I always advise new born babies to be swaddled. The benefits are immense such as continuing the sense of closeness and security that the womb offers which they have become accustomed to in the last 9 months, it prevents the Moro reflex from disturbing their sleep and offers a safe, warm and breathable space. Not only this can reduce any stress they may feel and of course lull them into a peaceful sleep. Of course if the bedroom temperature is high then swaddling is not advised for safe sleep reasons.
I often hear parents report that their baby is like Houdini and performs the most amazing escape act and they just don’t seem to like the swaddle so they stop using it, after many attempts and purchasing many different brands. My take on this is that often those swaddles are either not on the right sie or more often have not been wrapped correctly. If your baby can get out of it then it was too loose. Now I will caveat that by saying it cant be too tight and legs need to be free to lay in the “froggy” position” to avoid hip dysplasia.
My 3 favorite swaddles I recommend are
Whilst the simple, easy on the eye colours and patterns are great there is no wrapping involved or complicated Velcro tabs! Even in the darkest of the nights and three quarters asleep yourself you can easily replace your new born baby in this swaddle and zip up in under 30 seconds. Not one for stereotyping but even the Dad’s have found this one a favorite to use because it is so easy to use.
As your baby grows you can choose tog weights suitable to the temperature and season and also they have a transitional swaddle with one arm at a time out so you can move your baby out of it solely and gently when the time comes.
This very easy swaddle is great for a more traditional way of wrapping but still with ease and Velcro! It is a great transitional swaddle and also can be wrapped in a way so the baby’s legs are left freer and air is able to circulate.
My preferred choice as a mum pre the Love To Dream. You have to be confident in wrapping as this is a very traditional simple extra large muslin square, no Velcro, poppers or zippers. My husband could never work it out or do it tight enough but having wrapped babies for in my years of being a nanny I could do it in the dark, upside down and back to front!
Once your baby is out of the swaddle the best thing to have them sleep in is a sleep bag. You can see my favorites here!
As always,
Happy peaceful sleeping,
Rachael,
Your Paediatric Sleep Consultant
xo
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