Topic is Swaddling
Today, I would like to discuss swaddling. Here are my questions:
- Did you swaddle your baby?
- If yes, at what age did you stop swaddling your baby?
- If yes, what method did you use to wean baby from swaddle? (examples are one-arm, cold-turkey, etc). Feel free to elaborate.
- If yes, at what age was baby swaddle free?
- In retrospect, do you have any advice for parents in regard to swaddling?
My Answers
Brayden:
1. No–I didn’t think he liked it.
5. I think swaddling is one of the best things you can do to help a baby sleep more soundly and sleep through transitions, so my retrospect is that you should do all you can to swaddle even if it seems like your baby doesn’t like to be swaddled.
Kaitlyn
1.Yes
2. I believe we started around 6-9 weeks old.
3. We started with a one-armed swaddle. We then moved to two arms out, but the blanket still around her torso.
4. Three months old
5. Kaitlyn needed to be weaned earlier than may have been ideal because we swaddled with normal old blankets. If we had used a swaddle blanket, she may have been able to wait longer.
McKenna
1. Yes
2. We started when she was 4 months old.
3. We did the one arm out, then moving to two arms and finally trunk just like we did with Kaitlyn.
4. She was 5 months old when she was fully swaddled.
5. None.
Brinley
1. Yes.
2. We started when she was 4 months old.
3. We are on one arm out right now.
4. She is five months old and still in the process of dropping the swaddle.
5. None
Your Turn!
Answer the questions for your child(ren). Please share all you want to–I think it will be helpful for moms who have babies to hear your stories. And also, it would be helpful if you numbered your answers like I did. This makes it easier for me when I am compiling answers for the results post.
1. Yes! Both of them, twin girls. 2. I stopped swaddling them at 6 months old.3. Used the cold-turkey method. They cried for 14 min on the first nap, then 5-10 min the first night, then they were adjusted fine after that. They just for used to sleeping on their bellies instead. 4. 6 months old (the next day)5. We used the Miracle Blanket to swaddle them once they were starting to get out of regular blanket swaddles. This allowed them to stay swaddled for much longer than most other swaddle products.
1. Yes! Both of them, twin girls. 2. I stopped swaddling them at 6 months old.3. Used the cold-turkey method. They cried for 14 min on the first nap, then 5-10 min the first night, then they were adjusted fine after that. They just for used to sleeping on their bellies instead. 4. 6 months old (the next day)5. We used the Miracle Blanket to swaddle them once they were starting to get out of regular blanket swaddles. This allowed them to stay swaddled for much longer than most other swaddle products.
DD#11. Yes, from very early on.2. 5-6 months. We used the Miracle Blanket which got to short to tuck her legs in, so near the end we just wrapped her arms and left her feet out.3. We tried one-arm, sometimes switching sides. It would be hard for her to go to sleep. She would usually work her way out of one arm or both. It got harder and harder to keep her wrapped tight and eventually had to go cold turkey. It was a rough few weeks and then took several days for naps to get back to "normal," but they did. We went to a zip up sleep sack since it was winter time (sometimes used under the swaddle).4. 6 months5. Swaddling really seemed to help her sleep at the beginning. She used a pacifier some with the swaddle, but once she got an arm out, she started sucking her thumb. I remember feeling like the weaning process was just horrible, maybe the most difficult part of babyhood until we got to potty training! I didn't think I wanted to swaddle future children, but we did and it didn't seem as "traumatic."DD#21. Yes, from the beginning with the Miracle Blanket again.2. 5 months3. We tried one-arm out for a while. Then we dropped the swaddle during naps, but kept it at night. She was super attached to her pacifier and kept it (needed help reinserting for a while) after swaddle was gone.4. 6 1/2 months?5. I'm glad we decided to swaddle #2 (and plan to do it again with #3!). The transition out of it is a little rough, but it can be worth it to help them sleep early on.
Daniel -Yes, from day 1.He was swaddled tightly with arms in as his preference through six months- through winter. Even at 8 months old, he would lay down in swaddle blanket and wait for is to tuck him in. He started sitting and playing in bed around 9 months, and then he would take himself out of swaddle. We had gradual, baby led transition Advice – watch nurses do it over and over, then watch other moms do it, google Harvey Karp swaddling, and buy or make very large swaddles like boutique aiden and Anais size- small ones are just worthless! ElsaNever took to being as cozy and tucked, and always wiggled hand out to sick thumb.Did swaddle regularly through three-four months, then used a sleep sack without sleeves And tucked her around feet. She was side sleeper naturally, think that affected her swaddle.Advice- keep same blankets for both kids! Gender neutral is best.
DD#11. Yes, but didn't start until 3 weeks (which was a mistake waiting, just didn't know better)2. 3 months3. Moved to Merlin's magic sleep suit as she was very "active" in her sleep. used this for several months4. quit using merlin at 8 months i believe5. Start from day one!DD#21. yes, from day one :)2. She is 3 months old now and is using Merlin's Magic Sleep suit
DD #11. Yes.2. 4 months.3. We went cold-turkey. She had started to literally bust her arms and legs out of the SwaddleMe's (that takes some talent). I secretly dreaded loosing the swaddle, I feared she would never get to, or stay, asleep. I remember her first nap without the swaddle, I just knew she would wake up after 45 minutes…I was very wrong, she slept for 2 hours. She never looked back.4. 4 months.5. I highly recommend the SwaddleMe blankets. Let's face it, swaddling in other blankets can challenging…how far to fold the top down, is there more blanket on one side or the other, etc., etc. The SwaddleMe takes much of that guess work away.DD #21. Yes.2. Around 4 months.3. Cold-turkey. Is it crazy that I don't remember much about this process? Weird. She also moved easily to sleeping unswaddled.4. Around 4 months.5. See #5 above.I will say that both of our daughters have been tummy sleepers due to reflux. I have no doubt that made the transition easier.4. 4 months.
1. yes2. I tried to stop at 3 months & then again at 6 months. Both times I tried (slowly transitioning her with 1 arm out at a time), she was not ready, which was obvious since she was doing a lot of CIO to fall asleep & then taking much, much shorter naps. Both times after trying for a week with the one arm out & it failing, I went back to full swaddling. 3. I tried one arm out for periods of time at 3 months & 6 months….neither worked until I had no choice but to stop cold turkey & let her CIO at 7 months b/c she was rolling to her belly swaddled with no arms to help her get back. I was uncomfortable with her being stuck on her belly with her face down with no arms to help her get back over. When I went in to roll her over to her back, she would immediately roll to her belly again. Repeat over and over again. Finally we decided she was better off doing CIO to learn to sleep swaddle free so she could roll back and forth throughout the night and still sleep safely. It took a few days of crying with less quality sleep, but she adjusted just fine eventually. 4. 7 months.5. Looking back, I don't know why I felt such pressure to stop swaddling her at 3 & 6 months. She clearly wasn't ready at either of those times. I was letting other people's comments make me feel insecure about my decision to swaddle. I should have known it wasn't a big deal and that eventually when she was ready we would stop. I think going to the Halo Sleep Sack helped her still feel cozy after she wasn't being swaddled anymore. We actually used that until 22 months when we potty trained her. They come in sizes to use for a long time!
I just want to add to my #5 above….even though breaking Charlotte of her swaddle addiction as we called it was a tough time with a good amount of crying involved, I have no regrets about swaddling as long as we did. Swaddling (and we double swaddled her with a lightweight receiving blanket underneath her Swaddle Me) her helped to develop wonderful nighttime and nap habits from a very early age. When she wasn't swaddled tight, she didn't sleep as well. Weaning from the swaddle wasn't a battle I should have even tried to fight as early as I did. Someday when we have another baby, I will confidently stick with swaddling as long as he/she needs with no fears of having a life long swaddling addiction. We would even joke that her husband would have to swaddle her before bed someday. Haha!
1) Yes, from day 1. We started with the Aden and Anais muslin blankets, then the Swaddle Me, then the miracle blanket, and then once she started breaking out of the miracle blanket, we double swaddled her in the miracle blanket and a muslin blanket.2)We stopped four days before she turned four months old3) We went pseudo-cold turkey. Her day care doesn't swaddle babies, so on day 1 of day care she was introduced to the sleep sack. She didn't nap well that day, so we swaddled her when she got home and did the same for the next two days. Then over the following weekend, we just took the swaddle away. She cried and had a hard time staying asleep for two nights, but by night three she was sleeping through the night again.4. She was swaddle free at 4 months5. I was really scared to stop swaddling her because I thought it would really disrupt her sleep, but within two days of using the sleep sack at night, our daughter was sleeping through the night again. Her naps have definitely gotten shorter since we dropped the swaddle, but i can't be sure if that is because her daycare teachers are getting her up during her sleep transition or if its because she isn't swaddled.
DS (now 4.75yo)1. No, I didn't know you were supposed to after you came home from the hospital.5. Boy was that a mistake! That kid should have been swaddled a loooong time, I believe it would have helped a lot!DD (now 23mo)1. Yes2. At 5mo for most nights – at 10mo for good.3. For the nights – we started putting her to bed after nursing unswaddled. When she woke to nurse at 5am, I would swaddle, nurse, then put her back down for the rest of the night.At 10mo, I think we went mostly cold turkey. We may have spent 1-2 weeks swaddling only her trunk, under her sleepsack, during the transition.4. 10mo5. DO IT! Do it well, do it snug, and get a blanket that they can't break out of. Miracle blankets are great, and if done right, they truly can't get out. When it was colder, we put a snug sleepsack (small enough that it couldn't "inch up" around her face) over the miracle blanket, which helped keep it on even more, but honestly by 4-5mo, she never fought the swaddle anymore anyway, she seemed to love it.And do it for long enough. If your baby isn't rolling and isn't ready to drop it, don't. Also, get a video monitor – you will feel better about having them swaddled when you can see that they are still on their back and sleeping safely.
1. Yes, although I didn't get on board with the swaddle until she was 9 weeks old. I thought she didn't like it, then I found out about swaddle blankets with the Velcro and I was sold. The first night I swaddled was the first time she slept through the night!2. 5 1/2 months3. Cold turkey – she woke up early one morning crying, which is unusual for her (both the crying and waking up early.) I went to check on her and found her rolled over on her stomach, still swaddled. I knew then that it was time to stop, because it became dangerous for her. That day for naps, we unswaddled her. She cried a little bit, the rolled onto her stomach and fell asleep. She had no additional sleep issues after that.4. 5 1/2 months5. In retrospect, my girl probably always liked to sleep on her stomach, however, because of all the AAP stuff about SIDS, we made sure she slept on her back. Swaddling was the only way around this sleeping issue. It minimized the startle reflex and allowed her to sleep through transitions. Once she had reached the developmental milestone of rolling from back to stomach we stopped because she was choosing to sleep on her stomach and we knew she could get there and get out of that position on her own. She had the head control, so we figured we couldn't keep going in her room to roll her from stomach to back (especially when she wanted to sleep on her stomach.) We just went with it and she has been a much happier sleeper. If we have another baby, I will definitely be swaddling from the start!
1. Yes2. 4 months (16 weeks)3. One arm out, alternating which arm, for about 1.5 weeks. Then swaddled on trunk and legs only, also for about 1.5 weeks.4. Just shy of 5 months old5. I think it's ok to take it slow. My older son was so wiggly that he was always getting out of his swaddle during his nap. He had started rolling, so it was time to be done swaddling but he was attached to it, so I tried to take it slowly. 1. Yes2. 12/13 weeks3. I started with one arm out, but he was pretty well over swaddling by this point so we went quickly to both arms out, followed about a week later by dropping it altogether. 4. 15 weeks5. My second little boy was not as attached to swaddling. His ages listed above are adjusted ages. He is a former micro preemie and spent many weeks in the NICU unswaddled before he was big enough to have it. I wonder if he just didn't develop the same need for it as a full term baby might. It's also funny that although most developmental milestones for a preemie come according to adjusted age, there are some others that may develop closer to actual birth age. I am glad my preemie was my second baby b/c it was a LOT easier for me this time around to just know him and go with the flow on timing of things. I still felt swaddling was important when he was "newborn" and his developmental therapist agreed. When he was ready to roll and move, he just wanted to eat his swaddle blankets! So I cut one up and made loveys for him that he adores.
What great timing for this poll (for me at least)!!!!!1. Yes.2. Currently still swaddling my son at almost 6 months.3. Tried one arm-out at 4 months and was not ready.5. We swaddled my son from day one in the hospital. He hated getting swaddled, but LOVES it once he's there. I have the same issue that Danielle mentioned above: that I feel a bit pressured to do it (I give myself the pressure) based on other people's comments. My husband says we'll stop swaddling when he is clearly ready. A couple weeks ago I walked in to his room in the morning and he was rolled to his stomach still swaddled. It was then that I tried the one-arm out again, but Wonder Week 22.5 set in pretty quickly and he couldn't sleep like that. No rolling over problems since then. I will probably try to unswaddle him again after this wonder week.I love the advice from all these parents about how/when to do it.
Charlotte:1. Yes2. 4-5 months3. Started with a one-arm swaddle, then went to two-arms (trunk only). Then we stopped swaddling her during naps and after she got used to that we stopped swaddling her a bedtime. 4. 5-6 months old when she was swaddle free5. Invest in good swaddling blankets, they are SO worth it! The best I have found are from aden+anais.Harris1. Yes2. Haven't stopped yet. He is almost 9 weeks old. 3. We will probably use the same weaning methods that we used for his sister. 4. I hope to have him completely out of the swaddle between 5 and 6 months. 5. We have been using the aden+anais swaddle blankets during naps and the Halo Swaddle Sleep Sack things at night. They seem to keep his arms in a little better than just the blankets. He seems to be able to get out of those and then wakes himself up if arms start flying around!
1. Yes.2. About 5 months, I think.3. Cold turkey since she started rolling back to front while swaddled. (I still use an arms free sleep sack for warmth, but it is loose–a Halo sleep sack).4. About 5 months, same as when I started to unswaddle.5. Personally, I don't see the rush to wean the swaddle. Don't worry about getting rid of it if you don't have to. When it became necessary to get rid of it, that was it, and it wasn't even a big deal for us.
#1 Braxton1. Yes2. 5 months.3. We stopped suddenly at 5 months because he was rolling. He never really struggled with it and was ready for it. He would just roll over to his belly and sleep. 4. 5 months#2 Colton1. Yes2. He is still being swaddled and is 4.5 months. I have done a few naps with one arm out. Only his 4th nap.I am hoping to have him out of the swaddle in the next 3 weeks. I just plan to see how he does.
DS#11. Yes2. I think around 6 months; when he learned to roll from back to tummy we stopped swaddling.3. We started leaving one arm out, then both arms, then dropped it.4. same as #2; it only took a couple weeks to drop.DS#21. Yes2. He's only 2 months old and we're still swaddling and plan to do it for a while. 5. I think babies need swaddling even if they appear to dislike it at first. I think it really helped my babies sleep. It becomes a sleep cue to help them know it's time to go to sleep and helps them fall asleep. After a while, my older son would smile and kick happily when he saw his swaddle blanket. I like the swaddling method from Happiest Baby on the Block for a tight secure swaddle. I love the Aden + Anais muslin swaddling blankets for a lightweight swaddle in hot weather. I like a blanket that's a big square of single-layer knit fabric for cooler weather.
I just had my first child 10 months ago, so I have the one experience to share.1. Yes2. I'm not 100% sure but I'm gonna say she was somewhere around 4-5 months3. Cold-turkey. I never planned to just drop the swaddle, but around the time we decided to she was a) fussing at us rather emphatically about how much she hated being swaddled, she would also break the swaddle no matter how hard we tried to keep her contained, and b) growing too long for the large size aiden + aiden muslin swaddles in the fashion that kept her comfy.4. 4-5 months old5. When you swaddle your baby, I found it best to figure out a way that would keep their arms contained so the startle reflex would be impossible, but the baby is comfortable. I say this because my daughter liked to be swaddled with a little more room for her legs to stretch. When we did swaddle with regular blankets, she always found a way to kick out the bottom. Eventually, we started swaddling in a way where it was still loose at the bottom. For whatever reason, she slept more sound that way rather than completely bundled up.
1. Yes. Miracle blanket from day 12. 4.5 mo3. Cold turkey. He started rolling onto tummy so we stopped.it took about three nights of CIO and he was Sttn again. He is still adjusting to naps, however he is getting two teeth in, so I feel that is more likely the reason for poor naps. 4. I would have swaddled a lot longer had he not rolled over. He loved being all snug!
1. Yes, I did, and I truly believe it was a life saver! She was an amazing sleeper at night since day one!2. We started to wean her at about 4 months when she was able to roll over while being swaddled3. We started with one arm out, then one arm out with just a thin blanket (instead of swaddle blanket)4. It depends on the kid and whether they like to be "free" or "snuggled in" …I think you can tell that from the beginning with how they react when you do either of these things!
DS11. Yes2. He started breaking out of his swaddle blanket around 3 months I think. Maybe a bit older. (We originally used regular receiving blankets then moved to the swaddle me summer infant blankets) 4. I kept swaddling him for bed and if he would break out I wouldn't fight it. Around four months or so I just stopped swaddling his arms. We continued to use the swaddle blanket around his torso as just a secured blanket since it was winter. And I think it helped him from flailing his legs around. We did this until he outgrew the blanket. Then we used te halo sleep sacks. 5. Once they start wiggling and rolling, swaddling scares me. Luckily both of mine stop swaddling before this. DD21 yes. 2. She weaned herself. Around 2-3 weeks old she let us know that she was having none of the arms pinned down. She would break out, she would fuss and scream. 3. We just stopped swaddling her (arms pinned) because it wasn't worth the screaming. She slept fine without it and never really woke early or anything. 4. Around 1 month. But we still use the swaddle blanket as a secured blanket around her torso. I do like something around her legs. I think it helps her feel more secure.
1. Did you swaddle your baby?Yes! She really responded to it.2. If yes, at what age did you stop swaddling your baby?About 3 1/2 months3. If yes, what method did you use to wean baby from swaddle? (examples are one-arm, cold-turkey, etc). Feel free to elaborate.It was a gradual process, starting with one arm out. I actually blogged about it here: http://sarahoutloud.com/2012/12/27/the-12-days-of-swaddle-weaning/4. If yes, at what age was baby swaddle free?By 15 weeks, I believe5. In retrospect, do you have any advice for parents in regard to swaddling?Even if you can tell your baby is ready to drop the swaddle, he or she may still need help doing it. That was the case for our little one! She was definitely ready, but she couldn't go cold turkey. It made for an awkward couple of weeks because she didn't like the swaddle, but she didn't like being out of it either.
1. Yes2. Still going at 9 months, crazily. He needs oxygen when he sleeps and I don't know how else to keep him from pushing the tubing out of his nose.5. Try different kinds if one doesn't work.
1. Yes! As a newborn his arms waving around as he slept freaked him out.2. Stopped right at 3 months.3. Cold-turkey. He suddenly began to fuss every time I swaddled him. I put him in a sleeper and he slept perfectly.5. Advice? Just do it. They are so cute and peaceful all swaddled up!
1. Yes. However we stopped from weeks 2-4 and that was a mistake. We won't do that again!2. We started at 3 months when she began breaking one arm free.3. We did a slow wean from one arm out to both arms out. Then we switched to a Sleepsack. Then went to footie pajamas when she started rolling over in her sleep and became frustrated with the Sleepsack.4. A little after 4 months.5. Do it from the beginning and don't stopuntil they are ready! Also, it's worth it to find the Swaddle that works best for your baby. Our baby loved the SwaddleMe for the first month because it kept her legs tight. After the first month she preferred the Halo SwaddleSack because it allowed her legs more movement.
1) Yes2) We started around 2 months3) We went down to 1 arm swaddle at 2.5 months so he could suck his thumb, then did 2 arms out and wrapped it tight around his belly. Even after we stopped swaddling we tucked him tight under a cover that was tucked in on 3 sides of the mattress so he felt secure. He never rolled over in bed until around 9 months so I think he felt very secured!4) It was fully dropped by 6 months5) I think we swaddled way too long on one side. Our son showed a very strong right arm domination from 3 months and that hasn't changed. He is now 18 months. We have had to work with him to get to use his left hand much. He can do it but chooses not to. The PT says he is fine and that is usually caused from reflux, but I think the swaddle with one arm out added to it.We really liked the SwaddlePod because he could move and suck his fingers but it still was enough so the Moro Reflex wouldn't wake him.
1. Yes2. 5 months3. Around 3.5/4 months I took one arm out, but she seemed unsettled, so we went back to full swaddle. She sleeps awesome at night, so one night we just dropped the swaddle, and she slept straight through. I still swaddled for day naps for a few days, then just dropped the swaddle all together4. 5 months5. I love commercial swaddles, like the Swaddle-me wraps, and our current one is a sleep sack with a swaddle component to it. We now just wrap the swaddle part around her tummy. I can't remember the brand, but it's awesome
1. Yes2. We started weaning at 4 months.3. I swaddled the arms only while weaning.4. 6 1/2 months5. Your baby will not be swaddled forever. Eventually they won't need it so if you try without the swaddle and they're not ready, just swaddle them. One day they will sleep great without it. Also, we used the method on the YouTube video "Swaddling 102: Escape proof swaddling" to swaddle our son. This worked GREAT on him when he was escaping everything else we tried. This method has worked well for friends' babies too.
1. Yes, they taught us how to in the hospital. She hated the Velcro swaddle blankets but loved a large flannel blankie… no idea why 🙂 2. At 4 months because it got too hot… summer time in ND with no AC :-/ 3. First dropped the arms, then dropped it altogether, within a few weeks of each other. She really liked sucking her thumb once her arms were out.4. 4.5 months5. Definitely extremely helpful. Quite a few parents I know still put their tiny baby to sleep on the tummy "…because he just WON'T sleep on his back!" I always encourage them to swaddle because I believe that is the solution to this problem.
Caleb:1. No5. He didn't seem to like it and slept well without it. If I knew then what I know about swaddling now, we would have tried it longer.Luke:1. Yes2. 4.5 Months3. Cold-turkey at nap time, then moved to nights. He was able to roll and loved to sleep on his tummy.4. 4.5 Months5. We LOVED and still LOVE the Miracle Blanket. It was truly a miracle for sleep!Beth:1. Yes2. She is still being swaddled at 12 weeks.5. She seemed to be resistant to the swaddle at first, just like our firstborn, but we continued to try it and have had great success!
1. Yes, we have swaddled our daughter from the beginning.2. She is 14 weeks old and we are still swaddling. I think she still needs it. But I think we are close to dropping it… 3. We tried weaning about 1 week ago because she kept breaking free from the swaddle to suck on her hands. So I thought she was ready. We did the one arm, then two arms. But… I watched her on the video monitor one day during her 45 minute transition. She looked at her hands, started chewing on them, then about 10 minutes later began crying inconsolably. I decided that she was learning about her hands and that was taking precedence over a nap! I needed to continue swaddling her and make it tight so she couldn't break free. She still does occasionally and I'm not sure what I should do. Should I just drop it cold turkey and put up with the short naps for a while?
1. Yes2. We started to wean at 8 months old! I know it sounds super old but she did SO good with it…I wasn't in a hurry.3. We did the one arm thing then torso. We made sure to also drop her binky AFTER her swaddle. And then when we dropped the binky we introduced a banket.4. 8.5-9 months. It didn't take very long.5. I think I could have dropped earlier…but that wasn't a big deal. Also we loved the woombie!
Oh the few comments I've read are so encouraging, because:Daughter(5 months)1. yes but not intil she was3-4 months b/c she didn't need it (and I feel like I'm going backward2. still swaddled and feel encouraged by so many others still at this ageSon(now 2.5)1.Yes, from day one.2. Around 3 months, just before CIO at night. 3. cold turkey. He had been getting out and still sleeping okay4. 3-4 months
Just to update. We ended up dropping Colton's swaddle a little before the 5 month point. It started to interfere with his sleep and make him too hot. We just dropped it cold turkey one night and never looked back. He is a very big boy. We had no trouble dropping it. I was so glad. We probably could have dropped it earlier, but I was afraid:)
For babies #1 and #2, yes.For #3, no. Tried, but he didn't like it. Needed his hands to self-soothe.Stopped swaddling #1 at 4 months and #2 at 3 or 4 I think.#1 and #2 – cold turkey. #3 N/AAdvice: Get the nurses to show you how they swaddle. Also, my mom got me blankets from http://www.swaddledesigns.com/They're much bigger than regular receiving blankets. Very nice.
1) Yes! 2) Stopped at 2.5 months 3) Cold turkey – We were using CIO for sleep training at the time and figured to get rid of the swaddle at the same time since he was starting to break free and re-swaddling all night long was getting ridiculous! 4) Took about 3 nights to get him swaddle free for night time sleep. He kept it for a few more weeks for naps, and then was completely swaddle free at 3 months. 5) Do it, and TIGHT!!! A HUGE, lightweight flannel blanket was the best, and YouTube the "Moms on Call Swaddle Method". It was worth the few nights it took to drop the habit, and was a great way to get him to sleep in the beginning.
1. Yes!2. Stopped at 3 months 3. Gradually stopped by not swaddling for naps, then for nighttime. We actually stopped once, then when he transitioned back to his big crib I swaddled him again so all that big space wasn't so overwhelming. When we stopped at 3 months he actually seemed glad to be rid of it. He spent so much time working to get out instead of actually sleeping, that he actually slept better when it was gone. 4. It only took a week or so to be completely rid of it. 5. Buy a swaddle blanket. Our guy is super strong and busted out of anything other than the miracle blanket. H
1. Yes, for all four kids2. stopped around 6 months3. First at nap time, then overnight. Looser and looser and then with a blanket tucked over top. With baby #4, I switched from swaddle to a sleep sack. 4. around 7 months5. Two things – (1)swaddle, even if you think they don't like it. Often they need it to feel secure and they'll sleep better. (2) If you have a Houdini baby that constantly gets his arms out, double swaddle. Sometimes it helps to use one swaddle blanket (with the velcro) and then swaddle over top of that with a regular baby blanket.
1. No5. We felt like both kids did.fine without it and it was.one less thing to do, especially at night.
DD #11. No. Her first 4 days in the hospital were without a swaddle so we just stayed without.5. After DD#1 I thought, nah no need to swaddle.DS #21. Yes2. 2.5months3. We went one arm as a tester and once that went well for one nap, we went cold turkey4. 3mo5. I can see how swaddling helps them sleep, but I don't agree with the theory of swaddling them if they don't like it. So we will most likely stay non-swaddlers. Ask me again after #3
1. Yes, it was the first thing that got him sleeping better after much trial and error2. He made it to 9 months3. One-arm out, he turned into a side sleeper and liked to have the arm he laid on the most to be free. 4. Somewhere between 8 and 9 months, or by mid-summer. There was no crying when it was taken away, he did beautifully.5. Try it. Get a swaddler that snaps if you can, I found that the velcro tended to wear out and come undone too easily with a bigger, stronger baby. I needed at least three to rotate washing and to keep the velcro in good shape. Combed out the car hair and fuzz from the sticker on a regular basis and left the velcro done in the wash so it didn't snag and ruin the other laundry.
Thank you everyone for your comments!