Swaddling Your Baby: Pros and Cons.
Before (and shortly after) I became a mother I had never heard any “cons” to swaddling a baby. I was told by numerous sources that swaddling was womb like, comforting, cozy, helped babies sleep better, and so on.
Which all sounds pretty great if you ask me! We swaddled Ruth for sleep most nights and sometimes even during the day while she was awake or asleep in that first month of her life. My cute little burrito baby!
And then I started learning that there actually are some potential cons to swaddling (which also happened to be right around the time we had to transition out a swaddle anyways since she started rolling.)
So, I want to present you with a list of pros and cons (because there are both!!) so you can make an informed decision on if/how long you want to swaddle your baby.
Little Ruth just a few days old before we learned how to properly swaddle a baby.
Let’s start with the pros. (to be clear, I am NOT a doctor, PT, or OT. This is all based on my own research and training as a sleep specialist.)
PRO:
it CAN be calming for some babies.
it provides proprioceptive input (tight sensory input, similar to in the womb at the end of pregnancy when there is limited space) which like I just mentioned can be calming for some babies.
it isn’t inherently unsafe in the first few weeks.
it can help get longer stretches of sleep / deeper sleep (which sounds like a pro but isn’t, allow me to explain below.)
CON:
while the proprioceptive input is calming, the straight jacket/arms glued to their bodies is not like the womb at all. In utero, while it is a tighter space with lots of proprioceptive input, babies are able to move their arms and hands all over! They bring their hands to their mouths to suck, they stretch and strengthen their arm muscles. If you’ve been in late pregnancy before, you can likely imagine the feeling of your baby’s limbs pushing all over. A swaddled baby cannot do that.
longer stretches of sleep/deeper sleep in young babies aren’t actually a good idea. It’s absolutely understandable to want longer stretches of sleep as a parent with a baby. However, swaddling a baby overnight can prevent babies from waking up WHEN THEY NEED TO. (if babies didn’t need to wake up and seek support overnight…they wouldn’t.) One of the reasons babies wake overnight is to protect themselves against SIDS. They wake to feed (in order to sustain their growth/life.) Swaddling can lead to deeper sleep for babies which is known to be a risk factor for SIDS. Sleeping through necessary feeding sessions can also put babies at low/poor weight gain or failure to thrive.
babies need their hands for breastfeeding. They need to be able to bring their hands to the breast to manipulate it into their mouths/get a proper latch. They need to be able to have full motion of their neck, arms, and hands while nursing to push away if they’re shoved too far in, pull off, be comfortable, etc. Babies hands stimulate the nipple and help increase oxytocin in mom. Having access to their hands also helps parents identify a hunger cue (most babies will suck on their own hands when hungry.) Sucking on their own hands is very soothing.
There is lots of room for error. It can become very unsafe very quickly:
swaddling is only safe when a baby is lying on their back and immediately becomes unsafe when they start rolling over. The issue is, some babies roll after a couple months, some take longer. So there’s no set time when babies will roll and it can happen very suddenly. Swaddling after the first few weeks/first month can be risky as there is no telling when the baby will roll. You’ll have to get rid of the swaddle eventually, it’s often easier to do it sooner rather than cold turkey when they start showing signs of rolling.
swaddling with a blanket (and not a fancy zip or velcro swaddle) if not done properly, can easily become unraveled and become a major strangulation/suffocation risk.
If swaddling isn’t done correctly, it could lead to hip dysplasia (if a swaddle is wrapped too tightly it can negatively impact proper hip development), SIDS, and hyperthermia.
Swaddling suppresses the moro (startle) reflex (which often wakes babies up, which is why parents use a swaddle to begin with) HOWEVER, if a baby isn’t swaddled for prolonged periods of time, the moro reflex typically integrates around 3-4 months. So while this reflex does often cause babies to wake themselves up, there is a reason their moro reflex isn’t integrated right away and it’s important for them to wake overnight. If the moro reflex is suppressed overnight/most nights until they start rolling, there’s a good chance they’ll have to learn how to integrate that reflex at that time.
swaddling should never be done overnight or for naps if you are bedsharing. Overheating is a major risk factor for SIDS and a baby sleeping close to you tightly wound in a swaddle cannot regulate their body temperature (and is getting extra heat off of a parent.) They need to be able to push away or tuck into you depending on their temperature needs. If you feel your space is cold overnight, consider a lightweight sleep sack for your baby instead of a swaddle.
Not all babies actually like it. Some babies DON’T like that tight feeling on them.
TIPS FOR SWADDLING:
if you ARE planning to swaddle for overnight stretches or during naps, make sure your baby gets lots of swaddle free exploration time during the day/when they’re awake. This means lots of container free time (so really limiting time in swings/bouncers/seats/rockers/carseats/strollers/etc.) and offering lots of time for them to be on both their backs and bellies to explore their body and use their reflexes.
try to ditch it as early as you can (ideally by six weeks.) Like I mentioned, it can be soothing for some babies and those first handful of weeks after birth can be a lot..for everyone..and swaddling can be a handy tool during that time. But I would try not to become too reliant on it and wean away from it as soon as possible.
make sure it doesn’t ride too high near their neck/face and that it’s loose around their hips and legs.
consider a sleep sack or an arms up/arms out swaddle.
make a decision around swaddling that works best for your family/your baby. You can swaddle or you don’t have to. It’s good to be aware of how to safely do it and the pros and cons but at the end of the day make a decision you feel comfortable and confident in.
