Q: Stop swaddling?
Posted
Wednesday, April 16, 2008 9:47 PM
Q: How long should I swaddle my child? My daughter is almost five months and still seems to enjoy it.
Conner Herman & Kira Ryan: We recommend that parents stop swaddling their babies by three or four months of age. At this time, most full term infants are acclimated to life outside of the womb and no longer crave the constriction of a swaddle.
It is actually extremely important to give babies over four months old the freedom to move at night. When we stop swaddling our children we were astonished to see how much they traveled around their crib during the night. They scooched and flopped from one end to the other, several times a night! Babies may look peaceful when they sleep, but don't be fooled. They are actually doing important exercise while they slumber. All that nighttime movement helps them enhance their gross motor development, which is crucial for upcoming milestones like crawling, standing and walking. A swaddled baby doesn't have a chance to refine these skills at night.
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