Swaddling and the use of swaddle blankets has only been popular for around 30 years, which makes it likely your parents were never swaddled before as a baby, so not knowing how to swaddle a newborn is totally okay! Fast forward to present day, this practice is now widely used for many reasons, for it works to not only help your baby, but you too! We are here to give you the best swaddle guide so you can set your baby up for success and make sure their growth and health goes with no problems.
What is a Swaddle Blanket
The best quality about a swaddle blanket is its ability to imitate a mother’s womb. For a newborn, they are stripped from the only things they know: warmth, darkness, and peacefulness. This is the reason why they go into panic mode after they are pulled out. Thankfully the thinness and size of a swaddle blanket will help calm your baby and make them feel safe.
What is Swaddling
Swaddling is the art of tightly wrapping your newborn in some sort of cloth to imitate a mother’s womb. If you are a new parent, you may be asking how to swaddle a baby? You may have heard swaddling from other parents or online, but may still not know what it is. You swaddle a baby when they are still newborns, and for only a brief period of time. Swaddling a baby is surprisingly simple and easy, and it only takes 6 steps!
- Get your favorite swaddle blanket from Free Birdees, for they sell bamboo baby swaddles that are super stretchy and cozy!
- Make the blanket flat and turn it until it looks like a diamond, then fold the top corner to the center
- Place your baby on the blanket and move its left arm to their side
- Wrap the left side if the blanket to their right side, and tuck it under their underpit
- Place their right arm on their right side, making sure it is over the blanket corner
- Then fold the right side over and tuck it under and bottom of the swaddle blanket and tuck it under their life side
Although it may be challenging at the start, just know your baby will benefit greatly from this. It will help them feel safe after entering the new world, and help them transition easier. If you follow all these steps, you will become a pro in no time!
[See: How to Swaddle a Baby]
Best Age to Swaddle your Baby
For the best results, start swaddling your baby at day 1, for this is the time when your newborn has no clue what is happening around them or where they are. They need time to adapt and understand their new environment, so swaddling will help with this transition. Furthermore, do not over swaddle because you want your baby to be able to grow and learn; most babies transition out of swaddling at 3-4 months old, but some may go all the way from 6-9 months old.
[See: When Can babies Sleep with Blankets]
How long do you swaddle a baby
This is like trial and error, you must test different amounts of time and see which ones work the best for your baby. The average time per day a baby is swaddled is 12-20 hours, so you can start at 12 hours and go from there. It is all about experience and practice, so it may take a while before you perfect it, but the results are well worth it. As for when to start, swaddling is best right after birth, since it does imitate the being in a womb feeling. As said above, most babies will be swaddled for 3-4 months after birth, but can stop as soon as 2 months if your newborn starts to become active. A good sign that tells you when to stop swaddling is when your baby starts to roll.
Best Swaddle Blankets
As a new parent, you want to give your newborn the highest quality blankets made with the finest materials, and that starts with educating yourself on what is the best of the best! Since swaddle blankets are used right when your baby is born, it is crucial you have the softest and most comfortable swaddle blanket for your baby. There are many blankets out there, but every one of them is made differently, so how can you be sure you are getting a great product? We will give some insight on which materials may be better for swaddling, and where you can buy one for your expecting baby!
Material
With swaddling blankets, you want something that is breathable, durable, stretchy, and soft. With that, two of the best materials for swaddling a baby are bamboo viscose and cotton. If you are not familiar with bamboo viscose, this is the material Free Birdees uses in their baby clothing and stands by the fact that it is the softest material you will ever feel! Bamboo viscose is breathable, thermo-regulating, hypoallergenic, and eco-friendly. In addition, it stretches with your baby, which is great for swaddling since your baby is wrapped tightly. Another great material is cotton. Cotton is known for its versatility and an all around great material for any type of clothing. It can wick up moisture from your body, making it a thermo-regulating material. It also is hypoallergenic and a soft material.
Swaddle Blanket vs Receiving Blanket
Although the two blankets look very similar, they have two separate purposes that make them different! Swaddle blankets are usually smaller than a receiving blanket and have two winged sides for easier swaddling. Receiving blankets are either a square or rectangular shape, usually 30 by 30 inches, and have a wide array of versatility. Although receiving blankets can be used for swaddling, it also is a great go-to blanket for warmth, substitute changing mat, burp cloth, and many more uses. This is different to a swaddling blanket, for a swaddling blanket’s sole purpose is for swaddling a baby. To conclude, a receiving blanket has much versatility, which can be used to swaddle a baby, but a swaddle blanket is designed for swaddling; hence, much better when it comes to that job.
Free Birdees Swaddle Blanket’s Prints and Sizes
Free Birdees not only takes pride in their buttery soft clothing, but they make sure it looks as good as it feels! With over 15 custom prints made by Free Birdees, there is something for everyone’s taste and interest. If you want your princess looking chic and adorable, the Heavenly Pink Unicorns and Rainbows, Powder Pink Koalas, and Pale Orchid Hippos are great options for her! As for the boys, the highland cattle, Cloud Dinosaur-Rawr, and Altanltic Blue Aviator are all amazing. Their swaddle blankets measure 40x29 inches, which is in the middle of sizes compared to the other blankets Free Birdees have.
Why Should you Swaddle your Baby
Many may not know the hidden benefits swaddling has and how it can help both you as a parent and your newborn through this big transition. Swaddling will help you have more peace in the house, and give your baby more comfort and a better sleep.
Benefits of Swaddling
You may ask yourself why so many parents swaddle their newborn, and this is because there are many benefits that can impact your newborn for the better. Swaddling your baby has shown to cause your baby to sleep longer and more peacefully and feel less anxious. Newborns also have a startle reflex, which may suddenly wake them up from a nap, causing them to panic and put your sanity in jeopardy. In addition, swaddling can save you money in the sense that you won’t need to buy other comfort items like pillows, blankets, stuffed animals, etc. Swaddling not only is beneficial to your newborn, but to you as a parent, making your already busy lives a little less stressful.
How to make sure your baby is safe while swaddling
Swaddling is a safe practice, but we want to make sure you know how to swaddle a newborn properly. Accidents are definitely at risk, so here are a few tips you should keep in mind while swaddling your baby. You want your baby to be snug, but not too much, so just find that perfect balance. A good indication to see if the tightness is right is if you are able to fit 2-3 fingers between the blanket at your baby’s chest area. Another tip is to keep your baby on its back at all times. Babies who lay on their stomach are more likely to suffer from SIDS, which is fatal. Another thing to take note is the temperature of the room, you want it cool and not too hot. The last tip is to know when to stop swaddling, and you will know when you see your baby trying to fight the swaddle blanket or rolling around and trying to move its body. Overall, with the right precautions taken into consideration, swaddling is reliable and extremely safe for your newborn.
Conclusion
Some may be skeptical on swaddling, but with research and professional advice, it is safe to say that swaddling is perfectly okay. By following a few simple steps, you can ensure your baby’s health is secure while improve their wellbeing. As parents, you should take advantage of this practice because this is such a critical step in their new life that will not come again. As the window for swaddling is very short, a couple months after birth, you do not want to miss it! With the perfect bamboo baby swaddles from Free Birdees, you will be set and ready to take on this new and exciting endeavor!
