The science behind why swaddle bags work

Image: Tommee Tippee the Original Grobag Swaddle Wrap

When having a baby, it can be hard to know which products are worth the money, and which ones are clever marketing. 

The good news is those swaddles you’ve been mulling over are well worth the investment. 

In our latest TMB TV Facebook Live, sponsored by Tommee Tippee’s Original Grobag, we spoke to Jenna Gore, founder and director of Sleep Science Guru, a multi-award-winning sleep consulting practice. Jenna shared some of her favourite tips and tricks for helping babies sleep – and one of her top tips is to put baby in a swaddle bag when going to sleep. She even shared a little bit of the science behind why this works.

The Back to Sleep Campaign

It all started with a baby sleep study by a British doctor, Peter Fleming, in 1987.

“A study was done in the ‘80s, which led to the Back to Sleep Campaign being launched,” says Jenna.

“One thing they found was we should put babies on their back to go to sleep, because it significantly reduced the risk of SIDS.”

While the SIDS rates reduced, it became apparent that babies were waking up more. 

Watch the full TMB TV chat below:

“They found that they [babies] were waking a lot, and startling themselves,” says Jenna. 

The startle reflex, also called the Moro reflex, is one that develops between 28–32 weeks of gestation and usually disappears between 3–6 months of age. When this reflex is triggered a baby will extend their arms, which can cause them to wake up.

“When babies are born… they have this startle reflex,” says Jenna.

“And when lots of parents were placing bubs on their bellies for sleep, the mattress would help calm that startle reflex.”

So once babies were turned over to their backs for SIDS-safe sleeping, they started startling – and waking – more.

Why swaddles work

That’s where swaddle bags, like the Tommee Tippee the Original Grobag Easy Swaddle, come in. 

The Original Grobag Easy Swaddle has a 4.5 star rating from Tell Me Baby reviewers. They love the snuggly cotton, the two-way zip (which makes night time nappy changing so much easier!), and acknowledgment as a hip-healthy product from the International Hip Dysplasia Institute (IHDI). (Read the reviews here.)

Not only are the Grobags easier to use than complicated wraps, but they also help to stop babies from waking themselves up.

“Babies come from the womb where it’s pitch black, cramped and as loud as a vacuum cleaner,” says Jenna. “What this [swaddling] actually does is helps calm that startle reflex and also bring them back to a womb-like environment.”

But that’s not all.

Another great pro for using a swaddle bag is that it helps create “positive sleep associations”. 

“If your little one is going down using a swaddle or a sleeping bag, it helps create that positive sleep association,” says Jenna. 

“Every time that little bag or swaddle comes out, they know that sleep time is coming.”

And that, in turn, will hopefully lead to more rest – for bub and you.