How to Swaddle a Baby

Being a new parent is complicated enough as it is. Then throw on top of that learning how to swaddle a baby, which can seem a little bit fiddly when your new born baby loves to squirm so much, and you’ll begin to wonder if you’ll ever get a proper night’s rest ever again. 

Well never fear. We’ve prepared a short How-To video along with some simple steps to follow, so swaddling will become second nature in no time. 

When you’re in the hospital, the nurses may teach you a swaddling technique which keeps your baby’s hands tight against the body. This is super comforting for the baby to begin with, but then about a month later you’ll notice your baby punching their way out of the swaddle, trying to find their way to suck on their hand. To keep your baby swaddled, but still allowing them to access their arms, here is our favourite way of swaddling a baby  

Step 1: Depending on the length of the forearms of the baby, fold down the top edge of the swaddle a few inches. 

Step 2: Lay your baby on the swaddle so that the shoulders of the baby are in line with the folded top edge of the swaddle.

Step 3: Take one arm of the baby and pop it under the fold you created. 

Step 4: From the side where you have tucked away the babies arm, bring the swaddle across the baby’s body, and secure the extra fabric flat behind the baby’s back. 

Step 5: Repeat step 3 and 4 but for the opposite arm of the baby. 

Step 6: Take the loose swaddle fabric by the legs of the baby and fold it up, securing it behind the baby’s back around the waist. 

 

Important things to note:

Never swaddle a baby with their arms secured straight down by their sides. 

Always keep the swaddle around the baby’s legs loose.

When a baby is able to start rolling, you will need to forego swaddling the baby’s arms entirely. 

The swaddle that features in this video is the Peacock and Peony Swaddle.