How to swaddle a baby. Like a Dad.

Newborn babies don't just get tired. Tired is their baseline. After a couple days of storing up energy, they may manage to spend a waking moment doing something as cheerful as not-crying. The best way to encourage this is to limit wasted energy, by swaddling them early and often. People will tell you that the first three months after birth are a "fourth trimester"--'cause that makes sense--, but really it's all about saving energy. You try working a bran-new colon sometime and see if it doesn't give you a full body cramp. Makes a Charley Horse seem like a yawn-and-stretch. Anyway, here's how I swaddle; B has kindly agreed to model for the occasion:

Luckily, I had help here, so B was comforted while I laid out the cloth. Normally, expect a minute or two of hysteria. It's just practice for being a 4-year-old-going-on-tweenager. 

Just fold over a quarter of the cloth, so the point is near the center. Practice makes perfect, and you'll figure out how long it needs to be. It's a balance between making sure the widest part is high, giving maximum holding power, and keeping the fold narrow so there isn't cloth bunched up around the baby's arms. 

Now, insert the baby. You want her off to one side, so that her folded arm (right arm, in this photo) fits perfectly under the fold of the blanket. Normally, that puts her just off center. As you can see here, she's still practicing. 

You want to set the baby a little below the fold. A nice tight swaddle actually provides head support. 

After tucking the right hand under the fold of the cloth, pull the cloth down and tuck it into the baby's side before folding it over. This very important step ensures that the baby's arm (which is independent at this stage, and thrashes uncontrollably) doesn't force it's way out of the swaddle. 

Now fold the cloth over the baby, holding that right elbow tight against her body. Make sure you're keeping even pressure from head to toe. 

As you fold the cloth across her body, roll the baby into her side so that you can tuck the fold underneath her. Keep it free of wrinkles as much as possible so she doesn't get have to sleep on lumps. If you tuck it under with the right hand, while pulling the opposite side of the cloth tight, you get optimal tightness. 

Halfway there, and she's almost happy!

Remember, tightness is the whole point. 

Fold the bottom up. Bring the point off to the left side, or fold it under if it's too long. Keep it wrinkle free(ish)!

Tuck her left arm now:

And, again, secure her arm snugly in its space. Don't give her any room, or she'll work her hands out!

The baby will cry now, as she senses the last vestiges of freedom for a fleeting moment. As you hold the folds over her left arm and body with an open hand, bring the last flap across her body, making sure her left arm is neatly tucked. Bring the flap over her elbow if you can. 

Roll the baby onto her other side, and wrap the fold right around her. 

At this point the baby begins to recognize the freedom of confinement. At last, outside forces have restrained her unwieldy appendages, leaving her free to sleep!

Pull it tight. Tighter! Tighter. Tighter. 

Now, bring the last fold across her chest, and--using the clip on your binkey/nuk/pacifier--, clip the fold onto an earlier fold. Preferably, the first fold that restrained the right hand, but the other ought to work nearly as well. 

The baby will be almost asleep by now. Pass her to mama for a top-off, or pop that pacifier in her mouth, and you are good to go. 

Babies think of Mom as a milk-dispenser. Sometimes Dad does a better job of comforting, because the baby expects nothing from him but warmth, security, and low humming sounds. A tight swaddle says "I love you". 

Read rest of entry