My son is almost 6 months old and still wants, and needs to be swaddled to sleep. When I wrap him up, he fights it but as soon as he is secure he calms down and falls right to sleep. I have tried swaddling him with one arm out, but he just keeps rubbing his eyes and can't go to sleep. I use a swaddle blanket (basiclly a baby straight jacket) but sometimes while sleeping he wriggles one or both arms out and wakes himself up and then can't get back to sleep until I wrap him back up. I have just been waiting for the day when he "just decides" to not want to be swaddled, but he is almost 6 months old! Should I just keep waiting, or should I try to teach him to sleep without it? He just started sleeping through the night and sleeps so peacefully when swaddled, so I hate to disturb that, but I worry that he is just too old to still want to be swaddled. I guess my question is, is it hurting him to still be swaddled so much? Any suggestions would be great. Thanks!
Everyone is so kind and supportive. I appreciate you all taking the time to ease my mind about swaddling my son. At our 6 month check-up, I asked my pediatrician about this and he agreed with what most of you said - if he wants to be swaddled, then swaddle him. He said there is no harm, developmentaly, in swaddling babies and that he will outgrow it on his own. I really appreciate all of the advice given to me, especially those of you who said that your children were the same way. It is always nice to know that my baby isn't the only one! You made me feel more confident and helped me remember that my son is my best guide when it comes to telling me what he wants and needs. Thanks again!
KEEP SWADDLING!! Sleep is so important. I have read 2 great books--- Happiest Baby on the block by Harvey Karp and Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth.
Maybe at night he is not swaddled tight enough since he gets his arms out. I swaddle my 3 1/2 month old with one arm out so she can suck her fingers/thumb for soothing. Good luck
He will let you know when he is too old to swaddle. To hell with self soothing, too. My husband tries that junk, and all it does is upset my little man. He is only little once, and he will have PLENTY of time to self soothe once he doesn't want his mommy's comfort anymore. You know your baby best. All crying is going to do is raise the baby's blood pressure, so make him happy and comfortable until he can speak the language and tell you what he wants. I doubt someone becomes a serial killer because they were loved too much or swaddled until they were over a year old! Amen, and swaddle away!!
A., I just want to say that my daughter is the same way. She'll be 6 months on February 7th. The only way she'll put herself to sleep (most of the time) is if all her needs are met and she's swaddled with her paci in her mouth. She does manage to loosen herself up if she wants or needs it, but she LOVES being in a burrito. My only issue is that she's getting to long for the kiddpotomus swaddlers and the blankets she likes to be wrapped in. I sometimes will put her in a gown and wrap the sleeves behind her but I'm trying to figure something out for when she can't fit these anymore. I don't know if you know of any other things that I could swaddle with but I wanted you to know you're not the only one with a 6 month old who still wants swaddling.
KC
Hello! I am a single mom of two kids. A boy who is 6 and a girl thats 2. I would just like to share how i feel about how to tell if a child is too old for something. Some may not agree but its worked for me so far. I think that if a child needs something to help make him more comfortable with this new life he has just come into then give it to him. There is nothing wrong with your son wanting to be swaddled. It makes him feel safe. He should eventually grow out of it. Once he becomes more confident about the things around him. But if you're really worried then you can try holding him snuggled up with the blanket(not in it) untill he falls asleep. Maybe he'll just get used to sleeping with the blanket and not have to be wraped up in it. I'm not saying it's not going to take some work but you just have to bear with him. A few tears and some sleepless nights later you'll be on to other motherhood problems....;) They do grow up fast. I hope I have helped even just a little. Thank you for listening. J.
I wouldnt worry about it and would not feel inadequate as a mother! Everyone is different when they sleep, I like to get the blankets all tucked around me and sleep snug and my husband barely covers up and sprawls out. As long as your baby is getting the time outside of his Burrito to roll and work the muscles, I would not worry about his sleep preference. I am sure it is annoying since you have to get up and rewrap him, but this too shall pass. Some day you'll wake up and miss the nights when you got that extra 5 minutes of snuggle time in!
If you really want to try to break him of it, perhaps you could get some activities for him to do in his crib, like the Fisher Price aquarium etc that would let him hang out in the crib and do something, perhaps even fading off to sleep with out being wrapped. That could help get him used to being in his bed and not being swaddled. I think some of those crib toys even have remote controls that you could activate the music/lights from teh doorway at night so he could be soothed back to sleep that way, with you him needing you in some way to assist him back to sleep. It worked for one of our twins but not the other (just for night wakings, not swaddling, they were too cramped in utero and never liked to be swaddled after birth!)
Good luck!
My philosophy was to always give the baby what they need. Be patient with him. He will out grow it soon enough. Always appreciate your children because they don't stay little very long.
Its not really a big deal if he wants to be swaddled unless he is managing to roll over at night. My son has hated to be wrapped from a few months on, but thats just him... Some babies just need a little extra something to feel secure, and since you obviously aren't going to be able to hold him every second while he's sleeping swaddling is a good way. If he is rolling over while swaddled then you'll have to stop doing it though because it could make it harder for him to move creating the risk of SIDS. When you stop he'll wake up many times throughout the night and you'll need to go over..pat him on the back, whisper to him, give him a pacifier if he likes those...whatever it takes for him to know you are there even if he's not swaddled. Eventually he will realize its ok to sleep because mommy always comes back to comfort him, mommy is always there. My son Wiley went through this for a while at 5 months and I picked him up at first then it was just patting...then just talking to him standing next to the crib, and then finally talking to him from across the room...eventually he was able to comfort himself because he KNEW mommy was around.
Hi A.! :-)
You're doing a great job with your son! I know it seems like he's too old to be swaddled, but my thought on that is, if he likes it, and he's secure with it, then let him be comfortable and swaddled. :-) Babies always need that secure feeling, whether it comes from you, or even a swaddled blanket around them. It's not unusual for babies his age to still want that snug feeling because that's how they are in the womb. I can't recall when our son stopped wanting to be swaddled. I do however remember him taking his arms out of the blanket all the time and loosening it up on himself and that was our clue that he didn't want the tight feeling any more. Then after that, we made sure that when he sleeps at night, he had on warm jammies and a blanket half way up. Just up to his waist.
For now, keep him swaddled since that comforts him. He'll be just fine. And you're doing a great job! :-)
Yes, he is too old to be swaddled. According to the medical professionals, he needs to be able to have mobility to roll over, self-soothe, and move in order to keep up with his developmental milestones. Also, he could be at risk for a bedding accident if he is able to get himself free...and could entangle himself in the blanket. He may enjoy swaddling, but he will have to develop ways to sleep - which may take some time to wean him from it. You may want to wrap him more loosely and then remove the blanket once he's asleep, or wrap him as usual, and then when he's almost asleep (or asleep) take him out and lay him down.
Good luck!!
Keep doing what you're doing. If it works, go for it. That's what I was told!
Dont think of it as a "baby straitjacket". Think of him as your little Baby Burrito! I LOVED that phase but my boy wasn't having that within 3 days of being out, he wanted to STRETCH. I barely got to enjoy it.
A. if your son wants to be swaddled then swaddle him. It won't hurt him. All children are wired differently and some children just need to be swaddled longer than othe children. By swaddling you child you are giving him what is called deep pressure input and some children need this to help themselves calm and be able to go to sleep. My son was the same way.....we were still swaddling him when he was 6 months old and now he is a happy healthy almost 4 year old. So if it he wants to be swaddled, then swaddle him!
I always look to alternative medicine for answers. Sure, I would keep swaddling him, too, but then I would get him to a cranial/sacral therapist OR perhaps a homeopath. You may be witnessing a behavior that is trying to warn you of something to come. Or, he could just like to be cozy! I'm not trying to worry you. I'm just proactive with my babies when I see small signs and I like to think that is why they are so healthy today.
My second son is 12 weeks and not sleeping through the night. I'm envious you have something that works!
B.
Hi A.,
I have a daughter who is now fifteen months old. She wanted to be swaddled until about 10 months. In fact, my mom had to make special blankets that were big enough to wrap her up. Then one day she was done with that, but to this day she carries those blankets everywhere. Now in order to go to sleep she has to have the same blankets my mom made and she rubs the corner of them on her nose until she goes to sleep. That is what makes her feel safe and happy so that's how we do it.
I say, help him feel safe and happy and he will figure it out as he grows.
Good luck!!!
S.
