Swaddling - Chicago,IL

K.,

I swaddled my son until he was nearly 6 mos. old because he would wave his arms around and wake up otherwise. It was a challenge to keep him swaddled near the end but my husband and I as well as the sitter all did it. The Dr. said it was fine but was amazed he would go along with it as he got older.

My daughter is 2 months old and doesn't have the need, guess it depends on the baby.

I say train the sitter and do what you need to so he'll sleep.

A.

teach the babysitter how to swaddle.

Keep swaddling as long as the child is still benefitting (having longer naps) from it.

Hi K.- I had the same problem...not sure when to stop and then someone told me that you could keep going until a year and use a twin bed sheet--that is where I drew the line :) It helped my son sleep longer too but when I transitioned him, it didn't take too long to settle in. I think we swaddled until about five months, and basically he started getting out of it every night and then I figured it was time. For awhile we even used a regular swaddle blanket with a swaddleme velcro wrap over it to keep it on him because he would break out and then be really mad about it. I found that even though he was breaking out, he still slept better with it on. I also felt I couldn't leave much because noone else could do the swaddle right. I think you should do it as long as it helps and he seems to not want it anymore. good luck! Oh, I had trouble finding large enough blankets, Jack is on the bigger side (tall) and even the miracle blanket was too small. I ended up finding one I loved, a little pricey but well woth it by swaddle designs.

We swadddled our daughter until she was about 8 months old! She loved it! We were sure to ask her doctor if it was causing any develpmental delays and it wasn't so we kept her in it until she "told" us she was done. When we started to break out of it we began to swaddle her with one arm out for a week or two, then two arms out, and then she was put into a sleep sack. We bought the Kiddopodomus(sp?) swaddles and our babysitter loved using it too and she recommmends it to everyone now! Good luck!

We swaddled my daughter until she was just a little over 4 months. I would have continued but "houdini" as we call her figured out how to get her feet out of the Swaddle me consistantly and I decided it was time to move on. She then went onto a sleep sack which is a wearable blanket but doesnt swaddle...she is still working on on transitioning into having so much freedom but she seems to like it too. WE tried the miracle blanket at first too but she could get her arms out (and yes, I put it on correctly and swaddled her tightly) As I said, she is Houdini! :) I have a friend who also swaddled her kids and told me that she stopped both of her kids when it no longer helped them sleep...both around 5 months. Good luck!
M.

I say to do whatever makes you feel comfortable. I personally swaddled my oldest daughter until she was 6 months old, then she started wiggling her way out. She was sleeping through the night for 10-12 hours at 3 months and I always contributed it to the swaddling. That is until I had my second, with whom I did the exact same thing and she did not sleep through the night until her first birthday. Each child is different! They didn't have those great swaddle blankets around with my kids but I would say they look to be worth a try if you are interested in continuing. Go with your gut! Whatever decision you make I am certain will be the right one for you and your son.

How old is he? I know a lot of moms probably stop swaddling earlier, but I extended for as long as I could! I stopped swaddling (intentionally as way to get them used to sleep without one) during the day when they were about 3 months. But continued to swaddle at night up to 4 to 5 months - basically, until it really didn't work anymore - either they moved around too much or they just stopped liking it. Mine are now 4.5 and 2.5. They also slept longer when swaddled. I really think that it depends on the child - Does he falls asleep quickly after being swaddled or does take it ages because he doesn't like it or would he cry anyway when you put him to sleep whether or not he's swaddled. I think you'll just have to try and see how it goes if it's becoming an issue for you and for him.

I am still swaddling my newborn (she is 7.5 mos now)....however, only during naps. She "told" us when she was ready to be unswaddled at night...that is when we stopped. Now she sleeps 12+ hours at night without being swaddled. We still swaddle for naps which usually last about 1-2 hours. If you feel the need to break it, it may make you feel better to do it gradually....one arm first, then 2 arms, then the feet. I was very nervous about leaving our baby with the 'babysitter/grandparents' because I didn't think they could swaddle as good as me, but I finally gave in and they have since learned how to swaddle. I think if your baby wants to be swaddled and sleeps better while swaddled...then keep going. Sucking, Swaddling, Shushing, and Swaying are 4 S's to help pacify a child. (By the way, our 1st child, now 22 mos never needed to be swaddled, he always slept like a champ. So this stuff is all new to me too). Good luck!

We swaddled our daughter until she was 6 months old - i didn't want to do it for that long but every time we tried to wean her she would stop sleeping so in the end i just went with the flow and she let us know when she was ready to stop (when she started rolling over). As she got bigger it was harder to swaddle her in just a blanket so we used a 'miracle blanket' swaddle

http://www.miracleblanket.com/index.htm

I think a baby sitter would find this easier to get right if shown. Just remember NOT to pull the swaddle tightly over the hips - i think this is the thing that pediatricians worry about when it comes to swaddle use as it can affect the hip flexors (?spelling)if done too tightly over time.

Research shows that babies do sleep more soundly when swaddled and we can all do with that!

Hi K.-
We swaddled my daughter for about 2 months until she started kicking out of it.

We used the Swaddle Me wrap (has velcro closures) by Kiddopotamus. It was great because the babysitters could use it too.

Good luck!

I had the same problem with my daughter when she was newborn. Save your worry and strife and buy a Swaddle Me. It is a fool-proof way to swaddle because it has velcro to make sure it stays snug. She slept so well with this in the beginning. Hope that helps!

It's both. Get him use to different blankets and ways of keeping him snug. Pulla a blanket across him and tuck it in nice and tight in the sides of the bed.

My twins really loved to be swaddled too. After first resisting because I think they were around $10 each, we did end up using the product called SwaddleMe.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2265554

We loved this! We did end up even buying the size Larges when they outgrew the smalls. They are warm & cozy. Whenever they were ready to have their arms out, we just did the velcro under their armpits, and then it was still a cozy blanket that they couldn't get over their faces or anything.

Bonus would be that anyone can put it on, they don't have to know how to "swaddle".

Good luck!

I held my son until he fell asleep, then swaddled him every night until he was 1 year old. (A big "no-no", I know). In the morning he was always undone because we used a regular blanket. He was such a good sleeper! He's still a good sleeper now. I don't know if it was because of the swaddling or what. You don't say how old your son is. If you put your son to bed while he is awake, I would stop around 3 months, because he can probably get out of it anyway. Good luck!

hi you dont mention how old your son is is. hae you tried using the swaddlers that have the velcro closures? they are easy enough for a babysitter to use. they are sold at babys r us. good luck. everybody needs a night out. or...maybe you can put him to bed and they go out?

When I was researching swaddling with both babies, I read that babies shouldn't be swaddled after around 3 months of age. Both my kids would wiggle out of their swaddles even before that and they are both really active...

Miracle blankets work better than anything else. We stopped swaddling we our girls were 6-7 mos old and then put them in sleep sacks (babies r us).

My kids both loved it and so did I - lol....my first stayed well wrapped until 7 months - my second stopped at 4 months - you can buy the blankets that make it super easy to do...the Amazing Miracle Blanket was our favoite...super easy to use and larger than most blankets. You should not swaddle a baby that can roll over for obvious reasons. As you're probably realizing, every baby is different so you'll get a lot of differing opinions on this stuff...

Good luck!

I swaddled my kids as newborns but then went to a sleep sac at about 8 weeks or so. Now it's a routine, as soon as I put my daughter's sleep sac on...she reaches for her crib and has been a great sleeper since I've started using it. (10-12 hours since 8 weeks old) Just an idea for when you're ready to transition out of swaddling.

When my first son was a newborn, he wouldn't sleep for more than an hour. I complained to my father who came over and showed my how to swaddle a baby. That night, he slept for 6 hours.

Try this:
http://miniurl.com/5643

Hi K.,

You don't mention how old your son is... We swaddled for 6 months, and our daughter didn't love it, but she did sleep longer with it. Have you tried a sleep sack (w/ the swaddle attachment)? We found that to be especially easy to use, and harder to get out of. The "Swaddle Me" was easy to get out of and somewhat harder to use. Something with velcro is easier to use. Also, the DUDU wrap might work better. Check out Dr. Karp's Happiest Baby on the Block DVD -- he demonstrates it several times. We taught our babysitters how to swaddle (we did it for naps, too), and watched them do it until we were satisfied.

Once your son can sleep longer without being swaddled (or with his arms out) is a good time to stop (or if he gets out of the swaddle and it seems dangerous -- the blanket is over his face).

Best of luck,
R.

Good luck!
R.

I read that swaddling is healthy for babies up to 3 months old (the "fourth trimester," as some Pediatricians call it.) In my opinion, ANYTHING that helps your baby to sleep longer is well worth it!!! If you are going out, maybe you could buy one of those swaddling blankets that make it easier to swaddle (I never used one, so I don't know if they are as good as the old fashioned way.)

I never swaddled my son. He hated it from day 1, so why bother? If you swaddle with regular blankets, there is a chance it will undo itself anyway, and may cause problems. If you are looking for a milestone, I guess its time to definitely stop when your son starts to roll over.