My almost-4-month old has slept very well when swaddled. We tried to transition him out of it when he outgrew the small size, to no avail. That little guy just cannot sleep well without being all tucked away. I'm thinking about trying to get him out of it once again...any suggestions?
You ladies are just awesome. Thank you for your kind and insightful input! I have decided to leave him comfy and swaddled until he lets me know that he just doesn't need it anymore. Why take him out of his comfort zone...I know I wouldn't like to be removed from mine!
There are so many opinions on swaddling. I thought my kids needed to be unswaddled by 3 months, but we kept going back to it. My general rule of thumb is when they are able to self-soothe & roll over, stop swaddling. There was a couple month difference between the end of swaddling for my twins.
My 2nd son insisted on being swaddled until he was 10 months. Just had to find some bigger blankets, once he was that big we just "swaddled" the top of him (not his feet). I don't think there's anything wrong with swaddling them as long as they like it, it's just a comfort/security thing, no harm in it.
My daughter loved being swaddled until about 6 or 7 months old too. We never thought it a problem. She just gradually out grew it when she was ready. She would remove an arm or two herself, loosen the swaddling herself by moving and she slept just fine. We knew then to not swaddle her so tightly. Gradually it got looser and looser. It was a gradual thing that she did, not us. He'll do the same when he's a little older and when the weather is a little warmer.
Our son slept swaddled until 6 months. At that point, we started wrapping him tightly sleeping on the wrap, and when it loosened from moving around, we just removed it from the crib. It took a few nights to adjust, but he did just fine. We did let him continue sleeping in the side bumpers during that transition period, but he started moving out of them to go to sleep. At some point, even if you have to keep swaddling, he's going to be moving around so much that he won't stay wrapped. If you haven't done it yet, start with taking one arm out and then the other. That will help him get used to the freedom. GL
I also had a swaddler. I was nervous to stop swaddling because he slept so well. I think at about 4 months or so I stopped. I discovered that once he started rolling he prefered to sleep on his stomache (although it made me VERY nervous at first), so not being swaddled he was able to roll over and still sleep soundly. I think you'll just have to be brave enough to try it out and see how he does. Good luck.
Ditto what everyone else said. Try the Miracle Blanket if you need a larger swaddle. We used it from infancy to 8 months. The 'wings' are really long and he never out grow it.
Put him in a "Halo Sleep Sack." Kids are warm and still feel swaddled and comfortable with the closed feet. But they have room to stretch their legs (my son could even walk up and down stairs in his). They reduce the risk of SIDS and suffocation from blankets on their heads with kids who are in that age range and who start to roll or move around. Most babies who like swaddling love them. You can put on a shirt underneith to keep arms warm in the winter, and just the sleep sack and diaper in the summer. I am a big fan. They make bigger sizes (all the way up to age 5, with leg holes), so if it becomes a favorite with your baby you can use it as long as he wants.
i had two ideas that might help. maybe try a sleep sack so he stays covered but he can't cover his head. next make a safe little nest in his bed. i know we aren't supposed to use a bunch of blankets and stuff but if you make a little nest he may feel more secure. you will have to use your judgment on what feels safe to you. if you are putting him in a crib maybe try laying him next to the bumpered side(this is the only way my 5mo will sleep. next to the bumper with her face smooshed in it.) or try him in the sleep sac in a moses basket or basanette. some times the big expanse of a crib can be overewhelming for little ones that like to be bundled. for one of the babies i used to watch i had to make a nest in her bed that was like laying in my arms, then i had to lay her on her side just slightly. eventually she woudl lay on her back once she was in a deep sleep. i think some kids like to be bundled because they make jerking movements in their sleep and wake themselves up. maybe if you make a space that is super comfy your little guy will be able to fall back asleep if he does this. good luck
I always kept my babies swaddled as long as possible. I even wen t so far as to make new swaddle blankets that were big and could be wrapped nice and tight. I hated the thought of the transition, but really it never ended up being as bad as I thought. I think the trick it to do it in stages. Try wrapping your baby with one arm out, then two, then looser and looser. Do this over the period of a few weeks so that he gets used to each stage of unswaddledness. It may be hard at first, but it will get better. Otherwise, head to the fabric store, buy a yard and a half of two kinds of fabric, sew them together, and you have a swaddle that will last for several more months! ;)
My little boy loved being swaddled too, to the point where I was wondering if I was going to have to swaddle him on his honeymoon! We kept swaddling him until he was close to 8 months, then I just went cold turkey. It was rough for a couple of nights, but after 2 or 3 days he was sleeping like a champ again without being swaddled. I just couldn't figure out how to "wean" him out of a swaddle! Too loose, and the blanket became a hazard in his crib. Good luck! We did the same thing with the pacifier, and again it took a couple nights and he got over it really quickly.
WHY? Let the little one sleep the way he is comfortable until HE is ready to make the change. Babies develop and change when they are ready. I once learned that we have to learn how they like things and not try to make then do things they way we think it should be. Just relax and be happy he sleeps well! It is not a big deal to swaddle the babies.
I swaddled my son, and their wasn't really any transitioning done on my end. When he was 9 or 10 months he just would start to unwrap himself and after a hile, I just didn't wrap him anymore. My suggestion is just let him decide when he is sick of it, and he'll let you know.
Keep swaddling him! I heard you can do it up to 6-8 months and if he sleeps well just continue.
I think when he doesn't want to be swaddled he will let you know. It is a security thing. Remember he was in your tummy all warm, he probably likes that feeling of you holding him. The blanket being wrapped around him may feel like he is being held by you. Don't worry so much. My son wore a little hat for ever. He wouldn't sleep without it. I think it made his little head feel warm.
CL
When my son got too wiggly to stay swaddled, he'd cry every time he wasn't wrapped tightly enough. I finally figured out to just keep his arms from moving. I laid him on the blanket and wrapped the blanket over his arm, then lifted up his body and tucked the flap under him. It ended up looking like he was just wearing blanket sleeves. After a while, he still got out of that and I just stopped re-wrapping him and he got used to it. This way was good because the blanket would get loose little by little, but he didn't have complete freedom right away. I hope this made sense. It worked well for us.
About me...I am a Navajo mom of three kids (11,8,6). My kids were in a traditional cradle board until they were around 8 months average. It helped them to sleep swaddled like that. They preferred it. I am of the opinion that if it ain't broke don't fix it. Your probably going to have a better rest too.
