How to swaddle a newborn correctly?

Young parents have many questions about swaddling. First of all, they are interested in whether it is necessary to swaddle a newborn. In practice, there are many difficulties with the very technology of swaddling. In addition, there are many ways to implement your plans. In this article we will tell you how to swaddle your baby correctly and consider several important nuances of swaddling.

Swaddle or not?

The question of whether it is worth swaddling a newborn, parents must accept alone without counseling. This is important at least for the reason that all children are different, and their toddler may both need to be swaddled and categorically oppose it. Therefore, it is most reasonable to ask this question after childbirth, when the character and temperament of the child will become completely obvious to both the mother and the rest of the household.

In the maternity hospital, they don't ask much - they swaddle all babies, without exception, simply because it is customary, it has been done for decades. In modern maternity hospitals, where there are wards for the joint stay of a mother and a child, the question is not so categorical: a newly-made mother herself can determine for herself what to put on her child - in a diaper or in romper and undershirt.

After discharge from the hospital, this issue is completely in the competence of the mother and father. Of course, they can ask the opinion of the grandmothers, who will unanimously say that it is necessary to swaddle, and also ask the pediatrician. The doctor may recommend swaddling, but only in certain situations, for example, with dysplasia of the hip joints in a baby. Swaddling itself in this case will also be special - therapeutic.

But no one can understand better than a mother if the baby needs to be swaddled. If the baby is worried, often wakes up, waving her arms, he is frightened by his own splashes of limbs, crying, try to swaddle. It is possible that the baby will be calmer and he will begin to sleep better, because in the mother's womb in the last months of pregnancy it was cramped, the baby was accustomed to the tightness and constant touch of the walls of the uterus.

In this case, the diaper creates familiar conditions for him, since the big world still scares the baby. The diaper, pleasant to the touch, will give additional peace of mind, as the newborn learns the world mainly through tactile sensations.

If the child suffers from colic, often cries due to a bloated tummy, you can also try to apply swaddling, but not tight, but free, so that the baby can take a more natural position of the embryo in the diaper (with tucked legs and arms brought to the chest).

There are children who, from the first days, are desperately fighting for personal freedom, getting out of the diaper by all available means. If you see that the diaper is uncomfortable for the child, try to put him without it - in a shirt and pants. It is possible that this is how your newborn will feel calmer.

Arguments about the dangers and benefits of diapers should not be taken seriously. They are usually pseudoscientific. Interested mothers who are faced with the question of swaddling, of course, can familiarize themselves with them, but a decision must still be made based on the personal convenience and comfort of the baby. Opponents of swaddling point to the following circumstances:

a child in a diaper grows depressed, dependent, infantile, because his will and need for freedom are ruthlessly destroyed and suppressed by his parents;
in a diaper, children grow up slowly, lagging behind in physical and mental development;
babies wrapped in diapers sweat more, more often suffer from diaper rash and prickly heat;

it is difficult and troublesome to swaddle, and it is doubly difficult to wash and dry the diapers - you need a lot of space, and the diapers must be ironed;
more washing powder is required to wash diapers;
a sense of beauty is not brought up, because diapers do not differ in a wide variety of colors, designs and accessories;
swaddling disrupts full blood circulation in the baby's limbs.
swaddling is almost impossible to entrust the child's father, if the mother needs to go out somewhere, most men cannot master the wisdom of the swaddling technique;

Most of these arguments, from the point of view of medicine and science, have no foundation and belong to the category of myths, for example, the statement that swaddling slows down development and impairs blood circulation. And with regard to infantilism, one should not take arguments for granted, after all, many revolutionaries, political leaders and commanders grew up in diapers, because before another option for keeping a newborn was not even considered.

Swaddling advocates argue:

the transition from the crampedness inside the uterus to the big world is best done with the least stress for the baby, in which the diaper helps, imitating the conditions familiar to the baby;
during the first months there is no need to spend a lot of money on the purchase of undershirts and sliders - the child grows out of them very quickly, and the diaper is of such a size that it will last for several months;
diapers are easier to wash - a washing machine can easily handle this, and sliders sometimes need to be washed by hand;
in a diaper, babies sleep better and longer;
swaddling is necessary so that the legs are straight;
diapers made from natural fabrics rarely cause allergies, unlike bright items with textile dyes or disposable diapers.

It must be said that things are not so smooth with the advocates of evidentiary swaddling. For instance, crooked legs can never be straightened with diapers, with the exception of the prescribed therapeutic swaddling for dysplasia, and the duration of sleep depends entirely on other factors.

Therefore, only the mothers and fathers themselves have to choose whether to swaddle the child or not. The well-known doctor Yevgeny Komarovsky claims that swaddling itself does not carry any particular benefit or harm. But it can be just convenient or inconvenient for a particular family in general and a baby born in it, in particular.

If you decide to swaddle your baby, it is really not so easy to do it, but difficulties arise only at the very beginning. Having learned to wrap a baby once, a woman usually never loses the acquired skill: with a second or third child, the swaddling pattern spontaneously pops up in her memory, and her hands remember well what and how to do.

How to choose a diaper?

If a decision is made to swaddle, you need to make sure that everything you need is in stock and in the right amount. Mothers of the Soviet period had little choice: thick diapers for winter and light, thin chintz diapers for summer. Modern parents have an incredibly large choice of this type of children's products, and therefore questions arise about which of them are needed, how and for what their different types can be used.

When choosing diapers, you need to consider their functionality. Ask yourself why you are going to use them. If only in order to fix the baby's arms during sleep, then you can do only with thin diapers, especially if you still plan to wear a baby's undershirt and sliders under them. If swaddling in your case should replace clothes, then both thick and thin diapers are needed.

Reusable waterproof films are useful for naked games, massage, air baths, and reusable absorbent films for normal long sleep at night without a diaper.

Let's talk about different types and calculate how many diapers your newborn might need.

Calico diapers Are natural cotton thin diapers. They are pleasant for baby's skin, useful for swaddling under flannel swaddling in winter, and for separate swaddling in summer. Can be used as a bed sheet in a baby cot. Regardless of the time of year, you will need about 7-10 pieces.

Heavy flannel nappies - they are also made from natural cotton fiber. Useful for swaddling in the winter as they are warm. Additionally, they can be used as a towel after bathing. Unlike towels, they are softer and more pleasant for the delicate skin of the baby, and also perfectly absorb moisture. You need to have at least 5 such diapers.

Knitted diapers - a great option "for growth". Due to the elasticity of the knitted fabric, the products stretch, and therefore they will be useful for swaddling from the first days to six months and even longer, if necessary. You may need up to 5 such products, although it is quite possible to do without them if there is a need to reduce the cost of diapers.

Reusable diapers are expensive, but no more than 1-2 pieces are needed. Waterproof nappies can be massaged as they can be easily removed. They represent a two-layer "construction" of soft fabric and a layer of oilcloth. You can sleep on absorbent diapers all night or play and crawl for a long time. They are three-layer, inside there is a membrane that absorbs urine and does not release it to the surface.

Disposable diapers sold in packs. The name fully reflects the essence - each is used only once. If urine or feces got on the diaper, it is thrown away, the products cannot be washed. For the first time, one package is enough, and then you yourself will understand whether you need them in principle.

Fur diapers - these products are also called winter products. If necessary, they can be easily transformed into an envelope, which is useful for a walk in the cold season. The inner layer is made of natural wool. For a child born in late autumn or winter, one such envelope is enough. Also, when unfolded, the thing can then be used as a warm blanket.

Diapers with Velcro and fasteners - an excellent option for those who cannot master the scheme of swaddling a baby, but intend to swaddle firmly. You don't need to invent anything with them, just put your child in it and fasten the Velcro or fasteners in the right places. The diaper does not tighten the baby's body, it is practically impossible to fasten it incorrectly in principle. Such models are disposable and reusable, thin and dense.

If funds allow, purchase 2-3 pieces - in the first days, while the technology of swaddling is still under study, they can be of great help.

When choosing diapers, be sure to make sure that they are made from natural fabrics without an abundance of textile dyes that can cause allergies. Pay attention to the dimensions, how easily the fabric absorbs water. The diaper should not be rough, put it on your cheek - the fabric should be very soft and pleasant. The seams along the edges of the product must be of high quality, the threads must not fall out. This is a mandatory safety requirement, because a dropped thread can get into the baby's respiratory tract and cause serious consequences.

The diaper should not contain seams in the center, and the edges should be soft, otherwise they will rub and injure the delicate skin of the baby. Pay attention to the strength of the fabric: it will have to be washed and ironed frequently, the diaper must be reliable and durable.

Now a few words about the size. Sometimes a mother cannot quickly learn how to swaddle her baby correctly just because her diapers are too large or too small. This is often encountered by women who decide to sew diapers on their own.

Recall that for a comfortable and correct swaddling, products must have certain dimensions:

Thin diapers - 0.9x1.2 m (optimal), products with dimensions of 0.9x1.0 m are more often on sale.
Thick diapers - 1.1x1.2 m (optimal), 0.9x1.2 m or 0.75x1.1 m are usually on sale.

If you do not plan to use disposable diapers systematically or at all, stock up on a package of gauze diapers, they can be purchased at any children's store or pharmacy.

Swaddling methods and algorithm of actions

Swaddling a baby requires the mother to strictly adhere to the requirements and rules of hygiene. Therefore, the procedure should begin with bringing the baby's skin to the appropriate state. In the maternity hospital, the baby will be wrapped in a “column” for discharge - neat, even and beautiful, placed in an elegant discharge envelope, and given to a happy father. When a newborn is deployed at home, repeating such a "column" most likely will not work, and there is no need for this.

Before swaddling a baby in a diaper, you need to decide on the type of diaper - either it will be disposable diapers, or gauze. Any of them can be put on easily and quickly on a pre-washed and dry baby. A rectangular gauze diaper is placed between the legs for a boy and a girl in length. A triangular diaper is held with a wide corner between the legs, and the lateral corners are wrapped around the hips and fixed in front.

Now is the time to start swaddling your baby. Choose a convenient way and get down to business.

Closed swaddling (classic)

This method is considered the most common, it is he who is taught to expectant mothers in courses in the antenatal clinic, and it is he who is usually shown to women in labor in the maternity hospital. The method is not difficult, and therefore after 1-2 days of mother's torment, a clear understanding of how this should happen usually comes.

Spread the diaper so that the wider side is high and the smaller sides wide. Lay the baby on a rectangle of fabric so that his head is above the edge of the diaper.

This swaddling does not involve covering the head.

Then follow the step by step instructions:

take the baby's left hand and place it on his chest, holding it with one hand;
with the other hand, roll the left edge of the diaper onto the handle and further, by the right side. The hand is thus fixed;
take the baby's right hand and, similarly to the left, put it on the chest directly on the diaper layer, which is already fixed, fix the second hand with the right edge of the diaper, bringing it over the baby's left side;
after both handles are wrapped, take the bottom edge of the diaper with both hands, which is still free - the task is to close the legs. Spread it out, pull it slightly towards you, throw it over the legs and lift it to your chest;
put the right side of the bottom edge, which we raised, behind the back of the baby, and pass the left over the left shoulder;
tuck the remaining "tail" into the fold that has formed on the chest.

Tight swaddling is also done in the classical way described above, only they try to fix the handles more tightly. You can also position the handles along the torso for tight swaddling. It is important not to overtighten the diaper, otherwise blood circulation in the extremities may indeed be disrupted. Tight swaddling is not recommended by modern pediatricians. On the one hand, it allows you to reliably fix the baby so that he does not pull out his hands at night, but, on the other hand, with tight swaddling, the child is often hot and uncomfortable, and therefore sleep can be disrupted due to these factors.

With handles

The so-called "swaddling with handles" is also a variation of the classic swaddling. This method allows babies not to wave their hands, not to pull them out of the diaper, but at the same time the limbs are not tightened, as with tight swaddling.

This method is especially loved by many mothers:

lay the diaper vertically and lay the baby;
tuck the upper edge of the diaper inward so that you get a "pocket";
put the child's hand in this resulting "pocket", and then bring it to the baby's tummy along with the cloth of the diaper;
wrap the child's second hand in exactly the same way;
Hold the handles with one hand, and with the other, straighten the bottom of the fabric and wrap the legs, fixing the diaper under the baby's knees.

If you put the diaper not in a rectangle, but in a rhombus, you can make swaddling with handles in a different way, which will differ only in that the fabric will pass under the baby's armpits.

Wide way

Very often, wide swaddling is confused with a free one. Free implies that the child was swaddled "half-heartedly", the diaper only slightly fixes the hands so that the baby cannot swing them, inside the diaper the baby can move its limbs and bend its legs to the stomach.

Wide swaddling is a method that allows the child to be in a position with the hips spread apart. This is important in certain conditions - with hip dysplasia, subluxation and dislocation, as well as for the prevention of corresponding disorders in congenital weakness and underdevelopment of the hip joints.

Correctly carried out wide swaddling allows you to reduce the load on weak joints, to give time for cartilage and bone tissue to become more solid and reliable. For a healthy baby, a mother can also choose this method, if both the child and the mother like it. There will be no harm for sure. Let's try to swaddle the baby like this:

lay the diaper on and fold it twice to make a four-layer square;
take the corner of the top edge, take it down - you get a "pocket";
expand the rectangle upside down;
fold the diaper in half again, in the middle you should get a tight strip;
place the baby in the center, the strip should go between the legs;
wrap the legs with the corners of the fabric "structure", then spread them slightly and fix the middle dense strip so that the hips cannot be brought together.

Such swaddling can be useful in summer if it is hot and there is no need to swaddle the baby's hands, and also if he sleeps without swaddled hands and is not very worried about it.

Wide swaddling can also be done for babies who cannot sleep well if their arms are not wrapped. But this requires two diapers. First, you do the above-mentioned swaddling of the pelvic region and legs, and the second you wrap the baby's body then according to the classical scheme, which we have already mastered. If you use a third diaper, you can swaddle with your head. Then the third of them will swaddle the head and arms of the baby.

In theory, wide swaddling can significantly save money on disposable diapers. The downside is that it can be difficult for mom to understand that the baby described the first diaper, especially if he was wrapped in three.

Partial way

This method has been known for a long time, all representatives of the older generation know it. It used to be considered a transitional between tight swaddling and a transition to clothing. Partially you can swaddle either only the arms or only the legs of the child.

Free swaddling also belongs to the category of partial. Such a swaddling is easier than making a classic or wide one. For him, take a diaper, spread a rectangle in height, put the baby in the center. With the "envelope", throw the right and left corners over the baby's chest, tuck the bottom of the diaper and easily fix it around the belt. In such a "cocoon" the baby will be quite comfortable.

Usually such swaddling is used to make it easier for babies to fall asleep. Of course, the baby will take out the handles from the loosely-fitting diaper, but this will happen already in a dream, in the process of falling asleep, the hands and feet will not interfere with the baby.

A child wrapped in this way, of course, does not look the best way: the bundle turns out to be sloppy, folded, moreover, the baby actively moves his arms and legs under a layer of fabric, which makes it look like a swarming caterpillar. But his movements are not too limited, and the mother can be calm - the child will definitely not hit himself in the face with his hands.

Partial and loose swaddling is good for colic that plagues many babies in the first 3-4 months of life. The kid has the opportunity at any time to draw his legs to the stomach, which in itself significantly eases the condition, promotes the release of intestinal gases.

Free swaddling is available even to those mothers who, despite all the efforts and efforts, have not been able to learn how to do the classic swaddling. Another question is that there are such active children who manage to get rid of a diaper applied in a similar way in a matter of minutes. But that's a completely different story.

Common mistakes parents make

Mistakes in such a serious matter as swaddling babies are usually not complete. But it’s best to learn from other people's mistakes. So let's look at what mothers are most often "wrong" in.

Disproportionate effort. At first, it is difficult for a mother to choose the degree of diaper pressure and fixation at which the child will be comfortable. Therefore, it turns out either too tight, so that the child cannot breathe in or out, or too weakly, and the diaper unravels quite quickly, you have to start all over again.

Too high hopes. Many parents are pinning their hopes on swaddling. They rely on them as salvation, believing that the legs will become straight and the back will not be crooked, and the baby's character will become docile, and he will sleep well on schedule and on command. In fact, swaddling may not meet any expectations. And it makes no sense to force a child to go to bed in a diaper if he categorically does not like it. We have already talked about straightening the legs.
Violation of the microclimate. Swaddling, even a light and thin diaper, increases the likelihood of prickly heat if parents cannot match the room temperature with the baby's needs. Children feel comfortable at a temperature of 21 degrees Celsius. If, according to general practice, +27 degrees in the room, and they put on two undershirts, a hat and try to swaddle them in a tight diaper, then such swaddling will obviously not bring benefits - the baby will sweat and hurt.
Violation of hygiene. Some mothers, due to lack of time or other considerations, believe that diapers can be washed every few days. If the baby pees, it is enough to dry the diaper and use it again. Some are limited to one rinsing and drying. This is a mistake, because rinsing cannot provide complete cleaning of the tissue from waste products, in particular from urea and ammonia. Swaddling with such diapers increases the likelihood of skin problems.

When should you stop swaddling?

Swaddling should be stopped when it ceases to suit both adults and the child. And this will happen without fail, only when, no one knows. Some children already at four months of age demand freedom and demonstrate a complete willingness to sleep with open arms. Others need a diaper for up to 8 months of their life.

Congenital reflexes, which cause a toddler to throw up their arms and wiggle their limbs randomly, usually decline by 3 months. From this age, if you wish, you can try to lay the baby without a diaper. But if all else fails, don't worry, return the much-desired diaper to the child and leave him alone. The kid himself will show when the time for change comes.

Most parents adhere to the "golden mean", and the issue of swaddling in their families is not an acute issue. During the waking period, their children are in normal clothes, and at night or at noon sleep, the child is swaddled to facilitate falling asleep. Thus, the decision on the duration of the swaddling is also taken by the parents independently, based on the circumstances.

Reviews

Since the issue of swaddling is rather controversial, on specialized forums on the Internet you can find a variety of opinions about whether to swaddle and how to do it. Experienced mothers willingly share their swaddling secrets. So, they advise against using special pins for pinning diapers. Despite the fact that the manufacturers claim that the safety pin is safe, quite often they open and scratch the baby. This is especially true for active children who "fiddle around" a lot and move under the diaper.

Most mothers do not welcome tight swaddling. It is believed to promote hip dislocation in babies born with weak hip joints. Pediatricians forbid such babies to swaddle tightly, "column".

But if you really want to wrap your child in a diaper, according to reviews, you can always use a free, partial diaper. Wide swaddling is considered by most mothers to be the most difficult to perform.

Quite often, mothers complain that in maternity hospitals they practically stopped showing how to swaddle babies. As a result, newly minted mothers go home with their child and do not even approximately imagine how to combine these two concepts - a diaper and a baby.

Experienced mothers who are faced with an increased love of freedom in a child recommends, instead of diapers, to make the baby a comfortable and convenient "nest" from a blanket or blanket to facilitate the process of falling asleep. For him, thick diapers can also be useful, which should be rolled up. Do the same with the blanket. The baby is laid on its side with rollers so that it is difficult for him to roll over onto his back or stomach. Sleep on the side is the safest, and the feeling of a certain familiar "tightness" will still be present.

On the Internet, there are many reviews from mothers who, before giving birth, firmly intended to give up swaddling, but after giving birth revised their opinion. And also there are a lot of those who were going to swaddle a baby, but then faced a categorical rejection of the crumbs of both the diapers and the process of wrapping them in them.

Therefore, it is recommended that pregnant women, even before giving birth, just in case, stock up on diapers at least in a minimal amount for the first time.

There is no such thing that the diaper does not find another use in the family where the child grows up. It can be used as a sheet for your baby, and you can take it with you to the bath instead of a towel. When the baby is large, it will be possible to place a diaper on the bottom of the bathtub while bathing, which reduces the risk of slipping and falling during bathing. In the end, the diaper can be altered into a bib, turned into handkerchiefs. And when cleaning, it will always find application.

For information on how to swaddle a newborn correctly, see the next video.