09/03/2026
Should you swaddle your newborn? Here's what the evidence actually says.
As a midwife, I'm often asked about swaddling and whether it's beneficial for newborns. It's a popular practice that many families consider, but based on current research, I generally advise against relying on it regularly. Here's the evidence behind that.
First, arousability.
One of my main concerns is how swaddling affects a baby's arousability, meaning how easily they can wake when they need to. A 2022 systematic review found that swaddled infants showed higher arousal thresholds and less spontaneous arousability during sleep. Both are considered risk factors for SIDS.
That same review noted that "implementing conditions unfavorable to arousability may increase SUDI risk among infants who have not previously been swaddled." In other words, while swaddling creates deeper sleep, that deeper sleep can interfere with a baby's natural protective ability to wake when they encounter a breathing difficulty. Interestingly, this effect is most pronounced in babies who are new to being swaddled.
Second, and most importantly to me, breastfeeding.
Babies actively use their hands throughout feeding. To locate the ni**le, to self-soothe before latching, and to provide massage-like movements that actually help stimulate milk production.
A swaddled baby can't do any of that. They can't show crucial hunger cues like hand-to-mouth movements, which leads to missed feeding opportunities and less frequent feeding. Research shows babies swaddled immediately after birth have delays in breastfeeding initiation, less effective suckling, and greater weight loss.
I see this often. Families struggling to establish breastfeeding when baby is regularly swaddled, because the swaddle masks both hunger and fullness cues, interferes with positioning, and reduces the skin-to-skin contact that supports milk supply.
So instead of routine swaddling, I encourage families to:
Prioritize skin-to-skin contact for comfort and temperature regulation, while keeping baby's ability to communicate intact.
Practice responsive feeding by keeping baby's hands free, so you can catch those early hunger cues like bringing hands to the mouth or sucking on hands.
Trust baby's natural sleep patterns rather than artificially deepening their sleep.
Here's my honest bottom line.
Swaddling isn't dangerous when done safely, and on occasion, when a baby is extra fussy and just won't settle, it can be a helpful tool. I'm not here to say never.
But the combination of reduced arousability and the impact on breastfeeding is enough that I don't recommend it as a regular, default practice for the families I serve.
Every baby is unique, and I work with each family to find what works for them. But supporting a baby's natural ability to communicate through free movement lines up with what the current evidence tells us about healthy newborns. 💚
