E27: Is Swaddling Safe? Swaddling mistakes that can harm your baby (and the right way to swaddle)

So if we look at swaddling, like why is there such a thing? Why do we need to swaddle our babies? And sadly, it all goes back to the way our babies have to sleep now.

And so like I start every episode whenever I talk about anything about the Back to Sleep campaign or how it's safe for babies to sleep, I have to reiterate that when the Back to Sleep campaign was launched, telling parents babies have to sleep on their backs at night when they are in their cots because that's safer, we noticed a rapid decline in cot death incidents.

So we still recognize and we still believe that babies sleeping on their backs in their cots is the safest way for them to sleep.

However, we know that has some knock-on effects that have to be compensated for.

And so I've spoken a lot about the lack therefore of tummy time, you know, the knock-on effect on development of babies not being on their tummies enough, because now they're spending so many hours of the day flat on their backs because that is the safest way for them to sleep.

However, what it also causes is that it makes sleeping slightly uncomfortable or less comfortable for babies in the early days.

And secondly, it can mean that they don't sleep as deeply or they are wakened more quickly and more frequently when they're sleeping on their backs and this is why we have to swaddle them to make them more comfortable, reduce the wakings and then the idea is that then they sleep soundly and perfectly well on their backs.

So let's get into it and let me explain what I mean by all of this.

So if we look at when a baby is born they actually kind of primed like all mammals to come out and be placed on their bellies they have a newborn reflex that helps them to creep and crawl on their tummies they have newborn reflexes that help them to lift their heads and turn their heads and they are more comfortable being on the tummy where they are better supported and so when we put them onto their backs it's almost like we're putting them upside down so in the early days the initial putting them on their backs is uncomfortable for them or maybe not uncomfortable, but it's less natural for them.

It's less supportive for them.

And so we find in the early days that will then have a knock on effect on their sleep behaviors.

However, if you put your baby flat on their back to sleep every single time they sleep, they very quickly are going to become accustomed to this position and used to it.

And certainly, as I've said in previous episodes, as they grow and get heavier and their arms and necks and everything gets longer, If they are not spending enough time on their tummies, they're not getting strong enough in order to cope with the increasing length and weight.

So when you do put them on their tummies, it's very difficult to lift the head or move the arms or do anything.

And so they begin to dislike tummy time because we haven't put them on their tummies.

So that's just to kind of dispel that belief where we say, well, babies hate being on their tummies.

my baby finds it too difficult, my baby cries when they're on their tummy.

The truth is if they came out and were put on their tummies and stayed on their tummies, we wouldn't be seeing them disliking tummy time.

But why this is, is because when babies are born or before babies are born, most babies who reach term time will be held quite compactly and tightly inside the womb.

And it's almost like they're in a water balloon where they've got big compression on the outside of the water balloon as well sort of squeezing them into that fetal position and the result of that is that for them anytime they return to that fetal position it is calming for them it is soothing for them and the beauty of it is that as they get bigger and bigger they can't lie straight in the womb so they are curled up inside the womb in that fetal position and all the muscles down the front of the body are kind of shorter, tighter than the muscles down the back of the body, which are on a stretched position and elongated.

The only exception there obviously being the back of the legs, the knees, because the knees are usually bent up.

And what that means is that there's increased tension in those front muscles and where the knee is bent, the hamstrings, so that when a baby is born, if you put them flat on their backs, they still retain a bit of that what we call physiological flexion because that tightness is held there.

And so when they are born, there's that kind of tension down those front muscles and behind the knees, which is keeping them all bent up and held in that fetal position.

Now, the reason for that is because it enables the baby to hold their hands in the midline or bring their hand towards the mouth or bring their hands together, bring the feet together more easily, lift the legs up off the ground.

And for them, These are all soothing, calming positions and essential to start development and core stability and strength.