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A Parent’s Hesitations—Six Unnecessary Wrapping Worries
In the U.S. today, many parents and grandparents still hesitate to
swaddle their babies. They worry that tight wrapping may deprive their
babies of some unwritten constitutional right. But I’m afraid they are
confusing the right to bear arms with the right to flail arms.
Through the years, I have asked many parents to tell me their secret
prejudices against swaddling. Here are their six most common concerns:
1. Swaddling seems primitive and old-fashioned.
Well, it is. But what’s wrong with primitive and old-
fashioned? Eating and sex are both primitive and old-
fashioned, and who wants to abandon them? Besides,
swaddling may be a prehistoric practice, but it really
works.
2. Babies might be uncomfortable with their arms tightly
down at their sides.
Many new parents think their crying babies want their
arms up. If that was why these infants cried, calming them

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would be a snap: Just never wrap them! Of course, as
you’ve probably noticed, releasing your baby’s arms
usually only makes her scream even more.
It is true that your baby’s arms have tightened into the
bent-arm position by the end of your pregnancy. And, as a
result, if you place them at her sides, they tend to boing
right back up, like curly hair pulled straight then released.
However, the arms-down position is not at all
uncomfortable, which is why babies sleep extra-long when
they’re bundled that way.
3. Wrapping may make a baby feel trapped.
Personally, I would hate to be swaddled. Without
revealing too much about my married life, let me say that
the first thing my wife and I do when we get into bed is
untuck the blanket and give our feet some breathing room.
Of course, most of us would hate living in a womb.
However, it’s a mistake to think our babies want the same
things we do. She’s not struggling against the wrapping
because she hates it. She looks like she wants her hands
free, but the opposite is true. Newborns love being
confined, and when they’re frantic and out of control they
need your help to restrain their frantic arms and legs.