Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Is it safe to swaddle your newborn at night?

Yes, it is safe to leave your newborn in a swaddle blanket at night to sleep. By having your newborn swaddle, it is potentially safer for your baby.

The benefits of swaddling is the blanket will keep your newborn properly insulated. Especially in the early days outside the mother womb. They have less body fat, so having a blanket to keep them warm is important.

Second, pediatricians recommend having newborns sleep on their back and not on their side or stomach. By having newborns sleep on their back, the occurrence of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) drops significantly.

Swaddling your newborn becomes un-safe when they are able to roll. When they roll over and are swaddle, they have less mobility to get themselves out of a un-safe position. Typically, parents should stop swaddling around 2-3 months after birth.