A swaddling blanket is a small blanket to place a baby to sleep wrapped safely inside. Most new mothers are shown how to swaddle their baby before leaving the hospital with their new little one.

However, many mothers fail to follow the advice regarding use of a blanket to swaddle the infant because they do not understand the benefits provided by properly swaddling a baby in a blanket.

When a baby first leaves the womb after nine months of feeling enclosed and secure, separation anxiety can result. When this anxiety hits the baby, crying begins and mom and dad have to wake up at all hours to soothe the little one.

The blanket used for swaddling creates a comfortable, womblike feel for the newborn. After a few months, baby becomes used to being in this big scary world and swaddling is no longer as crucial for the baby’s wellbeing.

Pretty neat to know, isn’t it..? Babies move their arms during sleep in an uncontrolled fashion. Unlike when inside the womb, they will flail their arms about, waking themselves up repeatedly during the night.

By properly swaddling in a blanket, arm movement is restricted and baby will sleep for longer periods, often sleeping through the entire night even when only days old! What a blessing for new parents to realize there is some hope of getting some real sleep!

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a concern of all new parents and it causes many unexplainable deaths of otherwise healthy infants each year. It is believed that some of these cases may result from baby moving bedding near their tiny nose and restricting breathing.

By properly swaddling baby inside a blanket made just for swaddling, you can make certain that your little angel will not bunch up bedding against their face and smother. Research has shown that if baby is swaddled properly, without the blanket being too tight, and baby’s sleeping room is kept at a cozy temperature, cool enough to prevent overheating, that babies thrive more during the first three months if they are swaddled when sleeping.

Babies should sleep on their backs, and swaddling prevents their turning over. So, listen to the nurse at the hospital that explains swaddling. If you failed to listen and want to know more about swaddling, you can find a wealth of information on the Internet as well as blankets made just for swaddling.