All things Swaddling: When, Why and How to Wean [Ultimate Guide]

In this video, I will talk about all things swaddling

The purpose of swaddling
Different types of swaddles
When to swaddle
When to stop swaddling
How to transition out of the swaddle
When you need to stop swaddling due to safety

00:00 Intro
00:23 Why to Swaddle?
00:30 Moro Reflex
1:40 Why Swaddling is Important
3:29 Swaddling for Naps and Nigh Time Sleep
4:48 When Should You Stop Swaddling?
5:10 Some Transitional Products

Some links to my favorite products (amazon affiliates):

You’ve spent so much time getting your baby to sleep and swaddling, now you might be wondering how do I wean my baby from the swaddle? Keep reading and I”ll give you 6 simple steps.

The purpose of swaddling:
To restrain the arms close to the body and stop the Moro reflex from disturbing your baby, especially if she’s about to fall asleep and then gets startled.
Swaddling is also used to keep the baby warm and feeling secure, simulating conditions seen in the womb. The Moro Reflex is an involuntary reflex of the arms in response to stimulation. It is sometimes described as the “startle response”.

Does your baby hate the swaddle?
Many new parents will tell me that their baby does not like to be swaddled.
Here’s the truth: a newborn is really not that discriminating at this age. He has no opinion about being swaddled.
The parents usually have an overtired baby on their hands who is fussy and inconsolable, yet the parents interpret these tears as a dislike to a swaddle.

If you have tried the swaddle before and found your baby didn’t like it, I urge you to try it again when your baby is not exhausted. For example, the first nap of the day is the easiest to get baby down for so try swaddling for this nap.

How to swaddle?
There are some great youtube videos out there demonstrating a good swaddle. You can also buy helpful tools such as “The Miracle Blanket” which take the skill out of swaddling and make it easy, consistent and fuss free.

When do you stop swaddling?
1. When she starts to roll. You want your baby to be swaddle free by the time she is rolling since you wouldn’t want her to roll over and not be able to roll back because of restrained arms. This could cause an injury. This information is from the American Academy of Pediatrics regarding Safe Sleep.

2. You’ll also want to stop swaddling when you start sleep training your baby. She’ll need her hands available when she’s learning to self soothe.

How can I wean baby off the swaddle?
Start at night time when the drive to sleep is the strongest and there is less stimulation compared to the daytime.
Be gradual.

[jclarkelister]

Hello, not trying to be argumentative, however there is a lot of literature showing that suppressing the Moro reflex negatively affects a babies motor development amongst other things. I feel this is important to review prior to promoting this predominantly western practice, or to also demonstrate the possible adverse effects. Thank you for your video nonetheless.

[IAM]

I never swaddled. And yet he slept like a.log. Explanations?