Having a newborn means that many concerns will arise. Whether it’s your first baby or you’ve had others before, all kinds of worries take over parents during this period, especially those related to the baby’s sleep. Questions about how to swaddle your baby for better sleep are at the top of the list. An example of this is when the baby starts having trouble sleeping and things begin to get out of the parents’ control. To learn how to swaddle your baby for better sleep, we first need to understand what is happening, what is causing the problem, how a baby’s sleep works, and why it’s important to them.

How Does a Baby’s Sleep Work?

First of all, it’s important to know how a baby’s sleep works and how it changes in a short period of time. Knowing what the patterns are and how they change helps parents often understand the sleep problems their baby is having, or even realize that they’re not such serious problems after all. It’s generally known that babies don’t usually follow the sleep schedules we’re used to, and therefore often wake up at “inappropriate” times. What happens is that they aren’t used to day and night yet, and it can take months before they can understand this 24-hour cycle, associating it with sleep. In addition to sleep times not being regulated, there are also the different needs that a baby has. At the start of life, we tend to sleep more than in adulthood and also spend much less time in deep sleep, which explains why babies are often easily awakened.

Causes of Sleep Difficulties in Babies

There are a number of factors that can explain why a baby is having trouble sleeping. Before learning how to swaddle a baby for better sleep, it’s also important to understand what difficulties the baby is dealing with and how these affect them at this stage in life. Some of the main reasons are:

Let’s talk about each of these points separately to better explain why they can become a problem for a baby’s sleep.

Lack of Routine

Besides a baby’s sleep patterns being different from ours, they also have no sense of time of day. A baby’s sleep needs to be managed by parents so they have a routine and can gradually develop a pattern that will, little by little, adapt to what we are used to. Lack of routine can make the baby sleep and wake up at any time, or sleep less than they need. Establishing a routine is one of the biggest challenges for parents during this time and learning how to swaddle the baby for better sleep can be an important factor right now.

Teething

When a baby’s teeth are coming in, it’s common for discomfort and pain to make them more sensitive, complaining and crying more easily. However, even so, teething rarely causes sleep to be affected, although in very sensitive children this can actually happen. What can happen is that, since children cry a lot during this period, parents end up holding them more or providing certain distractions to help them sleep, which can make it harder for the baby to fall asleep alone.

Growth

Similar to what happens with teething, a baby’s growth can also leave the child with more pain and discomfort, and consequently, more pain. The difference is that growth often happens in spurts—a significant growth over a short time, which puts demands on several parts of the body, including the brain. And that is exactly why it’s more common that, during these growth spurts, babies have more trouble sleeping. The good news is that these spurts pass and, if the baby has regulated sleep, they’ll probably return to their routine.

Separation Anxiety

Separation anxiety is a common phenomenon that happens to all babies. It’s when they realize that they and the rest of the world are separate things—that they are a unique being, with their own feelings and needs. The start of this awareness can bring a certain anguish to the baby, especially when separated from the mother. Although it might seem negative, it’s a very normal phase and requires patience from parents to help the child sleep without their mother or father and to get back to having peaceful sleep nonetheless.

Swaddling with a Baby Blanket

Now that we understand how a baby’s sleep works and the main difficulties they may have, we can talk about how to swaddle with a baby blanket for better sleep. This technique uses a cloth popularly known as a swaddle or receiving blanket—a lightweight fabric made for wrapping babies. This helps them sleep better because it relieves stress and helps babies feel calmer and more secure. Swaddling babies in this “burrito” or “little cocoon,” as it’s sometimes called, requires certain precautions. The main one is to pay attention to the baby’s position. You should only leave them swaddled to sleep when they are lying on their back. It’s not recommended to leave a baby swaddled on their side or stomach, as this increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. Swaddling the baby to sleep can be a great technique to help them calm down, regardless of the type of problem they are having falling asleep. It’s important to understand that these problems are often just common phases that require patience and affection from parents to handle, until the baby gets used to them. At the same time, there is the responsibility of managing a routine and helping your son or daughter get used to healthy sleep times. See also: What is Childhood Bruxism? Photo: pxhere