Should I swaddle my baby?

Yes, you should swaddle your baby. There are many benefits of swaddling. Swaddling triggers a “relaxation” mechanism in infants that helps soothe them, and is especially useful during sleep time. It helps recreate the feelings in the womb. And some touch therapists say that swaddling can even help develop an infant’s tactile system so they become comfortable with being touched, which is key to healthy development. Swaddling has been around since the beginning of time. The oldest archaeological evidence of mothers swaddling their babies begins in 4000 B.C. with the migrating peoples of ancient central Asia. The ancient Greeks and Romans swaddled. There are even biblical references to the practice.

Swaddling helps your baby feel as if he is in the womb; warm and snug. It helps your baby feel comfortable and sleep better. Newborns also have a Moro reflex, where they are easily startled. Swaddling helps to curb this reflex. You should swaddle your baby until he is about 4 weeks old. http://sg.theasianparent.com/swaddling-101/

As Jamie has mentioned, swaddling helps the baby to feel more secured and helps to "hold down" their sudden reflexes which otherwise would have woken them up. Ideally, babies should be swaddle until they are about 4 to 6 weeks, but my son hated being swaddled and slept better without it so I stopped after 2 weeks.

I swaddled both of my kids until they turned 2 months old. They slept better and longer when swaddled. Also, I used swaddle as a bedtime clue for them at night.

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