Swaddling: harm or benefit. How, when and for how long to swaddle a baby. Is it necessary to swaddle a newborn baby? Is it necessary to swaddle a newborn baby at night?

An interesting thing is swaddling, because until recently, all sorts of pieces of fabric, called diapers, were almost the baby’s only wardrobe in the first months of life. And for hundreds, and maybe thousands of years, humanity has not come up with anything better than tightly wrapping a newborn in a piece of textile. Remember yourself (although this is unlikely), ask your mother, look at children's photos - it is unlikely that your parents did not swaddle you, Soviet times this was a mandatory measure.

Now the situation is better and simpler, fortunately for our contemporaries, and swaddling has honorably faded into the background. Some even consider it a relic of the past and flatly refuse to buy diapers, preferring tiny baby suits. But is swaddling a newborn baby today just a tribute to tradition that does not carry any meaning? But what about our predecessors, did they really swaddle their children out of despair, did no one think of sewing pants and a blouse? No, it's not that simple and let's find out why.

Baby in a cocoon - everyone is happy!

Honestly, such a ritual as swaddling has a deep meaning. If we think logically, it is not difficult to guess that for many years children have been wrapped in cloth to retain heat, ensure immobility and ease of manipulation, for example, when feeding.

Newborn babies are still imperfect and are, one might say, in an intermediate state between the warm mother’s tummy and the big one. open world, they are still adapting, and their body is “tuning” to the new stage. Accordingly, the vastness of the world in which the little one found himself is somewhat frightening, because it was much cozier and more comfortable in the warm, albeit cramped, mother’s tummy. The thermoregulation of a newborn baby can also “fail,” so by wrapping the baby in a diaper, the mother not only creates some “intimacy” for him, simulating the womb, but also helps the body retain heat.

Swaddling in some way solves the problem with involuntary movements of the baby’s limbs due to physiological muscle hypertonicity. This condition usually goes away by 8-10 weeks of life and sudden uncontrolled swings of the arms and legs are gradually replaced by measured movements. So, it often happens that a young mother loses all peace and gets exhausted, remaining exhausted in the morning due to her child’s poor sleep. And the child slept poorly because his little naughty hands twitched and frightened him. The experience of our mothers and grandmothers clearly proves that babies sleep better in a diaper, without distracting themselves with their own uncontrolled twitching.

Well, it is much easier for inexperienced young parents to handle the fruit of their love if it is carefully wrapped in a diaper, without waving its legs and arms. You can put a solid point by saying that swaddling is simple, cheap and cheerful. A piece of chintz or flannel costs an order of magnitude cheaper than clothes for newborns, it is easier to take off/put on and there are no problems with washing.

Swaddling at night

It is unlikely that anyone swaddles their baby all the time, completely abandoning these delightful clothes. This tendency only persists in the maternity hospital, when there may be no other options, and the medical staff will be able to deal with a horde of children faster if they look like little caterpillars. By the way, in modern maternity hospitals, the use of clothes brought by a young mother for the baby is not at all prohibited. A woman can either swaddle her baby “the old fashioned way” or dress him up in clothes that are more comfortable for both him and her. If desired, nurses teach first-time women the skill of skillful swaddling, so much so that no Google can teach you better.

But this is a small digression. Most of all, mothers are interested in whether it is necessary to swaddle their baby at night, because, as already mentioned, children sleep better at night in a swaddle. But not everything and not always. Indeed, most modern parents prefer not to use swaddling constantly, giving the baby complete freedom of movement during the day, and swaddling him only at night for the common good. It would seem that everyone here immediately feels good: new parents get more or less sleep, just like the little one.

But here you need to look at the situation, focus on the baby. It happens that some children do not really like the restriction of movements from birth and miraculously free themselves from the calico shackles by fiddling with their hands. In this case, swaddling is unlikely to be advisable. When choosing the most optimal option, you can try, in addition to the classic diaper, modern “cocoons” with Velcro and zippers.

Some people will like a sleeping bag, while others will feel comfortable in the so-called sleepsuits with closed legs and sometimes even mitten handles. As a last resort, the baby can be placed on his tummy to sleep. There is nothing wrong with this, unless you put 10 soft feather beds in your child’s bed, as in that fairy tale. Lying on his stomach, the child will not suffocate if he sleeps on a hard, flat surface without pillows, and will not scratch or disturb himself with his handle. And colic, they say, is less of a concern.

But in most cases, night swaddling makes life much easier for parents, giving a restful and sometimes even very long sleep, and giving the newborn comfort, peace and emotional stability. By the way, many newborn babies stop crying and calm down if they are swaddled and held close. This is true, helpful advice from life.

But if a young mother is still waiting to be discharged from the postpartum department with a happy envelope in her hands, she may doubt the need for night swaddling in the maternity hospital. It happens that neighbors in the ward dress up their babies in pretty suits, carelessly pushing the official diapers to the far corner. And the children seem to sleep normally. Or maybe you don’t need to wrap it in a diaper, like in Soviet times... I’ll say one thing: whether it’s necessary to swaddle a child at night in the maternity hospital is a rather rhetorical question. As a last resort, if you doubt the advisability of this procedure, consult with your medical staff.

Harmful diapers

Surely you have heard that swaddling is harmful and even traumatic physically and psychologically. Unfortunately, such rumors are not unfounded. Improper swaddling can really harm the baby, namely:

interferes with blood circulation;

makes breathing difficult;

completely paralyzes movement, making it impossible to move;

may cause dislocation;

leads to diaper rash;

possibility of overheating;

leads to stress and makes it impossible to explore the world.

But it is worth correcting that the above phenomena are true for the so-called tight swaddling, widely used in Soviet times. Remember those photographs or news clippings where the little ones, like little soldiers, lay lined up with their legs and arms tightly wrapped in fabric? What could they do? Just cry. Previously, this was considered an effective prevention of rickets and a lucky ticket to slender, model legs. As it turned out, all this is nonsense, and modern neonatologists and pediatricians unanimously recognize tight swaddling as inappropriate and traumatic. From a personal example: I know of one case 50 years ago, when one soviet woman I swaddled my baby regularly until he was 9 months old! Absurd, but it used to seem like the norm.

And the modern range of clothing and accessories for babies allows you to purchase an excellent alternative to diapers. Just look at the diapers, which make mom’s life so much easier, eliminating the need for endless washing. Why then all these endless and ever-drying pieces of rags? For many parents, with such a wide selection of products for newborns, the question of “whether or not to swaddle a newborn” disappears by itself.

How to be?

And yet, what to do in such a situation? If swaddling saves so much in some moments, but is so harmful, is it possible to find a successful alternative? Secretly, the light did not converge on one tight method of swaddling with a wedge. Nowadays, including in modern maternity hospitals, variations of the so-called free swaddling are practiced. At first, the baby is swaddled entirely, leaving only the head uncovered, so that the arms are pressed tightly to the body and the legs flounder freely in a small fabric bag.

A slightly older baby will feel comfortable with free arms, while the legs are swaddled in a similar way, forming a pouch. This method does not cause deformation of the limbs or any discomfort in the baby and is used by modern parents along with ordinary children's clothes.

Be that as it may, whether or not to swaddle a newborn baby is your decision and that’s all. Or more precisely, your baby. If he feels calm and comfortable in a diaper, then why not. If he vehemently resists, then why ruin the lives of both. But if you still decide to do it “the old fashioned way,” then you shouldn’t get carried away; swaddling only makes sense until 2-3 months of the baby’s life.

For many decades and even centuries, swaddling remained natural in many countries. the only way dressing babies. Each such nationality had its own compelling arguments in favor of diapers, but in general, other methods of wrapping, wrapping and dressing newborns were not even considered or allowed.

Today, swaddling is quickly becoming a thing of the past, and many even consider it an atavism. Diapers have been successfully replaced by rompers and baby onesies, however, some parents still continue to swaddle their children.

What is best to dress a newborn baby in, each of us decides for ourselves personally or with the help of our grandmothers. However, many new mothers and fathers cannot make a choice: whether to swaddle newborns is an extremely pressing question for them.

Progressive modern pediatricians assure: this aspect of baby care is not at all fundamental and does not affect the baby’s development so much as to attach undue importance to it. But there are different rumors, even to the point that swaddling can cause significant delays in physical, mental, speech and mental development child and even lead to the sudden death of the baby! Therefore, today let’s talk about whether it is necessary to swaddle newborns, what will happen if you don’t swaddle, and in general: what are the pros and cons of swaddling children.

Swaddling a baby: advantages

Previously, it was believed that tight swaddling, especially of the legs, was simply necessary so that they, in the sense of the legs, were even. But this myth has long been debunked: there is no connection between the shape of a child’s legs and the way he is wrapped, no matter how you wrap him!

In the meantime, it is difficult to argue with the fact that swaddling is very economically beneficial. Having a couple of dozen good large diapers, you can, at least for several months, forget about the need to replenish your children's wardrobe with “underwear” clothes. This is the most obvious and indisputable advantage. But there are others.

Various parents and doctors (pediatricians, obstetricians) find their own advantages in swaddling:

A swaddled child falls asleep faster and easier, sleeps more soundly and longer, and generally behaves calmer, because he does not frighten himself with spontaneous reflex movements of his limbs.
Swaddling can calm a scared, upset baby.
Wrapped tightly in a swaddle, the baby feels safe and warm, which also calms him down.
A swaddled baby is not so scary to hold, especially for very young and inexperienced parents, who are often afraid of any manipulation with their baby.
Many mothers note that it is easier to feed a swaddled baby because he does not squirm or get distracted.
It’s easier to wrap a baby in a diaper than to “twist” his arms while putting on a jacket.
The diapers do not have seams, scars or decorative elements, like many blouses and panties, and if swaddled carefully, they do not cause discomfort to the baby in the form of pressure and rubbing.

However, not everyone agrees with these advantages. Moreover, there is an opinion that swaddling is downright harmful to the baby, and therefore it is being abandoned all over the world (and in some countries it has never been as popular as, say, in Russia).

Swaddling a baby: cons

Recently, more and more information has appeared that swaddling is not beneficial for the child, and numerous worldwide studies on this topic even supposedly confirm that it is quite dangerous! Among other things, it is said that tight swaddling increases the risk of subluxation of the hip joints in children, suppresses their desire for freedom and knowledge of the world, and generally has a negative impact on the development of the child. And there is even evidence that tight swaddling increases the risk of developing sudden infant death syndrome!

The most general and neutral argument against swaddling is that the diaper confines the baby in a fixed position, and he is used to moving his arms and legs in the mother’s womb, tucking his legs to his tummy in the fetal position, sucking a finger, changing the position of his body, exploring it. Not only is swaddling unnatural, it also does not help harmonious development baby, because he is simply deprived of the opportunity to explore the world around him.

Swaddling also has ardent opponents who believe that:

Diapers hinder the baby's movements and can cause discomfort.
Tight swaddling slows down blood circulation in the baby's body and can contribute to a decrease in muscle tone and deterioration in the functioning of internal organs.
Due to tight swaddling, the child cannot breathe fully due to compression of the diaphragm.
When the arms and legs are free, the child learns to control them faster and coordination of movements develops better.
A swaddled child cannot sleep on his side, tummy, or change the position of his body.
When swaddling, body-to-body contact between the baby and the mother is impossible, and many experts talk about it invaluable benefits for the health and development of the baby.
Free spreading of the legs to the sides (that is, the physiological position of the body of a lying newborn without diapers) prevents the development of dysplasia in children in the first months of life.
Pants and blouses do not hinder the baby’s movements, but diapers hinder knowledge of the world and freedom of action.
It is much more difficult (or even impossible) for a newborn to get rid of clothes on his own than to get rid of a diaper.
Not everyone can learn how to securely secure a baby’s body with a diaper, this is especially true for men. But dad is quite capable of changing the baby into pants and a blouse, which is very important when a tired and exhausted mother needs rest and help.
Staying in a diaper promotes artificial retention of heat inside the “cocoon”, increasing the risk of overheating of the baby (especially in the hot season), makes it difficult to adapt to the temperature regime and does not contribute to hardening.
Swaddling promotes the development of diaper rash and prickly heat.
Small clothes require less detergent and drying space than diapers.

In addition, opponents of swaddling emphasize that throwing up the arms is to some extent normal, because the baby does not immediately get used to its limbs. If he is tightly wrapped for a long period of time, then the process of getting used to own hands slows down and subsequently he may be even more “afraid” of them.

Also, throwing up the arms may indicate the presence of neurological disorders, which require the help of a specialist, and not diapers.

Is it necessary to swaddle a baby: opinions and experience

Both the pros and cons of swaddling undoubtedly need to be taken into account when choosing one or another method of dressing a baby. But the truth, as usual, is still somewhere in the middle. Most adequate pediatricians assure with absolute confidence (and the centuries-old experience of swaddling more than confirms this): swaddling does not cause any harm (unless one can agree with the increased risk of hip dislocation)! However, there is one “but”.

It’s probably still worth focusing on the child. Children are completely different in character, have characteristics and differences, and what causes discomfort for some is necessary for others. Practice shows that some babies like swaddling and even need it until a certain period - this way they actually behave calmer; others do not accept being wrapped in principle and are constantly trying by hook or by crook to “get free”; Still others feel completely comfortable in pants and a blouse during the day, but still fall asleep better swaddled.

By the way, some pediatricians believe that a child needs time to get used to sleeping with or without a diaper. Therefore, there is no need to make hasty conclusions about the child’s assessment of this issue. However, you should not ignore the baby’s reaction to swaddling or lack thereof. And many parents, by the way, practice loose, loose swaddling or only secure the lower part of the baby’s body.

Take a closer look and listen to your child. Perhaps there should be no other argument than his perception of diapers and reaction to wrapping! But if you are interested, modern pediatricians (the same ones who see nothing wrong with swaddling) still consider it more convenient and justified to use baby clothes rather than diapers.

To swaddle or not to swaddle - the answer to the question is not so important. Your own peace of mind and the comfort of your child are much more important.

Especially for - Margarita SOLOVIOVA

If you ask our grandmothers and great-grandmothers whether it is necessary to swaddle newborn babies tightly, they will, without hesitation, answer in the affirmative, and then for a long time they will explain that a child in a swaddle is much calmer, he sleeps longer, does not wake himself up with his hands, and it’s easier for the mother. deal with him.

However, in Ukraine, newborns have not been swaddled for several decades, as in most countries of the world, and children, dressed in tiny pants and shirts (or even tailcoats or cool tracksuits), from the first hours of life are deprived of all restrictions, including diapers . How does this affect their development and health? Natalya Madzigon, a neonatologist of the highest category, head of the newborn department of the Zhytomyr Regional Perinatal Center, spoke about this.

Swaddling is a violation of children's rights

If we talk about the advantages of swaddling, then these can only be the bright memories of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers about the birth of their children. Under the Union, it was established that newborns in the maternity hospital stay separately from their mothers, they are fed clearly every three hours and swaddled tightly so that the medical staff can handle the children comfortably and safely. Today, such a rigid system and regime of planned development of a child, starting from the first days of life, are perceived as a negative legacy of the past. And by and large, this is a violation of human rights.

Read also:

In the majority perinatal centers countries, since the mid-90s, newborns are kept with their mothers, except for those sick children who must constantly be under the supervision of doctors. But even these children are not swaddled, and mothers spend quite a lot of time near them. Freedom from diapers is necessary for the normal development of a child!

Natural posture of a newborn - bent arms and legs

Scientists have proven that for a newborn, the natural physiological position is bent arms and legs spread to the sides. This is comfortable for children, and this position allows them to breathe deeply, move their legs and arms and learn the world. And when the child is in diapers, he cannot move, feeling congestion in all limbs. Every time he is swaddled, he feels violated. After all, they forcefully straighten his arms and legs, which, according to nature’s plan, should be bent; the child whines and tries to pull out the arm, but cannot, and suffers from this. Swaddling is bad for your mental, emotional and physical development child. In addition, in diapers he does not feel the closeness of the mother’s body and feels abandoned.

Read also:

To prevent the child, who is not constrained by diapers, from scratching himself with his fingernails, he is first put on a flannel shirt with closed sleeves, but pretty soon his hands are opened and then the mother takes his fingers, and he feels the new touches necessary for his development.

Why doesn't a newborn need to sleep for a long time?

Yes, a child without diapers wakes himself up with his hands and often wakes up. But this is good: in the first months he should not sleep 8-10 hours a day, because he needs to eat often. Frequent feedings The mother also needs it in the postpartum period, because while the baby is eating mother’s milk, the woman’s uterus contracts well and no bleeding occurs. And there is no stagnation of milk in the breast, because the newborn constantly demands to eat, and even if he burps, he soon reaches out to the mother’s breast again. Mothers should take this completely calmly and not try to introduce hourly feeding schedules. At night, the child also eats whenever he wants. This is better for both the health of the mother and the development of the baby.

It's easier to breathe without diapers!

Another important point: Babies who are not constrained by diapers can breathe freely, which is very important. This is the prevention of inflammatory processes, bronchitis and obstructive pulmonary diseases. And in diapers, his lungs open much longer and harder, which can cause inflammatory processes.

Currently, people are increasingly talking about the dangers of swaddling: it does not allow the child to develop harmoniously, limits the perception of the world, disrupts tactile functions, and inhibits individuality. It is not surprising that many young parents initially refuse to swaddle their babies, but come to him, exhausted from sleepless nights.

In Russia, from time immemorial, it has been customary to swaddle newborns using a swaddling bag (midwife or swaddling bag) - a strip of homespun fabric about 15 centimeters wide, decorated with patterns with crosses.

Midwives served as a talisman for generations. The child was wrapped in swaddling clothes, with a midwife wrapped quite tightly on top from the shoulders to the feet.

Such tight wrapping was used in the first weeks to alleviate the birth stress that the baby experiences when born.

Today, inexperienced parents are taught that any swaddling is a relic of the past, violence against a person who should move freely from the first moments of life.

Friends, welcome to the site about sleep quality. I suggest considering swaddling using common sense. We will talk about physiologically based or free swaddling, which helps the baby gradually get used to his body and the new world.

With this method, in the first weeks the arms are not tightly pressed with the diaper to the body (later they are not wrapped at all), and the legs are free and wrapped in the diaper.

The harm of tight swaddling

In the old days, children were tightly wrapped in a swaddle so that they could not move, their legs were straightened, pressed tightly against each other, and their straightened arms were tied to their body. Even tight swaddling was necessarily used as a therapeutic procedure for premature, injured during childbirth and weakened children.

Currently, tight swaddling as a way of caring for infants can be found extremely rarely.

Scientific medicine has proven:

prolonged and thoughtless tight wrapping inhibits the development of the baby’s motor functions.

Accustoming to their legs and arms occurs in such children only by six months. They can wake themselves up with startles in their sleep until 7 and 8 months of age.

Tight wrapping of the legs provokes dysplasia (dislocation) of the hip joint.

The general blood circulation in the child’s body is disrupted. The lungs are compressed.

Overheating occurs, immunity decreases.

With tight swaddling, the child’s physiological habitual posture is disrupted, his well-being, sleep, and nutrition deteriorate.

The child is nervous and excitable.

The risk of death of the baby increases.

Psychologists are sure: tight swaddling fosters a disciplined, submissive personality, ready to submit, develops character traits such as passivity, weak character, and a tendency to be a victim.

The benefits of free swaddling

Creating comfortable conditions close to those in the womb

Before birth, the baby's body is tightly hugged by the walls of the uterus, they provide support for his legs and arms. These close hugs become familiar and desirable. Any imitation of them allows the baby to feel comfortable.

The child experiences extreme fear at birth:

after a cramped, dark and warm habitat, he finds himself in a huge open, cool space, flooded with bright light and a variety of noise,

meets gravity, the pain of compression of the body during passage through the birth canal, the pain of the first breath when the lung tissue unfolds.

Deprived of their usual support on the wall of the uterus, the baby’s legs and arms dangle chaotically and frighten him.

Fear is a very strong negative emotion, drowning out and slowing down the development of all other functions: cognitive, tactile, motor, etc.

Swaddling limits the space surrounding a newborn baby, creates intrauterine tightness, gives a feeling of support, warms and allows you to take a familiar position - pull your legs to your tummy and suck your fist. This is how he learns to calm himself down.

A similar effect can be achieved without swaddling - you need to press the baby to your warm body and hold the dangling legs and arms with your hand. Sensations close to intrauterine ones calm the baby.

Development of touch

The tactile function begins to manifest itself from three months of intrauterine development in children. By 4 months, coordination of movements of the head and hands appears, the baby finds his mouth with his hands and begins to suck his fist or finger, which becomes a habit.

IN last weeks Before birth, the baby’s body increases significantly, the uterine embrace becomes closer, the legs and arms are pressed tightly to the body, which also becomes intrauterine. Periodically contracting, the uterus gives tangible bodily impressions of a tight embrace.

Before birth, the source of tactile sensations is the entire surface of the baby’s skin in contact with the walls of the uterus.

Leather infants- the most sensitive organ through which the baby receives 85% of all information about the world.

After birth, the sense of touch continues to develop due to information coming from the outside through contact with his skin, especially with his legs and arms. Everything is a source of tactile information: a diaper, clothes, the body of mom and dad, your own body, and so on.

For the sense of touch to develop successfully, it is necessary that the baby’s legs and arms constantly bump into various surfaces, and not fly in the air uncontrollably. In this case, he does not have time to be frightened by the infinity of the surrounding space.

The correct approach to developing the sense of touch in newborns:

during sleep, we swaddle with a minimum of clothing under the diaper (the hands will not only bump into the diaper, but also feel their body),

if the baby is in the arms of adults and is warmed by their warmth, there should also be as little clothing as possible.

Provide your baby with the opportunity to explore the world; let him touch everything that is safe. The more varied the stimuli, the more actively the sense of touch develops.

Research has proven that Skin-to-skin contact between a newborn and parents is very important . A child who is given the opportunity to lie on his mother’s (father’s) stomach or chest feels better and quickly adapts to new living conditions. Stroke his body more often, gently massage his feet and palms.

Undershirts with sewn sleeves interfere with the development of the sense of touch. When hands long time are closed, the baby is deprived of a variety of sensations: the ability to touch his body, surrounding objects, and his mother’s breast when feeding.

Swaddling improves the quality of sleep of a newborn

Our sleep consists of stages of superficial (rapid) and deep (slow) sleep. When transitioning from REM sleep to slow sleep, a change in nervous excitability occurs. Our body shudders at the same time.

In babies, shudders can be quite strong, legs and arms shoot up sharply. The baby gets scared and wakes up. And the whole point is the lack of brake mechanisms nervous system. As they form (by approximately day 30), the child’s body will shudder less frequently.

Swaddling helps a newborn learn in new conditions for him. The diaper keeps his legs and arms from throwing up.

In order for a child to actively develop it is necessary:

avoid fear, which slows down development on all fronts. Raising your legs and arms should be avoided. Swaddling will help with this.

We create comfortable conditions close to intrauterine conditions: posture (legs are pulled up to the tummy, arms are half-bent and not tightly pressed to the body), closeness (we reasonably limit the space), bodily contact (we place it on our stomach).

We allow the baby to touch surrounding objects, often leaving his palms open.

When to swaddle

The presence of the mother perfectly calms the baby and allows you to do without swaddling. It’s good if the mother has the opportunity to carry the baby constantly in her arms (in a sling) - the usual bodily sensations are created, the child sleeps peacefully without a diaper, parental hugs interfere with “throwing up”. A child warmed by his mother’s warmth can sleep and also walk naked, which is very useful for the development of tactile functions.

But to ensure round-the-clock tactile contact with the baby in modern society unreal. The child still has to be left alone when the mother does household chores, eats, and washes.

It is necessary to teach the child to be alone and not to be afraid. Swaddling will help with this; it will keep his unruly legs and arms from random movements and create a feeling of limited and cozy space.

Experienced pediatricians and parents of many children It is recommended to swaddle from the first moments of life, until the baby himself gets out of the swaddling clothes, showing his need and readiness for greater freedom. Most often, swaddling continues until 6-9 months of age.

How to swaddle

We are talking about free swaddling - the limbs have sufficient freedom to move, the baby can habitually pull her legs up to her tummy and dangle them, and touch herself with her arms or pull them out and suck her fist. There should be as little clothing under the diaper as possible so that the baby can feel not only the diaper, but also his body with his skin.

While walking. Around the third week, the baby will begin to examine his surroundings with interest and will want to touch the rattles in the crib and other objects. At this stage of development, you can introduce swaddling “under the arms”: the swaddle wraps the legs, but does not interfere with their freedom.

When he sleeps. Conscious reactions of the limbs are formed by the age of one month, throwing up weakens, the baby is less likely to wake up from his sudden movements. You can practice swaddling “under the arms”.

If the tosses persist, then continue swaddling with your hands. Some babies continue to startle violently in their sleep for up to six months or more. What may be associated with severe stress during birth: the child is frightened and does not accept new reality. Don't rush him, he will adapt to new conditions over time.

To swaddle or not

The task of parents is to provide the baby with maximum safety and comfort for active development. Watch your baby, he will tell you the answer himself. For many children, swaddling is unnecessary; they sleep peacefully in rompers and undershirts, and respond to attempts to swaddle them with active protest.

If a child is afraid of his little hands in a dream, then free swaddling necessary. At the same time, the diaper protects against hypothermia, because the baby’s own thermostat does not yet work in the first days.

Do you think loose swaddling is harmful or beneficial? It's interesting to hear your opinion.

Elena Valve for the project Sleepy Cantata

In the following publications:

how to overcome them.

: difference from nightmares, reasons, safe help for the baby.

. How to retrain.

Young mothers are increasingly refusing to swaddle, considering it useless and even harmful for their newborn baby. So is it necessary to swaddle your baby?

“Diapers - baby vests”... This is the first thing that comes to mind for most people when they hear the word “baby”. However, today young mothers are increasingly refusing to swaddle, considering it useless and even harmful. Is it necessary to swaddle a child, and why has the centuries-old tradition of “swaddling” suddenly lost its relevance?

Why did grandmothers swaddle

In Soviet times, women didn’t even think about why they swaddled their baby. Just like a thousand years ago, this was rather a necessary measure.

Firstly, diapers are more economically accessible. They do not need to be changed as the baby grows, like clothes.
Secondly, diapers are easier to wash and sterilize, they do not require such delicate care like children's things.
Thirdly, our grandmothers were deprived of such pleasure as disposable diapers. Frequent changes of underwear did not tolerate slow changing of clothes, in which diapers are undoubtedly superior to blouses and panties.

Despite these quite sound arguments, supporters of swaddling also have serious misconceptions.

Myths about swaddling

In the last century, tight swaddling was used from birth. Even in the maternity hospital, mothers were taught to tightly fix their limbs. Pediatricians were sure that if this was not done, the baby’s legs would definitely be crooked.

In fact, pathological curvature of the legs is most often formed due to rickets. In addition to a balanced diet, the main measures to prevent this disorder include walks “in the sun” and physical activity.

Vitamin D, which is involved in the absorption of calcium, is formed under the influence of sunlight, and calcium itself is deposited in the bones only during active muscle work. So it turns out that On the contrary, tight swaddling can become one of the factors in the development of rickets and, as a result, curvature of the legs.

Pros and cons of swaddling

Since Soviet times, views on this issue have changed, but even now among medical workers There is disagreement about whether to swaddle a baby. So, swaddling: pros and cons.

Why you shouldn't swaddle...

The art of turning a baby into a “package” still needs to be learned. Not every parent, especially men, knows how to do this. In addition, if the toddler is active, even an experienced granny will not be able to swaddle him.

Why else do parents decide not to swaddle?

... and why swaddling is convenient

No matter how old-fashioned and scary swaddling may seem, there is no need to rush to abandon it completely. With a reasonable approach, using diapers also makes sense.

Handles under control. At first, newborns may throw up their arms in their sleep. This may cause you to wake up and cry. The diaper will not allow you to disturb the baby’s sleep.
Comfortably tight. The slight pressure of the fabric reminds the newborn of his mother's womb, allowing him to quickly get used to the new space.
Natural development of touch. It has been proven that babies receive about 80% of information about the world around them through touch. If the baby’s hands are not restrained, they will begin to move in a chaotic search, which will “overload” the brain with unnecessary information (applies to the first 3 months).
Convenience of hygiene procedures . For example, the usual cleaning of the nose and wiping the eyes will become much easier for the mother if the baby is immobilized by the diaper.
Saving on clothes. Of course, nowadays children’s things are more accessible than before, and the assortment is amazing. And yet, you will have to buy new blouses and pants every couple of weeks, but with diapers, which cost pennies, there is no such problem.

So is it worth swaddling or not? It all depends on the baby himself. Some babies are truly more comfortable and calmer when wrapped up, while others perceive a diaper as an encroachment on their freedom, cry and try to get out of “captivity.”

The method of swaddling is also important. It is not at all necessary to tightly wrap the baby with a cloth. For his comfort, loose swaddling is enough.

Age restrictions

Now that there is no doubt whether it is necessary to swaddle a newborn, you need to decide how long to swaddle the child.

In addition to possible inhibition of development, there is a risk that the baby will get used to sleeping curled up and will resist freedom. At what age should a child be swaddled to prevent attachment?

Usually, the need for swaddling at night continues in children for about six months. By this age, the baby outgrows it and refuses to be wrapped.

Until how many months should I swaddle so that the baby does not wake himself up with his hands? From 1.5 months to 3. Then the throwing of the limbs goes away on their own.

When asked at what age a baby should be swaddled, doctors unanimously say - at least one month. This does not mean tight, but loose swaddling.

A few more popular questions

How many times a day should I wrap my baby in a diaper? If the baby is calm while awake, he can be swaddled only before nap and at night.

Which diapers to choose? Firstly, they must be made from natural fabric. Secondly, choose material according to the season - in the summer, chintz is comfortable, and in the cold season, for example in November, they swaddle in a warm flannel.

Is it possible to refuse swaddling? Yes! Whether you should swaddle your newborn baby at all is up to you to decide. And the main adviser in this matter should be the baby himself. If he happily accepts “cloth captivity,” why not swaddle him, continuing the traditions of his ancestors!