Should We Swaddle Babies?
It seems there are trends and innovations in all categories of consumer goods and I learned that swaddle blankets are no different.
Our baby was born in July of 2020. At the hospital, they used the hospital blanket to swaddle our little one and a nurse gave us a lesson on how to fold the blanket into a perfect swaddle. But when we were leaving the hospital, they gifted us a "sleep sack." Note that sleep sacks are not actually blankets whereas swaddles are - usually made of muslin fabric. Sleep sacks look more like sleeping bags.
The discharge nurse explained that swaddle blankets were “out” and sleep sacks were “in.” According to her, hospitals were no longer recommending that you swaddle your baby! What!? According to Wikipedia, swaddling infants has been happening since the Paleolithic Period. It was hard to believe that the age old practice was being phased out.
When we arrived home, I disregarded that advice and I continued to swaddle our baby. I did so because our baby LOVES being swaddled. I think it makes babies feel secure and cozy. I felt that the sleep sacks didn’t cacoon her enough to mimic the womb.
I believe we swaddled her for at least the first 2 months and we never once used the sleep sack. Once it looked like she would soon have the ability to flip over to her stomach on her own, we stopped swaddling her. I guess at that point, we could’ve started using the sleep sack but we never did because at that stage, she didn’t seem to need a swaddle or a sleep sack.
So that was our experience but every baby is different. I am not a medical professional and couldn't make recommendations based on science in regards to swaddling your infant. I humbly share my own experience to throw into the collective "database" on the internet on how best to care for our smallest, beating hearts.
Also, these sweet, swaddle blankets are light, adorable and they really come in handy. I keep one in the diaper bag, another one in the car and also one in the stroller. So even if you don't use them to actually swaddle your baby, they are good to have around as a light blanket or to cover a surface and prevent your baby from touching germs.
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