Swaddle Swagger for Colic, Fussiness and Reflux Symptoms

Have you found your swaddle swagger, or have things unraveled quickly in your house? 

In my mind, swaddling just makes sense. Doing what you can to transition your baby from the comfort of the womb to the real world. It might not work for everyone but there's some science behind the practice. 

Swaddling was critical to help my first born through his full six weeks of colicky behavior. Second child was swaddled from the get-go, but we had to be flexible for his safety and comfort due to his reflux (ex. avoiding when being propped up, etc.). We used light-weight swaddle blankets and the ready-to-wear velcro variety.

I WISH I had found the following resource from "The Survivor's Guide to Colic" online, before I had worked my way through all the other "S" techniques with my first born, you know sucking, ssshing, swinging, etc.:
Snuggled up Tight - Swaddling Methods to Settle Crying Babies . This article shares the purpose, the risks and the techniques to get your swaddle on. There's also a nice diagram via Peggy's Buzzfeed  article on baby hacks. 

However, when it comes to reflux babies, swaddling might work or it might not, it's all about trying to find the right comfort methods. One consideration is that crying can aggravate reflux further, so if the right swaddling technique helps reduce crying, it may also lessen the reflux. 

As with everything on this site - it comes down to your Doc's Advising, Your Gut Instincts and your Trials & Successes. 

Swaddling may help keep things together, but try not to get discouraged: there's not a blanket approach to caring for a fussy newborn.