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What's the deal with swaddling?

Is it good / bad? I'm doing a list of things we will need to buy and I don't know whats best at first?

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  • My boys have all loved it as newborns but I just used a muslin at first until I knew if they liked it and then bought a miracle blanket from Mothercare later on.

  • I never did it because we had a summer baby and it was just too hot. Some babies love it, some babies hate it. I wouldn't buy anything special for now. You can do it with a normal blanket and if the baby likes it, then you can go out and buy something more specific. The stuff I wasted money on before the baby was here which ended up being completely useless!

  • The main thing to be careful about is over-heating, as a over-heated baby is a very bad thing.  As newborns some babies like to be swaddled so they kind of feel like they are all tucked up cosy back in the womb, coming out and having so much 'freedom' can be upsetting.  We tried it as Z wouldnt settle at the beginning but she didnt like it, just preferred to sleep on us!

  • Thanks guys. It will be February when he's born so I figured it would be chilly. I will try with normal sheets first and go from there

    What other options are there? Just sheets and blankets?

  • You can use sleeping bags? Some are suitable from newborn, some have a weight limit of about 10lbs I think.  We used them, saves blankets being kicked off.

  • I didnt swaddle either of mine as they settled well without it. If they hadn't it would've been something I'd have tried to see if it made a difference.
  • I wondered whether sleeping bags might be too hot? I will get some, I could always put him in a light sleepsuit and the bag. This is a whole new world for me!

  • I quite liked the idea of swaddling but G hated having her arms swaddled in anyway from the moment she was born, it made her scream the place down. SHe just hates being confined and still sleeps with her arms over her face.

    Sleeping bag wise she was happy. She's had a few, a think one for when she was a few months old (I was tole only holey blankets should be used at first), a really thin one for when it was sunny, and we're just moving back to a thicker one.

  • Yes some babies love it, some not so much. I had a cocoon thing that velcroed shut with C, he liked to be wrapped up, his brother did not. This is the one: www.boots.com/.../Summer-Infant-SwaddleMe-Microfleece-Small-Ivory_1439545 but to be honest you'd probably manage just as well with a flannelette sheet or something.

  • Being swaddled really helped S settle when he got really overtired or when he had his reflux because he would fling himself around a lot and it calmed him I think. We had some of the big muslins which were great, lighter and cooler than using a blanket. I still use them loads now as sun shades, picnic blanket, lightweight blanket etc. They were a good investment.

  • In winter a 2.5 tog bag, sleepsuit and vest wont be too hot, unless you have the heating on full blast all night.  

  • I don't know if we will have the heating on, we're in a flat so its never TOO cold and we cant sleep with the radiator on. I figured blankets are easier to regulate for baby, can just add or take away rather than waiting for the heating to change.

  • We didn't swaddle until R was 6 weeks old, it would take me until 2.30am to get her to settle in her moses basket, she just wanted to be attached to me.  I got a swaddle gro, which tricked R into thinking that she was still being held when I put her down ... I started getting a lot more sleep.  I've got my soon to be born niece one as it was a big help to us but now i'm thinking maybe it is worth seeing what baby is like first as they may not want to be swaddled.

    Also the swaddle is fairly thin so I wasn't worried about overheating & R is a December baby.

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