Swaddling

I had an interesting discussion in the shop today about the practise of swaddling. We chose to swaddle all three of our babies from birth until about 4 months of age and found it did help calm and settle them.

I had recommended the Aden and Anais Swaddles to this customer, telling her how popular they are, which prompted a discussion about the safety of swaddling. I decided to do some reading around the subject this evening and advice seems to be varied and inconclusive.

The FSID are officially still not recommending swaddling, however, they also say that loose bedding should not be used. As sleep bags are not suitable for small newborns, I am not clear what bedding they would recommend for a newborn.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that swaddling means the baby feels 'cuddled' and therefore is calm and secure. Most parents report their baby sleeps better whilst swaddled, it also helps prevent them waking with their 'startle reflex'. Of course, if they are well wrapped, swaddling also does away with the concern over loose bedding. SID is not statistically more common in cultures where swaddling is common practise.

The latest research on the FSID website is here and is worth a read if you have time.

However, if you choose to swaddle your baby, the guidelines, in a nutshell, are:

• use light materials

• never cover your baby's head

• wrap securely to avoid loose materials

• place your baby to sleep on his/her back, NEVER place a swaddled baby to sleep on their front.

• swaddle your baby routinely from birth and do not change their routine until they can roll over.

• once your baby can roll over they should no longer be swaddled as they need their arms to help adjust their head position.

• make anyone else caring for your child aware of their sleep routine

I am not a sleep expert and have no medical or childcare qualifications but I do like to provoke thought and discussion and help parents make informed choices. I hope this helps!