Question About Swaddling

We swaddled until she grew out of her swaddler blanket at about 5 months. She kept kicking out of it and by morning her hands were free and she was waving her arms around. My first thought was to buy a bigger swaddling blanket and I did order one, but by the time it arrived, she had adjusted to sleeping without it. She slept through the night.

Then she learned to roll over onto her stomach. She would roll in the middle of the night. At first she would get stuck there and cry. We tried using a wedge to keep her on her back, but she usually found a way to get onto her stomach eventually. Again, she adjusted and it seemed she preferred to sleep on her stomach anyway. She's a restless sleeper and winds up in all sorts of positions, but she usually still sleeps through the night despite the commotion.

Now that it's getting colder at night we put her in footie pjs and then put her in a sleep sack.

My daughter was swaddled until about 6 months old. I started trying to get her out of the swaddler when she was about 5.5 months and she just wasn't ready (woudln't fall asleep without it). But, I tried again a few weeks later when she was coming out of it by morning and she was better. The one thing I did which really helped was I put her in a sleep sack and just didn't put her arms out the holes when I put her down (I just tucked them inside and zipped her up). By morning, her arms would be out the arm holes but she still slept through the night and then eventually I was able to put her down with her arms out. Good luck!!

I have swaddled both my boys, the older is 6 yrs, the younger 7 months. I still swaddle the little one, cause he has become used to it and it is a routine. With the older one, I did it until he could get out of it, that way they can wiggle out of it when they want, but still use it as a prop for fallng asleep. at 5 months, your baby might still have the startle reflex, without the confinement of the swaddle I would attribute any early waking to that and probably keep the baby swaddled for a few months longer.

S.,

I swaddled my kids until they kicked out of it at about 2 -3 months old. I used a sleeping wedge until my kids threw it out of the crib at about 5-6 months. Every kid is different, you just have to watch their cues. If a baby is old enough to roll over and throw the wedge out of the crib, the risk of SIDS is about over.

Good luck,
S.

We used a swaddling blanket (the swaddle me by kiddopotamus) until my daughter was about 4 months old and started to outgrow it.
Once she was too big for it, she would unvelcro it or sneak her arms and legs out on her own during sleep. After that, we just stopped using it and covered her from the waist down with a blanket when we layed her down.

We stopped swaddling our son around 5 monthes. We were having a hard time with him wanting to fall asleep in the car in transition to childcare and... there would be mornings that we would go get him and he would have different limbs out of the swaddler. It was hilarious!! He was really becoming a wiggler.
When we stopped swaddling we went to a sleep sack by Halo. It's a nice transition because the baby stays safe because there aren't any blankets to worry about, and the baby stays warm as well. Sears and BabysRUs sell them for sure. They vary on sizes too. :D
The pillows... I've heard a few things. But the general rule I heard is if they are capable of rolling over by themselves in the middle of the night without waking, she'll be okay. We are always told not to use them.

Congrats on your little girl!

We stopped swaddling when our infant wiggled to much to stay swaddled. That was around 2 months of age. Try switching to a sleep sack.

Wedges and other sleep positioners should not be used once your child can roll. It is likly that she would roll over or fall off the wedge and her face could be smothered by the device.

Once they can roll you don't use the wedges anymore. If they can roll they can sleep how they prefer. Also I would say at five months you don't need to swaddle anymore. But if you little one still likes it you can swaddle.

I swaddled my daughter until she was about 6 mths old. Upon my dr's recommendation we bought the Miracle Blanket which was a life saver for us. I stopped swaddling her when she started to get out of it and would wake up. I tried to slowly break her of it - (leaving just in feet out etc..) did NOT work - we just stopped it cold turkey - it was tough for awhile but eventually she got used to it. Good luck!!

We swaddled both of our boys until they could break out of it and stay asleep on their own. They were probably around 4 months old or so. I never used a sleep positioner with either of them so I really don't have any advice on that.

We stopped swaddling once our son could "break free" on his own. It was a tough transition for him. What helped was to roll up two blankets and place them in his crib. When he was asleep, I would lay him in his crib and place him in between the two blankets so the blankets were from about his tummy down. It gave him the feeling of security to have the rolled blankets cuddled around him. After about 20 minutes or so, I would go in and remove the blankets as I didn't feel comfortable leaving them with him once he was sound asleep. If we didn't do this, the second we laid him in his crib he'd cry. This really helped him transition. Personally, I'd avoid the wedge.

swaddle until baby prefers to not be. when shes old enough and strong enough she will most likely wriggle her way out of a swaddle no matter what you do. that would be the time. :P

just follow your heart, in ALL things. no matter WHO it goes against. we cant trust our doctors, friends, even our family to know our child as well and as closly as we do. trust YOURSELF. dont do ANYTHING with or to your child that you dont feel comfortable with. NO ONE has to answer for how you parent except for you, and if you go against your instincts for someone else's misguided advice, you will regret it later.
:D
www.askdrsears.com is a good site for any and all information parenting. dr william sears had 8 kids - he would know right? he never used the cry it out and other disconnecting methods, and has 8 happy, healthy, connected, respectful kids to show for it! :D

again, trust yourself!

Our son was swaddled until 8 months! I was just so afraid to lose the great sleep we had. In the end both his arms were out. We started with one arm out only. That went well. So then we went to both arms. That went well, so we finally quit swadling and he did great. He did not suffer in any way from being swaddled so long, which was also a worry.

Using the wedges is generally not recommended due to SIDS. I have heard stories from mom friends that used them and found their babies in all sorts of scary positions with them.

Good luck, and don't worry too much. It all seems to work out!

We swaddled our baby until he was able to break free on his own around 3 1/2 months. At five months we walked in to find him sleeping on his tummy - and he has never stopped! Even the day care would lay him down on his back and allow hime to sleep on his tummy if he rolled over. He slept so much better on him tummy, and started sleeping through the night around the same time. Our ped told us that once they are strong enough to roll over on their own they will and the SIDs risk is very low. Good luck!

Swaddle her as long as you can find a blanket big enough to wrap her in.

My daughter had colic (& reflux) until she was 7 months old. She was kept swaddled every day for much of the day to help keep her soothed, and she stayed swaddled during the day until the colic seemed to be gone. The only reason we stopped swaddling her at night is that she grew out of the swaddle blankets (at closer to 10 months). By this time, she was wriggling out of the blanket on her own and was still sleeping fine.

when my kids were that tiny we had a family practioner that believed that homeopathic remedies should be tried before drugs. (he is the father of 9 with 7 in teens and twenties so he must be doing something right)
he told us that swaddling is great til they can wiggle themselves out of it and that those wedge things are a waste of money. if you are afraid that the baby is gonna roll, roll up 2 bath towels and put one on each side. but after they learn to roll they can roll themselves back. just dont put any blankets in the bed. warm jammies are enough.