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.

Parents need to know these facts about SIDS

A lot of the articles talks about how swaddling reduce the occurrence of SIDS.  Well, what is SIDS exactly?  SIDS is an acronym for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and it is the abrupt and unexplained death of a baby under the age of 1 year.  Many babies who fall victim to SIDS are found in their cribs and that is why people may refer to SIDS as “crib death.”  But cribs are no the culprit and cause for SIDS.

Here are some facts that you need to know about SIDS:

1.       SIDS is the leading cause of death for babies age 1 to 12 months

2.       Most SIDS death happen in babies under six months old

3.       Babies placed to sleep on their stomachs are much more likely to die of SIDS than babies placed on their backs to sleep

4.       Babies are more likely to succumb to SIDS if they are placed to sleep on top of a soft bedding or if they are covered by soft bedding

Here are some ways you can help to lower the risk of SIDS:

1.       Always place baby on his or her back to sleep (even for naps)

2.       Place your baby on a firm mattress & safety approved crib

3.       Remove soft, fluffy, stuffed toys, and loose bedding from your baby’s sleep area

4.       Remove anything that is covering your baby’s face and head during sleep

5.       Do not allow smoking around the baby

6.       Don’t let your baby get too warm during sleep

7.       Use a clean & dry pacifier when placing your baby to sleep

Let everyone who cares for your baby know that they must follow all these

Reason #2 to swaddle your newborn

Why do I swaddle my baby?

The first reason is swaddling lower SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) because swaddling helps infants sleep in the supine position. But, the benefits don’t stop there. Moms already know another benefit when they first held their swaddle baby.


As I rewind thru the video of my son’s birth, I can see how stunned and distressed he was as he entered into this world.  He was shouting his poor lungs out and did not yield at all as the doctors checked him up. His howling subsided only after he was wrapped in a swaddle blanket.

I'm not happy! - Swaddle me please

Thanks for swaddling me!

 A newborn has hibernated in the mother’s womb for almost 9 months (mine stayed in there for only 34 weeks, 6 days) and has developed a comfort level there. While in the womb, the newborn does not weep or shed any tears because it’s guarded in its very own Eden. Swaddling will aid a newborn to re-create this amazing moment in his life; where he has nothing to fret about. In the womb, he is provided for, kept warm, and shielded by the mom. A swaddle blanket will answer two of those  frustrations.

First, infant are not use to the cold surroundings when they come out. The human body temperature averages 37 degrees Celsius and he comes into a world that averages 23 degrees Celsius. Additionally, a babe do not have much body fat for insulation and this is especially true for premature babies. A tight swaddle around the babe will help protect the baby and keep him comfy as he enters a cold world.

Second, the blanket will work like a shield to assist decrease strange hands from roughing him up. The swaddle blanket will help keep bacteria away from the body.  Now, individuals might come and stop by to see and touch the newly delivered infant and having him wrapped in a clean blanket will help keep bacteria off his skin.  The swaddle blanket is habitually changed out out and clean to lessen the possibility of germs infecting the baby.

Overall, the noticeable advantage for moms and dads is witnessing the newborn yell less when he is swaddle. As the environment of the womb is re-created, the little one will remember the good times and will relax down from their uneasy states.