Buy it: The Kelsey Butter Blanket, $40, CheekyBambino.ca
You’ve seen plenty of pictures of mothers expertly swaddling their babies into the shape of a perfectly tucked, tiny human burrito. You may not only be wondering what the benefits are of swaddling, but how they manage to achieve the perfect swaddle in the first place? When you’ve tried with your little one, your burrito has fallen apart super quickly, with seemingly no further benefit to you or the baby than a loosely thrown on blanket. Well, you’ve come to the right place. We’re going to take you step by step on exactly how to swaddle your precious bundle - and why you should use the Butter Blanket by The Over Company in order to do it.
Why Should I Swaddle My Baby?
Buy it: The Serene Butter Blanket, $40, CheekyBambino.ca
Swaddling your baby every time they go to sleep may seem like a lot of work (especially if you haven’t fully gotten the hang of it yet!). However, there are many benefits to swaddling your baby for sleep - and these benefits are for both of you.
Intermountain Healthcare tells us more about the benefits you and your baby will experience as the result of swaddling:
- Swaddling protects your baby against their natural startle reflex, which means better sleep for both of you
- It may help calm a colicky baby
- It helps eliminate anxiety in your baby by imitating your touch, which helps your baby learn to self-sooth
- It keeps her hands off her face and helps prevent scratching
- It helps your baby sleep longer and better
- It helps prevent SIDS by keeping unnecessary items like pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals out of your baby's crib
- It keeps your baby on his back while he sleeps
How To Swaddle a Baby
Now, for the moment you’ve been waiting for - how to swaddle a baby! We promise you, it’s not as difficult as it may seem. By following our step by step guide, you’ll be mastering the art of the swaddle in no time. Just remember - master the magic of swaddling your baby and you just might get a little extra sleep yourself!
The Chase Butter Blanket
Step 1: Find a Flat Surface
Spread your baby’s swaddle blanket out in the shape of a diamond with one corner pointing up on a flat surface, such as the middle of your bed, where you’ll have a ton of room. Fold the top corner down about 6 inches.
Step 2: Place Your Baby Face-Up On The Blanket
Your baby’s head should sit above the folded edge of the blanket, with their body extending straight down toward the bottom corner.
Step 3: Straighten Your Baby’s Left Arm
Then take the left side of the blanket and wrap it over her left arm and chest. Tuck the blanket underneath her right arm and her back. At this point your baby’s left arm will be covered but her right arm will be free.
Step 4: Bring Up The Bottom
Fold the bottom corner of the blanket up over your baby’s body, tucking it under the first fold, underneath her chin. Straighten your baby’s right arm and pull the right side of the blanket over your baby’s body, tucking it in under their left side.
Step 5: Secure the Blanket
And you’re done! Loosely twist the bottom of the blanket and tuck it underneath your baby.
What To Keep in Mind When Swaddling Your Baby
It’s important to keep in mind that the swaddle should be snug, but not too tight. A good judge of whether or not it’s too tight, is that you should be able to place two to three fingers between your baby’s chest and the blanket. The blanket should be loose around your baby’s hips so they can move their legs freely. If your baby seems to prefer having their arms free, it’s fine to leave one or both arms out of the swaddle.
Not all babies will be a fan of the swaddle and may wriggle out before you’ve even gotten a chance to secure it. They may have also gotten too active for swaddling. In this case, you may wish to consider an alternative swaddle, such as a swaddle wrap that comes with Velcro or zipper closures. If this doesn’t work for your baby, you’ll want to consider calling it quits altogether, since a kicked-off blanket while your baby is sleeping can pose a suffocation or strangulation risk.
The OVer Company Butter Blanket
Buy it: The Everett Butter Blanket, $40, CheekyBambino.ca
Looking for the absolute perfect swaddling blanket that’s single-sided, soft as butter and light-weight? The Butter Blanket fabric is the softest and stretchiest luxury fabric that we know everyone will absolutely love and is a great option for use all year round.
Buy it: The Harper Butter Blanket, $40, CheekyBambino.ca
The Butter Blanket measures 40”x40” and is the perfect size for swaddling and an everyday blanket for the mama on the go. As a bonus, the Butter Blankets are a beautiful option for newborn photos for swaddling a fresh baby and tying the loose ends into a pretty knot to hold the swaddle tightly in place!
We sell the OVer Company Butter Blanket in a variety of colours and patterns in-store and online at CheekyBambino.ca, as well as the popular OVer Cover and nodo gown. See our selection here!
