with one arm in, and one arm out is helpful. Or, use an arms-up swaddling product such as Love to Dream!

Swaddling Safety

• Babies can be swaddled until they are rolling. For most babies, they transition out of regular swaddles around the 12-week mark, but use your best judgment as well as your pediatrician’s guidance.

• Babies should also be fully unswaddled for all feeds and awake time, so they can enjoy full range of movement and get all of the physical and sensory experiences they need for healthy development.
  
  Do you think swaddling helped your baby sleep better? Or not?

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