Featuring our organic cashmere baby blanket in tie-dye.
If you are a parent, you probably have heard of swaddling - a common practice known for helping your newborn sleep longer and more easily. It involves wrapping your baby securely in a blanket with only the head sticking out. This method is meant to comfort your little one by mimicking the feeling of being inside of the womb.
So why exactly is swaddling such a popular method and how does it benefit your little one? Keep reading to find out!
Better Sleep - Not only does swaddling make them feel like they are still inside of the womb (a calming sensation for newborns), it also protects your baby against their natural startle reflex! A baby’s natural startle reflex is when a loud noise startles the little one while they are asleep and, in response, they throw back their arms and legs, waking them up. When swaddled, the legs and arms are confined, stopping the baby’s reflex from occurring. This leads to a longer and better sleep!
Soothe Anxious Babies - Babies love touch, and when their parent is not able to hold them they can become anxious. According to some, swaddling can help with settling their anxiety by mimicking the touch of a parent. The soft material wrapped tightly around the child’s body creates a similar feeling that being held creates.
Good for Eczema - Is your baby scratching their irritated skin during their sleep? Securely wrapping your little one in a blanket, immobilizing their arms and legs, can prevent their body’s natural reflex to scratch while sleeping. Without that extra and involuntary scratching, your baby’s eczema will have more time to heal or become less inflamed overnight. Read more about how to prevent eczema HERE!
Prevent SIDS - SIDS is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome - and is when a baby unexpectedly and sometimes unexplainably dies. Of course, we all want to prevent this from happening. Swaddling is a method that may prevent SIDS by reducing unsafe sleeping from occurring - like a parent’s temptation to put their baby to sleep on the stomach due to constant crying. When a baby cries less and sleeps easier, parents are less likely to unknowingly use risky methods to put their little one to sleep.
No Rolling Over - Keeping your baby snug inside of a wrapped blanket can prevent them from rolling over onto their stomach because it restricts their movement. Why should we stop our babies from rolling over? Because when a baby sleeps on their stomach, there is a good chance that the child could get stuck in that position and suffocate.
Swaddling can help your newborn in many ways, but to get the most out of this method, we suggest you look for organic, soft materials when purchasing your baby blankets! Check out our pure cashmere baby blankets HERE!
Resources:
https://intermountainhealthcare.org/blogs/topics/intermountain-moms/2018/11/how-and-when-to-swaddle-your-baby/
Mila Christina has no medical license; all team articles are written using research from medical sites and reliable blogs.
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