You just brought your new baby home, you are totally blissed out by how cute they are and you are ready to just eat them up with kisses and hugs – and then it is time for bed.  The wailing begins and everything is tried to calm the crying wee one.  If you were lucky, one of the nurses showed you how they deftly wrapped up your baby and swaddled it up for the night, but right now with a lunatic newborn in front of you, that swaddling lesson is the last thing on your mind.

I was so ecstatic to have a baby in my arms; I had a hard time putting it down for the night.  I was the mom waking up at all hours and poking my newborn to make sure it was still there and all right.  After the newness wore off and my sleep deprivation kicked in, I was all about swaddling.  At first my husband didn’t like that I whisked the baby away at the appointed hour each night to restrict her in the night time swaddling, but each and every night she calmed down, made a couple complaints, and fell fast asleep.  Many times to sleep for 4-6 hours at a time!

Swaddling is not for everyone, and there are some babies that are difficult sleepers no matter what you do.  It really helped that I was given a swaddle as a baby shower gift and it works very well.  The 2-piece item utilizes Velcro and a couple straps to happily swaddle baby up each night and easily unbinds for feeding times.  Now the question is, for how long can I swaddle her, and will our blissful nights of sleep end when she is let to wave her arms freely at night?

Many say that swaddling helps to calm and comfort baby and reminds them of the womb.  Moms have been swaddling babies for many, many years, so it is a time tested method of assisting in a good night sleep for baby. Make sure that your baby isn’t overheated with all of the swaddling at night. Sometimes being overheated will irritate baby more making swaddling even more frustrating.

What can be the most frustrating aspect of the whole swaddling affair is the actual swaddling itself!  Remember way back when that nurse so deftly wrapped up your itty- bitty baby?  It is a true challenge to replicate that and in time, your itty- bitty baby is getting bigger which means you need a bigger blanket.  Swaddling takes practice to get it right and it will not be perfect right away.  Take some time to try out different blankets before getting ready to go through the night.  Here are the basic steps to swaddle your little one:

-Lay your blanket out on a flat surface in the shape of a diamond.

-Fold down three or four inches of the top edge of the blanket.

-Place your baby on the blanket so that his head is overlapping the top edge that you just turned down.

-Tuck your baby's right arm into the flap made by the folded down edge of the blanket and the right corner of the blanket. Pull that corner across his body, tucking it behind the opposite side of his back.  You can tuck as tight or as loose as your baby likes.

-Bring the bottom corner of the blanket up and tuck it inside the blanket near his chest.

Tuck your baby's left arm into the flap made by the folded down edge of the blanket and the left corner of the blanket. Pull that corner across his body, tucking it behind the blanket on his back.

-Place baby in basinet or crib and hope the whole thing stays together!

I had some challenges getting it just right, but after a couple times, I found the right tightness and right folds to make my wee one happy.  Most of the time I use the swaddler that was given to me with the Velcro which makes the whole thing easier in the middle of the night.  It is a good idea to un-swaddle your baby during feedings which means you have to re-do the swaddling when you are done.  I don’t know about you, but in the middle of the night I really don’t want to deal with all that folding and tucking.

Most pediatricians say that after a couple months baby will be ready to sleep un-swaddled.  My pediatrician said that when she can pull apart the swaddle, then it is time to try sleeping without it.  Most babies get to that point around 2-3 months of age.  You definitely need to stop swaddling baby by the time it can roll over.  Not a great idea to have your burrito baby roll over in the night and not have its arms free to right itself again.  Trust your instincts and when your wee one seems to fight the swaddle instead of enjoy it; the time has come to move on.

Have no fear, if you don’t swaddle your baby, you can always try it out and see how it goes.  You baby may take to it, or already be happy with how it is falling asleep with out being swaddled.  The most important thing is to have a nightly routine that you follow.  Newborns don’t have a great sense of night and day and rely on you to help them figure it out.  Take time each night to set a comfortable night- time procedure and stick to it as much as you can.  Make sure that it is simple and easy so you can do it anywhere you may be.   I try to spend an hour with baby on my lap or on the floor doing some face-to- face smiling and cooing.  Part of that time includes her final night feeding before bed and changing her diaper.  Then we transition into her swaddling gear and get into bed.  I spend a couple minutes with her as she calms down and adjusts and then I leave her alone.  Most nights she falls asleep on her own within 15 minutes.

Swaddling is a great way to soothe and comfort your baby, but don’t rely on it to be a miracle worker to get your baby to sleep through the night.  Take the time to do your part in the process to assist in keeping everyone happy.  If you are frustrated, your baby is going to be frustrated too.  Enjoy the sleep while you can and don’t forget to take a nap during the day (while baby is napping) if you are tired!