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Swaddling babies - yes or no?

4K views 24 replies 21 participants last post by  emmoss 
#1 ·
I am about to have my fourth and final bundle of joy and have heard that swaddling newborns is a good thing. I never did it before and don't recall having any of my children being particularly fussy during the early months - I just nursed on demand, slept with baby, and usually had them wrapped up in a moby wrap while awake and up and about. I have the halo sleepsack swaddle in my amazon cart right now but am concerned that I may be getting sucked into advertising gimmicks. I'd appreciate opinions based on experiences with swaddling babies in the past or now.

Thanks in advance!
 
#2 ·
My first two didn't care for swaddling. My third likes a half swaddle- arms out but legs swaddled. He sleeps in a long-sleeve shirt (the types that snap in front) and legs swaddled. Makes nighttime diaper changes easy. I found the sleep sacks made diaper changes a pita- I would somehow manage to get pee or poop on them.
 
#3 ·
I actually just heard recently that swaddling is fine as long as you leave room for baby's legs to flex up because swaddling them with their legs straight can lead to hip dysplasia (which I thought was something German Shepherds got, not kids, but there you go). Seems I saw a video on how to swaddle safely. Maybe linked form a Mothering article? Anyway, might be worth it to google hip dysplasia and swaddling.
 
#4 ·
The goal of swaddling, IMO, is to hit the off-switch on your baby. They won't cue to eat as much b/c their hands are held away from their face. They are more separate from mom, so they're not following your rhythms. They're sedated. Some babies are overstimulated and totally need that at times, like a reset, or so they can get any sleep b/c they're so sensitive to outside stimulation waking them up. A side effect is yes, I think babies are not meant to have their legs straight down and together, so bad for hips. Some don't need swaddling so they shouldn't be. The goal of a sleep sack, on the other hand, is keeping a baby warm without blankets (with the option to use it for a blanket-free swaddle if needed). I loved ours. Ours had the swaddle option (looked like angel wings with Velcro in the front- I'm not sure what brand). We velcro'd it around her torso (not really swaddled, but they have to go somewhere) and she slept with her arms above her head. She was new in the winter in our drafty house and didn't like co sleeping, so it was just right.
 
#5 ·
http://www.halosleep.com/halo-sleepsack-swaddle-100-cotton-blue/

This was the brand we had. One pic shows arms in (swaddled) the other arms out (like DD). They used them with her when she was in the NICU so we had used them for a while before we decided to buy some for home.

I'm sure most brands are pretty similar. DD was a pretty tame pooper so we never had that issue (like the PP).

If it was summer, I wouldn't bother, I'd just put a baby to sleep in whatever standard pj's, unless I had a baby that really needed to be swaddled. But I'm also pretty skilled at swaddling with a blanket (those big muslin ones are pretty great, although not cheap) and would try that instead of a sack.
 
#6 ·
I say if it ain't broke, don't fix it. If your babies were fine without it, this one will probably be too unless it has a really different temperament. And if you are sleeping with baby, swaddling is not recommended. As Ratchet said, you may be able to use the sleepsack to keep baby warm without blankets and you could wrap the wings around baby's torso and leave the arms out. If you do decide to swaddle, at some point you will have to wean the baby from it, usually when they start rolling over. Some people prefer to avoid this and just avoid swaddling all together and let the baby learn to sleep without it.
 
#8 ·
I say if it ain't broke, don't fix it. If your babies were fine without it, this one will probably be too unless it has a really different temperament. And if you are sleeping with baby, swaddling is not recommended.
I second that.
 
#7 ·
We didn't with our first. She didn't like it and most of her daytime sleeping was done in a Moby anyway.

Our second DD also slept in a carrier during the day but did enjoy being wrapped in bed. I did it from under her arms, as she liked them out, and yes, loosely enough that her legs weren't forced straight. I actually did it the first time for warmth, then discovered that she was more settled.


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#10 ·
I guess it depends on how exactly you wrap the moby, but 1) their legs are usually either straddling your torso or tucked in fetal position style and 2) they have plenty of good things (like their hands or your chest) against their face to encourage often-enough feeding. But the same issue exists with other carriers- like forward facing in a bjorn for example. Which, to be honest, was something we had to do with DD, and was virtually the only way we could get her to (bottle) feed (I blame the NICU, oral aversion, an assortment of issues). So, you do what you have to do, but all things being equal, I would avoid the straight leg stuff.
 
#12 ·
I second the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach.

I didn't swaddle DS1 because he slept just fine (for an infant) and I wasn't about to start any extra work unless it was necessary. DS2, on the other hand, was a flail-er. In the early stages of sleep, he thrashed his arms and legs like he was fighting for his life and inevitably woke himself up. It was distressing to watch and frustrating too. Swaddling him instantly calmed him. Initially, he would thrash out of the swaddle so we had to use the "swaddle of steel" - a woven (non-stretchy) flannel receiving blanket wrapped around his arms and legs in the tightest burrito possible then tied with a double knot! He loved it and slept very soundly this way. He also liked the Moby wrap, and later Ergo, pulled as tight as possible onto me. I can't remember how long we swaddled for but he still sleeps clinging to me for dear life. In contrast, he's totally laid-back and confident during the day!
 
#13 ·
Kiddo needed a swaddle he could kick out of. He didn't mind his arms being swaddled and liked it, but he had to be able to kick.

I have fibromyalgia, and kiddo is showing some warning signs of it, so I think he was one of those kids who got overstimulated. I remember when he was a newborn and we spent the day on campus in classes, we'd get home and have to go into a dark room, swaddle him up, and gently sing to him for about half an hour before he'd calm down.

You don't need a special swaddler, you can just use a blanket to start with. We started swaddling with baby blankets until someone gave us the SwaddleMe, we didn't even know specialty swaddlers were a thing. If you have a baby who needs to be swaddled, you can use what you have on hand and then decide on whether or not the specialty swaddler is worth it.
 
#14 ·
I'd like to start off by saying I never did swaddle any of mine- and never really thought too much about it. But when I read your title, the first thing that came to mind was a recent Mothering article I'd seen. Here's the link: http://www.mothering.com/articles/special-report-swaddling-reconsidered/

I remember the nurses at the hospital tried to swaddle DS1, but he would have absolutely none of it, and I really think it seems unnatural. I know a lot of people do it with good effect, and maybe there is some benefit, but to me, it just isn't intuitive to bind a baby up so they can't move. I think babies should be allowed to flex & move and explore their world. I'm not dissing anybody who does it- like I said, I'm sure it works for some kids/families, just not mine. Every one is different, though. Since you say you haven't done it with your other kids, I might suggest holding off on buying any special swaddling items until after baby is born & you try it the old fashioned way (with a blanket) to see how it feels. You really can't judge until you've tried it with this particular child- they're all SO unique!

HTH
 
#15 ·
meh. I swaddled my first because I was sort of under the impression that babies *should* be swaddled. He responded well to it and I remember it was kind of a PITA as he got older and wanted arms out but was used to be swaddled and it was a tricky transition period. For my second I thought "I'm going to NOT swaddle her and just see how it goes" and she sleeps better than my first ever did! so there you go. :laugh:
 
#16 ·
I never really swaddled, not tightly if I did. I think the weight is comforting if not co sleeping but I don't think its necessary. I never swaddled arms bc I wanted them to wake to feed. Babies have good reflexes to wake themselves like throwing hands up behind head (if choking or spitting up) I feel that sleep sacks prevent this in a possible dangerous way. Idk I wouldn't want to sleep like that so I can't imagine a baby would.
 
#17 ·
I agree- I really hate the ones that are basically baby straight jackets. Like the SwaddleMe that's zipped up, so the baby would have to tear the fabric to move? Creepy. I'm sure there are babies who need it, but I bet it gets overused.
 
#18 ·
Both of my babies have needed/liked to be swaddled and the swaddle blanket has been a lifesaver. One of my midwife's nurses said the same thing and its her go to baby shower gift now. I've read a lot of comments on here saying not to waste your money, but I don't think its a waste. We love ours.

A pp stated that swaddling is kind of like a "reset button." I agree. We swaddle at night but not during the day.
 
#20 ·
My first two hated swaddling and while were decent sleepers we had quite a few sleepless nights.

My most recent and third baby I didn't swaddle from the get go. But she was startling to wake a lot and needed "pressure" at night. She had some hip clicking but really really mild, her care providers watched it but weren't worried, and therefore we never swaddled legs. But at some point I tried swaddling her arms (REALLY TIGHT) and it has been the best thing for her. She still wakes to nurse 1-3 times a night (almost 4 months old) and while we sleep in a King bed together I need some space so she has her own side. And I wake the minute she starts to cue (there are many nursing cues).

The few times she's gotten her arms out of the swaddle and I haven't reswaddled have been absolute nightmare nights for us. I need to start weaning her off the swaddle as she can roll but I just can't figure out how I'm going to provide her need of pressure without the swaddle.

During the day she sleeps great on the bed with my heavy duvet on the bottom half of her or even in her crib in a sleep sack, both with arms up. But I can't for the life of me get her to sleep at night with her arms free...

So I agree it really really really depends on each baby. We just use the big muslin swaddlers. I'm contemplating a Zipadeezip to see if that will help.

She's also had bad reflux and I (like a previous poster) have fibromyalgia. So, so many different factors. She has a tongue and lip tie that we are working with too and there's so thought that babies with ties need more pressure because they have sensory processing issues. My second has had some mild sensory issues when she was a toddler/preschooler but has mostly grown out of them, so it wouldn't surprise me if this one has something similar.
 
#22 ·
I had my little boy in a organic sack which zipped then had two press studs under each of the arms. One arm out both arms out. I found swaddling to restrictive however your can loosen around hips. I put my son in a sack as he kept waking himself up with his arms jolting but when he hit 3 months old he wanted to sleep on his front and there was no stopping him he would just roll back if we put him back on his back LOL. I noticed the rolling in the day and stopped using the swaddle (this is where the swaddles can be dangerous) but he then felt comfier on his belly.

I didn't buy my swaddle until after he was born as you never know every baby is different.

Hope helps
 
#25 ·
My DS didn't care either way. We have 2 summer infant swaddleme's and a halo swaddle sleep sack. I personally prefer the Summer Infant ones as they unzip at the bottom so diaper changes are very easy. The Halo on zips like a sleeper (except it goes bottom to top, rather than top to bottom). I also found the Halo ones to be too hot. They are a thick fleece.

The hospital I gave birth at (Sunnybrook in Toronto incase anyone wants to look it up) is one of the best if not the best birthing unit in the country. They recommend NOT swaddling because it can do hip damage if done improperly. They don't swaddle in the hospital at all. The issue comes from being too tight around the hips. If you do swaddle only wrap the upper body, not the legs or hips.

I just use Halo Sleepsacks (no swaddle option) if I need to use anything. You can also tuck their arms inside the sack so it's like a loose swaddle.
 
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