Let's find out how to wean a baby from swaddling? Why swaddle a baby?

What else to consider?

Initially, before weaning your baby off diapers, it is worth normalizing his sleep.
It is important to walk him daily except in bad weather. From a lack of oxygen and sun, he can become restless and whiny. In addition, you need to work with the baby - despite the fact that he was recently born, he needs not only changing clothes and sleeping. Motherhood is a huge job; the physical and mental state of the baby depends on parental attention.

If the mother is nearby, the child will feel protected and therefore calm. This will make it much easier to adapt to sleeping without diapers. There can be no raising of voice, much less shouting. Despite the fact that the child is small, he intuitively perceives “abnormal” intonation.

This can be either light stroking or relaxing massage movements.

First way

Try swaddling your baby looser every day. Loosen the diaper slightly and watch your baby's reaction. The next day, if the baby allows, you can loosen it more. When the child, having fallen asleep in a diaper, has freed his arms and is not worried, next time put him to sleep during the day, covering him with a blanket. Thus, you can gradually stop swaddling during nighttime sleep.

Therefore, it is completely normal that after eating he calmly falls asleep in his arms, after which he sleeps soundly.

Using a blanket

Another method involves wrapping the baby not in a standard diaper, but in a blanket. The corner should not be fixed. At night, the child will begin to move and loosen the blanket to a looser, but still comfortable state for him.

Using a blanket.

Weaning your baby off swaddling

Before weaning a child from swaddling, it is necessary to understand why weaning a child on swaddling and is it necessary to do it?
Let's look at everything in order. There are two types of swaddling:

• tight;
• free.

Tight

Tight swaddling occurs with the baby's legs and arms straightened, in two diapers. With this appearance, the child does not move, he is not afraid of his body parts and, accordingly, does not wake himself up. This method slows down basic hand movements and slows down the development process. Regular immobility can lead to reed dislocation or osteoarthritis. One out of five newborns is diagnosed with hip dysplasia; with tight swaddling, the problem worsens and leads to complications. The mild form goes away on its own.

A tightly swaddled baby has a harder time breathing. The child is limited in his movements and is forced to be in an unnatural position. It is more difficult to stay warm in a tight bandage than in just clothes or loose swaddling. The conclusion suggests itself: tight swaddling is suitable for a short period of time. It is better not to accustom your child to this method.

Free swaddling

A loosely swaddled baby has the opportunity to move. Take a comfortable position, breathe freely, don’t sweat. With this technique, the child feels warm because movement warms. A children's sleeping bag is considered a good alternative to such swaddling. With any of the types, the baby sleeps more calmly, he feels protected, blood circulation occurs naturally. The diaper provides tactile contact.

Articles on the topic of swaddling:

• Swaddling a newborn: PROS and CONS
• How to properly swaddle a newborn baby

Be sure to watch the video, and then many fears will disappear on their own:

After leaving the maternity hospital, you can not swaddle the baby at all or only tie the legs and leave the arms in free flight. This method is not suitable for all babies, and it is absolutely not suitable for premature babies.

Make the diaper looser every day.

If your baby doesn't sleep well without a diaper

In some cases, children have very difficulty falling asleep without a sheet, and swaddling often accompanies nighttime rest for up to a year. After 6 months of age, the baby begins to actively explore the world around him and learns to crawl. Many experts are of the opinion that this is the most difficult period for giving up diapers.

However, parents can try and resort to the following methods:

• When putting your baby to sleep, you need to hold him close to you : he will feel warmth and the necessary restriction of movements. After the child has fallen asleep, he needs to be transferred to the crib;
• Take a bath before going to bed : add a decoction of lemon balm, chamomile or mint to the water. The natural composition will quickly relax the child’s body, and he will fall asleep without any problems. This method can also be considered as an alternative to swaddling;
• use pajamas : You can try putting your baby in pajamas at night. Contact with the fabric will produce the same tactile sensations, only a positive result will be achieved.

Desperate, parents resort to all methods of getting rid of diapers. Some even leave crying babies and wait until they calm down on their own.

It is strictly forbidden to do this, because at the moment of prolonged crying the child experiences severe stress. If the baby does not sleep well without a diaper, this problem must be approached wisely and patiently.

Some even leave crying babies and wait until they calm down on their own.

Tight swaddling

This swaddling technique allows you to keep your baby's legs and arms straight thanks to the use of a double layer of swaddles. As a result, the child is not afraid of the movements of his own body parts and stops waking himself up. Tight swaddling slows down the development of limb movement control skills, which can lead to developmental delays in the child. Frequently keeping the baby immobile can lead to hip dislocation and osteoarthritis. Today, one in five babies is diagnosed with hip dysplasia. In mild cases, this pathology goes away over time, but using the tight swaddling technique may cause complications.

It is more difficult for a baby to breathe in tight diapers. He experiences limited movements and is forced to remain in a position that is unnatural for him for a long time. This fixed position does not allow him to move, so it is more difficult for the baby to warm up. In connection with such nuances, it is worth remembering that resorting to tightly swaddling a small child, even with good intentions, is possible only for a short time, and as they grow older, resorting to such a technique is not worth resorting to and will need to be abandoned.

An excellent alternative to loose swaddling is to use a baby sleeping bag.

Why is swaddling important?

It is known that newborn babies are swaddled before bed in order to limit the movements of their arms and legs: this way, babies calm down and fall asleep faster. Thanks to wrapping, the child shudders less and sleeps longer and more soundly. Also, this simple action helps to get rid of the “travel” of children’s hands to the face, where scratches and wounds may appear.

However, there comes a time (on average about 4-6 months) when swaddling ceases to be a “magic cure”. A mother may find that her baby begins to skillfully get out of the diapers, freeing an arm or leg.

In fact, this process helps them feel more secure and control involuntary movements that could harm themselves.

When are diapers not necessary?

In the first weeks of life, children feel comfortable and calm when swaddled. This is due to the fact that in the 9th month of pregnancy the baby does not have enough space in the mother’s tummy, and his actions are limited, so this process reminds him of a familiar environment, calming him down.

Each baby develops at an individual pace. Some people start protesting against diapers in the first month. If the baby actively releases his arms from the diaper, and the process itself brings discomfort, then it can be completely canceled, or swaddled only to the waist (we recommend reading: step-by-step video on how to swaddle a newborn). There are other situations - for example, when the activity of the arms prevents the baby from sleeping - in this case, you can leave this process for up to 5 months (less often up to six months) and carry it out only at night and before naps.

If a baby, accustomed to sleeping with tight swaddling, lies down in his crib in a onesie, then the night will not be easy - he will become capricious, and then remain irritated and restless throughout the day.

An important point when refusing swaddling is to find out the reason why it is necessary. Some babies have trouble with their legs while sleeping, and some with their arms. When the reason is clarified, it will help with the refusal of swaddling, because it will be possible to limit the freedom of only certain parts of the body. If you only need to swaddle the legs, and the arms will be free, then it is better to put special mittens on them. Thanks to them, you don’t have to worry about the sudden appearance of scratches on your face and body.

The baby will not be able to sleep freely without diapers and constricting clothing right away - the chaotic movements of his arms and legs interfere with this.

It is possible that he will wake up and start screaming, and to calm him down, you will have to swaddle him again.

When to wean your baby off swaddling

It is very important to choose the right time when to start weaning your child from diapers. Remember that any changes in your baby's life should occur gradually.

It is best to wean your child off diapers first while he is awake, then during daytime sleep, and only at the very end stop swaddling him at night. You cannot suddenly give up films - this can be traumatic for the little one.

Often the baby himself shows that he is ready for a new stage in life and he can, even needs to be dressed in a suit. The baby actively turns out of the canvas, whines and with all his appearance demands more freedom. And if mom thinks that it’s too early to stop using diapers, then you should listen to the needs of your treasure and give him a little more freedom.

According to doctors, swaddling up to 3 months is completely safe and even beneficial for the baby. Then you should move on to partially wrapping the baby, and by six months, completely dress the child in clothes that are more comfortable for an active life.

If the baby gets restless, you shouldn’t immediately run to him, wait and watch.

Advantages and disadvantages of swaddling

More recently, in almost any maternity hospital, swaddling was used as the most convenient way to quickly dress a newborn. Now in some maternity hospitals they continue to use the swaddling technique, wrapping the baby even upon discharge. Of course, in a wrapped state, in the first months of life, the child feels calmer. This position may remind him of the comfort of being in his mother's womb, thanks to which he sleeps peacefully. But, closer to three months, you will still have to wean your baby off this method of falling asleep.

Today, among experts, there is no consensus on swaddling. Many pediatricians advise giving the baby more freedom without restricting his movements with diapers.

Before we tell you how to teach your baby to sleep without a diaper, let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of swaddling:

Despite the listed disadvantages of swaddling, many parents continue to use this technique. The baby gets used to being swaddled all the time, not only while awake, but also during sleep. But, the child grows, and closer to three months, parents begin to think about how to wean their child from sleeping in a diaper.

Before we give recommendations, let’s figure out what types of swaddling exist.

How to stop the swaddling process

Each mother independently chooses the optimal method for herself. Many people choose co-sleeping instead of swaddling. This is a good option for a child; he feels his mother’s warmth, which provides him with peace and comfort. However, adults should not forget that it will later be even more difficult to wean a child from this way of sleeping .
The most practical ways to wean your baby from swaddling are:

1. a gradual transition from tight swaddling to loose swaddling or loosening the swaddling when the baby has already fallen asleep;
2. You can refuse a diaper during the day while you are awake and then during the daytime sleep, which will allow the baby to gradually get used to his hands, and they will stop scaring him and waking him up;
3. hold the child tightly to you, put him to sleep in his arms, and then carefully transfer him to the crib;
4. put to bed in a crib without diapers, but covered with a blanket on top;
5. you can try to secure only the arms or legs separately before going to bed, having first found out what exactly causes the baby to wake up in his sleep;
6. Instead of diapers, you can use a special sleeping bag for some time, in which the baby will be much more free.

Reading...

Massaging an infant with gas formation

Additionally > What is meant by stubble on a newborn baby?

Weaning from diapers should be gradual in order to injure the baby as little as possible and cause him a minimum of discomfort. To do this, parents need to be very consistent and diligent, as well as be patient and show maximum love and care. Only by learning to understand and feel your baby can you achieve success and harmony with him.

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Types of swaddling and their dangers

There are 2 classic ways to swaddle a baby:

Tight wrapping. It is performed using two diapers: the baby’s arms and legs are straightened and pressed closely to the body.

With this option, the baby is not able to move his limbs and disturb himself, so he sleeps peacefully. Despite the obvious advantage, this method has a temporary risk.

Do not overuse tight swaddling. It is only suitable for wrapping for a short period of time, as it makes it difficult for the child to breathe and impairs blood circulation. Tight wrapping leads to worsening hip dysplasia and can even cause hip dislocation. If the baby is constantly in this state, there is a risk of delayed development and decreased muscle tone.

Free swaddling. : does not restrict the child’s movements, he can move freely and feel more comfortable. With a loose wrap, it is much easier for a baby to keep warm, but with a tight wrap, babies often freeze.