A Thousand Year Old Method
Swaddling is actually a time honored tradition used even in ancient times by the Egyptians and Romans, and is meant to have a calming effect on babies. Most newborns are swaddled at the hospital, and the nurses will teach you, but having a youtube video or 2 on hand is useful for the sleep deprived parent.
There are now essentially 2 types of swaddling blankets:
1) Free form blankets – These are long pieces of cloth that are often look more similar to a pashmina than a traditional blanket.Parents need to master the swaddling technique themselves.
2) Velcro fastened or zipper secured – Velcro Swaddle Blankets are basically an adjustable swaddle sack that can be a nice shortcut for new parents. These area favorite for nighttime sleep when you are too bleary eyed to swaddle properly. In the early days especially, these have built in fasteners to keep your swaddle in place.
The 21st century blanket has gotten a makeover, and it’s form fitting, more secure, and meant to be easier to use. But trying to navigate through all the products is still a bit of a headache, so here is a quick guide to the best sleep blanket solutions:
