It took me a really long time to get pregnant with my son. So when I finally did, I was determined to be prepared. The nursery was done months before he arrived, the bottles were washed and sanitized and I signed up for more parenting classes than I’d like to admit. One particular class emphasized the importance of swaddles. The helpful instructor warned us that if we didn’t perfect our swaddle game, no one would be getting any sleep in the house (and she was right!).
She showed us how to do a traditional swaddle with using a standard swaddle blanket on a doll. Seemed easy enough, right? Except the doll wasn’t moving, crying or pooping while we practiced.
For the next few weeks I practiced on a stuffed animal that was in my son’s nursery. I got this, I told myself! My son was going to sleep and I was going to get sleep. I was going to be a swaddle master.
The day my son was born the nurse tried to show us how to swaddle. I proudly told her I was very well trained in swaddling. I proceeded to swaddle my son. He was pretty strong for a newborn, within a minute he would break out of his swaddle and start crying. What am I doing wrong, I would think. I tried again. And again. And again. No luck. It didn’t last.
Finally, a Russian Nurse at the hospital came to my room for the start of of her shift and saw me struggling to keep my son swaddled. “Do you want me to show you the Russian way,” she asked me. Um, absolutely!
Using the same traditional swaddle he showed me a brand new technique I had never seen before. And it worked! For a few hours at least. We decided to double swaddle my son! American then Russian on top to seal the deal. And guess what? It absolutely worked! If you have a ton of traditional swaddles and want to experiment with swaddling using a different technique, try the Russian style out. And if you’re tired of your baby breaking out of the traditional swaddle, use the snugababe swaddle, there’s no way they’re breaking of it, so you can finally get some sleep too, mama.
Russian Swaddle Instructions:
- Place traditional swaddle blanket in square position on a flat area like your bed.
- Place the baby on top with the swaddle starting just under their neck
- Grab the left side and tuck it firmly under the right torso
- Grab the right side and tuck it firmly under their entire body
- Take the bottom and fold it over the chest laying it flat (bottom half should look like an upside down triangle)
- Grab the left side and firmly tuck it under the baby
- Grab the right side and tuck it the baby bringing it over to the chest
- Firmly tuck in the loose side on the fold on the chest
- Enjoy a nap while your baby naps :)
