Swaddling


I'm a big fan of swaddling. I swaddled my first child until she reached ten pounds and was big enough to wear a baby sleeping bag and I've swaddled my second, who is now eight weeks and reluctant to 'let go' of this particular method of sleeping. He's worn his sleeping bags a few times, but he does prefer to be swaddled and I usually bundle him up for his day time naps at least. If he's struggling to settle at night I will swaddle him also.

It was feebly in the news that swaddling can do long-term damage to a child's hips. This is because a baby's hips naturally place the legs in a frog-like position to help the ball socket joints to learn to rotate properly, apparently if a baby is too tightly swaddled, forcing strait-legs, it can damage the hips. I leave the bottom of my swaddle open so he is free to kick his legs as and when he pleases. Sometimes at night I will twist it gently and place it beside him in bed. He still has movement, but it is harder for him to kick it off and get cold. I have such a fear of him getting cold and I have no idea why, as far as I'm aware, being a little chilly is safer than over-heating.

On my recent quest to find out when a baby should stop being swaddled as Bear's now older than Moo was and still going, I came across a lot of conflicting information but my biggest fears were confirmed by a few different sources; the older the baby, the more dangerous it can be. One woman wrote on a well-known forum thread that her son sadly died aged seven months due to improper swaddling by a nursery worker. Obviously, it is unsafe to restrict a child's arms once they are rolling.

Bear loves to be swaddled and I will admit that at times it can be a real life-saver, yes, he wiggles free often but it also brings him comfort and helps him sleep, it's never caused us any problems with breast feeding despite that being a common problem and I know that he's warm all snuggled up like that.

My biggest concern at the moment is rolling, yes, I know that we're a few months off of that, but I remember Moo rolled over in her sleep a couple of times weeks before she ever rolled consciously and I really don't want him to become too dependant on his swaddling habit for sleeping. Should I try to wean him off of it now so that it's long gone by the time it could ever pose him any threat? I found all the information online to be highly contradicting. I personally found it worked for both my children and I don't believe that the way I do it poses any risk to his hips, circulation or body temperature...however I know it's only a matter of time before these are no longer the issues, and something more sinister starts to lurk.

Does anybody have any tips for getting their baby to settle in a sleeping bag? He doesn't enjoy having his arms free whereas Moo loved it and would often pull them free from her swaddle, and happily have a snug tummy!

Clare

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Little Pink Teacup: Swaddling

Monday 4 November 2013

Swaddling


I'm a big fan of swaddling. I swaddled my first child until she reached ten pounds and was big enough to wear a baby sleeping bag and I've swaddled my second, who is now eight weeks and reluctant to 'let go' of this particular method of sleeping. He's worn his sleeping bags a few times, but he does prefer to be swaddled and I usually bundle him up for his day time naps at least. If he's struggling to settle at night I will swaddle him also.

It was feebly in the news that swaddling can do long-term damage to a child's hips. This is because a baby's hips naturally place the legs in a frog-like position to help the ball socket joints to learn to rotate properly, apparently if a baby is too tightly swaddled, forcing strait-legs, it can damage the hips. I leave the bottom of my swaddle open so he is free to kick his legs as and when he pleases. Sometimes at night I will twist it gently and place it beside him in bed. He still has movement, but it is harder for him to kick it off and get cold. I have such a fear of him getting cold and I have no idea why, as far as I'm aware, being a little chilly is safer than over-heating.

On my recent quest to find out when a baby should stop being swaddled as Bear's now older than Moo was and still going, I came across a lot of conflicting information but my biggest fears were confirmed by a few different sources; the older the baby, the more dangerous it can be. One woman wrote on a well-known forum thread that her son sadly died aged seven months due to improper swaddling by a nursery worker. Obviously, it is unsafe to restrict a child's arms once they are rolling.

Bear loves to be swaddled and I will admit that at times it can be a real life-saver, yes, he wiggles free often but it also brings him comfort and helps him sleep, it's never caused us any problems with breast feeding despite that being a common problem and I know that he's warm all snuggled up like that.

My biggest concern at the moment is rolling, yes, I know that we're a few months off of that, but I remember Moo rolled over in her sleep a couple of times weeks before she ever rolled consciously and I really don't want him to become too dependant on his swaddling habit for sleeping. Should I try to wean him off of it now so that it's long gone by the time it could ever pose him any threat? I found all the information online to be highly contradicting. I personally found it worked for both my children and I don't believe that the way I do it poses any risk to his hips, circulation or body temperature...however I know it's only a matter of time before these are no longer the issues, and something more sinister starts to lurk.

Does anybody have any tips for getting their baby to settle in a sleeping bag? He doesn't enjoy having his arms free whereas Moo loved it and would often pull them free from her swaddle, and happily have a snug tummy!

Clare

Labels: , , , , , , , ,

4 Comments:

At 4 November 2013 at 18:58 , Blogger Patrick said...

Just a thought and what I did (and still do with missy). We put missy in her sleeping bag (and have from about three months, like you we swaddled arms only) then wrap her favourite blanket around her back. Its a stretchy hand knit one big enough to tuck round her when cuddling off to sleep, or tuck her arms in with (blanket below her back) now we are putting her down awake to go off to sleep, but is loose enough that even minimal shifting around will loosen it off, but leave it in range to grab and cuddle (if something happened to this blanket I think the world would end, seriously!) Or you can cuddle off to sleep wrapped this way and deliberately untuck when laying in bed, but baby still has blanket fur snuggling. Missy likes to bring it to her face see.

 
At 5 November 2013 at 20:45 , Blogger Unknown said...

Ahh, that's a clever idea, I might try that! I'm such a snob, I only use handmade blankets with my babies, only ever did with Moo too! I bought the Mothercare cellular blankets that all the books said to buy but never used them (found them cheap, scratchy and very poor quality). Handmade all the way!

 
At 6 November 2013 at 21:10 , Anonymous Maz said...

Could you put his arms into the sleeping bag too? Layla was never swaddled, hated it in fact, she's always been a wriggler and felt restrcted I guess! The dummy is the only thing that will get her to sleep and she loves her Gro Bags (as do I as then I don't worry have as much about SIDs!).

 
At 11 November 2013 at 22:12 , Blogger Unknown said...

Yes, I love a baby sleeping bag! I can report he's settling in the sleeping bags at night time now though still prefers a swaddle at nap time

 

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