8 Month Old Still Needs to Be Swaddled to Sleep

My son is the same age as yours and he was swaddled until he was almost 4 months, and my doctor told me he was getting too old for it and we had to stop. Babies at this age need to be able to move around freely, even in their sleep. Babies are fitful sleepers and they do move around, roll over, make noise, etc, but if you do not disturb them, they will stay asleep or go back to sleep on their own. My son rolls over constantly but doesn't really wake up because we leave him alone when we hear him moving around over the baby monitor. Your son is old enough to self-soothe. Give him the chance to learn to put himself to sleep without it. By constantly going back in and re-wrapping him, you are actually keeping him awake and interfering with his ability to put himself back to sleep. We decided to give our son about 2 weeks to learn to fall asleep without it, but it turned out he was ready to do it in only 3 or 4 days. We just put him down in his PJ's and if he fell asleep on his own, good. If not, we would rock him or hold him until he fell asleep. But this was at 4 months. Since your son is older, I would suggest trying to get him to fall asleep on his own. I would recommend the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weisbluth. His book has a lot of information on how children sleep at different ages and why, plus the research to back it up. He does believe in the cry it out method, but the book also includes a plan for those who are not comfortable with just letting him cry for a long time. We decided not to let our son cry, but you have to make the distinction between crying and whining. If he was whining, we would leave him in his crib, but if he was really crying, we would go in and comfort him. If my son does cry, there is a reason- he needs a diaper change, his teeth are hurting him, he doesn't feel well, etc.
Now the face rubbing is probably because he is tired. My son does it when he is really overtired. He is also not used to having his hands free when he sleeps and he is just going to have to learn how to sleep with his hand and feet free. I was worried that would be an issue with my son when we stopped swaddling him, but it turned out to not be a big deal.
The other thing is that you will not be able to find these swaddling blankets in bigger sizes because they stop making them at 9 months size, when the federal laws go into effect about children's sleepwear. Try putting him in a nice warm sleeper PJ so he stays warm like he is used to and just go for it. Good luck!.

Both Gloria and Terri hit the nail right on the head..take their advice!! I let my child cry it out and learn how to self sooth..it was painful, and i did feel a bit like a bad mom, however I had my husband there to remind me that our child was not hurt, just uncomfortable. It took a few days..3 I think..(he is 4 now, so it's been a while!) but it worked.

hi kathleen, im sorry i cant help much with the sleeping thing, i had the same problem with all of mine and never really did anything but nurse them to sleep and then transfer to the crib. i have never been good at getting them to sleep on their own.. but i did want to tell you that if you are using a swaddler that has those kind of "wings" that velcro across the front, you might want to reconsider. my daughter was in one of those, it worked like a dream, then one day probably at around 5 mos or so, i walked in to find that she had gotten her arms out the bottom of the wings, which stayed fastened across, and then wiggled it up her arms and it was tight across her neck when i - thank goodness- - walked in on her. just fyi if you are using those. best of luck with the sleeping, and enjoy your baby :)

I would say to do just what you have been thinking gradually remove the swaddling, he may be unhappy for a week of the transition, but after the first week you will be free to sleep and he will be free to sleep without the swaddling.~D.

To help stop him from scratching his face when he rubs it, you can try mittent or socks on his hands. To help him sleep without the swaddle I think you have to try one of the sleep methods- there are a lot of different books on the market about it, and every mom has their preference (some popular ones are BabyWise and Dr Sears sleepbook, although I hear the latter does not offer much practical advice- just that all children are different, and I personally ignored the authors opinions on letting kids cry in babywise). I hope you and your child get some good sleep soon!

Hi there,

Its been a couple of months since we've gotten my little guy (who is 8 months now too!) out of the swaddle, but i remember it being tough. He started to break out of it and at first i would go in and swaddle him back up. Once he started flipping himself over, it was time to stop. They move around now a lot more during the night. My advice would be to start swaddeling him looser every night for the next week. He's going to break out of it earler and realize he doesn't need it. If he breaks out of his swaddle and wakes up, give him 20 minutes to settle back down to sleep. I know that sounds like eternity, but you can check on him, just dont pick him up! Rub his back if you want. I did this for 4 nights with my guy and he finally realized that he wasn't swaddled anymore and was able to sooth himself back to sleep.
Good Luck!

Hi-
We had the same issues (exactly) with our daughter at 4 months...the eye rubbing, rolling onto belly, needing to be swaddled, etc. You cannot control his movements so he ultimately needs to be able to put himself to sleep.

So here goes...it's REALLY, REALLY tough, but you need to stop swaddling him cold turkey and let him learn how to put himself to sleep. It may take a few WEEKS (our experience) of pain on both your sides but he will eventually learn. Eight months is on the older side to wading through this issue - I would not wait - the sooner you start, the less painful it will be. And I promise he will learn!! Do it before he gets older and has a stronger memory for what used to be (meaning reliance on the swaddle).

My daughter (7 months today) still rubs her eyes when she's tired, but can totally put herself to sleep now. Without the swaddle her movements are not restricted and so she finds the sleep position that's most comfortable for her - usually on her side or tummy. Oh - one thing that really helped her was having a lovey - a soft, stuffed, harmless toy that she could hug and suck on in the bed all night. And breathable bumpers (One Step Ahead website) so that her limbs did not get stuck in the crib slats.

Good luck - would love to hear what happens...

http://parents.berkeley.edu/advice/babies/swaddling.html

Here's a link that might be helpful.. the exact question asked by another mom in 2006, and all that advice...

im not sure what sleep approach you already take, but you dont have to let your child cry it out as some have suggested. there are many negative aspects of this technique and while it def is more difficult to NOT let your baby cry, having a child means a parent must make sacrifices.

regarding your specific question, are daughter was swaddled till 9 months. we transitioned with legs out first, then the arms one at a time but only because she seemed to suddenly want them out. i woudl just suggest keep experimenting, dont give up after one day. look for any position he seems to enjoy and try to put him down in it. also focus on other soothers, like a pacifier or white noise, a lovey, softer blanket, ect. also consider the snug and tug swaddling blanket. dont know if he will still fit but its worth a try.

oh, if you havent already, make sure to just try to have arms in, legs out first. he may just be getting out since he is lower in the blanket. good luck.

My daughter who is now one had the same issue. I found that once she started breaking out of the swaddle I started using the sleep sacks. (Dreamsie) It comes in sleeveless and long sleeve. I found she had more room but she still felt like she was swaddled. Hope it helps.

R. working mother of one year old Maya

is he rolling yet? If so, it is safe for him to sleep on his belly now. Have you tried not swaddling him and putting him to sleep on his stomach, maybe patting his bottom or rubbing his back? When my son was old enough to safely roll over (and he was doing the same thing - kicking out of his swaddle), this worked for us! Good Luck!

Have you tried a sleep sac? That way he can be "covered" without restricting his movements. It's somewhere between swaddling and nothing at all. My boys like to be a bit warmer when they're napping/sleeping, and I find that that worked great for us. As many other women noted he'll have to learn to self soothe at some point, but this may help with the transition. My sons are 15 months old and I still put them in the sleep sacs at bedtime when it's chilly. They're able to walk around and roll over with the sleep sac on without any problems, too.

Hi Kathleen
Try the book BAby Wise. I have gone back to this book so many times and now read the Toddler addition for my 2.5 year old. best of luck
jw

My daughter loved to be swaddled too. When she started breaking out of it I found this thing called a peke moe. It's like a pillow case with a head hole. She loves it and it made the transition from swaddling really easy. The website is www.pekemoe.co.nz It' s a family in new zealand whp makes then and they're great. Good luck!