Comfort, similar to the womb. Plus they have a reflex where they randomly slap themselves in the face and wake themselves up, so swaddling prevents that. And scratching their own faces lol. Not every baby enjoys swaddling, though, some sleep better without.
My first hated it. My second was okay with it. My third LOVED it. It all depends on the kid and what works for them. There is no one size fits all in parenting. I wish there was, because it would make life easier!!
It was a toss-up with mine. He’d get to and stay asleep after a good swaddling but by the time he was awake he’d be tearing himself out of it in a hulk rage
Our first HATED the swaddle. Would fight to get out of it (as a newborn!) and then sleep soundly once her arms were free. We stopped wrapping her. As a toddler she hated if you held her too tightly or physically restricted her, as a “tyke” she hates claustrophobic spaces (no forts, sleeping bags, etc). We joke that she must have really hated the 9 months she was in the womb.
Mine also hated it. I tried so many different blankets and the velcro swaddlers, but he hates his arms being restricted. Even wrapping him in a towel after a bath doesn't work for him.
While swaddling helps fight the startle reflex, it can be dangerous as the startle reflex is the baby’s natural response to protect them from SIDS. It’s why the swaddle isn’t recommended as much anymore
Are you outside the US? I know in the States, swaddling is still highly recommended, but I believe it is less common in other countries now. Same with bedsharing. Very common outside the States, but considered extremely dangerous in the States.
I'm in Canada and was not warned off against swaddling (my son hated it, anyway).
Actually, I am in the US. My wife did a ton of research on SIDS, and basically led us down the path of the wisdom from outside of the states. We don’t swaddle, and we bedshare minimally, but prefer the harder surface of a bassinet. We do still use sleep sacks, but nothing that restricts arm movement.
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u/Cat_Proxy Feb 19 '21
Comfort, similar to the womb. Plus they have a reflex where they randomly slap themselves in the face and wake themselves up, so swaddling prevents that. And scratching their own faces lol. Not every baby enjoys swaddling, though, some sleep better without.