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Swaddling practices in neonatal and early infant care: A bibliometric network analysis
Nilufer Yildirim1, Ayca Balmumcu2, Semra Elmas3
1Department of Public Health Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Erzurum Technical University, Erzurum, Turkey; Visiting Scholar, Johns Hopkins University, School of Nursing, Centre for Global Initiatives, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA.
Objectives:
The aim of this study was to bibliometrically map and analyze the scientific literature on infant swaddling, focusing on publication trends, thematic structures, influential contributors, and existing knowledge gaps.
Method:
Publications related to the keywords swaddl*, traditional swaddling, and infant swaddling were retrieved on April 26, 2026, from the Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus databases. Publication type was not used as an exclusion criterion. The data were analyzed using the Biblioshiny interface and the bibliometrix R package.
Results:
An examination of the 119 publications identified regarding infant swaddling reveals that the majority of the literature has been published in the United States, with the second most prolific nation publishing on the topic of infant swaddling being Turkey. The journals with the highest publication output were Pediatrics, Advances in Neonatal Care, and The Journal of Pediatrics. Related to these journals, the majority of their publications have been published on topics related to the management of pain in infants, sleep and wakefulness needs of infants.
Conclusion:
A large portion of the scientific literature regarding infant swaddling is fragmented in relation to its thematic and geographical focus. Future publications should focus on research conducting longitudinal studies on swaddled and unswaddled populations, as well as on studies that examine the beliefs of different cultures regarding swaddling and help the public and parents gain knowledge about proper swaddling techniques and strategies.
