The verdict is in, and the conclusion is that swaddling your baby to sleep has potential dangers. Traditionally, moms found that wrapping up their newborns in light fabric, comforts and helps them sleep better; but a recent study has linked this practice with an increase in the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Researchers at the University of Bristol, in their study published in Pediatrics, carried out an analysis of the risk of SIDS in infants swaddled for sleep. Four observational studies spanning two decades and three geographical areas (parts of England; Tasmania, Australia; and Chicago Illinois, United States) were included in the review, with 760 SIDS cases compared with 1759 control subjects.
Though the four observational studies were limited by inherent heterogeneity, the researchers were able to conclude that the risk of SIDS was higher in the swaddled infants than non swaddled infants, with the risk varying with sleeping position and age. Swaddled infants who slept on their stomach had the greatest risk; swaddled infants who slept on the side had lesser risk, and swaddled infants who sleep on their backs had a small but still significant risk than non-swaddled infants. Also, swaddled older babies who can rollover have a high risk of SIDS, because they can flip over from their backs onto their stomach while sleeping.
The research author Anna S. Pease, called on health professionals to set a limit for the appropriate age after which swaddling should be discouraged. Also, parents who swaddle their babies to sleep are urged to always place them on their backs, and to stop swaddling them to sleep once they get older and can rollover.
Source: Pediatrics
