The Pros and Cons of Swaddling: A Guide

Since ancient times, mothers have been swaddling newborns. In many hospitals, a nurse arrives shortly after a woman gives birth and quickly burritos the wriggling infant. Something that is practiced by medical experts and is so ingrained in numerous cultures must be beneficial for your infant, right? There are undoubtedly advantages to baby sleeping bags. But there are also dangers and disadvantages.

Pros of Swaddling

• Swaddling might promote deeper, longer sleep. An infant sleeps for roughly 16 hours every day, but those hours are spread out into 3- to 4-hour periods. Infants who are swaddled appear to get more REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. A baby may be less likely to completely awaken when awakened in this deeper sleep stage, which for parents means fewer trips to the baby’s bedside to respond to a sobbing, wide-awake infant.

• A wailing baby may be calmed by swaddling. This benefit is what encourages so many parents to give swaddling a try. Imagine being able to stop your baby from weeping with just a few folds! But it’s not magic. According to studies, swaddling a baby who is 8 weeks or younger can cut down on crying by 42%. The baby-wrap, however, is less effective with crying infants that are older than that.

• The risk of SIDS may be decreased by swaddling (SIDS). SIDS is more likely to occur in babies who sleep on their stomachs. Babies should sleep on their backs because of this. A newborn who is properly swaddled and has their face up will be less likely to move around while they are sleeping and turn over on their stomach.

The consequences and dangers of swaddling

• Beginning breast feeding could be hampered by swaddling. Babies are frequently inspected shortly after birth, wrapped in blankets for warmth, and then given back to their mothers so they can practice starting to breastfeed. However, in a tiny study, researchers found that compared to swaddled newborns, babies that had more skin-to-skin contact with their mothers in the first two hours after delivery suckled more effectively and took to the breast earlier.

• Swaddling may have an impact on a newborn’s healthy weight. A swaddled newborn may not gain enough weight for a number of reasons, including a delay in starting to breastfeed.
• Another argument contends that because touch has been proven to promote growth, babies who are swaddled may not receive the touch they require to develop.

• Swaddling can also increase the risk of hyperthermia, a condition when the body temperature is too high, even though it has been found to help regulate body temperature.

• Swaddling might make hip dysplasia more likely. A baby’s hips and knees are expanded when being swaddled.