A paediatrician has shared an easy swaddling hack which can be used as an ‘instant settling device’ for your baby to help them sleep – and it’s all to do with the arm placement
Getting your baby to settle has never been easier thanks to one expert’s hack.
Being a parent is hard work. Making sure your baby’s needs are met isn’t easy, especially when they never seem to want to settle down for a nap even though you know they need one.
But one paediatrician has come up with the perfect solution that could be an “instant settling device” for your little one. Doctor Golly is a paediatrician who also runs a sleep and settling program for children aged 0 to 5 years, and he claimed there is an easy swaddling technique that could help settle your baby in no time.
All you need to do is pay close attention to your baby’s arms.
In a video shared to the @drgolly account on TikTok, the doctor said you should lay your baby down and then note whether they’re more relaxed with their arms by the sides or near their face. If they’re an “arms-up” baby, then you should use a different swaddling technique.
Cuddling a baby named Norah in the clip, Dr Golly explained: “As you can see, Norah is an arms-up baby. She doesn’t rest with her hands by her sides. If you leave her to her own devices, the arms always come up.”
The doctor then showed the way he had laid out the blanket, as he had folded down a portion at the top of the blanket to create a “collar”.
This was then used to trap the arms when swaddling, which allowed little Norah’s arms to rest on her chest instead of being stuck at her sides.
Dr Golly continued: “We use the collar to trap the arms in and then wrap [the blanket] across her chest. You use her body weight to hold the first one in and then do the same on the opposite side. Hand under the collar, and really tight across the chest, tucking the whole thing behind her and leaving the legs to move freely, which protects the hips.
“That way, her arms are up but they’re not near her cheeks so it won’t stimulate her to start feeding. It’s like an instant settling device.”
Commenters on the post were divided, with some arguing against the need to swaddle babies at all. But many others said it depends on the child, as while some babies might dislike being swaddled, others love it.
One person said: “My son screamed when wrapped. My daughter loved being swaddled. Just go with the baby’s cues.” While another added: “I never swaddled my son and regret it, I think this works way more to settle them down.”
