Doctor’s advise to mums: don’t wrap your baby

Contrary to the general belief that newborn babies should be kept wrapped, a Saudi doctor has warned against such a practice on the grounds it could hamper the baby’s breath, growth and responsiveness.

Dr Ahmed Kharbouti, a specialist at Dalla Hospital in Riyadh, said mothers in many countries mistakenly believe that tightly wrapping the baby would strengthen the limbs’ muscles and protect the infant against possible scratches that might caused by the baby’s nails.

“All that said about the benefits of the wrap is not based on a scientific evidence that will prove it is right…on the contrary, the wrap causes a lot of harms to the babies as they will hamper their growth, responsiveness to the exterior environment, and their respiratory system,” Kharbouti said, quoted by the Saudi Arabic language newspaper Sharq.

“Wraps also obstruct body waste disposal and this is evident that when the mother unwraps her baby, body waste will come out at once…the wrap also causes skin rash and swelling as is saturated with urea found in the urine and is kept stuck around the baby for some time.”

Khabouti said such practices have remained widespread by time despite their cruelty, attributing this to the fact that “mothers always listen to their mothers and grandmothers and the failure of medical and educational institutions in the Arab countries to play a real role in creating awareness among mothers.”

“I advise all mothers not to believe these rumors about the benefits of the baby wrap…what is said that without the wrap, the baby will grow up with a lean backbone or will not walk properly is incorrect……these claims do not make sense because all babies in other countries will grow up with lean backbone or will not be able to walk properly since they do not use the wrap,” he said.

“Although we have entered the third millennium, we can see that the wrap is still used in almost ever house and by almost every mother.”