When to Stop Swaddling??

I swaddled my daughter until she was about 6 months old. My daughter's biggest problem was that her startle reflex was so strong that if I put her down on her back, she would startle and wake herself up. I used the Swaddle Me brand swaddle blankets in a small size (for her, the tighter the swaddle the better) and got to the point when she got too tall that I just cut the seam at the bottom of the blanket so it wasn't too short for her. Once she could roll over on her own, I stopped swaddling her and put her to bed on her tummy. You could also transition her from swaddles by putting her on her side using a sleep positioner/ wedge pillows. It will minimize her startle reflex and hopefully you two can get some rest. Good luck!

Every baby is different in terms of when they need to give up being swaddled. If you're daughter isn't ready, try the Miracle Blanket (www.miracleblanket.com) that will allow you to swaddle bigger/older babies.

Good luck!
C.

J., at 2 months she's still a tiny baby. and some babies prefer or need to sleep semi-swaddled, or wrapped up, well in to the first year. don't worry! this is pretty typical. i still wrap my son up in a blanket at night and he's 13 months. when you daughter is happy with her arms out, you'll know, and until then i wouldn't worry about it.

I do remember those days, or nights really! My daughter was between 3 and 4 months old when I stopped swaddling her. It took her a few nights to get used to the feeling of her arms free. I think I actually first stopped during her naps and then moved to no swaddling at night. She was doing the same thing, pulling her arms out. The only way for her to get used to it was to do it. It took a few nights but then she was fine. Good luck!

I swaddled my little one for almost 5 months. At that point she worked herself free and rolled over on her tummy to sleep. So, I removed the blanket and put her in a Sleepsack. She is still in that at 7 months and still sleeps on her tummy. I say keep trying because they really do seem to sleep better---mine did anyway!

Keep swaddling- if you can't find bigger swaddling blankets buy a twin size sheet and cut it in to the right size- we just bout one on sale and made four blankets out of one sheet, then hemmed them- it is super easy and cheap if you already have a sheet at the house.

Good luck....

L.

Hi! I swaddled my youngest until he was rolling over well. I got some of those pajamas that have the swaddling connected to them. With the blankets, he would wiggle and kick in his sleep and be upset when he woke up without the swaddle. I put a link to what I'm talking about below, but no, I've never purchased from them. I am only using the link to show you a picture example of what I'm talking about. My son loved these. He remained swaddled all night, and warm. He grew out of them and no longer seemed to need them later.

Good luck!

http://www.mystrollers.com/shop/product.aspx?ref=pricegra...

Every baby is different obviously but I swaddled my little one until he was 5 months old. He just slept much better swaddled. They even make a large swaddle blanket for bigger babies and it worked wonderfully (I think it's called the Snug & Tug). When I started to transition I would only swaddle one arm. When he got used to that I would take the other arm out. Hope this helps!

I swaddled my daughter until she was about 6 months old. Eventually she became too strong and would work her way out of the wrap, so things just naturally ended on their own. She transitioned into being a great swaddled sleeper to a great non-swaddled sleeper. Don't worry if you little one still needs this for a bit. The important thing is that you are both getting sleep, and she is being taught to sleep for long periods of time. Good Luck! Take Care.

My son stopped needing the swaddle at 5 months, but we still did it anyway. Swaddling doesnt hurt, so you can do it as long as it works. To be honest, we still wrap him in the blanket (he is 16.5 months now) but it is a signal of bedtime, not necessary for him to fall asleep. If you need a good swaddle blanket for a bigger baby (because they get big and those blankets dont work as well) I recommend the Swaddle Blanket which Nordstrom carries. It is 30 bucks but it is awesome!!! And you only need one (two if you are concerned about needing to wash it when you need baby to sleep.

I have had friends that have swaddled their children up until 6 months of age. You can get bigger swaddle blankets. Try the Miracle blanket. I don't have personal experience with them as my daughter hated being swaddled but I have heard these blankets are great.

Hi J.!

My son had a very strong startle reflex and would wake himself up almost immediately without the swaddle. The reflex goes away around four months old, and we swaddled Ethan till he learned to roll over at almost five months. (You can't swaddle after they can roll due to suffocation potential if they roll on their faces and don't have their arms free to push up.)

I'd recommend the Miracle Blanket as the swaddler that kept him comfy and sleeping through the night!

Good Luck,
D.

I swaddled my DD until a few weeks ago (she's 5.5 months old). You just need to find some big receiving blankets (I got some as a gift from Target (flannel)), or get one of the Kiddopotamus (or similar) swaddlers that has velcro closures. They make them for larger babies, and it worked fairly well for me.

I think as they become more mobile, they get used to going to sleep without being swaddled.

Good luck!

I would just move to a bigger blanket if your daughter likes swaddling. Maybe try putting some velcro on the bigger blanket so you can attach it. My daughter hated swaddling so we didn't do it too long, only a few weeks. There are many blankets on the market made specifically for swaddling, if you haven't tried those you might want to give them a try.

Hi J.. I have a 9 and a half-month old boy and I actually still bundle him loosely with a light receiving blanket each time he goes down for a nap and for the night. Even though he always wiggles out of the entire blanket, he still likes to begin his sleep with it. I've tried it without and he just won't settle down at all. So for my baby, bundling him before sleep just helps him get in the mood, so to speak. So, I still do.

I found at that age and ocassionally since then, I had to use a stronger bundle method to contain his arms, which always worked in that it would settle him down quickly and he would sleep, and so would we.

You can buy a special bundle blanket with velcro that nicely cuddles your baby and still contains his arms. It worked for me. All the best.

My little one was at least 4 months before she no longer needed to be swaddled. Have you gotten one of those swaddle blankets they sell at Babies R Us. It has velcro to hold it together so the babies can't wiggle out and wake up. This blanket was a life saver!

Hi,
I totally understand with your situation. My daughter did not learn to sleep unswadlled until 7 months, and I thought that it would never happen. We started using those special swaddle me blankets with the big piece of velcro around 3 months because the regular blankets were no longer containing her. Around 6 months, we started taking one hand out and leaving the other hand still bound. My daughter would wake up with scratch marks on her face, but she did eventually learn to sleep unswaddled at 7 months. By the way, she was always a pretty good sleeper for naps and night sleep, she just always needed to be swaddled. So go get one of those large swaddle me blankets!

I finally stopped swaddling my son at 6 months because I was the only one who could do it so he couldn't get out. When I was out, he wouldn't sleep well, so I had to wean him. I swear by the Swaddle Designs blanket:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3016264
He was a big boy and if it was tight enough, he rarely got out. Good luck!

PS When I weaned him, I did it without his arms and then switched to a sleep-sack.

Use the HALO sleep sack (the one with the arms for swaddling...can be found at any Babies R Us). I used mine with my VERY LARGE baby for 3-4 months. The sleep sack is large enough to accomodate for bigger babies.

I swaddled my son (and daycare did too) for at least a year. When they get bigger you need to get bigger swaddling blankets. At first I didn't think it was working b/c he'd get his arms out and fuss, but then a friend lent me "The Happiest Baby On The Block" DVD and they went through details on the correct way to swaddle (we referred to it as the straight jacket approach)--the transformation was pretty amazing for us--our son stopped fussing so much, slept longer, and was a much happier baby. Definitely check it out!

She will outgrow her "startle reflex" soon. Until then, get slightly larger, waffle weave blankets - it is harder to break out of and easier to swaddle :) (they are stretchy)

J.,
I swaddled both of my boys till they were about 8weeks old. They then started doing the same thing you are describing. I did what most parents think is unthinkable, we put our sons to sleep on their sides/stomach with their head sideways. That way they could not flail their arms and slept much longer than being swaddled alone. They are now 4 1/2 and 1 1/2 and doing great.

Good luck.

C. G
Mother of 2 beautiful boys and expecting a little girl in 6weeks!

My son turned 5 months a week ago, and we just recently stopped swaddling. The blanket I was using is still bunched up at the bottom of the crib just in case, actually. I made it myself from linen-like fabric I got for $3.50. It's about 42 inches square. There was a professional nanny who specializes in sleep techniques on my birth board who recommended swaddling blankets be no smaller than that. I got muslin for $1.50, which is an even lighter and more breathable fabric (that's what Aden & Anais use, you're basically just paying for instructions and a pretty design). I was lazy and ended up never sewing the seams onto the muslin fabric, but the other one has been working out fine.

I know one lady on here recommended a couple of soft toys, but your baby is WAY too young for that. I've read that you don't want soft things in the crib with the baby until they're a year old. At least wait until the baby has GREAT neck control and can roll over both ways. There is a real risk of suffocation.

So anyway, my baby at first was the same way, and didn't like to have his hands tucked in. I persisted though, and eventually he would give me the biggest smiles as if to thank me for bundling him up. He would eventually work his way free, but I think the struggle helped to put him to sleep. What I've been doing lately is just nursing or comforting him to sleep, then laying him down on his side with a pacifier. He'll either stay that way or roll over onto his tummy.

My boys stopped swaddling relatively early on. I have a girlfriend who swaddled her daughter though until she was about 4 or 5 months.

I have a 6.5 month old and I still swaddle him every now and then. I can't see why it would be a problem until you can no longer find blankets big enough to work. Also...you may try only swaddling with one arm wrapped. I do this with Keagan and he still feels cozy without getting too hot or stifled.

Hello J. -
I have a three month old daughter and I only swaddled her for about three weeks at most. She did not like her hands tied down just like yours :-)
Mine was waking up because she was scratching herself, so I had to make sure that her fingernails were cut short. I also used the no scratch mittens or fold her sleeves on her pajamas (you know, the ones that have little flaps).
I think she learned to sleep without waking herself up in a matter of a couple of weeks. Just be patient!!!

Hey J. =)
I don't quite remember when we stopped swaddling our daugher (now a year old)...but I do remember that when we did swaddle her she did kind of the same thing. What we ended up doing is putting her in light pjs (so she didn't get too warm) and swaddling her in TWO receiving blankets AND a "swaddle me".

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2265535

**They come in all different colors and in S, M, and L sizes.

It made it to where she didn't get out of it at all. Eventually she just wouldn't sleep being swaddled but then again all babies are different. =) Good Luck! A. T

J.,
I've had three children and only learned how to swaddle correctly with number 3 (I'm a slow learner!) I also watched the video mentioned in a previous post and it really helped me understand how to swaddle and why it is so important. I swaddled number 3 for 4 months and she slept so much better than the other two. Gymboree has larger blankets that aren't to thick for bigger babies. If you can get them on sale they aren't too expensive. I also know some moms who made bigger blankets for their babies. Good luck!

You should stop swaddling baby when the baby can flip over on its own.

For my daughter, I stopped well before that. They swaddled her in the hospital, but she always got her arms and legs free at home. Essentially, I put her to bed swaddled by she would quickly work herself free. I would put her to bed in footed pajamas or sleepers both of which had her arms free so that when she got out of the blanket she was still warm, but she was a January baby.

I never did anything to get her used to sleeping that way, that was how she wanted to sleep.

My son slept swaddled until he was about 5 months old. By then he was sleeping well through the night, and he made the transition to sleeping with his arms out smoothly. We tried to do it earlier, and had the same problems your having. One thing that helped as he got bigger was to double up- I'd put him in a "swaddle me", and then swaddle again in a receiving blanket. Of course, it was winter then, but it might be okay if your house is air conditioned. Hope this helps!

My kids stopped on their own but they still like to feel something next to them and be crammed in (for lack of a better explanation). My daughter (1 1/2) likes to have a stuffed animal butted up against her on either side.

I think most times it is a security issue - they like to feel something next to them. Try it and see if it works.

Good luck!

My girl is 3 1/2 months old, and we are still swaddling her. I highly recommend the miracle blanket - it's the only swaddle blanket that has worked for us. It still works for us, even though she is 25" long!

Good luck!