My 5.5 month old will only sleep soundly when swaddled. I've tried with one arm and that works sometimes, but at night she really won't go down without the full swaddle. We have been using swaddle blankets since she was born and she does try to break out of them. Often she is able to get at least one arm out and I worry about the safety of it since the blankets can move up to her neck and face. I would say her breaking out of the blankets is a sign she is ready to wean from the swaddle, except that she will not sleep without it. Any advice about swaddling safely, weaning, etc... would be much appreciated. Thanks!
I would keep doing whatever works until it stops working. I've never heard of a set time frame to stop. Seems like we started using a sleep sack around 5-6 months only because my dds kept breaking out of the swaddle.
I asked my pediatrician about this when my daughter was 6 months old. She told me that as long as my daughter was getting plenty of tummy time and playtime out of the swaddle, and I was not swaddling too tightly, I shouldn't fix what ain't broke. My daughter decided on her own that she was done with the swaddle at 7.5 months old.
Have you tried the Kiddopatamus SwaddleMe? Something like that is harder for Baby to pull over her face.
If you do decide you want to wean, try swaddling her with one arm out for a little while, as a first step toward weaning. If she is able to sleep that way, then in a couple days/weeks, swaddle her tummy but leave both arms out. Once she can sleep like that, it's a very easy transition to sleep sacks.
Good luck.
There is no set time to stop swaddling if it works for baby. She will let you know when she's done with it. Remember....don't fix it if it ain't broke.
Our doctor said if she got a full night's sleep, why mess with it? We swaddled until our dd was 9 months.
Try a "sleep sack."
Look online or on Amazon.
But eventually a baby has to learn to sleep without it.
And once they start to roll over etc. and get more mobile.
I have a friend whose son loved to be swaddled so much that they only stopped when he got too big for his swaddle blankets around 9 months! My younger daughter loved to be swaddled, too, and we did it until she was about 6 months. Just do what works. If she has another way that she can calm herself (pacifier, blankie, toy), start introducing that at bedtime. That will help when you eventually stop swaddling. Also, if she can roll front to back easily, you could try letting her sleep on her tummy. If she has an active startle reflex, maybe that's why she sleeps so soundly in a swaddle - but my youngest took to sleeping on her tummy when we stopped swaddling her. I think she found it comforting to sleep that way.
Both my daughters were swaddled until around 6 months when they didn't seem to need it anymore. They were both wiggling both arms out within a few hours of going down starting around 4.5 months. As far as the safety concerns you raised, I wouldn't worry about it. If you're using a large enough blanket and swaddling her snugly, even if she gets her arms out the blanket should still remain wrapped around her torso, well away from her neck and face. Even if the blanket unwraps it will be under her and still away from her face unless he is rolling to her tummy in which case she may be more comfortable tummy sleeping.
Hi, E.:
Stop swaddling.
Good luck.
D.
How about moving her to a sleep sack?
My first daughter used the swaddle till she was 6.5 months old and then she was getting out of it so much that I decided to stop. However, no matter when you stop there will definately be a time of adjustment and some sleep training needed.
when my daughter stopped I stayed in her room and layed her down and held her arms down till she was close to sleep to help her learn to relax. it took about a week or two and she was fine, I think if you look back on my questions you will find that I asked the same question hahah I hope everything works out.
Last thing, just be consistant when you do start sleep training without the swaddle, it will help things go a lot faster.
K.
Wow. I am the momma of an adult for sure. I never even heard of this.
Neither of my kids liked to be swaddled from the time they were born. They couldn't stand being constrained. They also never slept on their backs until they were old enough to roll there by themselves. I have a couple of rebels who still enjoy sleeping blanket-free on their tummies with plenty of freedom to move in their sleep :) Good luck!
We just kept moving to bigger and bigger blankets, eventually getting a twin sized sheet and cutting it in half to swaddle my third child in. I think he was a bit over a year when he finally stopped liking it so we stopped doing it. Really, I say swaddle as long as your daughter likes it.
Is the issue that she likes to be wrapped up to go to sleep or that she wakes herself up when her hands go to her face? We used the Woombie for my daughter when she was a baby. It's basically a zip up straitjacket. Much easier to use than a swaddler, and they can't break out of it. It's got a little more give than a swaddle but still keeps baby's arms away from her face. With my older child, we pinned the arms of the sleep sack closed for the same result.
They make some XL size ones that should get you through a full year. After that we use sleep sacks until age 2, and then introduce a blanket and flat pillow at age 2 or 2.5.
