Swaddle is a fabric wrap that newborn babies and very young babies are wrapped in. Mothers all over the world use swaddles to make their babies feel cozy and help them sleep comfortably. But no matter how precisely you wrap that swaddle, your little one frees themselves within a couple of minutes. One popular reason for using swaddled is that it imitates the coziness and warmth of a mother’s womb. In addition, it keeps the temperature regulated allowing babies to grow faster. So, how to choose the right swaddle for your baby?
Newborn babies’ mothers experiment with different types of swaddles until they find the perfect match for tiny toddlers. However, for moms-to-be or newborn babies, the parent feels overwhelmed while figuring out the best swaddle for the little one. That’s why we’re here to help parents select the best swaddle by considering all the pros and cons so you can easily decide the best swaddle for your baby.
In This Article
- What is a Baby Swaddle?
- When Can You Start Using a Baby Swaddle?
- Top 3 Types of Baby Swaddles to Wrap Your Babies
- How to Choose the Right Baby Swaddle For Your Baby?
- Top Benefits of Baby Swaddling
- Steps to Swaddle a Baby
- List of Top Well Known Swaddle Brands in India
- FAQ’s
What is a Baby Swaddle?
A swaddle is a piece of breathable cloth used for swaddling (a traditional technique of wrapping babies gently with a light, breathable blanket to make them sleep calmly). The basic ideology behind swaddling your baby is to make them feel snuggly and secure as they think in their mother’s womb.
The swaddle must wrap the body but not the head and neck to reduce the chances of suffocation. Premature babies and underweight babies stand to gain a lot of advantages from swaddling since heat retention prevents weight loss and babies can slowly start gaining weight.
When Can You Start Using a Baby Swaddle?
Swaddling is for newborns and very young babies. You can start using swaddles right after the birth of the babies or when they show signs of rolling over. Usually, you can use a baby swaddle for 4 to 6 months old babies. Sometimes it works for older babies too.
Stop swaddling your babies when they easily roll over their tummy and feel irritated with the swaddles. Afterwards, you can use a sleeping bag for the babies as an alternative to the swaddle.
[Read : Development Of Rolling Over In Babies]
Top 3 Types of Baby Swaddles to Wrap Your Babies
There are three types of baby swaddles available to wrap your babies. Let’s have a look.
1. Traditional Swaddle Blanket
Traditional swaddle wrap is generally a blanket in various designs and types. You can have the one that mimics your touch. These swaddles are super cozy and versatile enough to use in different ways. You can use a swaddle as a regular blanket as your tiny toddler grows.
Moreover, you can also experiment with different forms of swaddling techniques. The best part is that a traditional swaddle blanket can last longer, and you can continue to use it in different ways. A traditional swaddle blanket is best for fussier babies who require a lot of peace to sleep.
2. Sleepsack Swaddles
Sleepsack swaddles are a combination of traditional swaddle and sleep slack. These swaddled are loose and flexible, making babies feel comfortable and relaxed. Since this is a wearable blanket, it is relatively safer for babies because it cannot be undone easily.
A sleepsack swaddle is similar to a onesie, so you must dress your toddler in the sleep slack. It comes in a simple closure design, and swaddle sacks can use zippers, velcro, and snap closure to keep your toddler snuggly in your arms. It’s easy to fasten, and you can use the zipper to keep your baby secure.
3. Swaddle Pods
Swaddle pods are also known as stretchy pods that are made with elastic fabric and have a zipper. The pod is specially designed to mimic the slightly flexible swaddle sack. It helps to keep your baby enclosed and gives them a cozy feeling similar to the womb.
This is an excellent option because the swaddle is stretchy, and babies can easily move their limbs freely, helping to avoid the problem of hip movement. Moreover, some models have convertible designs that help to wrap your babies without any arms restriction. This would be the safer option for the babies when they begin to roll over.
How to Choose the Right Baby Swaddle For Your Baby?
Sometimes it’s overwhelming to choose the right baby swaddle, especially for the mums-to-be or newborn mothers. Thus, to help you decide on the best baby swaddle, we list some important points to consider while choosing the baby swaddle for your baby. Let’s have a look.
1. Comfort
The foremost thing you must consider while choosing the baby swaddle is comfort. Babies love to sleep calmly and comfortably in those swaddles that are soft to touch and offer coziness. You can consider fabrics such as cotton and bamboo-based fabric that are cozy and comfortable enough to handle your furious babies. In addition, be sure to choose the swaddle accessible on the babies’ skin.
2. Fabric
The fabric of the swaddle plays a crucial role in the swaddle. Ideally, babies feel comfortable in cotton and bamboo-based fabric. These are soft to the touch and highly comfortable for babies. Bamboo fabric-based swaddles are best for babies because they offer additional benefits like protection from harmful bacteria because of anti-microbial action. Moreover, bamboo fabric has excellent moisture and heat absorbing capacity, so it helps to keep your babies cool and cozy at the same time.
Likewise, if you want to keep your baby cool and dry during the summer without disturbing their sleep, cotton fabric-based swaddles are the best because they absorb moisture, keep your babies cool, and prevent heat shock.
3. Warmth
Last but not least, when you are deciding on the swaddle for the babies, be sure it offers excellent warmth to the babies. You can choose comfortable fabric and cozy blanket-based swaddles that are comfortable and easy to use. These kinds of swaddles offer exceptional warmth and help to keep your babies warm and cozy while sleeping.
Swaddle is helpful to keep your babies cozy and comfortable while sleeping. These swaddles provide warmth like the mother’s womb and calm them so they can sleep peacefully. Moreover, swaddles can be the best way to keep your babies safe from rolling accidents while sleeping. When choosing the swaddle, you can consider the above-mentioned things to keep them safe and secure.
Top Benefits of Baby Swaddling
Swaddling can help in a variety of ways. It helps to make your babies sleep faster and peacefully. Above this, you will have the following benefits:
- Swaddling is excellent to protect your babies from sudden natural startle reflex.
- It helps to make your toddler calm within a couple of minutes which means better sleep.
- It helps to keep tiny hands away from the face and prevent scratching.
- Swaddling is helpful to make your babies sleep longer and peacefully.
- Swaddling is the best way to prevent the risk of SIDS and keep your babies straight while sleeping.
- It maintains internal body temperature and thus prevents unnecessary weight loss, especially for newborns and low birth weight babies.
[Read : SIDS in Babies]
Steps to Swaddle a Baby
If you are a new parent attempting to swaddle your baby for the first time, here is a step-by-step guide.
- Always use muslin or cotton-based wrap to swaddle your toddler because it helps to prevent overheating and keep your babies cool.
- Swaddle your babies with their arms by folding across the chest. It helps to avoid startle reflexes and leave your babies free.
- Make sure to lay your babies on the back with your feet at the cat’s bottom. Do not overwrap the baby’s head and face while swaddling up. Avoid tight swaddling, and make sure it is firm and intact.
[Read : Startle Reflex in Babies]
List of Top Well Known Swaddle Brands in India
These are some of the best Swaddle brands in India.
- Mee Mee Soft Double Layer Baby’s Swaddle blanket
- Candy Mento Swaddle blanket
- Haus & Kinder Twinkle Swaddle blanket
- Kaarpas Organic Cotton Muslin Baby Swaddle Wrap
A baby swaddle for your baby is helpful to keep them cozy and comfortable while sleeping. Swaddles provide warmth similar to that of the mother’s womb and calm them so they can sleep peacefully. Moreover, swaddles can be the best way to keep your babies safe from rolling accidents while sleeping. When choosing the swaddle, you can consider the above-mentioned pointers and buy the right products to keep them safe and secure.
FAQ’s
1. How Long Should a Baby be in a Swaddle?
You can swaddle your baby as long as they are not rolling over. Once they start rolling over, you must stop swaddling them.
2. What Will be the Ideal Size of the Baby’s Swaddle to Swaddle Your Baby?
The swaddle blanket should not be less than 42 x 42 inches. Make sure it is square in shape and has enough fabric to tuck in to wrap your babies perfectly.
3. Is it Good to Swaddle My Newborn Baby?
Yes, you can swaddle your newborn baby snuggly for better sleep. It helps to protect your tiny one from the startle reflex and keep your baby safe.
Read Also: How to Choose the Right Baby Moisturizer For Your Baby?