What Should Baby Wear Under Swaddle?

There is so much you need to know about your new baby. Like, how long they nurse, sleep, and how warm they should be. With the swaddle covering your whole baby’s body, you can forget that there are clothes underneath. So, what should a baby wear under a swaddle?

In summer, your baby is okay with a diaper underneath the swaddle. In winter, a light onesie is perfectly fine. Generally, the temperature of your house and nursery would determine what the baby should wear.

What Should Baby Wear Under Swaddle

5 Factors that determine

1. Season: Particularly Summer vs Winter

Parents have a problem with overdressing their babies in winter and underdressing them in the summer.

Never overdress your baby in the winter. If you are still swaddling your newborn, dress him in a cotton long-sleeved onesie with footies or socks under the swaddle.

If your baby is past swaddling age, let him wear a heavier weight cotton long-sleeved onesie with socks or footies.

During summer, swaddle your newborn in a lightweight cotton blanket. But make sure you feel your baby’s skin.

Your baby can wear a lightweight short-sleeved onesie under a swaddle if it’s not too hot. And if the baby is past swaddling age, let him wear a short-sleeved one-piece pajama.

It’s difficult to predict the weather in the spring and fall. As a result, you should keep an eye on your baby’s skin to make sure he’s doing fine.

In the spring and fall, it’s best to clothe the infant in layers so that you can add or remove clothing as needed.

2. Room temperature

Try to keep your baby’s room at a temperature of 65 F.

If you happen to have a thermostat, set it to 65 F. If you don’t have one, get an indoor thermometer to put in the nursery. This will help you to control the room temperature so that it doesn’t too cold or too hot for the baby.

Note that overheating increases the chances of sudden infant death syndrome. To avoid this, never overdress your baby for sleep.

3. Baby skin

A Baby’s skin tells you how warm or cold he is.

To know whether your baby is warm or cold, touch their skin in different places.

For instance, if you touch your baby’s fingers and they are cold, you need to put on his mittens. And if he is hot, remove a layer of clothing.

The best area to feel the baby’s skin is at the back of the neck.

4. The material of the swaddle

In hot and cold weather, natural fibers are the recommended option.

This is because natural fiber can absorb sweat and pull moisture from your baby’s body when it’s hot.

In cold weather, natural fiber provides more effective insulation, and they are easier to layer. The finest natural fibers for your baby are cotton, silk, wool, cashmere, hemp, and linen.

5. The TOG of the swaddle

TOG is the standard of measure for how much heat a garment retains or how warm clothing keeps your baby. The higher the TOG, the warmer it will keep your baby.

There are three different TOGs: 0.5TOG, 1.0TOG, and 2.5 TOG. Check the TOG of the swaddle before buying it so that you know how to layer your baby under different temperatures.

• 0.5 TOG: It’s a lightweight version similar to the swaddling blanket. You can use it in warm climates or rooms. If you are okay with a light sheet, 0.5 TOG is the best for your baby.
• 1.0 TOG: This is perfect when your baby starts wearing long-sleeve onesies or footies outside.
• 2.5 TOG: It’s the best during colder winter months because it will keep your baby all snuggly and cozy.

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What you need to swaddle a baby

When it comes to swaddling, you have two options. You can either buy a good designed fitted swaddle wrap or use a blanket. Just use what you prefer.

• The swaddle blanket

If you prefer to use a blanket to swaddle your baby, ensure that it’s made of breathable materials like cotton. The cotton material will help air circulation in your baby’s body and prevent overheating.

The challenges of using a blanket to swaddle are that you need to perfect the technique to be effective.

The blanket should not be too tight because you can harm the baby. On the other hand, a too loose blanket will unfurl, and the swaddling effect is lost.

When buying a blanket, try to look for one with natural fibers such as cotton or bamboo. A perfect quilt for keeping your baby swaddled in comfort.

• The fitted swaddle wrap

You will find various swaddle wraps in the market. The main challenge with swaddle wrap is that babies’ sizes vary, and they wiggle differently.

Therefore, you may buy a few different swaddle wraps before you get the one that fits your baby.

Swaddling Safety Tips

• Temperature

Swaddling can make your baby overheat. That’s why I mentioned above, you should buy a suitable blanket made of breathable material like cotton.

• Let those hips waggle

If you swaddle the baby too tight, then there is a risk of hip problems such as hip dysplasia.

So, make sure they are able to move their legs and waggle their hips even when swaddled.

• Place the baby on the back to sleep

Keep a close eye on the baby as he sleeps to ensure that he doesn’t roll over while swaddling.

When swaddling is done correctly and safely, it can be effective at soothing your baby.

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Conclusion

In order to get their babies to sleep through the night, many parents turn to the tried-and-true method of swaddling. Babies often fall asleep more easily when they are wrapped in a blanket or a specially constructed fitted swaddle since it reminds them of being in the safety and comfort of their mother’s womb.

What, then, should be put on a baby while swaddling him or her? Like with grownups, it’s best to see what temperature your infant prefers through some trial and error.

Understand that daytime and nighttime temperatures vary. Seasonal factors, such as winter and summer, are also important considerations while dressing the baby.

Keep in mind that the TOG value of the swaddle or blanket that your baby is wrapped in determines how many layers to dress the baby while sleeping.

See also: High-Quality Yarn for Baby Blanket