J.M. asks from Melrose, MA on March 22, 2010
5 Month Old in Swadddle
My (just turned) 5 month old sleeps well in her swaddle with one feed per night about 3 am, but the last 3 nights she has been heard making noise from trying to bust out and we found her squirming around on her belly. We've given her the pacifier and put her back on her back. Should I stop using the swaddle now? Will she then just sleep on her belly if she rolls over? Thoughts?
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S.V. answers from Boston on March 24, 2010
when my daughter started to squirm out of the swaddle - we switched to the halo sleep sack - a little more room to kick her legs - but still keeps her nice & cozy warm.
also - my Doc had said as long as you start them on their backs, once they roll over, she can sleep however she wants.
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S.B. answers from Burlington on March 23, 2010
My son stopped being swaddled at about that age. We switched him to a sleep sac and at 23 month he's still sleeping in them. I swear by them! Heavy weight ones for the winter and lighter ones for the summer. We've always used Grobag brand and to save money go for the larger rather than smaller ones. Some little ones I know eventually found them too restrictive but it hasn't stopped our son from moving freely around his crib. Good luck.
S.V. answers from Boston on March 24, 2010
when my daughter started to squirm out of the swaddle - we switched to the halo sleep sack - a little more room to kick her legs - but still keeps her nice & cozy warm.
also - my Doc had said as long as you start them on their backs, once they roll over, she can sleep however she wants.
K.H. answers from Boston on March 24, 2010
my daughter was swaddled until around 6 or 7 months. we used the miracle blanket. i was pretty certain she was going to be a stomach sleeper and as soon as we let her sleep on her stomach (around 6-7 months), she no longer needed the swaddle and began to sleep for longer stretches. if your little one is able to roll over and pick her head up those are good indications that it is ok to put her on her belly but always good to run these things by your doctor.
S.B. answers from Kansas City on March 22, 2010
If she is trying to get out, it might be time to get her out. My dd was in it for 9 months, she couldnt fall asleep without it, but she would break her arms out once she was asleep. You could start by leaving one arm out at first, letting her get used to falling asleep that way. that was the hardest part for my dd, learning to fall asleep with free arms. We left one arm free for 1 week, then moved to just a Halo Sleep Sack. She ended up being a belly sleeper, which she still is now.
A.T. answers from Wilmington on March 22, 2010
Yes stop using the swaddle. I JUST saw on the Doctor's TV show where Dr. Seers (pediatrician) said not to swaddle after 3 mos. They need to develop rolling and it will hinder developement. You may want to go to the Doctor's website and see if there is anything on there about it.
D.G. answers from Los Angeles on March 22, 2010
I went through the same thing right before 4 months. It was a tough couple days without the swaddle because he thrashed around a lot, but over time he would roll over on his tummy and sleep a lot better. Two things I learned from my ped:
1. It's okay for them to roll on their tummy if they can do a push up, which I'm sure your lady can do by now.
2. Still always put them to sleep on their back and let them do the rolling over themselves. (I don't know if my ped is just being super cautious but we'll follow this advice through the first year and check on him probably a little too much :) .) From what I've read, SIDS risk peaks at 2 - 4 months.
Also, a halo sleep sack/wearable blanket is ideal while they're in this developmental stage, as you don't have to worry about a blanket getting all over the place or over their mouth while they squirm around. We used it every night in the winter.
The bonus is once they're sleeping on their tummy, they do tend to sleep a lot better, if they're the kind to flail around a lot like my guy.
Good luck!
C.C. answers from Tampa on March 22, 2010
We quite swaddling our son at about four months when he made it pretty clear he was no longer comfortable being swaddled. So that was that, warm PJs, an empty crib with nothing he could get wrapped up in and he was on his own.
Updated
We quite swaddling our son at about four months when he made it pretty clear he was no longer comfortable being swaddled. So that was that, warm PJs, an empty crib with nothing he could get wrapped up in and he was on his own.
B.F. answers from Atlanta on March 22, 2010
I think at 5 months you are pretty safe to let the baby roll and move around in the baby bed sleeping. I think it's usually been younger infants to have SIDS. Your little one has moments of being awake when you aren't and they move around build strength kicking and rolling. You can double check with your ped but the baby is gonna work to get out of the swaddle at that age.
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