Wrapping up baby no longer hip

WRAPPING babies may help them settle faster but doctors warn the practice is behind a three-fold increase in major hip problems.

swaddled

WRAPPING babies may help them settle faster but doctors warn the practice is behind a three-fold increase in major hip problems.

New mothers are advised to swaddle their baby to help sleep and avoid the startle reflex but constricting the legs can lead to hip dysplasia, or malformation of the hip socket.

Associate Professor Peter Cundy, head of paediatric orthopaedics at the Women's and Children's Hospital Adelaide, this week told an international conference in Denver, Colorado, that his research showed swaddling is a preventable risk factor.

"There is evidence Australia-wide that we are seeing an increase of hip dysplasia," Dr Cundy said. "We used to see only four a year at this hospital, now we are seeing 10-20."

All babies are checked at birth and looseness of the hips is the most common abnormality, with one in 20 babies experiencing some form of instability.

But late-onset hip dysplasia at three or six months is thought to be caused by tight swaddling that straightens the legs and can pull the legs out of the hip socket, Dr Cundy said.

Websites selling trendy tight swaddling products have led to a resurgence of the disorder in Australia, the US and the UK.

"There's quite an industry making suits that have baby trussed up," Dr Cundy said.

"The enthusiasm for wrapping and swaddling and putting them in a specialised cocoon garment we believe is damaging babies' hips.

"There is good evidence that swaddling helps baby settle and sleep.

"But you can do harm to your baby's hips."