Swaddle Keeper
A modified form of swaddling is still popular today as a means of settling and soothing irritable infants. The lengthy swaddling cloths of medieval Madonna and Child paintings are now replaced with receiving blankets or flannelette sheets. The confinement is supposed to provide warmth and security for a baby who has recently left the womb. Today, many midwives swaddle infants soon after birth and it is now a standard newborn care practice in many hospitals.
These looser wrappings, tucked but not tied, can generally be kicked off by a wakeful baby. They are still useful for keeping the baby warm, without increasing the SIDS risk, because the wrappings stay well clear of the baby’s face and airway. (This assumes that the baby is put to sleep on its back, as anti-SIDS precautions recommend.) By the time the baby is learning to roll over, often around 6 months, it should be sleeping in less restrictive coverings - so it has more freedom to respond when it succeeds in rolling over.
Some medical studies maintain that swaddling appears to be a positioning technique that can enhance neuromuscular development of the very low birth weight infant and that it might have a role in further lowering SIDS risk Research has also found that swaddling helps infants sleep with fewer awakenings and stay in REM sleep longer