Swaddling Best Practices for Nap Time 

There is nothing like a quiet and quick 30-40 minute nap in the middle of the day; it is nothing short of refreshing as it makes the entire body come alive! Little wonder why babies become super active, playful and dadadaissh.... after a yummy bottle of formula and a long nap. 

Growing babies between 0- 6 months can be a handful because their development is totally dependent on the parents’ constant monitoring and supervision, especially from the mothers. No easy task there, but it comes with its joys. So as a mother to a newborn who needs nothing less than 4 to 6 hours of good day time naps, you need a few tricks to get it right.

Every detail in preparing the right atmosphere and ambience for a baby to enjoy their daily naps is valuable. The act of swaddling babies for naps is one of the most iconic traditions used to make a newborn feel right at home in their new environment. Truthfully, being a foreigner doesn’t always start off great, but it can get better and, the swaddling approach is the best way to go. 

Three Necessary Steps to Take for Better Sleep

1. It starts with a really soft and fluffy blanket that gives the comfiest feel to the skin. Get your newborn’s tiny body well-tucked into this cloth, leaving only their heads rearing out and comfortable. Remember, the blanket is supposed to feel soft and fluffy, not harsh and tight; these babies need to feel like they aren’t too far from their previous home, the womb. 
2. When you swaddle babies for naps, you keep them safe, warm and firm. The slightest twitch makes them shrivel with fear and anxiety; you don’t want to see the reaction of a baby woken up in the middle of a good nap. It’s best to have these babies enjoy the enclosure and equally let the mothers have a moment’s quiet after her nightly vigil sessions.   
3. Then comes setting the ambience for sleep where all noise should be avoided. Although newborns' strong senses take time to develop, rest assured that as tender as they are, their sensory system feels changes. To keep the swaddling babies in a nap mood, keep it quiet, and if there must be sound, light jingly lullabies and twirling objects above their cribs can come in handy. 

Objects and actions always have a way of developing a baby’s sense of reaction. As the jingle tunes play repeatedly, a baby’s hearing senses begin to come alive; they acquire repeated knowledge of the sound as their sleep tune. Likewise, the swirly objects challenge babies to stretch their hands and legs upwards and then after a tiring session, like a hypnosis ball, these objects send the babies into a stream of unconsciousness. 

There is nothing more beautiful than seeing a swaddling baby in the arms of their caregiver, all wrapped up for sleep. Babies develop better when they sleep longer in a cozy, loving and warm place. It always reflects in their growth.