Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Swaddling made easy

My friend gave birth to her first baby on the weekend, and I got to look at their first photos. Of course the baby is adorable, as newborns are. But I noted, as I looked through the chronological progression of photos, that baby was surely but slowly wriggling her way out of her swaddling.

When my son was born, no one at the hospital taught me how to swaddle him before I left the hospital. My poor little babushka ended up being bound in all manner of “swaddling.” There was the maki-sushi swaddling phase. Then turkey trussing-type confinement. Then the I’m-so-frustrated-I’m-just-going-to-knot-the-corners-together effort. Until, finally, a public health nurse took pity on my little boy, and gave me the basics of swaddling.

1. Lay receiving blanket flat.
2. Fold down one corner of receiving blanket. Place your child down on the blanket, diagonally, with his/her head resting on the folded corner.
3. Fold the corner of the receiving blanket on the left side, over and across baby’s body and right arm (which should be against the side of his/her body).
4. Bring up the bottom corner of the receiving blanket and tuck the corner into the side that you just folded over, just under baby’s chin.
5. Fold the corner of the receiving blanket on the right side, over and across baby’s body and left arm (which should be against the side of his/her body), and tuck excess into the folds on baby’s side or back.

Et, voilĂ ! A perfectly swaddled baby.

Note: If baby doesn’t like having his/her arms bound, just keep his/her arms free when you wrap him/her up.

-Emma, Director, Design + Production

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