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.

When will my baby outgrow swaddling?

Swaddling is usually recommended up to four months but depends largely on your baby?s needs. Some babies show readiness to stop as early as two months even though some continue even after four. Your baby will let you know when he/she is ready to stop. Nonetheless as your baby moves his/her limbs more and can struggle free or turn over on his/her own, swaddling may well lead to issues of loose coverings acquiring in the way causing entangling and suffocation.

Can I leave my babies arms free even though swaddling?

Most swaddling experts encourage tucking both arms in to avoid twitching (moro reflex) and facial scratches from those sharp tiny nails. Even so, leaving one arm free may well make your baby a lot more comfy and most parents try this as they are weaning their newborn off swaddling.

The hand-to-mouth reflex is a natural action that your baby is used to doing and it was probably doing inside the womb. You’ll be able to leave each arms free, but it defeats the purpose and might mean that it truly is time to stop swaddling.

Can swaddling cause my baby to overheat?

This is definitely a concern and the reason which you must appear for a swaddle blanket made of lightweight, breathable fabric. This assists regulate temperature and prevents your baby from overheating. You need to also be mindful that thermostat temperatures aren’t too high and that your baby doesn’t have too a lot of layers on, feel warm for the touch or start to perspire.

Solid food introduction time for my new baby

At my last visit with the pediatrician, I started to ask the question – “When should I start feeding solid food to my baby?”

He generally stated that between 4 to 6 months of age is a good time, but he did recommend that I should start 1 month later (5 months) because my son was born 1 month premature. But, he did say various studies have indicated that infants are not physiologically or developmentally ready to accept solids prior to 4-6 months. Furthermore, the likelihood of my son to develop future allergic development is increased if I start to feed him earlier.

When I start to give him solid food, he will get new tastes and textures in his mouth. He will need to learn a new process of eating that takes difference skills. For instance, he will need to learn how to swallow and eat from a spoon. My doctored warned me that I should expect to see my son spitting out food. Like in any training process for babies, parents need to be patient.

 

Reference:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22306181

Swaddling - a traditional care method rediscovered

Swaddling is getting more popular these days as people are realizing the benefits of the old traditional care method for newborn. Swaddling is the process of wrapping your newborn in a blanket that securely holds them in a position. They will look like a nice bundle burrito when wrapped properly.

As published by the World Journal of Pediatrics, a study was done by a team of doctors to compare the sleep benefits of healthy infants in swaddling and sleeping bag conditions. What the researchers found was that swaddling significantly reduced the rate of spontaneous waking and the sleep time, efficiency, stage, and quite sleep. All great benefits for parents who have newborns.

Here is what the group concluded -

So parents, give swaddling a try and reap the benefits of happy, satisfied baby, who is able to get enough sleep.

Hip Dysplasia and swaddling

The occurrence of Hip Dysplasia is making the headlines news.  Parents should be concern if they are not familiar with swaddling because improper swaddling can trigger Hip Dysplasia.  Here are some things parents need to pay attention to when swaddling.

1. Swaddle with enough room for hip to move
2. Do not straighten the newborn's leg from the frog position
3. If you are still unsure about swaddle, then I recommend getting some swaddle sacks. These sacks will create a nice swaddle for the chest and arms, while leaving enough room for the legs and hip to move without much restriction.

Source:
http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/swaddle-your-baby-but-do-it-safely