To swaddle or not to swaddle?

It is necessary from the very beginning to create suitable conditions for the normal development of the child. Correct body position and an environment adequate in every sense will not only promote development, but also literally shape the baby.

We all remember the news footage familiar from childhood: a nurse in a maternity hospital is carrying a whole team of tightly swaddled babies. Our grandmothers believed that the baby must be swaddled tightly, and the arms and legs must be straightened so that they are not crooked. Now, many mothers who have chosen a maternity hospital in advance are advised to prepare suits and diapers. Who is right?

Swaddling is a historical way to protect a baby from hypothermia. In addition to simplicity and low cost, it has a number of advantages. The main one is the ability to give a certain pose, which is very important, especially for premature babies.

For a premature baby, swaddling will help maintain an advantageous fetal position, and a full-term baby in the first weeks of life will be better able to calm down and fall asleep if his hands do not interfere with him. As the child learns to use his freedom, he will not interfere with himself with his hands, and swaddling can be abandoned altogether.

Tight swaddling is unacceptable. It does not allow the baby to move. Imagine that you were in a rather cramped room, had difficulty getting free, and then you were tied up. The baby’s movements contribute not only to the development of his musculoskeletal system, but also of the entire body as a whole. It has been proven that a child especially needs movement when the level of oxygen in the blood decreases. The baby begins to breathe more actively, and movements improve the delivery of oxygen to the tissues. In this way, the child helps himself to get out of a difficult or even dangerous situation.