Need to Stop Swaddling- Do I Go Cold Turkey, or Wean? Looking for Feedback

We had to go cold turkey. We swaddled until our youngest could roll over and then we did what you did from the armpits down for a few more weeks but then we just had to give up. He got over it and is a great sleeper now at nearly 14 months.

I stopped swaddling at 5 months due to mainly the same reasons.
He would free his arms, hitting them on the side of the cradle and wake himself up so I stopped swaddling.
I made sure he had on warm pj's in the winter and cooler ones for the summer.
I placed a lightweight blanket on him and honestly.....I still wake up once in the middle of the night to ensure he is covered and warm. When he kicks off the blanket, I re-cover him.
He slept in our room in a cradle till he was 5 months old so I could keep an eye on him.
When transitioned to his crib, I had the door open and a baby monitor.
He was very much done w/swaddling at 5 months and I went cold turkey. He adjusted fairly well.

What about transitioning to a sleep sack?

I began using a sleep sack for one nap a day, the rest of the naps and nights she was swaddled. Then sleep sack for 2 naps a day, rest & night swaddled...until all naps were in a sleep sack and at night she was swaddled, then eventually sleep sack for everything. Eased them into it that way and they seemed to adjust relatively easily. Good luck!

I don't know what kind of swaddler you are using. Can you make it loose so that he can get out of it easily? My daughter is the same age and is usually totally uncovered in the morning from her miracle blanket. She naps at daycare in a sleep sack and at home with one arm swaddled. It took a couple of days for her to be okay with the one arm out. With her coming out of the night time one so easily, I think we are going to be undoing the other arm soon.

With my son, I didn't have the miracle blanket and when he was unswaddled by the time I left the room, we went cold turkey.

Updated

I don't know what kind of swaddler you are using. Can you make it loose so that he can get out of it easily? My daughter is the same age and is usually totally uncovered in the morning from her miracle blanket. She naps at daycare in a sleep sack and at home with one arm swaddled. It took a couple of days for her to be okay with the one arm out. With her coming out of the night time one so easily, I think we are going to be undoing the other arm soon.

With my son, I didn't have the miracle blanket and when he was unswaddled by the time I left the room, we went cold turkey.

Seems like I remember going with the arms-and-down version for awhile.

I'll just toss a different solution out there, even though I love swaddling. How about you teach him how to turn himself back the other way? That way, he can still have his body and legs swaddled, but you don't have to worry about him not being able to breathe. Or, you could swaddle him and put him in a carseat in his crib to strap him so he can't roll.

I know its hard but you just have to keep with it. I had to stop my little one being swaddled around the same time as you and he had a hard time sleeping as well. After a couple sleepness nights it just seemed to start working itself out. I think they use that as a confort thing. Stay positive.

Well, I didn't have this problem my children were so happy to finally have room, they didn't like being swaddled. The nurses at the hospital found this very funny. Of course both my kids were 8 lbs, 15 oz, and 21 inches long. I am only 5"2' so they didn't have much room when they were inside. :-)

However, we did have a similar issue with the pacifier. What we did was let them have it at night, when we needed sleep; but during the day when they napped they didn't get it. It made them cranky for awhile and we had to get through that, but since we were all sleeping at night we were able to cope.

So my advice would be to swaddle at night, so everyone can sleep. Tired parents aren't good for anyone. However, when he naps losen it. Maybe get him to sleep swaddled and if you can losen it once he is out. See if that helps.

Lastly, you are approaching the 6 month -- get him to go to sleep on his own threshold. I really hated letting them cry it out. You may want to wait to deal with it all together. I will also tell you the crying it out worked with my daughter, few nights was all it took. It never worked with our son. He didn't sleep well until he was three. It turned out he had a mild case of sleep apnea which was discovered at 24 months when we were in the hospital for something else. At 28 months he had his adnoids out, and things slowly got better a few months later, and then finally by the time he was 3 we could leave the room and he would go to sleep on his own and sleep all night. Now at five you wouldn't know. Remember how well he sleeps at 4.5 months old, or 2 or 3 isn't going to matter when he goes off to college, gets married and has kids of his own. You not having enough sleep may matter A LOT when you fall asleep driving; stopped at a red light, or with something in the oven.

Good Luck!

we swaddled until 9 months old. she could get out of it, but she couldnt fall asleep without. eventually, she just went to sleep one night without and never needed it again.