A new study reveals that the traditional practice of swaddling may help babies sleep, the Wahpeton Daily News reports.

The study was conducted on 16 infants age 6-16 weeks. Babies who were swaddled slept longer and were less likely to wake up spontaneously.

During the study, the infants spent several hours sleeping unrestrained and several hours swaddled with sandbags and bedsheets wrapped tightly enough so they couldn’t move their arms or legs. All infants were placed on their backs. Swaddling increased the baby’s total amount of sleep as well as non-rapid eye movement, a light sleep compared to when they weren’t swaddled.

Try it if you haven’t already. If you think your child prefers arms out, try it again. They may surprise you after a few nights of getting used to it again. Sleep is important for the whole family. If it works – everyone can get a good night’s sleep.

Get the full story at www.wahpetondailynews.com