Swaddle worries - please advise

[Ernest's mum]

Hi there

I re-introduced the swaddle to my LO at 9 weeks (took him out at around 6 weeks) because of short naps - he is now 12 weeks.  Since then we have been sleep training like mad, but we still are not getting many long naps  - maybe 2 or 3  a week on average. 

We'll keep working on it, but I am now worried that my LO is addicted to his swaddle.  With the hot weather I thought I would try getting him out of it for the evening sleeps and took one arm out, but he seemed to wake himself up so I popped it back in and yeh presto back to sleep.  The worry is that before I re-introduced he always slept well at bed time without it and I'm woried I am making a rod for my own back.

Also, I go back to work in August and DH taking over night feeds etc and he doesn't like the swaddle so I dont think he'll do it - or at least not properly (arms tucked well in using a miracle blanket).

What should I do?

Other consideration - we are moving house in 2 weeks, living with my parents till July...then moving into a new house then.  Should I wait till we have moved or wait till his naps are better?  That's if they ever get better!

Sorry just a bit unsure...  I know many people keep their LOs swaddled for a long time but I'm not convinced its helped with the napping but have inadvertintly caused another problem to try and sort...

Any advice much appreciated.

[j9biz]

I swaddled until last week, so 5.5 months. It definitely helped sleeping at naps and bedtime until then. everything I had read said they would give you signs when they didn't want to be swaddled anymore, and that was true for us.

she had started fighting sleep in general (hence why we started sleep training) and would start crying when we put the swaddle on, which was new. So we used the opportunity to cut cold turkey and it had no effect on her sleeping patterns. before that, any time I tried she would wake up quickly. So I knew this time was different.

you could keep testing it every few weeks or a month and see if putting him down without has an effect. when it doesn't, you know you are good to ditch it
and personally i would just tell your husband to buck up and use it. if he doesn't, he is responsible for getting up with him when he wakes a dozen times that night!

[Ernest's mum]

Thank you!  My LO def needs it at the moment (or I think he does) so I'll stick it out.  It's good to hear that you didn't have any problems when stopping it.
Thanks again.