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Activity - Swaddling Your Baby

By Rachel Lacourciere, edHelperBaby

  Swaddling Your Baby
           A good activity to practice prior to the arrival of your newborn is how to swaddle her.  You can practice on a doll, stuffed animal, or if you have the opportunity, practice swaddling a relative's or friend's baby to get a feel for how much she can wiggle and squirm during the process. Below is a step-by-step guide for basic swaddling:
  1. Start by laying the swaddling blanket out on a flat area such as the floor.
  2. Choose a corner of the blanket to fold inward (back on top of the blanket) to create an opening for your baby's head.  The blanket should now have a left corner, right corner, bottom corner, and top creased corner.
  3. Lay your baby down, placing her shoulders inline with the top creased corner of the blanket.  Her head should be in the middle of the top creased corner you flipped down.
  4. Choose either the left or right corner and pull the blanket across your baby's chest to the opposite side of her body, tucking the corner under her back.
  5. Take the bottom corner and pull it towards your baby's head tucking the excess blanket into the top of the blanket running across her chest.
  6. Take the other left or right corner that remains and pull the blanket across your baby's chest to the opposite side of her body, tucking the corner under her back.

   

  Things To Consider
   
  • For a tighter swaddle ensure that when you pull the blanket across your baby's chest that you tuck the blanket snugly underneath your baby's arm in addition to her back.  A tighter swaddle can recreate the security your baby felt in the womb.
  • For a looser swaddle ensure that when you lay your baby down you place her chest inline with the top creased corner of the blanket, instead of her shoulders.  This way when you pull the blanket across her chest, you can completely leave her arms outside of the swaddle.  A looser swaddle can benefit a baby who enjoys the warmth of being swaddled but does not like her arms restricted.
  • For an extra stimulating day, swaddling can be used to help soothe your baby by helping to simulate the closeness she felt when in the womb.
  • Once your newborn is a month old, it is suggested that you only swaddle your baby when she is going to sleep.  Research has shown that swaddling a baby older than 1 month during active awake time may disrupt her motor development.

   


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