How to Wrap a Baby Scarf

Understanding SIDS. SIDS, or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, is the sudden and unexplained death of otherwise healthy infants. ^[1] SIDS usually occurs while the baby is sleeping. Many parents worry about SIDS and associate it with swaddling. That’s because in many cases, the cause of a child’s death is later determined to be suffocation due to a number of factors. However, swaddling by itself does not lead to SIDS. If handled with care, swaddling is very safe and beneficial for your baby.

Do not wrap too tightly. When swaddling is too tight, especially with very young babies, you can make it difficult for your baby to breathe. The towel should only wrap tightly enough to hold the baby’s hand and loose enough for the baby to breathe. If worried, observe the child for a few minutes to make sure he can breathe easily.

Stand with a pacifier in your baby’s mouth. Babies often spit out the pacifier and then get mad when they realize it’s not there anymore. Almost always! But you should not wrap the pacifier in the baby’s mouth. The nipple won’t fall out anymore but it can choke your baby when he needs to breathe through his mouth or something like that.

Let the baby lie on his back. This is the most important thing to ensure baby’s sleep safety, especially when they are swaddled. Newborns are very weak and often are not strong enough to lift their body much with each inhalation: therefore, not getting enough oxygen when lying on their stomach. This is why you should always put your baby on his back: that way, he can breathe freely.

Use a firm mattress in the crib. When face down, a mattress that is too soft can cause your baby to suffocate. The hard mattress is safe and helps your baby sleep well.