Swaddling- What it is and How to Properly Do It!
By Kristi Patrice Carter

There’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it, swaddling your newborn baby is the way to comfort your newborn and keep yourself sane those first few months. In case you’ve never heard of swaddling, don’t fret, I never heard about swaddling until after l I had my first baby seven years ago. Basically, swaddling is an ancient art of wrapping a baby so they are instantly comforted.  It is a technique that prevents them from being startled or awakened by their own reflexes. Swaddling also keeps babies warm, cozy, calm, and collected. Swaddling is typically used the first 3 months of a baby’s life. However, some older babies love to be swaddled too.

To properly swaddle your little one, you must gather a cozy blanket and your baby, of course. Swaddling should always be done when your little one has been fed and dried to ensure that they are not crying from hunger or diaper discomfort. As previously mentioned, swaddling works best during the first few weeks of a baby’s life. After 6 weeks, however, you may want to allow your little one freedom of movement and mobility.  If they’re like my little ones, they’ll probably unswaddle themselves by kicking and punching the blanket. Swaddling for sleep is also very effective for children with colic, those that have acute startle reflexes, or children that simply seem to have trouble either falling asleep or staying asleep. 

Most hospitals show a new mother how to swaddle a child before they take baby home. If you had a home delivery or were not shown how to swaddle your bundle of joy, rest assured that swaddling your baby is easy, straightforward, and can be done in five easy steps:

Step 1 – Lay out a soft blanket on a flat surface, such as the floor or bed, and fold down the top right corner about six inches. Choose a blanket of soft material, such as flannel, cotton, or fleece. Cotton is best as it allows the body to breathe while being comforted and warmed.
Step 2 – Gently place the infant on her back with the child’s head resting on the six inch fold at the top right corner.
Step 3 – Start with the corner of the blanket closest to your child’s left hand. Pull the blanket across the baby’s body and tuck the edge under her back on the right hand side of the body.
Step 4 – Next, pull the bottom corner right up under your baby’s chin.
Step 5 – Finally, take the last corner and bring it over your child’s right arm.  Tuck it neatly under the baby’s back on the left side.

Some little ones really like to have their arms free, especially if they are awake. In such cases, tuck in the blanket under the arms instead.
And, if this is too much trouble for you, you can use one of the popular and super easy blankets, like the Miracle Blanket. With this great product, you don’t have to be a proficient swaddling expert to properly swaddle your baby. With the Miracle Blanket, you simply insert your little one’s legs into the inside pocket, wrap the two flaps around their arms and under their back and the longer flap around them for a great swaddle every single time.