How to Safely Swaddle a Baby

A sleep sack or swaddler as shown in the image above is recommended to decrease the chances of your baby suffering from accidental suffocation, overheating, or becoming too hot. The design of the sleep sacks helps prevent blankets from covering your baby’s face, which could cause accidental suffocation.

If you do not have a sleep sack, swaddling is also safe to do, but you have to be sure to safely swaddle your baby. This means that you have to be sure the swaddle blankets do not become loose and cover your baby’s face because this could accidentally suffocate your baby. Swaddling is not suggested once your baby starts rolling over. That is an excellent time to use the sleep sack alone.

Be sure the swaddle blankets go below your baby’s mouth across the chest. Do not use more than 2 swaddling blankets so your baby does not get too hot- heavier blankets and the use of too many blankets is not recommended because your baby can become too hot. Overheating increases your babies risk for SIDS. Your baby can wear up to one more layer of clothing/blankets than you would be comfortable in.

Steps to safely use a sleep sack or swaddler:

Steps to safely use swaddle blankets:

• American Academy of Pediatrics. (2016, October 24). American academy of pediatrics announces new safe sleep recommendations to protect against SIDS, sleep-related infant deaths. Retrieved from https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pages?American-Academy-of-Pediatrics-Announces-New-Safe-Sleep-Recommendations-to-Protect-Against-SIDS.aspx
• Halo Sleep Sack Swaddle (2017). Retrieved from http://www.halosleep.com/our-products/sleepsack-swaddle/
• The Child Abuse Prevention Center (2014). Safe sleep baby. Retrieved from http://www.thecapcenter.org/what/child-safety/safesleepbaby