Less Than Half of Pediatricians Educate Parents of Newborns on Risks and Benefits of Swaddling

Abstract

Objectives: To determine what education parents and what training pediatricians are receiving on swaddling. Study Design: Parents of newborns were surveyed about their experiences with swaddling. Pediatricians were also surveyed about their training and counseling they administered. Results: 100 parents completed the survey. Mean age of patients was 5.1 months. 42% of parents currently swaddled their child at time of clinic visit, while 79% (46/58) swaddled their child at one point. 48% of parents received instructions on swaddling from non-medical resources. 66% reported that they had not been counseled about any risks to swaddling. 49 pediatricians were surveyed. 63%were not educated about safe swaddling practices during their training. 55% routinely educated parents about safe swaddling while 45% discussed the risks of swaddling. Conclusion: With most parents not counseled on the risks to swaddling, there is a need for pediatricians to routinely counsel parents on the risks and benefits to swaddling.