When Do You Stop the Swaddle??

I couldn't keep my daughter swaddled either b/c she would just wiggle out--pulling her arms up and then swinging legs up and down, and then she grew and the receiving blanket was too small anyway... so I did a "fake swaddle" by folding a receiving blanket in half and laying it over her so I could tuck in the ends under her sides. if you want her legs covered too, use 2 blankets, one to wrap the legs and the other folded in 1/2 like above. We also love the sleep sac.

Hi A.,

I am so sorry to do this, but I have to completely disagree with the other response you got from Iris. I have a 7 month old who still gets swaddled. I had the same experience you are having when I tried to get rid of it, she just did not get the same quality sleep as she did with it on. I asked the pediatrician about it and he said "By all means, swaddle her as long as you like. It is actually the very safest way for them to sleep. I wish people would swaddle up to at least a year." I was so relieved. He said that it in no way prohibits their growth or motor skills, and they will eventually be rid it of it on their own by wiggling out at night. My daughter is developmentally on track, her motor skills are perfect and she sleeps so soundly with her swaddle on. She certainly gets free at night and I don't re-do it, letting her make that adjustment on her own. I use the kiddopotumus swaddle that velcros, so it is actually easier for her to get out as she wants to. They make sizes that go up to 25 lbs. Hope this helps! Whatever choice you make, just know only you know what's right for your little one. Good Luck!

It doesn't hurt anything to have them swaddled! I also asked my pediatrician and she said it hurts nothing!!!!! If they sleep better that way, buy the bigger size swaddlers! kiddopatums make them in bigger sizes.

Hi A.,
I found the MIRACLE BLANKET to be the answer to all my swaddleing problems. I got it as a shower gift and as my 4 1/2 month old is getting stronger and stronger, I continue to be able to use it because there is no "size" it just adjusts to their body size. Like the other mom said its like a straight jacket but stretchy and my baby is TOTALLY developmentally ontrack and advanced..I think good sleep is WAY more important for development than being able to move ones arms. Go to Babycenter.com... they sell them there... and if you dont like it, they will take it back NO QUESTIONS ASKED!!!:) They are kinda pricy but buy 2..one on her and one in the wash:)

We swaddled our son for a good couple of months and then transitioned him to a HALO sleep sack when he seemed to not enjoy the swaddle anymore. One of the books we read said that babies who liked a swaddle might like the sleep sack because it gives their arms a bit more freedom but still keeps them cozy and warm. Our son is now 2 and still uses a sleep sack (bigger size, of course). We know he's warm at night and it's comforting for him. You can see them at www.halosleep.com. It can also help infants/toddlers from climbing out of the crib because they can't lift their legs over the sides. I wouldn't worry about mobility though, because he can walk around the house still wearing his sleep sack, and they now make them for early walkers with feet holes in them.

Hi, A.. You can actually google this stuff and what I found was that you are suppose to do it for the first month or so, but with my children at three months I had pillows at both sides of their body and put the blanket on top. That way they are out of the swaddle, but still feel cozy with the pillows holding them still. If anything, your baby will get use to it after awhile. They adjust to things pretty fast, but you have to stick through it because you're the one waking up. I also found out that swaddling too long may prevent their motor movements from developing so you definitely should stop doing it. Good luck!

I.

I just stopped swaddling my daughter last week. She turned 6-months today! She is my fourth child and I didn't swaddle the others this long b/c I didn't have a Miracle Blanket. I started swaddling her with the Miracle Blanket at 2 months and she immediately started sleeping 9-10 hours. From 2 to 6 months I would try having her sleep without it every few weeks and EVERY time she would wake up every hour or two. The beauty of this blanket is that the baby can't wriggle their arms out, it's like a straight jacket with little flaps that wrap around the arms and back under their back. There is a "pocket" for their legs that allows some movement, but I stopped putting her legs in it around 4-1/2 mos. b/c her legs were too long. I just stopped using it altogether b/c she started waking in the middle of the night even with it and I decided she was ready to sleep normally. I had to "sleep train" her (let her cry it out at the 3:00 am waking) and this only took 2 nights. Now she self-soothes and is sleeping 7p-5a. She wakes and goes back to sleep until 7am. There are other brands of swaddling blankets but this is the one I had heard lots about. Older babies just wriggle out of regular blanket swadddling and then wake themselves up. I just read the other reply post and I'm not sure about swaddling and how it may affect their development. My daughter seems fine. She's almost crawling at 6 months. She even figured out how to roll over with the swaddling blanket on (legs out). This is a big reason I thought it's time to stop, although she really seemed to still like it. Hope this helps.

Dear A.,
I am a mother of three grown children and now I am a marriage family therapist intern. When my three children were newborn infants I recalled that I would transition them from being swaddled to a more loosely wrapped (i.e., under the arms, thereby allowing them to "see" and "explore their hands which allows practice for hands/eye cordination, exercise, exploration...entertainment...and perhaps a bit more time for you to sleep;)...Well, soon after my children transitioned from being wrapped up like a "snug bug in a rug," I simply, propped them on their side with a tightly rolled receiving blandket placed securely and supporting the lengthen of my baby's back. I found that when the back has support, my babies would be less likely to fuss (i.e., less anxious). And the added benefit of this support is that when your baby is ready to crawl, they only need to plop on their tummies and have at it. I hope this was helpful. Enjoy their babyhood because my youngest will be leaving home (i.e., for college) in less than 6-months. With regards, T.

Hi A., I am going through the exact same thing with my 3 month old daughter. My son loved to be swaddled and we did it until nearly 6 months with him. It was such a hard habit to break, that I thought I would try and break it early with my daugher. Well, we tried it this last weekend and she was miserable, so today, I just put her back into it and figured I would try again later. It broke my heart that she wasn't able to sleep.
With my son, we started leaving one arm out for awhile and then when he was used to that, we took the other one out and left the rest of his body wrapped. Maybe this will work for you. I may have to do the same with my daughter. It takes awhile, but at least it isn't so shocking for them. Good luck and just know that you are not alone in this dilemma. I'm surprised that there aren't more people that go through this!
Let me know if you come up with any good ideas!

H.