Swaddling

When I was a teenager and in Home Ec we were told that swaddling a child was extremely important to make sure the baby felt safe and happy.

Since I've been pregnant this hasn't been mentioned once. In fact, it seems that it's good to have the baby wiggle around. I did ask my midwife about this today and she couldn't tell me.

Has swaddling gone out of fashion or is it just the UK? Is this not done anymore?

Swaddling is pretty big here (US), from what I can tell.  It's part of that book 'The Happiest Baby on the Block', by Harvey Karp.

My baby is 20 now but they taught me to swaddle in the hospital when she was born...she wasn't a fan, she liked to kick her feet free. I say like everything, try it-- if they like it go for it, if they don't -- don't

Hmmm. I heard about it plenty in the UK and think there are even a couple threads about it buried in here.

Bottom line, though, some babies love it, some don't. Both mine liked it... sort of. They did not like their arms swaddled for the most part. We called them the burrito boys! There are all sorts of special swaddling blankets you can get, but I used the lovely flannel receiving blankets I was sent from the US. It's well worth experimenting with but don't give up after the first try... it may take a couple attempts before you know for sure.

Swaddling is pretty big here (US), from what I can tell.  It's part of that book 'The Happiest Baby on the Block', by Harvey Karp.

I heard about it in the states and thought it was important but no one has talked about it here. In fact everyone so far has told me I should use sleeping bags as they allow the baby to wiggle without throwing the covers off.

I have a ton of receiving blankets from the states, so I think I'll try both and see how it goes.

Both of mine loved to be swaddled although I only did it for the first few days into weeks. It was one of the things I'd try when they cry and you run through the list guessing... diaper, hungry, hot or whatever and sometimes it was almost instant how quickly they'd quit crying once I'd finished the last tuck.

Yeah, it really is more of a very early days/weeks kind of thing. The theory is that newborn babies have a hard time adjusting to being out of that nice comfy, tight space (hey, especially twins!). So some swaddling, especially when you're trying to get them into a good sleeping routine, can sometimes help. Once they get used to having their limbs 'free', the sleep sacks are AWESOME! You don't have to worry about blankets over their faces, they can move about without covers falling off, and they're cute to boot!

Yes, I believe swaddling is still a huge thing with infant care. My own personal experience is that my son HATED being wrapped up, but it does work wonders for certain types of baby personalities.

When my son was born 2 years ago, I received several blankets that are specifically for swaddling (baby burrito wrapping, imo  ). The most popular one, the Miracle Blanket, was recommended by many people.

(The Miracle Blanket looks like it's for sale on Amazon UK, so it appears to be available there as well...)

We still swaddle Finn and he's 13 weeks old, though I'm going to start weaning him off it soon.  I started doing it after reading the Harvey Karp book and it made a huuuuuuge difference in his sleep.  Even now he tends to wake up when his arms have worked free and he bops himself in the nose.  You don't need any special blankets - we use a cheap fleece one from Poundland!!  I actually tried a "swaddling blanket" once and hated it as it wouldn't wrap securely enough.

But I would try it - it can really help calm your baby.  I would also highly recommend the Harvey Karp book mentioned above .

Having looked over the midwife-must-discuss-with-mummy checklists included in my antenatal packet, swaddling is listed as a topic they will discuss with me at the hospital after the birth. This was mentioned above... but, I thought I'd just back it up.

We met with a doula to prepare for things, and she noted that she liked to use swaddling in order to calm really upset/agitated babies.

Best,

Rutabega

I swaddled both my babies and they loved it.  My sister made me bigger-than-usual receiving blankets out of flannel and they tucked in really snug.

I swaddled here in the UK--didn't do it for the first week and was really amazed at how much it helped once I did.  I used the Miracle Blanket and highly recommend it.  I didn't have nearly as much success with regular receiving blankets.  No need to go to Amazon though.  I bought mine at Mothercare--they've contracted with Miracle Blanket and sell it there under both lables for not too much.  I highly recommend it.  I used mine for 2.5 months and was just fine.  After that point I started using sleep sacs for my little one.

The Miracle Blankets were really nice for when my girls got a bit bigger, but if you have small/low birthweight twins you might find them to be a bit on the big side.  I swaddled my girls the first 8 weeks or so and they really liked it.  When it was time to stop, they let me know by kicking around and undoing the wrapping.  They also liked sleeping right next to each other.  Give the swaddling a shot.  If they hate it, they'll let you know

I don't have any children but have a much younger brother and sister. I also look after my friends babies. I have found that Merino kids make great swaddling wraps that come with a beanie. As they are made out of merino it helps keep your baby at the right temperature in all seasons. Also you can thread a car seat or buggy buckle through the wrap which means you don't need to disturb your baby when moving from the car to bed.

my sister swaddled her youngest for quite a long time - she had skin issues and would wake up with marks from scratching in her sleep. I remember visiting when she was about 4 months old and she was still doing it at night.

My midwife gave me a blanket for swaddling the last time I was there and my books say to do it for the first couple of weeks. So it sounds like the norm from what I've read / seen over here.