I have a three week old infant that sleeps swaddled. She won't fall asleep unless she has her legs swaddled tight. I am concerned about the risk of SIDS with the light blanket and warmth factor.
She was in a breech position inside and came out with her legs straight up to her ears. I am not sure that I need to worry about weening her, but she might not be able to sleep later without a blanket. She will eventually grow too big for a receiving blanket to swaddle her snuggly.
Any thoughts???
Swaddling decreases the likelihood of SIDS. It does not increase it. I swaddled both my kids until 6 months. I'll never regret it. They were happy and so was I.
Many moms of swaddlers that I've met raved about the miracle blanket. (They affectionately called it a baby straight jacket, but the babies loved it!) I also had an ECFE teacher who recommended just going to JoAnn and getting a nice, big piece of fabric for swaddling, preferrably one with a little stretch to it.
I do/did have a baby that was a addicted to swaddling. We used the receiving blankets at 1st but she outgrow those - my dr told me about the miracle blanket. Go to www.miracleblanket.com - it worked out great for us. We ended up swaddling her until she was 6 mths old. It was hard to break her of the habit but she now sleeps and has been sleeping w/o it for along time. It was spring when I had her so we would either just put her in a short sleeve onsie or just her diaper in the summer so she wouldn't get too hot. The miracle blanket is cotton so it's not so bad. There's also another blanket that I heard of but I can't remember what it's called - I'm sure if you do a search online you'll find lots of stuff. Our daughter wouldn't sleep w/o being swaddled. If that's what your baby likes now - do it!! You need your rest too - and she feels more secure that way. Let me know if you have any other questions. Take it from me when you do try and break her of it - do it cold turkey. She may also just not want to be swaddled anymore and that will be that!!
Good Luck!! and congrats!!
A.,
We've used Halo sleepsacks for both of our kids. In fact, my son (20 months) still uses it today! The leg area isn't tight, but you could tuck it in tight around her. I am a worry wart and would never cover my kids with blankets-these work great!
See them at https://www.halosleep.com/. I just looked, and they have a new one made for newborns that's much tighter, that would be perfect! Target even carries the regular ones now.
Good Luck!
:) C.
Our son slept swaddled until almost 8 months, and weaning him off was easy at that point. He's a big guy, so I had my mom make larger light weight blankets for him. He slept so much better swaddled, and actually as they get older and want to roll onto their tummy, this keeps them on their backs! Make sure the face is clear, the room not too warm, and maybe only use a onsie under the blanket. There is nothing wrong with swaddling, and when they are ready, it is easy to wean.
We swaddled our daughter until she was about 6 months old. We used the ones from Babies R US called "Swaddle Me." Don't worry about the risk of SIDS with swaddling. Just keep any other free-floating blankets and stuffed animals out of the crib. The Swaddle Me is so tight and holds with velcro that it will never be a problem. You can get a nice fleece one that will keep her nice and warm.
I wouldn't worry about weaning her off of anything just yet. She's so little! Swaddling helps many babies sleep, and is perfectly normal. You should be ok as long as you're using a light blanket...actually, swaddling helps prevent SIDS, as long as her face is uncovered.
My son slept swaddled until he was 5 months old- we used a "swaddler" for when he was bigger- you can find them at Babies R Us. So what if she may always want to sleep with a blanket...you'll find that "lovies" will help so much when she gets older, with comforting her and helping her soothe herself to bed.
Don't worry...just enjoy this time- it goes WAY too fast!
A.,
Believe it or not I still lightly swaddle my daughter and she is almost 6 months. She loves the security and sleeps a lot better. If you go to Babies R Us you can buy swaddle blankets that are like little sleep sacks with velcro. This way they are secure and warm and cozy. Since you have a new born you would get a small size but they also have medium and large. Don't worry about SID's because then you will never sleep. Good luck to you. The new born stage is so amazing.
My twins loved a good,TIGHT swaddle!!! I am not aware of a SIDS factor. I swaddled for months, until they didn't want it, got themselves out. I had a homemade fleecy version of a swaddling blanket. We called them the "burrito rolls"
I am a PP Doula and most of the babies I work with are swaddled which helps them sleep much better. I have found about 4-5 mo as they get bigger and more active and able to turn over, they find their own way out of the swaddling and don't want to be swaddled anymore. They still sleep fine. You can easily make a larger blanket out of flannel because most of them you buy are smaller and only last a few months. Just take 1 1/4 yds of flannel and hem all around which makes a 44 inch square blanket.
