Colic Baby Solution

Swaddling – Ways to Wrap – What is best?

Misconceptions about wrapping babies regarding arm position.

There are 3 common misconceptions about wrapping babies regarding arm position. Some state that babies should be swaddled with their arms flexed and hands up in midline because:

1. it leads to increased neurological “organization”
2. it allows babies to learn to suck their fingers and self-soothe
3. it allows babies to give early feeding cues

However:

1) While it is true that swaddling premies with their arms flexed with hands at midline helps them to be more neurologically “organized.” Wrapping full-term babies that way often leads them to be more fussy and less organized neurologically. This may sound counterintuitive, but remember premies never experience persistent crying and their movements are not as exuberant and likely to lead to flailing and hitting in the face.

2) If term babies could simply suck their fingers and self-soothe there would be no colic. Unfortunately most newborns lack the coordination to consistently get their hands to their mouths…and keep them there. When their hands are up they often accidentally whack themselves in the face and even when they do get their hands to their mouths they often get frustrated because they stimulate their root/suck reflex but feel “teased” because they have a very hard time keeping their fingers in place long enough for them to feel calmed. It usually takes a baby 2-4 months (the 4th trimester!) to develop the coordination to be able to reliably suck their fingers and self-soothe.

3) There are only 3 purposes for snug swaddling: a) calm crying babies (and keep her from fussing), b) helping babies sleep a little longer, c) keeping babies whose hands get in the way of a feeding down so they don’t get confused and start rooting on their own hands. It is fine to have a baby unwrapped or wrapped with hands up when the baby is calm and happy. When the hands are up, the mom can observe hand-to-mouth behavior, which is an early feeding cue. This cue is usually accompanied (or immediately followed) by increased alertness, rooting, lip/tongue sucking, soft sounds…and eventually fussing. (However, for the first few weeks of nursing, a minority of swaddled babies are so calmed they may sleep even when hungry. So, until the nursing is established, parents of sleepy babies need to be encouraged to awaken them for feedings 8-12 times a day).