Starfish Therapies

A pediatric therapy company operating in San Francisco and the greater Bay Area. We provide physical, occupational, speech and aquatic therapy services in the most beneficial and convenient setting for you and your child, including our clinic, currently located in Burlingame, your home, school or daycare.

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Swaddling

October 25, 2011 by Stacy Menz

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swaddling is a practice many parents use to help their children sleep better.  It involves wrapping your baby in a blanket with their arms and legs tucked in.  From what I understand there is a specific technique although I have not mastered this technique (generally because I am working with kids and trying to get them to move!).  Many of my friends like to refer to it as the ‘baby burrito’!

I have been asked if swaddling for too long can cause gross motor delay.  There is no research out there on this topic that I was able to find but if anyone has any, please share!

When a few of my friends have asked my thoughts on swaddling I’ve tried to look at it like any other issue.  Many of them wanted to continue this practice so that their child could get enough sleep at night and not wake themselves up with flailing arms and legs.  My only concern was if their mobility was being restricted.  By this I mean were they getting time during the day to figure out movement.  A lot of times when a child goes down for a nap or for bed they use that time before falling asleep or when they wake up to explore their movement and bodies.  A lot of time it can be due to frustration (i.e. they want to get up and so they look for any means to let their parents know this) which can be a key component to movement development.  Many times you will hear a parent say that they first rolled over or pulled to stand in the crib.

For children who are swaddled to prevent excessive movement so that they can get a good night sleep (which is also important to growth and development) its important that they are getting plenty of floor time to move and explore.  This involves tummy time as well as giving them a chance to figure out how to get to the toys or person they want to play with.  Don’t put everything right in their reach, let them figure it out!

If your child is getting plenty of unstructured floor time and tummy time and is hitting their milestones on target then I would use your best judgement as to when you should stop swaddling.

For those of you out there with experience please feel free to share your stories.

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Filed Under: Developmental Milestones Tagged With: back to sleep, developmental delay, education, gross motor development, kids, moms, motor planning, Motor Smart Kids, physical therapy, sensory exploration, swaddling, tummy time

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Our family moved to the bay area 6 years ago, and Starfish Therapies have been a part of our family ever since. Everyone at the clinic is caring and warm. The owner always looks for ways to improve the clinic and the services provided. The therapists are patient, enthusiastic, and know how to motivate the kids to do their best. Even after moving more than an hour away from the clinic, we kept going back to Starfish for intensive therapy sessions every summer! We cannot thank Starfish Therapies enough for helping my daughter to get stronger and to become more independent over the years!”

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