How to Swaddle a Baby for Better Sleep

A swaddled infant.

Perhaps one of the harshest realities new parents face is that many sleepless nights will occur while caring for a newborn. Babies' schedules are ingrained from the pregnancy stages when the mother and child often had nearly opposite active and inactive periods. Healthy infants can be trained to sleep on a more suitable schedule, however. Swaddling, or the practice of wrapping a baby snugly within a blanket to decrease startle reflex and simulate the closeness of the womb, can greatly improve duration and quality of your baby's (and thereby your own!) sleep. Some experts believe swaddling, which keeps infants on their backs while sleeping, may also help reduce the risk of SIDS.

Things You'll Need

• Swaddle blanket

Instructions

How to Swaddle a Baby for Better Sleep

1. 

   Position your baby on his back on a swaddle blanket with the seam just behind the neck.

2. 

   Slip the baby's feet into the pocket at the bottom of the blanket.

3. Tuck the baby's arms snugly but gently around her torso.

4. 

   Pull the left flap of the swaddle blanket over the baby's chest and tuck it firmly and smoothly behind his back on the right side. This may require you to gently roll the baby to the left to tuck in the flap.

5. 

   Bring the right flap up and over the baby's torso and attach the flap securely along the front side (usually a Velcro closure is provided).

6. Ensure that the baby's face is not covered by any portion of the blanket and that her neck is wrapped loosely enough to provide unobstructed breathing.

7. 

   Place your snugly bundled baby in bed on his back.

Tips & Warnings

• Swaddle blankets are a simpler, easier way to accomplish the same tight wrap hospital nurses use to comfort newborns accustomed to the tight quarters in the womb. This same "baby burrito" technique can be achieved with an ordinary receiving blanket and a little practice. After a few tries, you should be able to find a balance between a too-tight wrap (which leads to an uncomfortable baby who cries and does not sleep) and a wrap that is too loose (the baby will wiggle out or startle himself awake frequently). Use a lightweight blanket to prevent overheating.

• NEVER place a swaddled infant on her tummy. The snug wrap that inhibits the startle reflex allowing longer sleep also significantly restricts arm movement. For more information, consult the American Academy of Pediatrics "Back to Sleep" campaign. Remember, healthy infants should be placed on their backs when sleeping to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Once your child is able to roll over, discontinue swaddling. Be realistic. Very young infants need to be fed often because of smaller stomach capacity and simply cannot sleep through the night. While healthy infants can learn over time to sleep for extended periods, keep in mind, that "through the night" probably only means an uninterrupted stretch of about 6 hours at best.

References

• A study on swaddling and the effects on infant sleep

Resources

• Swaddled infants have less risk of SIDS?
• The benefits of swaddling
• Benefits/risks of swaddling
• Infants' decreased sensitivity to noise with swaddling