Swaddling Babies may Cause Hip Problems

While a large number of mothers believe that tightly wrapping their babies helps them be more secure and prevent colic, a children's surgeon at Southampton General Hospital has warned it could instead lead to the re-emergence of the hip problem that was prevalent 25 years ago. The practice of tightly wrapping the babies, known as swaddling, was eradicated back in the 1980s after it was found to lead to a number of serious health problems.

However with the practice once again regaining its popularity, Professor Nicholas Clarke warned that it could also lead to increased hip problems.

Professor Clarke said that swaddling forcibly straightens the babies legs and thereby prevents the hip joints, which are loosened at childbirth, from regaining their strength. “This form of swaddling used to be very commonly used across the world but, with the help of major educational programmes such as the one used to eliminate the problem in Japan in the 1980s, it was all but eradicated and cases reduced drastically. Swaddlers being advertised on the internet that tightly wrap babies. For the hips, that is exactly what you don’t want to happen”, he said.


Source-Medindia