Swaddling newborns
This might be a stupid thread. But I have been around several new moms and none of them swaddle with a blanket and they don't understand why baby is crying so much. I have 4 children almost all adult age. But as far as new borns they were always wrapped tightly with a blanket . They just leave them hanging out with an outfit. It drives me crazy. If they would tightly swaddle there baby they would have an easier time. What's ur opinion ?
kikinj Depends on the kid. My oldest would flip out when swaddled as he liked to stretch, but my second could spend hours tightly swaddled.
Quite frankly, I think it's a lost art. Everyone just wants to give the kid a dropper of something to calm them down.
MikeGuida Actually, they now have swaddle products that swaddle infants much more securely than the tucked in receiving blankets we used to use "back in the day".
They work beautifully, and every new parent that I know swears by them and uses them daily, and especially at nap/bed times.
Example: https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Swaddle-Blanket-Green-Chevron/dp/B013C2FV9M/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1507597579&sr=8-1&keywords=baby+swaddle+velcro
summerrain1 Those are no fun! How are you supposed to spend 10 minutes struggling at 2 AM when the baby is kicking and screaming and you just can't get the blanket to work?
As a new mom I learned that the first three months after birth was known as “the fourth trimester.” Swaddling helped to mimic the womb and gradually transition them into the world.
Harvey Karp’s book, The Happiest Baby in the Block m, was so helpful.
https://www.happiestbaby.com/blogs/blog/the-5-s-s-for-soothing-babies
3wbdwnj Every kid is different, I had one that never stopped crying regardless of what I did. She cried constantly and never slept. She also learned by 9 months old to stick her fingers down her throat and make herself throw up if she was not getting her way. It was a remarkably long two years. My other kids could care less... swaddled, not swaddled they rolled with it. I learned from my screaming baby to never judge other parents because you really have no idea what they have tried or what their baby's temperament is.
Jesse341 
Nosila I tried to swaddle my two kids but they hated it. I had some minor success leaving their arms out but gave up on it fairly quickly.
Smilingbecs I swaddled both my babies, age 2 and 5 months. I think we are less likely to try and give our babies a dropper of anything to calm down actually. My mother in law laughs about how they gave our generation whiskey for teething so there's that. They also make sleep sacks and swaddle pods which are very popular because babies aren't supposed to have anything in their cribs with them, at all, including a blanket that can come loose and suffocate them.
KT We still swaddle but they don't like it! They say just leave me alone and get out of my room I am doing my homework! !! Teenagers!!!!
Dadof3Yeah, after 3 months of age, you kind of need to back off the swaddling. Some babies really don’t like it.
I swaddled both of mine with a muslin blanket. Those velcro things didn't work for me. My daughter eventually preferred her arms swaddled and her legs out (like a straight jacket) and my son liked his arms out and his legs swaddled. I stopped swaddling him a lot sooner since he preferred to sleep on his stomach and he was a second child, so I let him. I never swaddled too much during the day, but mostly at night. I liked to give them a sense of what was "nighttime" and what was "daytime".
Meanwhile, the 2 year old just figured out how to climb out of his crib, and now my life is over.
Tracy My son climbed out at 9 months! I gated the doorway! My friend bought one of those tents you install over the crib, it worked well for her! Good luck!
None of my really liked being swaddled. Especially Preston. That kid would break out of swaddle in seconds. Actually think being swaddled made them too warm and was part of the reason they didn’t like it.
Mommyof3 Not only is the swaddling a lost art; another lost art is grandparents interfering and everything that their children do with their own babies. There is nothing that new parents love more than to have their own parents or in-laws interfere in everything. In fact, I appreciated it SO much when my own father-in-law would look at my unswaddled or on blanketed child in the middle of summer and tell me I should swaddle or blanket him. And then when I did, in order to comply with his nagging, he would wait about a half hour or so and then complain again, this time, asking me how could i possibly have that baby so tightly wrapped or blanketed in this weather. "Take those blankets off!" And of course, when I would comply with the new wish, he would change his mind again. And on and on it it would go with everything that I did. Oh yes, those were the days. /s/
We swaddled my daughter but she always kicked herself out of it in her sleep. Then I'd feed her, swaddler her again and several hours later, guess what? She'd kick herself awake.
So, I just gave her an iPad at eight weeks. KIDDING!
Maybe the parents kikinj is referring to TRIED to swaddle but as we know there is no one size (or swaddle) fits all for babies (or adults.)
Parenting is difficult enough without criticism from strangers and relatives!
iRun 
Little straight jackets for babies?!! All you need is a mask like this and you've got their Halloween costume. ;)
I've used the receiving blankets to swaddle my kids, but only as newborns.
SueR Worse thing I did as a new mom was ask a question to multipul people....I got as many opinions.........it was enough to make me crazy...lol
When I was done listening to all the responces I think I was more confused as to what to do, then I was before I asked the question...
Each baby is SO different that what might work for one will not work for the other.
Me and my two children SURVIVED, despite all the trial and errors of trying to figure out what calms down their crying......
Swaddling wont work if the baby is fussing because it's hungry. lolol
littlelu As one pediatrician said: "learn from your baby".
I was told that swaddling helps babies to grow straight legs.
Babies need to "grow", they need to touch, learn their environment.
Additionally, the babies fed on formula tend to regurgitate and, if they lay mummified on their backs, they simply drown. And we readily call it as sudden infant death syndrome (or something like that).
Also, some babies tend to produce mucus (either because of food, or poisoning). Laying on their backs produce the same effect... they can't even roll to the side....
So, by keeping them on their backs, we allow them to die...
Pyc Interesting, pyc? All my babies, my friends' babies, my sister's babies all slept on their backs and amazingly they are all alive and well. And all the formula fed babies I know all lived as well. Crazy, right!?
Also, sudden infant death syndrome is not a result of drowning, if it was they would call it drowning.
Pyc, where did you get your info?The board of pediatrics still reccomends infants sleep on there back. My kids were swaddled and on there back until they were old enough to roll over on there own. They let us know when they were done with it. Once they start showing you during the day they are rolling and pushing themselves up the swaddle was done
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