According to a 1989 article in the journal Child Development, swaddling showed a marked decline in distress elicited as a result of pain in infants as young as 2 weeks of age and up to 2 months of age.  Given this study and similar findings, swaddling was, for a long time, a very common practice.  After awhile, concerns that swaddling created hip abnormalities caused a decline in the practice.

The Las Vegas Guardian Express reports that, now, parents are increasingly returning to this practice because of the many potential benefits for babies, in particular young infants.  When a baby is wrapped tightly in a blanket, it mimics the feeling of being in the cramped quarters of his mother’s womb.  As a result, the baby feels safe and secure.  Research also shows that babies who are swaddled sleep better and cry less.  Also, swaddling can keep very young babies, ones that are not yet able to fully regulate their own body temperature, cozy and warm.

In America, about 90 percent of babies are swaddled in their first six months.  And, in the UK, the demand for swaddling clothes was reported to have risen by 61 percent between the years of 2010 and 2011.  The resurgence in popularity coincides with an increase in concern from the medical community.  Doctors say that when a baby is tightly wrapped it can cause his hips to straighten and turn forward, creating misalignment.  This misalignment can loosen the baby’s joints and damage the cartilage in his hip sockets, leading to hip dysplasia.  In severe cases of hip dysplasia, the hip may actually become dislocated.  In addition, infants with hip dysplasia are at greater risk for later hip problems, such as osteoarthritis or the need for middle-aged hip replacement.

It is possible to swaddle with care, avoiding the potential negative consequences.  A study published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood reiterated the positive effects of swaddling, if done with care.  Swaddling has a palliative effect on excessive crying, colic, and promoting sleep.  According to the Independent, the risks can be mitigated if the babies’ legs are not wrapped tightly and pressed together.  In order to allow for healthy hip development, legs should be able to bend up and out at the hips. This position allows for natural development of the hip joints.  Normally a baby will lie with the hips flexed, and swaddling may reduce the degree to which the baby can keep this natural position.  Making the necessary adjustments helps reduce the risk to hips.