Swaddling is a technique that has been used by parents in many different cultures for hundreds of years. While it is not nearly as common in the modern West, swaddling is very common in some other parts of the world. Many midwives and some hospitals practice swaddling, as well. This is especially true for the care of newborns. Swaddling has many benefits for your baby. Swaddling will help your baby to feel safe and secure. Swaddling is thought by some to very closely mimic the feeling that your baby would have had while he or she was in the womb. Swaddling can be used to help settle or to soothe a baby that is irritated and fussy. Some research even suggests that swaddling can even help enhance the development of the neuromuscular system in infants. This tends to be especially true with low birth weight babies. There is even some evidence to suggest that SIDS may reduce the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), if not prevent it outright.

Swaddling can reduce the risk of SIDS in a couple of ways. First, when an infant is swaddled, he or she is much less likely to roll over in her sleep. Research suggests that sleeping on the back, every time your baby sleeps, will reduce the risk of SIDS. In addition, swaddling keeps your baby from moving around in the crib, and reduces the risk that your baby will injure himself or herself, or that he or she will get her head or another body part stuck in the crib. Swaddling also prevents your baby from reaching for items in or near the crib that he or she could choke on or be smothered by.

There are other things that you can do to prevent SIDS, as well. A firm mattress is thought to be a key component in reducing the risk of or preventing SIDS. Keeping loose objects out of and away from the crib is another way. Some studies also suggest that giving your baby a pacifier at naptime and at bedtime will reduce the risk of SIDS as well.

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