Swaddling
Whether to wrap your baby snugly in a blanket for sleep, and when to stop, which is usually when they begin to roll.
Should we swaddle our baby, and when do we stop?
In short: Parents choose between 3 main approaches: None; Swaddle in the early weeks, stop at first rolling; Sleep sack. Evidence: well established. Guidance and evidence agree. The real question is whether you'll follow it. Best settled: around the birth.
- Evidence
- Well established
- Best settled
- Around the birth
- Part of
- Pregnancy to first birthday
Swaddling: what are the options?
Parents usually land on one of these 3 approaches.
1. None
You do not wrap the baby for sleep.
2. Swaddle in the early weeks, stop at first rolling
You wrap the baby snugly in the early weeks and stop as soon as they try to roll.
3. Sleep sack
You use a wearable blanket that leaves the arms free.
Swaddling: what does the evidence say?
Well established. Guidance and evidence agree. The real question is whether you'll follow it. (Settled on how)
AAP: swaddling does not reduce SIDS risk; stop at the first signs of rolling (often 3-4 months), keep hips loose, and never use weighted swaddles, blankets or sleepers. The US product safety regulator reported five deaths linked to weighted infant sleep garments between 2022 and 2024, and major retailers pulled the products
Sources
What else is worth knowing?
Swaddling means wrapping a baby snugly so their arms are held in. It can calm a newborn and must stop when the baby starts to roll. A sleep sack is a wearable blanket that keeps the baby warm without loose bedding.
Questions to ask each other
- Do we want to swaddle, and who will learn how to do it safely?
- When will we stop?
- What will we do if the baby hates it?
More in Sleep
First published 2026-10-03. Last updated 2026-10-05. General information, not medical advice.