I think Swift takes his time revealing the meaning so the reader must understand his satiric arguments before the full meaning of his irony and satire is revealed. There is, of course, nothing "modest" about Swifts proposal. Eating babies is part of it, which, although satirical, makes the title ironic. The entirety of “A Modest Proposal” is satirical because it makes fun of other grand ideas that people have proposed to solve big problems in society. The proposal itself—that the Irish should eat their babies—is satirical, too, because it makes fun of people who propose absurd things thinking that they are practical.
