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What is better to swaddle a baby or not. The harm and benefits of swaddling a baby. Does swaddling really slow down development?

Thrush

The first association that usually arises when the word "newborn" is a sweet face peeking out of an even cocoon of diapers or from a changing envelope. However, in Lately the risk that these associations will soon be replaced by others is growing: the debate about the benefits of diapers for a growing body is growing louder. Some say that mothers help the baby in this way, others that they break his psyche, inhibit development ... So is it necessary to swaddle a newborn, and if so, how and how much?

Why is a diaper good?

So let's look at the pros and cons of swaddling. Disputes about the dangers of diapers began among various specialists: psychologists, pediatricians, neurologists, orthopedists. Simple mothers they would hardly think about it themselves: swaddling accompanies babies for hundreds of years, so it would be foolish to argue with the centuries-old experience of their ancestors. Moreover, swaddling has many advantages:

  • the tightness of the diapers recreates the intrauterine feeling of tightness, and therefore helps the little one to adapt to the new living conditions gradually;
  • a swaddled child sleeps better, behaves much calmer, since he is not afraid of constantly throwing up limbs;
  • it is much more convenient to take a baby in diapers in your arms, because he is fixed, there is a lower risk of dislocating his handle or neck;
  • there is no need to spend money every month on undershirts, from which the crumb grows very quickly (for our grandmothers and great-grandmothers this question was very relevant);
  • for an older child, diapers are useful as sheets, towels.

In addition, our grandmothers were sure that if the baby swaddled tightly, his legs gradually align, he gets used to obeying his parents from infancy. The last argument in those days was also weighty: children grew up with a sense of dependence, duty to their parents, respected and honored them. Maybe there is a contribution and swaddling in that?

Counter-arguments

However, many modern scientists think that swaddling a newborn is unnatural in principle, and give counter-arguments:

  • tight swaddling disrupts heat exchange, contributing to overheating of young children;
  • can lead to hip dysplasia;
  • blood flow is difficult;
  • the child's breathing is difficult;
  • the processes of development of tactile sensations, coordination of movements are inhibited;
  • the physiological position of the child is forcibly violated, trying to tighten the legs, bend the arms;
  • swaddling limits the crumbs' perception of the world,
  • the formation of the personality is inhibited, the will and the formation of individuality are suppressed;
  • the curvature of the legs does not depend in any way on the presence of diapers and the degree of their contraction;
  • swaddling must be learned - it is quite difficult.

But a child growing up in a bodysuit or undershirts, not knowing diaper shackles, from this position has a number of undoubted advantages:

  • no psychological abuse;
  • the baby is in a natural, comfortable position for him;
  • he moves more, and therefore develops faster physically;
  • has the ability to touch everything that surrounds him, and this develops tactile perception (which, in turn, has a beneficial effect on the development of speech);
  • a small body is more easily tempered, because the baby is in the room half-naked;
  • no need to learn to swaddle.

So that your little one does not scratch his face if you do not swaddle it, buy undershirts with special cuffs that turn away, hiding small fists.

Where is the golden mean?

An alternative to these polar theories is free swaddling, in which the child has the ability to move, touch, and take a comfortable posture. But at the same time, the baby can sleep peacefully, not being afraid of its hands, feel the usual tightness, like a mother's in the stomach.

Up to what age do babies get swaddled with this approach? Now experts are more and more inclined to believe that after 2 months it is quite possible to give up diapers without interfering with the development of the child. As a last resort, if you have difficulty sleeping, you can swaddle your baby at night.

WHO draws attention to the fact that only excitable, restless babies born prematurely, after caesarean section having neurological problems. Such babies must be swaddled, and the weaning from swaddling during a night's sleep is significantly extended in time.

True, such a democratic approach also has its opponents, who believe that diapers are, in any case, psychological violence and restriction of freedom.

So what's a modern mom to do? Swaddle the baby or not? And if so, how long should it take?

Trust your intuition

Before making a choice in favor of diapers or against, it is useful to think about the fact that diapers have always had opponents, but this did not prevent diapers from living for hundreds of years. They also swaddled those who made the greatest scientific discoveries, created great works of art, earned a huge fortune, who developed industry, created new technologies, flew into space and plunged into the depths of the oceans. The diapers did not make them narrow-minded, dependent, limited people with modest intelligence and weak physical capabilities, did not prevent them from achieving such heights in life. By the way, modern psychologists, who claim that swaddling is violence, restriction and a brake on development, were also swaddled ...

Hence the conclusion: diapers are not as harmful as they say. Although opponents of this theory will still say - and not so useful. That is, there is no single, scientifically grounded and proven opinion about swaddling today. Therefore, mothers, when making a decision, should be guided, first of all, by their principles, capabilities, baby's behavior, and not listen to idle advisers.

Diapers are neither good nor bad by definition. This is good or bad for each particular family and their baby. If the baby is calmer in diapers, he feels better and sleeps better - so be it. And if the parents decide that he does not need diapers, and the newborn does not show any protests about this (does not get irritated, does not wake up in a dream, does not get scared of his pens), it is convenient for him - why not?

It may well happen that they began to swaddle the child, but they realized that it was in vain: he fidgets, is capricious until he gets rid of them. Then it is better to refuse swaddling. And vice versa, if the baby is too restless and capricious, does not sleep well without swaddling, perhaps the baby will be calmer with him. When the time comes for him to free himself from the textile shackles, he himself will show, unraveling in a dream or not falling asleep, until he is unclothed.

Everything is individual. Probably, it is impossible to adjust the capabilities or state of each specific child to some general standard. And it is right.

Do I need to swaddle a newborn? Our grandmothers and mothers say that it is definitely necessary, because they simply do not know the alternative to swaddling. But modern scientific research confirms that swaddling may not be so harmless for a newborn.

First, let's figure it out what is swaddling for at all... The movements of newborns are still very uncoordinated and spontaneous. The child can scare himself with his sudden movements of arms or legs - throwing up. Therefore, it is important for the child to constantly feel the surface close to his body, ideally his mother. When mom is not around, for example, while sleeping, a diaper can replace her.

At the beginning of pregnancy, the fetus is so small that it "floats" in amniotic fluid without touching the walls of the uterus. As the fetus grows, it gradually occupies the entire space of the uterus and comes into full contact with it. But for him, this does not mean limiting freedom, but knowing the shape of his body. Therefore, in a diaper, being in the "kalachik" position, pressing the legs to the chin and crossing the arms on the chest, the child feels comfortable, just like in the mother's tummy. At the same time, the diaper does not "pinch" the child, but only "envelops", without restricting his movements. Such a swaddling is called "Free".

A small bundle stretched over arms and legs at attention. So in Soviet times, babies were usually swaddled in maternity hospitals. This method is usually called "Tight" swaddling. Newborns in the maternity hospital were not left with their mother, as is the practice now, but were placed in a separate ward, where they were looked after by the medical staff. And tight swaddling was used mainly in order to quickly change clothes for many babies, because then disposable diapers were not yet common. In addition, diapers are much easier to sterilize than baby clothes.

So, tight swaddling - harm to the baby... Although the proponents of this method argue that such swaddling contributes to the normal development of the child, in fact, everything happens exactly the opposite. Grandmothers, persuading a young mother to swaddle their child, love to say: "So that the legs are straight." But swaddling with rigid fixation of the baby's legs contradicts their physiological position. For a baby, on the other hand, the legs need to be slightly unfolded.

With tight swaddling, the baby has difficulty breathing, blood circulation slows down. In addition, swaddling tightly interferes with the normal development of the baby's sense of touch. Deprived of the opportunity to move the arms or legs, the child gets used to his arms only for six months. With free swaddling, the child gets used to his hands gradually and much faster than with tight swaddling.

At the age of two or three weeks, the child himself may show a desire to get rid of the diaper, because he is already interested in looking at the surrounding objects and he reaches out to them with his hands. For the mother, this is a signal that the baby can be swaddled so that the arms remain free.

Is it possible to completely do without swaddling? If the child sleeps with his mother, if the mother often hugs him, then there is no particular need for a diaper. Besides, modern clothes for newborns, it is much easier for mom to put on a baby than to swaddle him correctly. In any case, tight swaddling should be abandoned altogether, and free to apply no longer than three months. In this case, the hands of the child can be left free after the first month of life.

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Swaddle or not a newborn. Pros and cons of swaddling. Myths and Reality. Types of swaddling. How to swaddle a newborn video correctly. Modern diapers with Velcro, cocoons and slip-ons. Personal experience.

A few years ago, swaddling a baby was considered a mandatory ritual. A tight diaper became the baby's first clothes in maternity hospital... The terms of using the diapers were not stipulated, but, as a rule, the baby "wore" them for the first six months of his life.

Modern views on swaddling are somewhat different from those that prevailed earlier. Young parents prefer not to swaddle newborn babies, but to buy them sliders, undershirts and blouses, explaining this choice by the fact that the child needs to move, and the tight diaper does not allow doing this. Who is right?

Pros of diapers

Swaddling advocates use the following arguments:

  • swaddling helps the baby to maintain a comfortable body temperature, since the newborn baby's thermoregulation system is not "adjusted". Comfortable room temperature for a newborn - 25 degrees;
  • a baby in a diaper sleeps better. Newborn children make chaotic movements with their hands in front of their faces, they are afraid of this, they often wake up and are capricious;
  • a baby in a diaper feels calmer. At the 9th month of pregnancy, very little space remains in the uterus, the baby gets used to the tightness, the diaper creates that very familiar "tightness";
  • convenience and economic benefit. Even in modern children's stores it is sometimes difficult to find things for a newborn baby, and the diaper "adjusts" to any baby. Using the diapers, the mother of the newborn makes her daily work easier (the diapers absorb moisture better, they are easier to iron). A diaper is economical, because you do not need to spend money on numerous sliders, blouses.

Cons of swaddling

  • overheating. Babies born in spring and summer receive enough warmth and sunshine and do not need the additional "heating" provided by the diaper. Using a diaper during hot seasons can overheat your baby;
  • swaddling slows down blood circulation. Swaddling tightly constrains the baby's movements, slowing down the natural process of blood circulation. In the future, this may affect work. vascular system... Perhaps many will remember the postulate that tight swaddling is simply necessary in order for the child to have straight legs. Scientists have long proven that straight legs are not the result of tight swaddling in infancy;
  • developmental lag. Tight diapers restrain movement, slowing down physical activity.
  • addictive. Over time, daily swaddling becomes so common for a child that he cannot fall asleep, begins to worry without the usual "ritual". Then the parents have to literally wean the grown-up child from their favorite diaper;

Swaddling types

Swaddling swaddling strife. Distinguish:


If there is a desire and opportunity, you can master each of the techniques and alternate them.

A diaper is such a familiar piece of "clothing" for a child that now it is impossible to remember the times when people did without it. required attribute... The use of diapers was most likely due to economic reasons. Parents were "bribed" by the ease of use and uncomplicated design. That's the whole secret, fast, cheap and cheerful! If not in a diaper, then ventilated with a bare bottom.

Over time, scientists started talking about the fact that the diaper embarrasses the baby, does not give him freedom of development. It has even been suggested that the diaper inhibits personality development. The kid, who was swaddled in childhood, supposedly grows up as a limited person, unable to express his opinion. Of course, such a statement could not go unnoticed by the parents. History confirms the opposite. Previously, without exception, all children were swaddled, nevertheless, we have brilliant scientists and writers. Leo Tolstoy, who himself was a supporter of upbringing without diapers, was also swaddled in childhood, which did not prevent his talent from manifesting.

Entrepreneurs immediately picked up this idea and began to produce "useful" diapers, cocoons, sleeping bags.

I swaddled Maksimka only in the hospital, at home this topic somehow did not go with us. Firstly, in a few minutes he managed to get his hands out of the tightest swaddling clothes and often they found themselves in an unnatural position. Secondly, I was afraid to leave him swaddled to sleep, it seemed to me that it was difficult for him to breathe and if he somehow turned over, he would not be able to return himself. These are, rather, my phobias, I do not like tight spaces. Thirdly, I did not notice any difference between sleeping in a diaper and without it. Slipiki with closed legs and handles helped us a lot so that we would not scratch ourselves. They pulled their hands, but did not wake up from this.

The baby's spine is formed by the letter "C", which is why children tend to take the imbrion pose, quickly calm down and fall asleep in a sling, in their mother's arms, on her side, on her stomach in a frog pose, they constantly try to rest their heads somewhere. I believe that immediately after birth, the child needs to recreate the conditions as they were in the stomach, then the sleep will be sweet and the mother will be calm. If you have the financial ability for the first 4-5 months, you can buy Coconababy. Then arrange it safe! (without a bunch of side pillows and blankets), but a cozy sleeping place.

Swaddling does not affect the development of the child's personality. Pulling the baby's body too tightly can cause harm, as it impedes breathing and blood circulation. Otherwise, the decision of this issue - whether or not to swaddle a newborn, remains with the parents.

Today it will be:

Each mother protects her child and tries to give him the maximum of her maternal love and worries. After his birth (especially if the baby is the first-born), many different questions arise before the young mother: how to feed the baby correctly? how to bathe him? how to swaddle? and do i need to swaddle him at all? In our article we will try to illuminate all points of view regarding the issue of swaddling young children.

Our grandmothers and mothers did not even think about whether or not to swaddle a newborn. They were firmly convinced that the diaper saves the baby from awkward movements, he sleeps better and does not "throw up" in his sleep. In addition, it was believed that in diapers, the child's sleep is calm and even. The baby cannot scare himself with involuntary movements, he will not cry, and his legs, thanks to tight swaddling, will become smoother and straighten faster.

However, as time passed, much has changed in medicine. Now young parents are very skeptical about the arguments of their mothers and grandmothers. It seems to them that swaddling is torture for their baby. Moreover, on the Internet, many young mothers write on the forums that swaddling is already the last century, which is better for a baby when from the first days of his life he is dressed in rompers and undershirts. Child psychologists have appeared who advise to give up swaddling, arguing their point of view that diapers restrict the child's freedom and prevent him from expressing himself. Whom to believe? Accumulated experience of generations or new medical trends? To answer this question, you need to identify all the "pros" and "cons" of swaddling.


Pros and cons of swaddling

A diaper is a universal thing. Fashions change, years pass, and hands famous designers they never reach this folk invention. Like twenty years ago, a diaper is a piece of fabric made from natural materials (flannel, chintz, etc.), in which mothers wrap their newborn babies.

The pluses of swaddling include the following factors:

  • the diaper protects the baby from fright and provides him with a restful sleep;
  • the fabric fetters the baby's movements, which in the first weeks of his life are rather chaotic, and the baby cannot harm himself;
  • in the diaper, the child does not freeze, a comfortable temperature is created for him;
  • the baby feels protected, because in the mother's womb he was cramped (arms and legs pressed against the body) and warmth;
  • premature babies need to be swaddled immediately, doctors insist on this;
  • diapers are cheaper than undershirts, rompers and nappies;
  • many mothers note that it is easier to swaddle small children than to pull a vest over them.

However, today they also call the disadvantages of swaddling:

  • some child psychologists argue that due to the difficulty of movement in the diaper, the child may in the future experience some developmental delay, since he was prevented from expressing himself and his freedom was limited;
  • if the diaper is too warm (in the first months of life, babies have an unstable body temperature), the baby may sweat and overheat;
  • the baby quickly gets used to swaddling and then it is difficult to wean him from him;
  • diapers must be constantly changed and washed, you cannot wrap the baby in the same unwashed diaper, even if it is dry, because irritation may appear on the baby's skin;
  • the myth that swaddling straightens the legs of a newborn remains a myth.


Opinion of doctors

We will share with you the opinion of Dr. E.O. Komarovsky, Candidate of Medical Sciences, host of television programs dedicated to children's health. E.O. Komarovsky believes that each family must decide for itself the issue of swaddling a baby. He insists that in the USSR everyone swaddled children for one simple reason: there was not enough money to buy undershirts and rompers, they got by with diapers, which were often inherited.

Now the situation has changed, there is no shortage for baby clothes, people can afford to buy the necessary clothes for the baby. However, according to the doctor, it is inappropriate to throw out mountains of diapers left over, for example, from your first child, just because "they said so on TV." Why not use the diaper again? Think about the material side of the matter and about your nerves. If you do decide to swaddle your baby, try not to swaddle him too tightly, otherwise he will be uncomfortable and the baby will start crying.


Swaddling secrets

In total, there are two types of swaddling: tight and free. The first was common in the USSR in previous eras. The baby was swaddled tightly enough that he could not free the arm or leg. In ancient times, they preferred to swaddle children in this way up to six months, until the child began to sit. Swaddling too tight has been proven to harm a baby. This method impairs the baby's blood circulation, it becomes difficult for him to breathe. The child cannot keep the legs in a natural slightly bent state after a tight swaddling.

Majority modern doctors cast their votes for free swaddling... The limbs of the baby should not be firmly pressed to the body, you need to leave at least a little freedom for the child. Some parents swaddle only the legs and body of the child, leaving their hands free. This method is suitable for those babies who do not have problems with sleep. If you decide to swaddle only the baby's legs, then make sure that his hands are not bare, be sure to put on a vest on him so that the baby does not freeze.

Another controversial issue is prying under the diaper. We recommend refraining from diapers, and here's why: the skin of newborns is unusually delicate, any irritation or roughness is very painful for her. If a child urinates in a diaper, he should be taken off immediately, and not leave the baby for hours to lie in "miracle panties". Putting a diaper under a diaper can create a so-called "greenhouse effect" that will not do your baby any good. You will have to lubricate damaged skin with creams and powders. It is better to use only diapers for a while and change them constantly. Teach you what you need in the first months a large number of diapers (at least 10-15), because the newborn baby will urinate often, and you will have to constantly change them.

Before you swaddle your baby, you need to make sure that the diaper is dry and clean. It is best to iron a piece of fabric to kill excess viruses and germs. You only need to swaddle a washed baby, otherwise his skin will become inflamed, and the baby will start crying incessantly. If you decide that you will still swaddle your child, choose the appropriate swaddling option (loose, tight, wide swaddling, swaddling with an envelope, swaddling with the head, etc.), taking into account the characteristics of your child, the temperature outside the window and in the room (for example, in winter and late autumn, it is better to swaddle the baby in a warm and dense cloth with a head or an envelope so that the child does not get cold and does not get sick ).

Finally, it's worth talking about when to stop swaddling. Doctors believe that the child should be given relative freedom at two to three months. For some children, a month is enough, because then they begin to more or less control the movements of their arms and calmly fall asleep without a diaper. Beware of "overexposure" of the baby in diapers, as this can harm him, reduce tactile sensations and prevent muscles from getting stronger in a short time.

"To swaddle or not to swaddle?" - everyone decides for himself this question. The main thing to remember is that your child is an individual, he cannot fit absolutely all standards, so when choosing between a diaper and undershirts, take a closer look at how he behaves, is it convenient for him to fall asleep without a diaper, how often he wakes up and cries, etc. Then the answer will come by itself.

Pediatricians cannot agree on the need to swaddle a baby. Each parent, weighing all the pros and cons of swaddling, decides for himself whether to wrap up the baby or not. Another feature of this process is the age of the baby, because in order for the child to develop normally, his movements should not restrain anything. So why do you need diapers, at what age it is not recommended to swaddle, until how many months do you need to swaddle a baby, and how to understand that a baby no longer needs limitation of movement?

What are diapers for?

There are many situations where having a diaper saves a young mother from some problems. Having this piece of fabric on hand, you can provide the baby with air baths, wipe it off after taking water procedures, or wipe the body with unexpected regurgitation.

Not so long ago, all pediatricians were unanimous in the opinion that a child should be provided with tight swaddling for proper development, but today opinions are divided. Some consider this process not physiological, others support swaddling, citing the fact that the baby does not interfere with himself with chaotically moving limbs. Today, diapers have many differences. They can be selected according to the type of fabric, composition, size, cost, etc. They all have advantages and disadvantages.

Benefits of using

The most important advantage of using a diaper is the comfort of the baby during the first months of life. Swaddling a newborn, parents provide him with a full healthy sleep... Any child at the first time after birth does not know how to control his movements, respectively, very often wakes himself up with an involuntarily twitching arm or leg. It is to ensure adequate sleep that parents swaddle their newborn children.

The second benefit of using diapers is to keep the baby safe. The fact is that when wrapping it in a blanket, conditions are created to which the child is accustomed, while still in the mother's womb. There, the space was limited by the walls of the uterus. At first, while the child has not yet adapted to the new conditions, such a restriction reminds him that his mother is there and that he is safe.

Many mothers in the first weeks after the birth of a child are trying to establish breast-feeding... It is quite difficult to do this if the baby is constantly distracted by his own trembling arms and legs. Since the diaper restricts movement, it is often used to effortlessly feed a baby.

Disadvantages of using

There are also disadvantages to the swaddling process. Pediatricians recommend using a free swaddling technique that does not harm the development of the child and does not completely immobilize him. But if the mother overdoes it a little, the free swaddling becomes tight, this already brings discomfort to the child. So, what are the disadvantages of swaddling a baby:

  1. The baby can cry and be capricious at the moment when the mother tries to wrap him in a diaper. This means that he is not ready to conduct long time in the same position. Parents need to reconsider their swaddling technique or refuse wrapping altogether.
  2. Even in the maternity hospital, a mother is advised to consult with a pediatrician or neonatologist about the health of her baby. Some seemingly insignificant deviations in physiological development can significantly affect even the fact whether a baby can be swaddled. For example, muscle tone is one hundred percent contraindication to wrapping a newborn. It is with such a deviation that the baby, on the contrary, needs to move more, and restriction of movement will only aggravate the disease.
  3. A child and an adult have different heat exchange. Wrapping the baby in an out-of-season diaper can lead to dysfunction of thermoregulation. Even when at home, a baby wrapped up for a long time may experience overheating.
  4. It is believed that babies who were not swaddled by their parents at birth begin earlier and better coordinate their actions. There is even an opinion that swaddling postpones crawling or walking for a longer period.
  5. Swaddling too tight can cause a dislocation of the hip joint, or dysplasia, scientifically speaking.
  6. Also, swaddling can disrupt circulation.

When is a diaper necessary

There is no medical indication for swaddling a baby. Each parent decides for himself whether to apply this process to his child or not. Swaddling is increasingly used for newborns, as it reduces postpartum stress in the baby and creates an environment close to that of prenatal. Especially in the first month after birth, while the child is in the process of adapting to new conditions, swaddling will help create not only physiological, but also psychological comfort for the newborn.

Up to what age to swaddle a baby with handles

Since development occurs in all children in different ways, there is no definite answer to the question of how long to swaddle a newborn. As a rule, swaddling will not harm a baby up to 7-8 months if it is loose. A baby swaddle with handles is used up to about 3 months. Until that time, it will provide the child with healthy sleep without inhibiting it. physical development... By the 4th month, you can swaddle your baby, leaving the pens free.

Note! It is recommended to transfer the baby to free swaddling gradually.

At night

Night sleep differs from daytime sleep not only in duration, but also in transitions from deep sleep to shallow sleep. Some experts advise observing the baby, as soon as he stops chaotically moving his limbs, the swaddling process can be gradually reduced to nothing.

Important! You should not compare your baby with others. For some, sharp movements of arms and legs stop by 3 months, for others - by 6. Every child is different.

During daytime sleep

Experts advise swaddling a baby with handles for daytime sleep up to 3 months. Next, you should watch the baby. The movement of the handles is limited until the child learns to control them. As a rule, in order to wean the child from swaddling smoothly, diapers for tight swaddling are no longer used during the daytime sleep.

How many months to stop swaddling

The duration of the process of wrapping a baby is strictly individual. Diapers are not used to treat disease and are unlikely to do any harm until a certain time. If your baby is restless, wrapping up will help him feel safe and relaxed. Also, some parents claim that swaddling relieves the condition of the child with colic.

Up to what age should a newborn swaddle? We can say for sure that at the age of 5 months, the child does not need a tight swaddling. Approximately during this period, you can smoothly switch to free swaddling, and after 2-3 months, abandon it altogether. If you continue to tightly wrap a 5-month-old baby in a diaper, he will later sit down and crawl.

How to Know When You Can Stop Swaddling Your Baby

Swaddling is used so that the child is not intimidated by his sharp movements... Accordingly, when the baby gets better coordination of movements of the limbs, any swaddling can be removed.

Note! Babies who have not been swaddled since birth behave more restlessly, sleep less, and eat worse.

Some babies can sleep all night without diapers as early as 2 months. Others - even at 6 months, still need to restrict movement.

Important! Nowadays, swaddling is not used in order to align the legs of the baby. Previous generations have used tight swaddling for just that. Moreover, it was necessary to make sure that, wrapping the diaper, the child lay like a soldier. There was such a belief that tight swaddling had to be applied for 90 days. Today, modern medicine has proven that there is no connection between straight legs and tight swaddling.

The opinion of Dr. Komarovsky

The well-known Ukrainian pediatrician, host of the program "School of Doctor Komarovsky" - Yevgeniy Olegovich Komarovsky explains very well all the advantages and disadvantages of swaddling. This is a pediatrician with over 35 years of experience. He is also the author of many scientific articles and books, some of which have more than 12 reprints in Russia.

He believes that using diapers to restrict baby's movements is a personal matter for mom and dad. Although more he supports the use of undershirts and romper, as, in his opinion, it makes life easier for the mother. This is not about the physiological needs of newborns and babies. The question is about the father's help. It is difficult to master the process of swaddling even for new mothers, not to mention fathers, who for some time are afraid to approach such fragile, newly born babies. To teach dad to wrap up the baby, mom simply does not have enough strength and time. The father can easily put on the baby's undershirts, since it is quite difficult to make a mistake in this process.

Also, Evgeny Olegovich believes that in the summer it will be more comfortable for the baby to be in loose clothing than in a tightened diaper.

Komarovsky believes that in everyday life, sliders and undershirts are a more profitable option than diapers. He explains this by the fact that when washing undershirts it will take less water and washing powder, and on a dryer or balcony, such clothes take up much less space.

Komarovsky claims that very often in his practice he encountered colds in infants, to which diapers indirectly led. If the baby is active enough, he will try to free his limbs on his own. At the same time, he may not cry and not worry. No matter how much the mother watches her baby, she cannot be with him every minute and simply can not notice when the baby is free of diapers. It's good when the room in which he is warm and dry, and if the room temperature is low, or there is a draft, you can safely prepare for colds.

Important! Discussing this issue with Dr. Komarovsky should not be construed as an inducement to action. His opinion is not fundamental, parents themselves choose what is best for them.

The use of diapers to restrict movement is no longer a strict necessity. Moreover, one should not believe myths and prejudices that if this process is abandoned, the child will have any physical disabilities. Swaddling is necessary in order to provide the child with a comfortable and healthy sleep, to optimally bring him closer to his usual conditions. As soon as it becomes clear that the baby no longer needs diapers, they should be gradually removed.

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