What is the best way to swaddle a baby. Should I swaddle a newborn baby?

The eldest, when he was born, was very thin - he dangled in pants - therefore, until the fat was built up, he swaddled his legs with free swaddling (they taught him in the 13th hospital). I didn’t swaddle the little one, And for older months, from 4 to 8-9 months, I tightly wrapped my arms with a blanket - because I fell asleep in my arms when feeding, and when I put it in bed, I immediately woke up - it became cold for him, and “mother’s” hugs were lost, and it was comfortable in the blanket, in a dream he was already unfolding and then they covered him with a 2nd blanket. It can hardly be called swaddling.

She tried to swaddle the older one, but at 2 weeks he learned to unwind, and groaned and was nervous until he turned around. He should have been swaddled for good at 3 months, when he learned to beat his forehead with his hands and wake him up. She didn’t even try to wrap the baby after leaving the hospital. And somehow she didn’t really scare herself with her hands, this period passed imperceptibly. And the father-in-law told me that they swaddled my husband for months until 9-10 months so that he could sleep normally. Honestly, I don’t know what strength is needed to twist a child at that age.

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Each mother protects her child and tries to give him the maximum of her maternal love and care. After his birth (especially if the baby is the firstborn), a young mother faces many different questions: how to feed the baby? how to bathe him? how to swaddle? And does it need to be swaddled at all?? In our article, we will try to highlight all points of view regarding the issue of swaddling small children.

Our grandmothers and mothers did not even think about whether or not to swaddle a newborn. They were firmly convinced that the diaper saves the baby from awkward movements, he sleeps better and does not “throw up” in his sleep. In addition, it was believed that in diapers, a child’s sleep is calm and even. The baby cannot frighten himself with involuntary movements, he will not cry, and his legs, thanks to tight swaddling, will become smoother and straighten faster.

However, as time has passed, much has changed in medicine. Now young parents are very skeptical about the arguments of their mothers and grandmothers. They think that swaddling is torture for their baby. Moreover, on the Internet, many young mothers on forums write that swaddling is already the last century, that it is better for a baby when he is dressed in rompers and vests from the first days of life. Child psychologists have appeared who advise against swaddling, arguing that diapers limit the freedom of the child and prevent him from expressing himself. Who to believe? The accumulated experience of generations or new medical trends? To answer this question, you need to identify all the "pros" and "cons" of swaddling.

Pros and cons of swaddling

A diaper is a universal thing. Fashions change, years pass, and the hands of famous designers never reach this folk invention. Like twenty years ago, a diaper is a piece of fabric made from natural materials (flannel, chintz, etc.), in which mothers wrap newborn babies.

The advantages of swaddling include the following factors:

• the diaper protects the baby from fear and provides him with a restful sleep;
• the fabric hinders the movements of the baby, which in the first weeks of his life are rather chaotic, and the baby cannot harm himself;
• in a diaper, the child does not freeze, a comfortable temperature is created for him;
• the baby feels protected, because in the mother's womb it was a bit cramped (arms and legs pressed against the body) and warm;
• premature babies should be swaddled immediately, doctors insist on this;
• diapers are cheaper than undershirts, sliders and diapers;
• many mothers note that it is easier to swaddle small children than to pull a vest on them.

However, today they also call the cons of swaddling:

• some child psychologists argue that due to the difficulty of movements in the diaper, the child may experience some developmental delay in the future, because he was prevented from expressing himself and limited his freedom;
• if the diaper is too warm (in the first months of life, children have an unstable body temperature), the baby may sweat and overheat;
• the baby quickly gets used to swaddling and then it is difficult to wean him from it;
• diapers need to be constantly changed and washed, you can’t wrap the baby in the same unwashed diaper, even if it is dry, because irritation may appear on the baby’s skin;
• The myth that swaddling straightens the legs of a newborn remains a myth.

Doctors' opinion

We will share with you the opinion of Dr. E. O. Komarovsky, Candidate of Medical Sciences, host of television programs dedicated to children's health. E. O. Komarovsky believes that each family should decide for itself the issue of swaddling a baby. He insists that in the USSR everyone swaddled children for one simple reason: they did not have enough money to buy vests and sliders, they managed with diapers, which were often inherited.

Now the situation has changed, there is no shortage of baby clothes, people can afford to buy the necessary clothes for the baby. However, according to the doctor, it is inappropriate to throw away the mountains of diapers left, for example, from your first child, just because "they said so on TV." Why not use diapers again? Think about the material side of things and about your nerves. If you still decide to swaddle your baby, try not to swaddle him too tight, otherwise he will be uncomfortable and the baby will start to cry.

Swaddling Secrets

In total, there are two types of swaddling: tight and loose. The first was common in the USSR and in previous eras. The baby was swaddled tight enough that he could not release the arm or leg. In ancient times, it was preferred to swaddle children in this way up to six months, until the child began to sit. It has been proven that swaddling too tight can harm the baby. This method worsens the blood circulation of the baby, it becomes difficult for him to breathe. The child cannot keep the legs in a natural slightly bent position after being swaddled tightly.

Most modern doctors vote for free swaddling. The limbs of the baby should not be tightly pressed to the body, you need to leave at least a little freedom for the child. Some parents swaddle only the legs and body of the child, leaving the hands free. This method is suitable for those babies who do not have problems with sleep. If you decide to swaddle only the legs of a child, then make sure that his arms are not bare, be sure to put on a vest so that the baby does not freeze.

Another controversial issue is diaper dressing. We recommend refraining from diapers, and here's why: the skin of newborns is unusually delicate, any irritation or roughness is perceived by it very painfully. If a child urinates in a diaper, it should be removed immediately, and not left for hours to lie in "wonder panties". If you put a diaper under a diaper, the so-called "greenhouse effect" may occur, which will not bring anything good to your baby. You will have to lubricate damaged skin with creams and use powders. It is better to use only diapers for a while and change them constantly. Teach that in the first months you will need a large number of diapers (at least 10-15), because the newborn baby will urinate often, and you will have to constantly change them.

Before you swaddle your baby, you need to make sure that the diaper is dry and clean. It is better to iron a piece of fabric to destroy excess viruses and microbes. You only need to swaddle a washed baby, otherwise his skin will become inflamed, and the baby will cry incessantly. If you decide that you will still swaddle your child, choose the appropriate swaddling option (loose, tight, wide swaddling, swaddling with an envelope, swaddling with a head, etc.), taking into account the characteristics of your child, the temperature outside the window and in the room (for example, in winter and late autumn, it is better to swaddle the baby in a warm and dense fabric with a head or an envelope so that the child does not catch a cold or get sick).

Finally, it's worth talking about when to stop swaddling. Doctors believe that the child should be given relative freedom in two or three months. For some children, even a month is enough, because then they begin to more or less control the movements of their arms and calmly fall asleep without a diaper. Beware of "overexposure" of the baby in diapers, because this can harm him, reduce tactile sensations and prevent the muscles from getting stronger in a short time.

"To swaddle or not to swaddle?" - everyone decides for himself this question. The main thing to remember is that your child is an individual, he cannot absolutely fit all standards, so when choosing between a diaper and undershirts, take a closer look at how he behaves, is it convenient for him to fall asleep without a diaper, does he often wake up and cry, etc. Then the answer will come by itself.

To swaddle or not to swaddle - this question inevitably arises in every woman who will soon become a mother. And often completely opposite recommendations are heard from different sides. Grandmothers are in favor of tight swaddling, some friends say that they swaddled the baby only at night, others say ...

Why is there so much controversy around swaddling?

The idea of ​​swaddling a baby is as old as the world. Since ancient times, mothers have wrapped their children in a piece of cloth that served as both clothing and a diaper. The main and absolutely disarming argument in favor of the method was its practicality: diapers are inexpensive, protect the baby from the cold and are easy to wash.

The age-old way of life was shaken after the invention of diapers. With their widespread use, swaddling has lost its main advantage - the daily washing of a set of diapers.

Historical background Disposable diapers only appeared in US stores in the 1950s. It took them another couple of decades to conquer the world, and only in the 1990s, with the arrival of Western companies on the Russian market, did they become popular in our country. The reason for the heated debate around swaddling babies is that, by historical standards, this public discussion began just yesterday.

Today, the world of young parents is divided into two camps. Supporters of the swaddling system make new arguments in favor of preserving traditions, opponents consider this method obsolete. So is it necessary to swaddle a newborn baby? Who is right - conservatives or innovators? Let's look at the arguments on both sides.

Hand puppet copy

This technique is the most traditional. The baby is wrapped in a diaper like in a cocoon, completely immobilizing his arms and legs. Sometimes, with tight swaddling, the child is wrapped up with his head, i.e. a tightly fitting “hood” is also formed from the fabric, and only the baby’s face remains open.

Supporters of the method argue that this is a “natural” swaddling, as if simulating the cramped conditions in which the baby was in the last weeks before the birth. It is said that rigid fixation of arms and legs, especially at night, is useful for newborns who

However, the risks to the health of the child with tight swaddling are significant. A tightly wrapped child sweats and overheats. He has poor circulation and lack of motor activity, which slows down muscle development.

Tightly swaddling a newborn has the following pros and cons:

To finish with the topic of tight swaddling of babies, let's analyze two more arguments of its supporters. We did not include them in the table, because these are not pluses, but common misconceptions.

Myth: Tight swaddling helps with colic. Fact: Swaddling a newborn baby can help with colic, but it's far from certain that it will be effective for your baby.

Colic is a very strange phenomenon: it is crying attacks in babies, the cause of which doctors have not yet been able to find out. However, most experts tend to believe that these attacks are associated with painful sensations in the process of maturation of the gastrointestinal tract.

Swaddling a newborn is not a guaranteed colic relief technique. To calm the baby, experts offer a number of methods, and parents are encouraged to try them in turn until one does not help, or the colic does not go away on its own.

Myth: Baby's legs will be crooked without a tight swaddle. In fact: on the contrary, tight swaddling greatly contributes to the development of diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

If the previous myth simply hides part of the truth, this one is a harmful and dangerous delusion one hundred percent.

Many children in our country suffer from rickets, a bone formation disorder. According to the Union of Pediatricians of Russia, this disease is detected in more than half of the children of the first year of life. A key cause of rickets is a lack of vitamin D. There are additional factors that contribute to its development, among them - an unnatural load on the bones and low muscle activity. Exactly what swaddling your feet leads to!

Another common musculoskeletal disorder in infants is hip dysplasia, or congenital hip dislocation. The "wisdom" walking among the people recommends that for the treatment of this condition, begin hard swaddling immediately after childbirth. However, the opposite is true: the fixed, closed position of the baby's legs only exacerbates dysplasia! For successful treatment of dislocations, it is necessary that the child's legs are in a natural, divorced state.

We called this method traditional? Perhaps a more correct word for it is archaic. The harm of tight swaddling has been scientifically proven, and the benefits are very doubtful.

Are there other ways to swaddle a newborn?

Free swaddling baby
The technique leaves the baby some room for movement. The baby's legs do not straighten when winding, and the handles try not to fix tightly. As a result, something like a sleeping bag is formed from the diaper, inside which the baby can move. Open swaddling methods also include the method in which the baby's arms remain outside, and their movements are not limited in any way - this method is called "swaddling without handles."

If you are unlikely to find supporters of tight swaddling of a newborn among pediatricians, then free swaddling is considered acceptable.

In addition to tight, there is free and wide - more progressive techniques. Let's take a look at these methods and weigh the pros and cons.

Free swaddling baby
This technique can be called a medical procedure. It is recommended for hip dysplasia and consists in fixing the baby's legs in a divorced state, for which special panties, a pillow or several diapers are used. Wide swaddling can be practiced even without a doctor's prescription. As the practice of African countries, in which mothers wrap newborns with divorced legs to their backs, as well as the Asian region, where babies are traditionally carried on their side, this technique is quite safe.

What if proper baby swaddling is no swaddling?

Mothers began to refuse swaddling in favor of bodysuits, sliders and slips relatively recently. However, this approach is quite common, and even in some maternity hospitals, swaddling is no longer practiced.

What is the result - is it necessary to swaddle a newborn baby or not?

We cannot say for sure. Many mothers refuse to swaddle, and they are supported by specialists around the world. However, with the free swaddling of children, the arguments for and against are not limited to medical arguments alone. Among them are both economic (no need to buy clothes) and psychological (sometimes parents are afraid not to cope with a nimble baby and harm him). As for the wide technique, it is often practiced by sling moms because many methods of carrying a baby in a sling naturally involve a leg-spread position.

Is it necessary to swaddle a newborn baby at night or throughout the day? Each young family must decide for themselves this issue on their own. The only thing we, along with all medical science, insist is not to use the tight method. Do not listen to those who campaign for this method, even if they are your close people!

It’s rare that a mother, going to the hospital, does without a pile of diapers, they are a classic part of a baby’s dowry. Having received the baby in their arms, parents wonder if it is necessary to swaddle a newborn or is this method a relic of the past? There are so many wonderful miniature clothes in stores, and you want to give your child all the best.

If you ask any grandmother about that, then everyone will advise tighter, mindful of the care system adopted in the USSR. Pediatricians, following the example of Dr. Komarovsky, do not consider the problem too serious and do not give specific explanations. A single system of how to care for a baby at home does not currently exist. Mom and dad make a decision based on financial capabilities, the characteristics of the child and personal experience.

From this article you will learn

Excursion into history

Diapers, perhaps a little younger than human civilization. Ancient Roman stone bas-reliefs depicting babies wrapped in cloth have survived, as well as references to the swaddling system among the Indians of America or the peoples of the North. During the time of Hippocrates first, parts of the baby's body were swaddled, each separately, then the whole child. In medieval Europe, it was customary to wrap a child in slings up to seven meters long.

Already at that time, the question of why swaddle newborns and the dangers of this was raised by progressive-minded people. Pliny, an ancient Greek physician, spoke out about the unreasonableness of tying the hands and feet of a free creature, which is a child. The opponents of swaddling were Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Leo Tolstoy.

Diapers were a protection from the cold and a means of controlling the baby: the baby, tightly folded around the arms and legs, was not able to roll over and fall out of the cradle. The kids were wrapped up mainly in autumn and winter; in the summer, children were often undressed. Remember the paintings of Renaissance artists: the babies in them are mostly naked. In many cultures, slings were used for up to six months.

Up to what age

When deciding how many months to swaddle a child, you need to focus on the psychophysiological level of development. Most of the day the newborn spends in a dream and feels better in a cocoon of matter. Time passes, the baby ceases to be in a static position, he has a need for movement.

three month old babies already trying to roll over from different positions. The baby learns to grab various objects with handles. Restrictive diaper ties interfere with baby's natural movements. By this age, the baby is quite strong and comfortable, able to get out of several layers of tissue. You can take him in your arms for feeding without fear of damaging something.

By six months the motor skills of the child include many actions, he becomes more and more active. Rompers - from the word to crawl, as soon as the baby tries to do this, the need for swaddling disappears altogether.

Benefits of swaddling

Modern supporters of the method give a lot of arguments in their favor. The main argument is the preservation of the tight shell in which the baby was before childbirth. A cocoon of fabric, enveloping the baby, resembles the prenatal period, soothes. The arms and legs are in a static position and do not cause fear during reflex movement.

According to the adherents of the method, there are many advantages to using diapers:

• In such a dress no buttons, rubber bands, capable of causing abrasions on the delicate skin of the child. A rough seam can disturb a baby's sleep.
• Way saves the family budget: in a set of twenty diapers and several vests, the child can be from three to six months.
• Multiple layers of fabric baby warmer, more convenient to wrap newborn than wearing multiple layers of clothing. The temperature inside such a cocoon is constant.
• in diapers less risk of injury to the baby's limbs, it is easier to take it in the hands of inexperienced moms and dads.
• Some neonatologists believe that it is better to swaddle frail and premature babies for medical reasons. to support their ligamentous apparatus. Indications for swaddling may be muscle hypertonicity, dystonia, hyperexcitability syndrome. The decision is best taken according to the recommendations of the attending physician.
• Supporters of the method argue that temporary lack of freedom contributes to the formation patience and obedience.
• It is also believed that a baby wrapped in linen sleeps more soundly and wakes up less often.
• still exists persistent prejudice that the baby's legs will be smoother if they are tightly swaddled. It has long been known that crooked legs are the consequences of rickets. Clubfoot can be the result of heredity.

Disadvantages of the method

Numerous scientific studies confirm that tight swaddling is more likely to harm the baby. In this state, it is impossible for the baby to take the usual position of the embryo, roll over on his stomach, and it is in this position that it is recommended to keep the child with colic.

Tight swaddling constricts the baby's chest, making it difficult to breathe. When tightly wrapping a newborn in cloth flaps, the following should be considered:

• dressing the newborn, body parts cannot be pulled together because it interferes with blood circulation. The constant stay of the baby's straightened legs in a static position is fraught with a dislocation of the hip joint.
• The consequence of obstructed circulation is the lack of calcium. This element is absorbed by the body during physical activity. If the baby does not move arms and legs, there is a risk of rickets.
• There is a hypothesis that swaddling negatively affects the child's psyche: the lack of freedom of movement in infancy forms a tendency to submission. Consequence: a weak-willed personality is formed.
• Diapers serve as a means of protection from the cold. In modern apartments with central heating, this is more harmful than useful: there is a high risk of overheating the baby especially if diapers are used. Why swaddle newborns in such conditions, especially boys? In hot countries, there is no practice to wrap the baby in many layers of fabric.
• For discerning parents, the modern clothing industry produces lines of beautiful baby clothes that are aesthetically pleasing. diapers lose suits and sliders. The latter take up less space during drying and storage, require a small amount of detergents.
• If the room is cold, there is a possibility that the baby will be released from the constricting diapers and freeze. No matter how tightly you wrap a child, active children are able to find a way to get out of captivity.
• The newborn sleeps most of the day. Several weeks pass, and he has a need to study the environment, which swaddling hinders.
• The system of thermoregulation in newborns is imperfect, but its margin of safety is high. Children are born and live in hot countries and in the Far North. If you wrap the baby from birth, subsequently even mild hypothermia can lead to the disease.
• You can put on a diaper in the crib, it is better to wrap the baby on the changing table, and buying it is expensive pleasure.

A little about free swaddling

There are many swaddling systems.

The tradition of swaddling children comes from the depths of centuries, and in the era of the Soviet Union, it completely reached its peak. Our mothers and grandmothers piously believed and still believe that it is necessary to swaddle babies, and not put them on sliders and vests. This was due mainly to economic reasons - few families could afford to buy clothes for an actively growing child.

The system of coordination of movements in infants is still insufficiently developed. Newborns now and then "throw up" limbs, frightening themselves with uncontrolled movements. In addition, when moving their arms, they often scratch and hit themselves hard and cry in pain. In order to protect newborns from such uncoordinated movements, they need to be swaddled.

What are the methods of swaddling?

There are two types of swaddling - tight and loose.

Adherents of the tight method believe that it is necessary to tighten the canvas as tightly as possible. In their opinion, such a cardinal method of fixing the child allows you to straighten the curved parts of the body and does not allow the baby to wake himself up with his uncontrolled movements. Tight swaddling has been sharply criticized in recent years because it does not allow the baby to breathe fully, disrupts blood circulation, does not contribute to the development of the sense of touch of the newborn and harms the proper growth of the limbs. It is even believed that tight swaddling slows down the development of the child.

With the free method of swaddling, the movements of the newborn are limited, but only so much that he does not have the opportunity to sharply pull out the handle and scare himself with its movements. It is as if the baby is in a bag in which he can move calmly, take positions that are comfortable for him and touch everything that is inside the diaper. The kid needs and it is important to touch everything and everything - in this way he develops his sense of touch and learns to control the body.

You yourself probably noticed when changing a diaper and other procedures that your baby spreads his legs to the sides - this position is most comfortable for the child. With tight swaddling, the limbs are pulled together by a cloth, preventing the baby from moving, while the free swaddling method assumes that nothing will hinder the movements of the newborn within the "bag" in which it is located.
It should be noted that with free swaddling, an active baby can easily “free himself”, therefore, in order to avoid hypothermia, the mother should definitely look after the sleeping baby.

As a rule, uncontrolled "throwing up" of the limbs lasts up to 30-40 days. Later, the baby is already learning to more or less control his own body. Be sure to try dressing your child before bed from time to time and observe his behavior. In the event that he starts to worry - it will be necessary to swaddle him. Sometimes, if “throw-ups” occur sporadically, the child just needs to hold the handle for a while and then he will fall asleep peacefully.

To swaddle or not to swaddle a baby?

Until now, disputes rage around this issue, and there is no consensus. One thing is clear - that free swaddling in no way harms the development of the child, but on the contrary, it allows the baby to gradually learn the world around him and smoothly master the art of controlling his body. At the same time, pediatricians have noticed that children who are not limited by anything in their movements sometimes become overexcited and capricious.

It is believed that swaddling babies during sleep reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome compared to children who are not swaddled (adapted from the journal Pediatrics, December 2002).

In any case, you will have to decide whether to swaddle a newborn or put on sliders and vests on him, guided by observations of your baby's behavior.