The Baby Sleep Expert

For newborn babies up to 14 weeks of age swaddling can provide a tool for parents to calm and soothe their baby.

If you are considering swaddling your baby it is important to weigh up the pros and cons, particularly with relevance to your unique family situation. In general swaddling is more beneficial for those families who do not bedshare and babywear.

Pros of Swaddling.

• Swaddling can help promote new sleep cycles, meaning less waking requiring parental input.
• Swaddling can help prevent prolonged crying and can give parents a technique to calm their baby and thus time to calm themselves
• Some parents feel that swaddling can help breastfeeding when a baby has flailing hands making latch difficult (however see point no.2 below).
• Swaddling can help a baby to not accidentally scratch his or her face
• Swaddling can stop loose blankets going on top of the babies face
• Swaddling can prevent a baby from rolling onto his or her tummy during sleep.
• Swaddling can help a baby feel ‘held’ and perhaps as if still in utero.

Cons of Swaddling

• Swaddling can lead parents to miss baby’s early hunger cues
• Swaddling can inhibit breastfeeding, particularly in the early days
• Swaddled babies cannot suckle on their own hands to soothe themselves, as they may have done in utero
• There is an increased risk of SIDs shown in studies when babies are placed to sleep on their stomach swaddled
• Swaddling can cause hip dysplasia if babies are swaddled too tightly over hips
• Swaddling can cause respiratory compression if babies are swaddled too tightly over their chest
• Swaddling has been linked to less arousability, if the swaddling was not started until 3months of age, which has been linked to SIDS.

Swaddling Safety

1. Never swaddle over a baby’s head or near their face

2. Never swaddle a baby who is ill and/or has a fever

3. Make sure the baby does not overheat, only swaddle with a thin breathable fabric such as 100% cotton or bamboo.

4. Only swaddle until a baby can roll onto their tummy or by the time they are 14 weeks old, whichever is sooner.

5. Always place a swaddled baby to sleep on their back

6. Do not swaddle tightly across the baby’s ches

7. Do not swaddle tightly around the hips or legs. Baby’s legs should be free to “froggy up” with free movement of the hips.

8. Begin swaddling well before 3 months of age. If you are breastfeeding only begin once feeding is established and never in the first few hours postpartum when skin to skin contact is essential.

For a summary of current swaddling research see this article from the Lullaby Trust.