How to swaddle children: tips for young mothers

"Swaddle tight, otherwise your legs will be crooked!"; "Swaddle tightly so that you know who is the boss in the house!" - these tips from our grandmothers seem to us, young mothers, remnants of the past. There is also a diametrically opposite point of view, stating that swaddling is not necessary at all: they say, this is a restriction on the freedom of the baby's personality, which does not allow him to develop. Our point of view is this: swaddling is possible and necessary, but not in the way that the previous generation did. The benefits of free swaddling have now been proven. Our material will tell you what it is and how to swaddle children correctly.

So, tight swaddling is not only a relic of the past, but also a dangerous action: neonatologists have proven the connection of tight swaddling with hip dislocations in infants. However, it is necessary to swaddle a child at least in the first month of life. Imagine yourself in the place of a baby: for nine months you grew up in a warm and cozy limited and slightly cramped space, and now you were born. Legs and arms move chaotically, the baby is scared, and many children also wake themselves up in their sleep with their movements. If you swaddle a child, he gets the impression that he is still in the uterus, in a confined space, and the first movements will not frighten him. The so-called free swaddling is now practiced all over the world.

How to swaddle children?

Before you start swaddling, prepare a comfortable flat surface (ideally, a changing table), two diapers (cotton and flannel) and a diaper (gauze or disposable). Newborns can be swaddled with handles (completely the whole body) or up to the level of the armpits, leaving the handles free.

If you are using a gauze diaper, calculate the correct number of diapers you will need per day, taking into account their drying time.

The entire period of newborn (up to 28 days from birth) diapers should not only be thoroughly washed, but also iron with a hot iron on both sides.

Up to what age should the baby be swaddled?

Most experts agree that it is necessary to swaddle a child up to 1 month. It is after this age that he begins to actively explore his body, arms, legs. There is motor activity, awareness of your body in space. The diaper will slow down physical and psychological development. However, some children may show dissatisfaction with swaddling even at the age of two weeks: the baby will cry until you take off the diaper, or try to free the handles. Other children need swaddling for a restful sleep for up to three months. Look at your child and remember that his needs are individual.

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There are also Velcro diapers on sale now. When using them, you do not need to think about how to swaddle children: you just put the baby on one part of the product, cover the other and fasten it.

Do not swaddle the baby tightly, it does not affect the curvature of the legs!

So, let's go back to how to swaddle children correctly. The room should not be cold. If it is very hot indoors or outdoors, use only one or two cotton diapers.

Put a warm diaper on the table first, then a thin one. Put the baby on them so that his neck is where the upper edge of the two diapers is. Wrap one side edge under the baby's arm, then wrap the other edge around the whole body. Straighten the lower free edge slightly to the sides, turn it back and wrap one edge into the other. This is the Russian method of swaddling: when the diaper is positioned horizontally in relation to the baby.

In Europe and the USA, there is a different scheme of how to swaddle a child. You can see the photo below:

If you swaddle up to the armpits, put "scratches" on the newborn and watch his nails.