Pediatricians cannot agree on the need to swaddle a child. Each parent, weighing all the pros and cons of swaddling, decides for himself whether the baby needs to be wrapped or not. Another feature of this process is the age of the baby, because in order for the child to develop normally, his movements should not be hampered by anything. So why are diapers needed, at what age is swaddling not recommended, until how many months should a child be swaddled, and how do you know that the child no longer needs to restrict movements?
Each parent, weighing all the pros and cons of swaddling, decides for himself whether the baby needs to be wrapped or not.
What are diapers for?
There are many situations when the presence of a diaper saves a young mother from some problems. Having this piece of fabric on hand, you can provide your baby with air baths, wipe him after taking water procedures, or wipe his body in case of unexpected regurgitation.
Not so long ago, all pediatricians were unanimous in the opinion that the child should be provided with tight swaddling for proper development, but today opinions are divided. Some consider this process not physiological, others support swaddling, citing the fact that the baby does not disturb himself with chaotically moving limbs. Today, diapers have many differences. They can be selected by type of fabric, composition, size, cost, etc. They all have advantages and disadvantages.
Benefits of use
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The most important advantage of using a diaper is the comfort of the baby in the first months of life. By swaddling a newborn, parents provide him with full, healthy sleep. During the first time after birth, any child does not know how to control his movements, and accordingly, very often wakes himself up with an involuntary twitching of an arm or leg. It is to ensure proper sleep that parents swaddle their newborn babies.
The second advantage of using diapers is ensuring the safety of the baby. The fact is that when he is wrapped in a blanket, conditions are created to which the child is accustomed while still in the mother’s womb. There, the space was limited by the walls of the uterus. At first, while the child has not yet adapted to new conditions, such a restriction reminds him that his mother is nearby and that he is safe.
Many mothers try to establish breastfeeding in the first weeks after giving birth. This is quite difficult to do if the baby is constantly distracted by his own trembling arms and legs. Since the diaper limits movement, it is often used to feed the baby without any extra effort.
By swaddling a newborn, parents provide him with good, healthy sleep
What will help you make a decision about swaddling?
Almost all mothers - both current and future - ask a huge number of questions.
Some of them are sometimes quite pointed: “Is it necessary to swaddle a newborn baby? And if you swaddle, what type of swaddling should you stick to? Tight or loose? There is no clear answer here. To this day, parents have many reasons for and against swaddling babies. How then? The best thing we can do is use common sense and watch your child.
This is exactly what Maria Montessori called for, and this is what her pedagogical system is built on. Of course, she worked with older children, but the principle of observation applies to children of any age.
Where to start our observations? From birth? From the first day of life? Let's start even earlier - from the moment the baby began to grow and develop in the mother's womb. What surrounded him? How was it for him there? What was his life like for 9 months? The first thing we can say is that he was in constant motion. Already from the 11th week, the baby is actively moving and moving in the uterus. The peak of these movements occurs at 23–25 weeks, the baby moves his arms and legs and constantly touches himself. But if at first the baby feels free in the uterus, then as he grows and develops, it becomes more and more cramped there, although the movements are preserved, their intensity simply decreases.
What conclusion can we draw from observations of the already quite long life of a newborn? The child moved, touched himself, felt his body, but he was also surrounded by the boundaries of the uterus, in which by the 8-9th month he became quite cramped.
How can these observations help us answer the question of whether swaddling a baby is beneficial or harmful? For example, what can we say based on our findings about tight swaddling? Does it meet the baby's needs? How will the baby fulfill his need for movement, which he has had for 9 months and continues after birth? It is thanks to movements that a child grows and develops, his brain is saturated with oxygen.
Previously, it was believed that tight swaddling helped straighten the baby's arms and legs, which without this could remain in a slightly bent position. Our grandmothers, for example, were sure that tightly swaddling a newborn’s legs was simply necessary. But, according to many doctors, this data is nothing more than a myth.
Disadvantages of use
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There are also disadvantages to the swaddling process. Pediatricians recommend using a free swaddling technique, which does not harm the child’s development and does not completely immobilize him. But as soon as the mother overdoes it a little, the loose swaddling becomes tight, and this already brings discomfort to the child. So, what are the disadvantages of swaddling a baby:
- The baby may cry and be capricious at the moment when the mother tries to wrap him in a diaper. This means that he is not ready to spend a long time in the same position. Parents need to reconsider their swaddling technique or abandon wrapping altogether.
- While still in the maternity hospital, the mother is advised to consult a pediatrician or neonatologist about the health of her baby. Some seemingly minor deviations in physiological development can significantly affect even the fact whether a baby can be swaddled. For example, muscle tone is a 100% contraindication to wrapping a newborn. It is with such a deviation that the baby, on the contrary, needs to move more, and restricting movements will only worsen the disease.
- A child and an adult have different heat exchange. Wrapping a baby in a diaper out of season can lead to disruption of thermoregulation function. Even when staying at home, a baby who is wrapped up for a long time may experience overheating.
- It is believed that babies whose parents did not swaddle at birth begin to coordinate their actions earlier and better. There is even an opinion that swaddling delays crawling or walking for a longer period.
- Too tight swaddling can cause dislocation of the hip joint, or dysplasia, in scientific terms.
- Swaddling can also impair blood circulation.
There is an opinion that swaddling delays crawling or walking for a longer period of time
Disadvantages of swaddling
- Unnatural pose. The child strives to cuddle his arms and legs, but tight swaddling does not allow this to happen.
- Lack of physical activity in some cases can lead to disruption of the formation of the musculoskeletal system: the child needs to move.
- A baby can overheat in diapers, especially in the summer or in a hot room. And in winter, after turning out of diapers, you can freeze.
- Swaddling too tightly can sometimes slow down blood flow, which can negatively affect the baby's cardiovascular system.
In what cases is a diaper necessary?
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There are no medical indications for swaddling a baby. Each parent decides independently whether to apply this process to their child or not. Swaddling is increasingly used for newborns, as it reduces postpartum stress in the child and creates conditions similar to prenatal ones. Especially in the first month after birth, while the baby is in the process of adapting to new conditions, swaddling will help create not only physiological, but also psychological comfort for the newborn.
Until what age should a baby with arms be swaddled?
Since development occurs differently in all children, there is no clear answer to the question of how long to swaddle a newborn. As a rule, swaddling will not harm a baby under 7-8 months old if it is loose. Swaddling a baby with arms is used until approximately 3 months. Until this time, it will provide the child with healthy sleep without inhibiting his physical development. By the 4th month, you can swaddle your baby, leaving the arms free.
Note! It is recommended to gradually transition your baby to free swaddling.
For the night
Night sleep differs from daytime sleep not only in duration, but also in the transitions from the deep to shallow sleep phase. Some experts advise monitoring the baby, as soon as he stops moving his limbs chaotically, the swaddling process can be gradually reduced to nothing.
Important! Don't compare your baby with others. For some, sudden movements of the arms and legs stop by 3 months, for others - by 6 months. Each child is individual.
During daytime sleep
Experts recommend swaddling a baby with arms for naps up to 3 months. Next, you should monitor the baby. The movement of the arms is limited until the child learns to control them. As a rule, in order to wean a child from swaddling smoothly, tight swaddling diapers are no longer used during daytime naps.
Experts recommend swaddling a baby with arms for naps up to 3 months
Until what age should a baby be swaddled?
Since ancient times, women have used swaddling for several reasons. Firstly, in a dense fabric shell, the child feels like in the womb and sleeps better. Secondly, it is quite cheap and convenient for a family with many children: there was no need to sew a new wardrobe for each child.
Finally, swaddling a child had a sacred meaning: usually the father’s shirt was used as a diaper for a boy, and the mother’s for a girl. Thus, our ancestors passed on feminine traits to the girl, and masculine traits to the boy. The clothes of grandparents, which were believed to contain the power of the clan, protecting the baby, also served as a diaper for a newborn.
The modern view of swaddling newborns is ambiguous, and yet the method continues to be used, since a newborn really feels cozy and warm in a swaddle.
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The disadvantages of swaddling include the restriction of the child’s movements, which impedes blood circulation and the baby’s exploration of the capabilities of his body. These shortcomings of the old method can be easily corrected by using loose swaddling. Most often, tight swaddling is indicated only for premature babies who need to create the feeling of their mother’s womb for some time.
In any case, it is important for every woman to know how long she should swaddle her newborn and at what age she should abandon this method.
Until what age should a baby be swaddled?
During the entire first month of life, it is recommended to swaddle the newborn. After another couple of weeks, it will become clear whether your baby needs to continue using this method.
If the child is active, swaddling will interfere with his play and development. If he often wakes himself up with sudden movements, it is better to swaddle the baby at night, and dress him in undershirts and overalls during the day. Unlike active ones, calm babies feel calm and comfortable in diapers. In this case, swaddling can be continued until the baby wants more room for movement.
How long does it take to swaddle a baby? Mandatory - up to 1 month. If the baby feels good in the diaper, you can continue further.
Starting from the 3rd month of life, swaddling becomes harmful to the baby’s health: the newborn’s stronger limbs require freedom of movement. Diapers limit the baby's activity and can lead to insufficient development of his legs and arms.
At what months should you stop swaddling?
The duration of the process of wrapping a baby is strictly individual. Diapers are not used to treat diseases and are unlikely to cause harm until a certain time. If your baby is restless, wrapping him up will help him feel safe and relaxed. Also, some parents claim that swaddling eases the child's condition with colic.
Until what age should a newborn be swaddled? We can say for sure that at 5 months of age a child does not need tight swaddling. Approximately during this period, you can smoothly switch to free swaddling, and after 2-3 months, abandon it altogether. If you continue to wrap your 5-month-old baby tightly in a diaper, he will later sit up and crawl.
At what months should you stop swaddling?
Even if the baby does not protest against a tight tie, it is advisable to abandon it by the age of 5 months. Release your arms more often and allow your legs to move freely, even during sleep. And after 2-3 months you can completely switch to sliders (men). Limitation of movements is recommended until the coordination of the limbs is fully established. As soon as sudden movements no longer frighten the child, he can expand the space.
But no one will give clear advice on what age a child can be swaddled. If sleep begins to be disturbed, you will again have to place the baby in a cocoon and solve the problem by loosening the tie. Some babies are able to sleep peacefully without diapers already at 2 months, others startle from sudden movements even at 1-1.5 years. Everything is purely individual.
Attention!
According to statistics, young mothers switch to adult clothing for babies from 3 months.
How to understand that you can stop swaddling your baby
Swaddling is used to prevent the child from being frightened by his sudden movements. Accordingly, when the baby develops coordination of limb movements, any swaddling can be removed.
Note! Babies who have not been swaddled since birth behave more restlessly, sleep less, and eat worse.
Some babies can sleep through the night without diapers as early as 2 months. Others still need to limit their movements even at 6 months.
Important! Nowadays, swaddling is not used to straighten the baby's legs. Previous generations used tight swaddling to do just that. Moreover, it was necessary to ensure that when wrapping the diaper, the child lay like a soldier. There was a belief that tight swaddling had to be used for 90 days. Today, modern medicine has proven that there is no connection between straight legs and tight swaddling.
Previous generations practiced tight swaddling
Doctor Komarovsky's opinion
The famous Ukrainian pediatrician, host of the program “Doctor Komarovsky’s School,” Evgeniy Olegovich Komarovsky, explains very well all the advantages and disadvantages of swaddling. This is a pediatrician with over 35 years of experience. He is also the author of many scientific articles and books, some of which have had more than 12 reprints in Russia.
He believes that using diapers to limit the baby's movements is a personal matter for mom and dad. Although he is more supportive of the use of vests and rompers, since, in his opinion, this makes the mother’s life easier. This is not a matter of the physiological needs of newborns and infants. The question is the father's help. Mastering the swaddling process is difficult even for new mothers, not to mention fathers, who for some time are afraid to approach such fragile, newly born babies. Mom simply doesn’t have enough time and energy to teach dad how to wrap the baby. The father can easily put the undershirt on the child, since it is quite difficult to make a mistake in this process.
Evgeniy Olegovich also believes that in the summer it will be more comfortable for the baby to be in loose clothes than tied with a diaper.
Komarovsky believes that in everyday life, rompers and vests are a more profitable option than diapers. He explains this by saying that when washing, the undershirts will use less water and washing powder, and such clothes take up significantly less space on the dryer or balcony.
Komarovsky claims that in his practice he very often encountered colds in infants, which were indirectly caused by diapers. If the baby is active enough, he will try to free his limbs on his own. At the same time, he may not cry or worry. No matter how much a mother watches her baby, she cannot be with him every minute and simply may not notice when the baby is out of diapers. It’s good when the room in which it is located is warm and dry, and if the room temperature is low or there is a draft, you can safely prepare for colds.
Important! Discussion of this issue with Dr. Komarovsky should not be construed as an inducement to action. His opinion is not fundamental; parents themselves choose what is best for them.
The use of diapers to restrict movement is no longer strictly necessary. Moreover, you should not believe the myths and prejudices that if you refuse this process, the child will have any physical disabilities. Swaddling is necessary in order to provide the child with a comfortable and healthy sleep, optimally bringing him closer to familiar conditions. As soon as it becomes clear that the child no longer needs diapers, they should be gradually removed.
