How to stop swaddling a swaddle junkie....

Capitalchick

Mon, Nov 14 2011, 3:52 pm

My 5-month old still has some major startle reflexes. I think it's because she loves being swaddled and has always been swaddled tightly for naps. Now I just feel like I should help her learn to sleep without the swaddle.

Has anyone successfully taught their kid to sleep without swaddling? She startles all the time and wakes up! She can't seem to fall asleep comfortably if she's not wrapped super tightly. Thoughts?

5*Mom

Mon, Nov 14 2011, 4:07 pm

But why? She clearly has a need and it is age appropriate. If you do not meet that need the only thing you will be helping your 5-mo-old learn is that her needs will not be met and she is unsafe. I recommend wrapping her "super tightly" the way she likes to be wrapped and don't give it another thought.

IloveHashem613

Mon, Nov 14 2011, 4:11 pm

Capitalchick wrote:

I'm also confused as to why you would take away her swaddle when she clearly needs and benefits from it. Every baby will eventually outgrow the swaddle, at some point they won't want to be confined but as long as she likes it, its good for her and helps her sleep better, so why take it away? Just keep swaddling and she'll let you know when she doesn't want the swaddle anymore. If it makes for a happier baby and a more sane mother, I don't understand why you would interfere espcially its not something unhealthy for the baby.

Capitalchick

Mon, Nov 14 2011, 4:13 pm

Thanks for your comments, ladies. 5*Mom, don't think I haven't thought of that. I guess the thing is that, once I go back to work when my daughter is 12 months old (I know, I know, that's a long time from now), I want her to be trained to be an easy sleeper - meaning I can put her into her crib awake and without any 'props' and have her go to sleep alone. The daycare requires that, so I wanted to start the training early to make sure that we have enough time for her to learn to sleep like that.
I know this may sound insane....maybe I'm just not thinking straight because I'm tired....

Capitalchick

Mon, Nov 14 2011, 4:17 pm

One critical piece of info that I've left out is that she's a HUGE baby (5 months and wearing size 12-18 month clothes) and she's outgrowing her swaddle-me blanket. That's another major reason why I feel pressured to teach her to sleep without it. She'll just be too big for it very soon.

I suppose I could go buy some jersey material and make my own super-sized swaddler....

IloveHashem613

Mon, Nov 14 2011, 4:19 pm

Capitalchick wrote:

A 12 month old is VERY different than a 5 month old...I highly doubt they will still need a swaddle at that age. I swaddles my daughter til 3 months, then she started breaking out of it so I stopped swaddling her, and I didn't do the cry it out method until she was 8 months old...it took a week of letting her cry but she eventually got it and since then has bli ayin hara been a great sleeper, you have lots of time

chocolate chips

Mon, Nov 14 2011, 9:33 pm

At 5.5 months my baby started growing out and it was a few awful nights when he would try get his hands which were out of the blanket but still tied down and end up screaming so I put him into a sleeping sack...took a few nights for him to get used to it (I also used another blanket to lightly tuck his hands down) and now he is BH sleeping good again.

Try buying the summer sleeping sacks that come with a separate swaddle piece (babies r us have them)

5S5Sr7z3

Mon, Nov 14 2011, 9:46 pm

Capitalchick wrote:

Or you can use any cotton blanket. I never had the 'real' swaddle me thing, I just used a large burping cloth or a blankie

Capitalchick

Mon, Nov 14 2011, 9:59 pm

I was also thinking that maybe, when I'm really ready to stop swaddling her, I could start gently loosening the swaddle a little more each night and see how that goes...

chatouli

Mon, Nov 14 2011, 10:02 pm

I really wouldn't worry about day care seven months from now. My DS was swaddled until 6 months and he went down for naps with no struggle at all at that point. The only reason we unswaddled him was because nothing stayed on him - he could get his arms out of everything we tried at that point. So we just swaddled him with his arms out and gradually transitioned him into a sleep sack. It was totally fine. Don't worry Smile

When she is ready, she will let you know.

MommytoB

Mon, Nov 14 2011, 10:10 pm

All my kids were different but my oldest who thrives on routine needed to be swaddled. I found a massive blanket and swaddled until 9 months. Then she went through a couple of night of crying and ot settling down and I figure dif she is already crying, I should take away the swaddle (her arms were out at this point anyways), and as soon as I took away the swaddle and laid her back down...she went right to sleep.

Baby 2 was around 6 months, baby 3 was 2 months (just that type of baby!) and baby 4...I really do not remember and baby 4 is only a year now! But it was around 4 - 6 months I believe.

So...I would not take away a swaddle blanket that is clearly helping. If she learns to sleep now, it will carry over. If you take the blanket away and she starts waking up often, it might set you back on scheduling her sleep.

the world's best mom

Mon, Nov 14 2011, 10:29 pm

Studies show that babies who are swaddled for sleep until they are at least a year old have healthier brain growth than other babies. They sleep more deeply, and feel more secure. Why would you want to stop it now?

While a year is a long time, babies usually stop wanting it before that. I would continue as long as she feels secure and comfortable being swaddled.

amother

Tue, Nov 15 2011, 8:08 am

My daughter needed to be swaddled but I was never smart enough to actually do it. She was an awful sleeper. Now that she is a toddler, sometimes when I put her to sleep, I see that she turns and lies across the crib, at the very head of it, so her head and legs are in the corners. She really needs to feel confined and cuddled to sleep. She certainly learnt to fall asleep all by herself, so you should have no worries here. But keep in mind, some kids just need that feel cuddled all the time.

MMCH

Tue, Nov 15 2011, 8:57 am

why would u stop???? one thing ive learnt is that if something is working (age appropriate) for sleeping dont take it away!! its not worth it!! my DD was the exact same, she loved that swaddle soo much..and I also had same concerns(baby whisperer can you make crazy abt props) and once I thght it was time to stop, DD basically unwrapped herself one limb at a time..until she was basically not swaddled...if it comes to her being closer to 12 months and shes swaddled, then take it away...but for now get all the help u can get!!

hoboken

Tue, Nov 15 2011, 9:01 am

we were told by the pediatrician that as soon as the kid can roll over onto his/her stomach, you must stop swaddling. which is exactly what we did at 4.5 months when I woke up one morning to find my little guy on his tummy. we immediately stopped swaddling and switched to a sleep sack wearable blanket. it was a rough week, but we made it thru! good luck!

AlwaysGrateful

Tue, Nov 15 2011, 9:26 am

I agree with everyone else here, and both my ds's were big swaddlers. They both stopped well before 12 months old. No reason to mess with something that works, especially when it's age-appropriate and the baby will likely grow out of it.

If you said you were going back to work in a month, I would answer differently (maybe). But six months from now is twice your baby's life! A lot will change, and swaddling will probably be one of them.

It's hard to know, as a first time mom, what is "normal and age appropriate" and what is "oh no she's going to be like this forever!" I guess that's what imamother is for, right?