Age up to which a baby is swaddled at night with his hands: up to how many months is needed

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

Swaddling a newborn baby: pros and cons

Mothers have different opinions about whether there is a need to swaddle their baby. Some prefer to swaddle the child, others prefer to put nice clothes on him. But the opinions of most pediatricians boil down to one thing - it is simply necessary to swaddle newborns in the first month of life. Why should this be done?

After birth, the baby's motor activity is chaotic, movements of the arms and legs are involuntary. During sleep, the baby may shudder, move its arms and thereby constantly wake itself up. The diaper provides fixation of the limbs, and involuntary movements will not bring discomfort to the newborn during sleep.
The baby has imperfect thermoregulation and can easily become cold. The diaper will provide warmth to the baby and he will not freeze.
If the use of diapers is excluded, then it is better, of course, to swaddle the baby. But you need to do this often. If a newborn stays in wet diapers for a long time, he may simply become hypothermic.
Many children do not tolerate changing clothes well and begin to cry. It is easier to swaddle a baby than to dress it, and it will not cause a negative reaction in him.

There are not many arguments against swaddling, but they are quite significant:

Prolonged swaddling, especially tight swaddling, can lead to disturbances in the physical development of the baby. Previously it was believed that tight swaddling prevented curvature of the lower limbs. But this is just a myth. On the contrary, the natural position of the limbs changes, and muscle tone may be disrupted.
When trying to free the hands from the diapers, the child begins to be capricious, cry, and fidget. Continuing swaddling in such cases often leads to psycho-emotional instability in the infant.
If a tight swaddling technique is used, this can lead to diaper rash in the skin folds. Compression of the chest and abdomen of a newborn leads to breathing problems and circulatory disorders.

If, after all, the parents decide that they will swaddle the baby, then it is better to learn the technique of free swaddling.

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

Types of swaddling

There are three main types of swaddling, which differ significantly from each other:

Tight. The classic traditional method, in which the newborn is tightly wrapped in a diaper, even the head can be fixed. In this position, the baby cannot move his arms and legs.
Free. The newborn is wrapped in a diaper in such a way that he is able to make small movements. Sometimes only the baby’s legs are fixed, and the arms remain free.
Wide. The main task of this type of swaddling is to spread the legs into an M-shaped position for the correct formation of the hip joint. It is recommended primarily for children with dysplasia and immaturity of the hip joint, but can also be used to prevent these diseases.

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

So is it necessary to swaddle children?

Previously, diapers replaced clothes for a newborn, but today, when comfortable things have appeared that will suit even the smallest, the need for swaddling is being called into question. In addition, the traditional tight method is subject to severe criticism from pediatricians. And there are several reasons for this:

The “soldier” position in which the child is in such swaddling is not physiological. The baby needs to bend his legs and arms so that the musculoskeletal system develops without pathologies.
Blood circulation worsens and even the lungs are compressed, and this affects the child’s breathing.
Stiffness leads to developmental delays. Today it has been proven that for proper physical growth and psycho-emotional development, the baby must make movements.

Danger: If a baby is diagnosed with hip dysplasia, tight swaddling is completely contraindicated! Alignment of the legs and their closure leads to a serious deterioration of the pathology, and in the future it will be much more difficult to correct it. For such problems, a wide swaddling is ideal, in which the legs are spread apart and the baby can bend them at the knees.

Despite tradition, doctors do not recommend tightly swaddling babies

And yet, swaddling should not be perceived as a completely negative tradition. Moreover, loose swaddling can help in the first months of life:

Only by 6–7 months does the baby finally get used to his arms and legs, and until this time he can wake himself up with shudders and random movements.
For newborns in the first months of life, it is still common to be in a confined space, reminiscent of the mother’s womb. Therefore, loose swaddling can calm the baby.
During the first 2–3 months, the child has a pronounced Moro reflex - spreading his arms as a reaction to sharp sounds. Such movements often wake up and even frighten the baby, and swaddling will help to avoid this.

Myth! Very often you can hear from people of the older generation that swaddling with a “soldier” (tight) helps to straighten the legs. However, pediatricians and orthopedists do not confirm this. Not a single diaper is able to straighten the bone, moreover, its curvature is not associated with the position of the child, but with rickets - a lack of calcium in the body. But strong and frequent tugging can affect the joints - deform them, lead to deterioration of mobility. Therefore, tight swaddling will not only not help straighten your legs, but will also lead to big problems.

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.

Important Tips for Swaddling

In order for swaddling to bring only benefits, it is important to remember some rules:

Choose a diaper made from fabric that is appropriate for the weather. Chintz is suitable for summer, but flannel is best left for cold weather. Otherwise, the child will overheat, and this will affect the quality of sleep.
When swaddling, you cannot straighten your legs - the baby should be able to bend them at the knees and move them. The arms also do not extend along the body, but are crossed on the chest.
Swaddling is only used for sleeping. While awake, it is better to dress your baby in comfortable, loose clothing.
In the first months, it is better to fix the arms, but starting from 3-4 months you need to switch to swaddling only the legs.
The baby should lie on his back. Especially if he is swaddled completely, with arms.

From 3–4 months, the baby should be swaddled, leaving the arms free

Doctors do not believe that there is an urgent need for swaddling, so parents are free to choose what exactly suits them - clothes or a diaper. But if you still decide to follow tradition, then you need to abandon tight swaddling in favor of loose swaddling, and for convenience, purchase envelope diapers.

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.