How To Swaddle Wrap Your Baby
We’ve all heard or read advice about newborn babies. One such gem is to swaddle or wrap our new bundles of love for the first few months of life. This swaddling cocoons them in fabric to mimic the womb they have just left, so they feel secure and fall asleep – and hopefully stay that way long enough for mum to shower! Young babies with “free” limbs tend to wake with a start at their new found limb freedom – bye-bye nap time! Read on to discover our tips to swaddling your baby and keeping them from escaping the baby swaddle wrap.
Diamond Fold Swaddling
The most common ways to wrap babies in their swaddle is to use the diamond fold method. It might sound a bit complicated, but it gets easier with practice. First, start with the wrap laid flat on your surface, with points oriented like a diamond. If your wrap isn’t square, place the longer points to each side. Fold the top corner down so that the fold is about the same width as your baby’s shoulders. Place your baby on the wrap, so their face is above the fold, placing their shoulders over the fold. Gently hold one hand down by the baby’s side, bring that same side of baby swaddle wrap over the baby and tuck in underneath their opposite hip. Tucking this in firmly and ensuring it is flat underneath them will help to keep little hands from escaping. Bring the bottom point up towards the uncovered shoulder, leaving enough room for your baby’s legs. Tuck the point underneath their back to hold in place. Secure the baby’s other arm by gently holding their hand down by their side and bringing that corner across their body and tucking it firmly underneath them to keep their hands in place.
Variations For Wrapping To Suit Your Baby
You may like to experiment with different hand placement. As your baby grows, they will wriggle and learn to get their hands and arms out of the wrap. Try leaving their hands on their chest or gently raising their arm above their head and wrapping the cloth around their body as they get older. If you find your wraps are too wide for diamond fold orientation, you can use them in square orientation. Fold each arm in first, then bring the bottom up over the baby’s legs and tuck the side corners under their hips to secure.
Safety Tips
There are some important things to remember when using a baby swaddle wrap: • Always make sure baby’s face is uncovered. Babies of this age don’t have the strength or coordination to move away from anything that might suffocate them. Always lay swaddled babies on their back for this reason. • Don’t wrap them too tightly, they need to feel supported but not to the point of constriction. Be sure to regularly see your doctor or midwife. • Consider the season, the weight of the fabric, and the other clothes baby is wearing. Swaddling keeps babies warm, be careful not to overheat them.
Check Out Our Range Of Baby Swaddle Wraps
There are a multitude of different sorts of baby swaddle wraps on the market. We stock cotton muslin wraps in our online shop.http://www.finleeandme.com.au/productcategory.php?id=54
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Other stuff you’ll love:Baby Blanket Collection, Breastfeeding Covers and our Cot and Preschool Linen Packs.
