Does Swaddling Cause SIDS?

I swaddled all 4 of my girls and they are just fine. :)

Maybe your friend misinterpreted the advice of the nurses. It is advised not to have the baby get overheated. If he is wrapped tightly in a very warm blanket and then covered with another blanket he may get too warm. I have always heard swaddling is good for keeping a very young infant feeling comfortable, and happy.

The quick answer is your friend was told correctly. YOu should not swaddle. The complete answer is you don't swaddle to decrease SIDS risk. Any clothing that gets over the babies head increases the risk of SIDS. If you baby wiggles around a lot, she could loosen the blankets, then get them up around her face. She could also become tangled in them. The new SIDS education is to not having anything loose above a baby's armpits, especially blankets. If you feel you must cover your baby with a blanket, then it should be tucked in under the mattress on three sides, and only come up as high as your baby's armpits. You have to realize, incidence of SIDS is around 2500 babies each year. If it happens to your baby, it doesn't matter what the numbers are. You have to decide what you can live with. Back to sleep, no bumper pads, pacifier for baby, not overheating have all come out of research into SIDS. Not every baby who has these things will die of SIDS.

I had my baby boy four months ago. And the hospital showed me how to swaddle correctly too. I never heard anything about swaddling relating to SIDS. I have stopped swaddling him now that he can move around alot, but when he was little and just laid there he loved it and would sleep very well. I think if it was that big of a risk you would see "Dont swaddle Babies" posted everywhere like you do about laying them on their tummy to sleep and having alot of covers in the bed with them. IDK just my opinion.

My mother has been a Labor and Delivery for as long as I can remember and I had my daughter 2 and a half years ago. Both my mother and I swaddled my daughter when she was very young and she's a happy and healthy little girl today.

There was never anything else in her bed at the time, which I think helped keep her safe. My mother did warn me about my daughter becoming too warm in her sleep while swaddled and that some believe that the over heating of the infant could be a trigger for SIDs. It's not certain, but it really wasn't all that much work for me to keep her from being too warm. Just her PJs and a single light to medium thick blanket to swaddle her and she was just fine for the night. Truthfully, swaddling is for the secure snuggle sensation that mimics the womb, not really for warmth.

I would say go with your gut and with how your baby reacts, if your little one seems to need the snuggle of a swaddle then swaddle, but if your baby seems fine without then don't worry.