While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manager, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Luke 2:6-7

Mary knew a thing or two about making a baby transition from the warm cosy womb, into the cold stalk outside world. A traumatic transition for any infant.

To help baby Jesus, Mary swaddled him.

Swaddling back in fashion

There is nothing new about swaddling – wrapping babies up tight, has been practised since the beginning of time. The first documented evidence comes from Greece some 4000 odd years ago.

But as with many traditions – modern man had largely abandoned the practise, until quite recently, when it began making a resurgence.

The trouble……………

Modern mom’s aren’t always doing it RIGHT.

The wrong way to swaddle

On the surface, the point of the exercise is to make a baby feel safe, a baby that feels safe, doesn’t cry quite as much. Allowing Mom a few moments of peace & quiet – for a sleep deprived Mom this is nirvana.

The “safe” feeling is created by restricting baby’s movement, using binding or a blanket. Today you can buy commercial swaddling.

But there is a difference between wrapping and trapping.

Trapping can create problems… BIG PROBLEMS down the line.

Trapped hips can’t swing

If, during the process of swaddling, the hips are inadvertently shifted forward, baby ends up being aligned incorrectly.

Being locked in this “wrong position” can interfere with normal development, leading to hip dislocation (dysplasia) or a more subtle hip misalignment.

These subtle misalignments can go undetected during childhood. Unfortunately, being marginally misaligned all your life, increases wear and tear on the misaligned joints. This can lead to osteoarthritis and the need for a hip replacement later in life.

Swaddled to “death”.

The problem is not swaddling per se, but technique.

The key to getting all the benefits and none of the risks from swaddling, is to ensure the baby’s legs and hips, are able to move freely.