How to swaddle a baby safely and when to stop

Swaddling is optional and does not reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Your baby can sleep without being wrapped. If you choose to swaddle, the aim is a secure upper wrap with room to breathe and move the hips and legs.

A cloth wrap and a ready-made swaddle need different fastening methods. Use the steps below for a simple cloth, or follow the exact product's weight, size and fastening instructions.

Before you start

Prepare a clear cot or Moses basket with a firm, flat mattress. Keep it in the same room as you for every sleep for at least the first six months. Leave out pillows, duvets, bumpers, toys, nests and positioners.

Choose a thin muslin or thin cot sheet. The Lullaby Trust advises against using blankets for swaddling because of overheating. Do not put extra bedding over a swaddled baby, and never swaddle while bed-sharing or when your baby has an infection or fever.

How to wrap and check a cloth swaddle

Start with your baby lying on their back. The International Hip Dysplasia Institute describes this cloth-wrap method:

• Make the top edge. Lay a square cloth flat and fold one corner down. Position your baby with the top edge no higher than their shoulders, leaving the head and neck outside the wrap.
• Wrap the first side. Gently bring one arm beside the body. Bring that side of the cloth across the arm and chest, then tuck it under the opposite side of the body.
• Wrap the other side. Bring the other arm down and take the remaining side across the arm and chest, tucking it underneath.
• Leave the lower part roomy. Fold the bottom end loosely and tuck it behind your baby. Leave enough space for the knees to bend and the legs to move up and out at the hips.

Check the finished wrap before putting your baby down:

• The chin, mouth, nose and neck are clear, with no fabric that can ride up over the face.
• The chest has room to expand with breathing. Do not pull the cloth tight across it.
• The hips and knees can bend. Do not bind the legs straight down and together.
• The fabric stays secure, with no loose ends that could cover the head.

If the wrap comes undone or your baby wriggles out, remove it from the sleep space. If you cannot keep it secure without tightening it excessively, use an alternative below. A midwife or health visitor can help you check your technique.

Always put your baby down on their back, never on their side or front, for naps as well as overnight.

Clothing, warmth and weighted products

Use minimal clothing under the swaddle and keep hats off indoors. Check the room with a thermometer: 16–20°C is the recommended range. Follow a ready-made swaddle's clothing guidance and check your baby, rather than choosing layers by the season alone.

Feel the chest or the back of the neck. If the skin is hot or sweaty, remove a layer. Cool hands and feet alone are not a reason to add more. Our guide to room temperature and baby sleep clothing covers warmer and cooler rooms.

Do not use weighted swaddles, blankets or sleeping bags for a baby. Added weight can put pressure on the chest, and weighted bedding brings overheating and head-covering risks.

When to stop swaddling and what to use instead

Stop at the first signs of trying to roll, even if your baby has never completed a roll. This may happen during awake floor time before you notice it in the cot. Do not wait for a particular age.

Rolling attempts during awake play are a sign to stop swaddling. The baby shown is awake, with their arms free.

A swaddled baby who rolls onto their front may be unable to use their arms to move back. Stop using any wrap or bag that compresses the arms, chest or body. Once rolling signs appear, a one-arm-out transition is not a reason to continue swaddling.

An unweighted, arms-free sleeping bag is an option if it meets your baby's weight and size requirements, allows free movement and fits securely around the neck, shoulders and armholes. Check our sleeping bag safety and TOG guide before switching. Use it instead of the swaddle, with no blanket on top.

You can also use suitable sleep clothing, or a lightweight blanket tucked firmly below shoulder level with your baby's feet at the foot of the cot. The blanket is an alternative to swaddling or a sleeping bag, not an extra layer over them.

Keep placing your baby on their back. If they roll before they can roll both ways independently, turn them back. Once they can roll from back to front and back again themselves, you do not need to keep repositioning them.

When to ask for advice or get medical help

If your baby was premature, has a medical condition or was swaddled for a medical reason in hospital, ask their care team about the approach at home. For a known or suspected hip problem, seek advice from the GP or hip team before wrapping; follow any prescribed harness care.

Do not swaddle an unwell baby. If you suspect fever, use a digital thermometer in the armpit, but do not delay an urgent call to take a reading or adjust clothing.

Get medical help immediately for 38°C or above under three months, 39°C or above at three to six months, or a temperature below 36°C. In England, the NHS's baby-specific urgent-help guidance says to call 999 or go to A&E for these readings. The routes differ across the UK; our baby fever guide explains the service to contact in each nation.

For other concerns, including suspected fever without a reading, poor feeding or fewer wet nappies, contact your GP or phone 111 now. In Northern Ireland, contact your GP or GP out-of-hours service.