Weaning from a Swaddle

I'd say, if it ain't broke... :) She start to fight it when she doesn't want to be swaddled anymore.

Hi S.

I didn't stop swaddling my older son (now 2.5 years old) until he was 11 months old! He loved it and would sleep really well with it. We actually had to go out and buy fabric so that my mother-in-law could make us bigger blankets to swaddle him in. After that we did transition him to the sleep blankets by first using them at naps and then eventually at bedtime.

Good luck!

I gave up on swaddling VERY quickly, lol. I could just never get the hang of it and they wouldn't stay swaddled for more than a few minutes. But, then again, my babies refused to sleep on their backs and slept with me for quite a while (my son who is 10 months old still sleeps with me sometimes). So, for us, swaddling didn't make sense. If she's not uncomfortable being swaddled, then it should be fine to continue doing so. Just make sure the swaddling blanket you're using is big enough for her. You might also want to ask her doctor just in case. I would think that at her age it would start to become a bit confining. But, then again, some kids (and even adults) like to be tucked in tightly. Not me, lol. :)

My guess is that she isn't sleeping very long because her arms are free and she's moving around more than she is used to. Is she rolling over yet? That also may explain it. When my son started rolling, he would wake up frequently. IF you are wanting to 'wean' her from being swaddled, you might try just wrapping a blanket loosely around her or fastening the swaddling blanket looser (I have never used one, so I'm not sure how they work) so that she begins to become comfortable with having more room to move.

Hope that helps.

God bless,
A.

Hi S.,
I used those velcro blankets too and I didn't start weaning my son from them til he started kicking his arms and legs free. AFter he could get out of the swaddle blankets, we moved on to the Sleep Sacks (they're in the same area as swaddle blankets in Babies R Us). They provided a little restriction so his transition was easier. And we still use them now (he's almost 18 months). Good luck!

I think you should wait a while....I think that she will let you know when she is ready to move around in her sleep.

Hey, as long as they sleep I wouldn't change a thing. Somepeople just like the comfort of being tucked in tightly. When I got married I had a hard time, I used to sleep with my bed so tightly tucked in the I slid in from the top so it would stay tight. My husband couldn't stand for his feet to not have "room". The first thing my husband does to a newly made bed is get in and lift his feet straight up, untucking the end of the bed. The first few nights we were married were very hard for me but I got used to his ways. I do love when he is out of town though because no one does this to my bed and it stays all nice and tucked in. Even after 20 years of marriage this is the one thing I miss.

Hi S.-

I'm embarrassed to admit it, but my daughter had to be swaddled until she was 11 months! We tried several times without it and she would do the same thing your daughter did...wake up after 15 minutes or so. At 11 months we went cold turkey one day (started with naps and then at night too) and she went right to sleep with no problem. It's hard trying to swaddle as they get bigger, but it was the only way we could get her to go to sleep! I'd say your little one isn't ready yet :).

L.

HI S.,
I have a four month old boy and he was swaddled until he was three months old. At that time he was either kicking out of the swaddle or waking us up in the middle of the night to try and get out of it. At that point I decided to transition him out of the swaddle because he seemed so frustrated with it. He also was becoming increasingly active and the swaddle was too restrictive. All I do now is put a receiving blanket down in his crib, then wrap it around him underneath his arms so that his arms are out of it but his legs and midsection are wrapped. Then I lay another blanket over his legs but far enough down that he can't pull it over his face. He really transitioned well to this. He likes his arms up above his head so I think that is why he was fighting us so much with the swaddle. I don't know what your daughter thinks of having her arms covered but if she is fighting the swaddler, this was a nice in-between swaddle that my mom showed me and it has worked nicely for us. Plus now when we are somewhere else and I have to put him down for a nap, all I need is a blanket and I don't have to remember to bring a swaddler everywhere I go!

We swaddled our daughter until she was almost 1 year old. We started to switch her from a tight swaddle to a swaddle leaving her arms free. I agree with the other moms. Do not mess with a good thing. She will let you know when it is time to quit swaddling. As the babies got bigger, we used a larger swaddle blanket. We purchased flannel material 45 x 45 and made our own blankets. They worked better for the bigger girls.
To the advisors who told you swaddling is not recommended with SIDS, we were taught to swaddle in the hospital with both our first daughter who was full term and our 6 week premature daughter. The nurses swaddled many of the babies in the NICU so don't listen to the SIDS talk. I would not add that to your many worries. :-)
Good luck! Sleeping is so important and difficult to achieve. I would not mess with a good thing. Trust me, they change on their own and stop sleeping at their own time.

A.

I swaddled both of my kids until they could break free on their own. My daughter was swaddled until 9 months of age, we just got a bigger blanket and she is still a fantastic sleeper. My son never really slept for me until we started swaddleing him at the age of 2 months. Use your best judgement, and know you still wont be swaddling when your daughter is 4! :)

My daughter was completely swaddled for months. Your daughter will tell you when she's ready to stop swaddling (she's break her arms and legs free as she sleeps). You could try just wrapping her legs in the swaddle and leaving her arms out (that's what we started to do when she was around 4-5 months). But if she's comfortable being swaddled, why not keep doing it? It's not like she will still want to be swaddled when she's 8 years old :)

My daughter grew out of her swaddle when she was around 6 months because she moved around so much. At that point, the swaddle wouldn't stay on and she kicked her legs out of it. Now she either wears a sleep sack or plain p.j.'s to bed and is perfectly comfortable.

Hi,

I am so glad you asked this, b/c I had the same question. So, I asked my LO's pediatrician if swaddling interferes with their leg/arm development and he said no. He also said to continue to swaddle until LO starts showing signs that he no longer wants to be swaddled (his arms find their way out, he finds his way out all the way out of swaddle, etc.). That may be months and months down the road. I also think that being swaddled and the process of being swaddled is a routine sign for them that means "sleep", so they might sleep better simply due to this routine.

So, like the pp's state, don't worry about it unless you see that your LO is ready for the swaddling to stop. My LO is 3 months and he still sleeps best when he is tightly swaddled.

So, don't worry and enjoy!

They actually make a wearable sleeping blanket that has removeable velcro "wings" that you can use to swaddle the the upper body. I used the Halo brand 2 in 1 Sleepsack with swaddle. It may be a good transition to just the sleep blanket. You could try gradually wrapping the swaddle looser. You could also try putting her down for a nap without the swaddle but still use it for night time. If she doesn't sleep as well without it, at least it won't be all night. Hope this helps!

Don't fix what isn't broken!! Our oldest slept partially swaddled (we started putting his arms out and just wrapped it tightly around him from armpits down) until 8 or 9 months old. He had figured out he could roll onto his tummy even with the swaddle. He was sleeping 12 hours at night starting at 2-3 weeks old. One night out of the blue around 8 months old he protested with the swaddle so we undid it a little and by morning he was out of it but still sound asleep. That's when we stopped.

My daughters each started out swaddled, too. One went until about 5 months and the other 7 months.

Trust me... if something sleep-related is working, there's no rush to change it. :-) It'll end soon enough and you'll probably have some other issues to work on.

I would stop swaddling her now. My doctor advised stopping by three months. The moving around they do in bed is important for gaining strength--especially once they begin to turn over, sit up, etc. I didn't use sleep blankets for the same reason. I thought they seemed cumbersome for moving around, especially rolling over. We just put them to bed in a onesie and a nice, thick sleeper in the winter. I can understand where you are coming from, though. My reflux baby could only sleep with her swaddler at first, but the transition was not bad (I can't even remember it to be honest). They'll sleep when they get tired out! Good luck!

Our daughter loved to swaddled as well, and we swaddled her as long as we could especially at night. When we weaned her we swaddled her with her arms out, so that helped in weaning.
J.

Aren't those blankets awesome??!!! My youngest slept great with them and once he hit 5 or 6 months, he started to escape from it and actually, he did just fine without it. I would stick with a good thing, she'll let you know when she's done with it.

I will tell you SIDS education doesn't recommend swaddling ever, even in the hospital. If you have an active baby, the blanket is a SIDS/strangling risk. It's what ever you can live with, if something happened.
R.

My daughter is two and she still loves being tucked in tightly. I see no harm in continuing to swaddle her when she sleeps, you can even try just using a blanket and tucking it under her sides or even laying her on one far side and rolling her up in it like a jelly roll, my daughter loved being rolled over like that. Even to this day I like the feeling of being tucked in tight, there's no harm in it, just one of those comfort things.

I would swaddle as long as your baby wants it.

I was told to stop swaddling because my four-month-old daughter could roll over and started sleeping on her stomach. My doctor said swaddling could increase the risk of SIDS. Has anyone else heard that?? My daughter has had a lot of trouble sleeping (we're using a sleep sack to keep her warm) since we removed the swaddle. I really wish we could just bundle her up!

we swaddles as long as we could get him to stay in a swaddle. They'll let you know when they are ready - they'll start breaking out of it. I think it was like 9 or 10 months with ours.

C.

Hi S. =)

If she is sleeping great swaddled ~ keep swaddling! My youngest son will be 2 next month and STILL does not sleep through the night! ugh! If a swaddler would fix my problem, you better believe I'd be right out there buying one! LOL!

Wean her? I still swaddle my one year old and on occasion my 3 year old. Little ones find such comfort in being bundled. Just move up the size of blanket you use. I use a throw. It is warm and snugly and my kiddos calm down so fast and go to sleep. If your little girl loves to be snuggled, don't take her away from her comfort because she's growing. Just be more innovative in the way you do it. My one year old, as I said loves to be swaddled. I wrap him pretty tight sometimes, but as he matures, he has learned to pop out of my wrap fairly easily. But does he love it and get excited when I pull blankey out of the crib. He knows whats coming and he loves it! I am all for it as long as she needs it. Best wishes!