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Swaddle a Newborn Baby: Tips & Ideas that Work

When infants are first placed in the environment of the home, they are a little uncomfortable with the new adjustments they need to make. One of the best methods of making them feel secure is to swaddle them in cloth, keeping them cozy and comfortable in the warmth of their own surroundings. Most often, infants are easily startled because of muscular movements that they experience while in deep sleep. These startling movements are caused by the sudden movement of their hands or legs and will cause your baby to cry, because of the fact that their deep sleep has been disturbed. Movements of the hands and legs while sleeping are usually involuntary at this stage, but are capable of causing discomfort to the child and to the other members of the family. Swaddling your infant, however, is only recommended for the first few weeks after birth. Swaddling your child beyond the first few months will restrict muscular development of your child’s limbs.

The best way to know how your baby likes being swaddled is to look for signs from him or her. If your infant is uncomfortable with the way you have swaddled him, he will begin to cry as a means of expressing the discomfort felt. In the event this does happen, it is always advisable to remove the cloths that have been used and swaddle your child again, till he feels comfortable with the way that you have swaddled him. Similarly, swaddling your baby in a room that is warm is not recommended, because of the discomfort it causes. A baby who is swaddled in a room with high temperature levels puts your child’s body at risk of overheating which can lead to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Swaddling a baby wrongly could also lead to retardation in the development of your child’s body, causing physical challenges later on in life.

When swaddling a baby, it is important to keep in mind that the texture of the cloth used should be smooth to the tender skin of an infant. Muslin is the best recommended cloth for the purpose of swaddling a newborn baby. To begin with, the swaddling cloth should be placed on a flat surface, with one corner folded down. Place the baby on the cloth so that the head is above the fold. One corner of the cloth should be taken across the baby’s body and then tucked under the baby’s back. The opposite corner should be taken across the chest and tucked under the back or into the folds of the cloth itself, ensuring that the baby’s mouth and nose remain uncovered.

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