Swaddle me

What's one of the biggest things new parents miss once they have a baby?  SLEEP!  During my research, I read that just because one baby may sleep for significantly longer than another, doesn't mean that the former set of parents are doing a better job than the latter.  While this may be true, there are a few techniques to helping your baby sleep longer during the night, so you can rest up as well.

Enter the world of swaddling.  Now if you come from or live in Asia, you are well versed with the technique of swaddling.  This age old practise lost it's way in North America, but is gaining popularity in the last year.  Baby companies have jumped on the swaddler bandwagon and not a moment sooner.

So, what's the big deal about swaddling?  Why and when should you do it?  

Once out, most if not all sleeping babies will have jerky reflex arm movements, which assurdely is what wakes them up.  This is called the Morro Reflex, which lasts for about four months.  Swaddling your baby helps keep this reflex under 'wraps' and also helps mimic that womb like cozy environment for your baby.  

In the beginning most babies may have a roughly four hour sleep schedule, if you're lucky.  If you swaddle your lil one everytime he/she goes down, you can probably make the four hour sleep pattern a regular thing, if your baby actually sleeps for a shorter amount of time to begin with.

How do you swaddle a baby?  Click here to watch a demonstration. 

There are a couple of things to note in this video.  First of all, the lady is using a large muslin cloth to swaddle her baby, which I will talk about shortly.  Secondly, when bringing the bottom piece over the baby's left arm, she leaves enough room for the baby's legs to move freely, which is an important point to remember.  You do not want to restrict a baby's legs as this can intefere with the natural growth over the next couple of months.  Until just a few generations ago, not much room was left for the baby's legs and this practise restricted growth, which is why swaddling lost its charm and was all but forgotten.

What kind of swaddlers should you get?  When I was pregnant, I was fortunate enough to know all about the importance of swaddling.  I was swaddled as a baby, as was my brother, and many cousins.  We were bound so tight, there was no getting out of that swaddle wrap.  I know I had previously linked up to these flannel receiving blankets made by Luvable Friends, however, these were too darn small for my tall newborn.  I now use these as burp cloths.  Luckily I had already purchased these fleece swaddlers made by Summer Products, so practical because they take the guess work out of swaddling.  This works great if you are going to be in a hospital that blasts the A/C so darn cold, you're literally freezing.  I've also recently seen these Woombie Swaddlers on the market, much after my son was born, and so I am unable to give you an opinion about them.

When my son was first born, I used the fleece swaddlers on him at the hospital, because it was way too cold, however, upon returning home, there was no need as we controlled the temperature to a level far less than freezing.  While I had cotton versions of the fleece swaddler, these cotton swaddlers were far too thick for home environment and my son would sweat while asleep.  This is a huge no no.  It is very important that a baby NOT overheat at any point in time and especially while asleep.  This has been known to contribute to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).  

A friend presented me with these Muslin blankets in blue and white while at the hospital, and I started to use these to swaddle him every time he went down.  He would sleep for longer hours at night, at times for six hours at a stretch by two months of age.  I was hooked and on the hunt for more.  I fell in love with these Aden & Anais Muslin wraps  at Target which were larger than and softer than the gifted set.

So why Muslin Blankets?  Unlike the fleece and cotton swaddlers out there, Muslin is super fine woven cotton that is breathable and therefore, doesn't allow your baby to over heat.  I can personally vouch for this.  My son loved being swaddled in these and by the time he was about three months he'd sleep for up to six to eight hours a night, most nights.  These Muslin wraps are also versatile, they can be used to shade your baby from the sun while in the stroller or the car seat and because it's breathable, you need not worry about your baby suffocating.  They are also great to use as blankets in hot weather.  If you have friends and family in Asia, they would probably be able to get you some at a much better deal, so ask around.

I swaddled my son in these muslin wraps until he was about three and a half months, after he grew out of the Morro Reflex, and preferred to sleep with his arm stretched out wide open, no holds barred.

Happy sleeping!