Many 19th- and early 20th-century scientists believed that accumulating wastes in the colon triggered a state of âauto-intoxication,â whereby poisons emanating from the gut produced infections that were in turn linked with depression, anxiety and psychosis.
There is no absolute age for when you must stop using a swaddle. How long you swaddle your baby past 3-4 months will have to be determined by you based on your assessment of your babies needs, the risks, the benefits, the mobility of your baby and good old mama intuition. Some babies just absolutely need to be swaddled longer in order to sleep more than 20 minutes at a time. My two youngest were swaddled until 7 and 8 months of age. I know of babies that have been swaddled well past one year of age and swaddling longer can be especially helpful for little ones with special needs.
Doing a Basic Swaddle. 1  1. Lay out the blanket on a flat surface. Arrange it in a diamond shape. 2  2. Fold down the top corner of the blanket. The fold at the top should be about as long as the baby is tall. 3  3. Place the baby. Lay down the baby on the blanket, so that his or her neck is on the fold.  4. Move the baby's arm into position. Gently place the baby's arm at his or her side, and hold it in place. Alternatively, you can hold it bent towards their chest/tummy, like they are in the womb. This is harder to swaddle tightly, though your baby will be more comfortable.