"Swaddle tight, or the legs will be crooked!"; "Swaddle tight so that you know who is the boss in the house!" - these advice of our grandmothers seem to us, young mothers, remnants of the past. There is also a diametrically opposite point of view, which says that swaddling is not necessary at all: they say that this is a restriction on the freedom of the baby’s personality, which prevents him from developing. Our point of view is this: swaddling is possible and necessary, but not in the way the previous generation did. Now proven the benefits of free swaddling. What is it and how to swaddle children correctly - our material will tell.
So, tight swaddling is not only a relic of the past, but also a dangerous action: neonatologists have proved the connection of tight swaddling with dislocations of the hip joints in infants. However, it is necessary to swaddle the child at least in the first month of life. Imagine yourself in the place of a baby: for nine months you grew up in a warm and cozy limited and slightly cramped space, and now you were born. Legs and hands move randomly, the baby is scared, and many children also wake themselves in a dream with their movements. If you swaddle a child, he gives the impression that he is still in the uterus, in a confined space, and the first movements will not scare him. The so-called free swaddling is practiced all over the world.
How to swaddle children?
Before you begin swaddling, prepare a comfortable flat surface (ideally a changing table), two diapers (cotton and flannel) and a diaper (gauze or disposable). Newborns can be swaddled with handles (completely the whole body) or to the level of the armpits, leaving the hands free.
If you are using a gauze diaper, calculate the correct amount of diapers that you will need per day, taking into account the drying time.
The entire period of the newborn (up to 28 days from birth) should not only be washed carefully, but also ironed with a hot iron on both sides.
How old is a baby swaddle?
Most experts agree that it is necessary to swaddle a child up to 1 month. It is after this age that he begins to actively explore his body, arms, legs. Appears motor activity, awareness of his body in space. The diaper will inhibit physical and psychological development. However, some children may show discontent with swaddling even at the age of two weeks: the baby will cry until you remove the diaper, or try to release the handles. For other children, swaddling is necessary for a restful sleep of up to three months. Look at your child and remember that his needs are individual.
Velcro diapers are on sale now. When using them, you do not need to think about how to swaddle children: you simply put the baby on one part of the product, cover the other and fasten.
Do not swaddle the baby tight, this does not affect the curvature of the legs!
So, back to how to swaddle children correctly. The room should not be cold. If it is very hot indoors or outdoors, use only one or two cotton diapers.
Lay on the table first a warm, then a thin diaper. Lay the baby on them so that its neck is where the upper edge of the two diapers is. Wrap one side edge under the baby’s handle, then wrap the second edge around the entire body. Spread the lower free edge slightly to the sides, fold back and wrap one edge in the other. This is the Russian method of swaddling: when the diaper is horizontal to the baby.
In Europe and the USA, another scheme is on how to swaddle a baby. You can see the photo below:
If you swaddle to the armpits, put on a “scratch” for the newborn and watch his nails.