
The Benefits of Swaddling
Share
Babies are adorable with their big bobble heads and little bodies, but as cute as they are, sleep is vital to their developmental and brain growth. After spending 9 months (or thereof) tucked away tightly inside hotel uterus, it is a big change to be out in the big wide world.
The moro reflex (startle reflex) is a natural jerk reaction that babies react to usually a loud sound or movement. This creates babies arms to fly into the air and their heads fly backwards and cry. (It reminds me of a movie catching out a robber before being arrested, putting their hands in the air). But seriously though, there is nothing worse than putting baby down, only to startle and wake up and undo all of your hard work settling.
Swaddling is when you wrap a baby up in a snug fit (arms in or out) depending on the age, to eliminate the startle reflex, by imitating a snug fit in the womb.
Many brands provide different swaddling techniques, such as muslin cloths, zip swaddles, arms in and arms out swaddles.
It is important to do your research and decide what would suit you and your baby the best. Sometimes babies change their preferences so it can be handy to have a few different options depending on babies mood. (They like to keep us on their toes, don't they?)
When searching for a swaddle, organic cotton, merino and checking that it is GOTS certified would be my key pointers.
All in all, swaddling is an amazing technique as it makes your baby feel safe and secure, which is why swaddling is one of the most effective ways to get your baby to sleep.