Swaddling - your advice would be appreciated

[LittleLegs]

Hi

LO is just over 5 months and a tall boy for his age, currently about 18/19lb.  We have been swaddling since 4 weeks, at nighttime only.  We have a summer swaddleme that velcro's up at each section.  We have always swaddled him reasonably tight as he's so strong and wriggly and I think he has got used to this.  Since he was 6 weeks old he has slept from 7 til 7 (give or take a bit some days but he always stays happily in his cot until about 7:10).  We DF about 10:30.

Over the last week he has been waking up earlier in the morning but again playing happily in his cot until 7 if he doesn't go back to sleep.  I'm not sure if that is because it's lighter in the mornings or because he can hear the damn birds getting earlier and earlier.

I think he is starting to teethe a little as his hands or comfort toy/blanket are always in his mouth during daytime naps.  Obviously at night he can't do this but he does creep his left hand up to his mouth through the top of the swaddle and gets mad because his arm is wedged.  He has started to get himself out of his swaddle and we hear him as his hands wake him up or he has more to entertain himself.  We just reswaddle and he's asleep again within minutes.  This is however happenening a few times a night now (never heard a peep from him before) and if it happens at 6am and it's light he sometimes doesn't go back to sleep (again happy in his cot until 7 but obviously disturbs us and sets his day off early re first naps etc.

Is it time to remove the swaddle?  How should we do this and is itlikely to cause disruptive sleep as he's so used to it and it's a big sleep cue (that is what I dread).  Also we can't DF him not swaddled as his arms flail.

We have tried a night of doing it loose after the DF but when he wakes up and makes noise we instantly reswaddle through fear of a sleepless night...!

Oh I also don't think he's waking up earlier as he's hungry as he only takes between 2 to 5 oz in a morning.

Advice would be much appreciated.....   

[Hedgehog17]

Hiya,

The advice generally is that once LO can reliably find their fingers, you leave one arm out of the swaddle. He is likely needing them to self-soothe, so don't worry that he'll wake more as if he can suck his fingers he'll be happier to go back to sleep if he does wake!

One arm flailing during the DF shouldn't be a problem - it's possible to hold it gently down while LO concentrates on eating 

[anna*]

Agree with pp, if the swaddle is causing more problems than it solves, then it's time to start weaning it. My LO never got on with one arm out, so we weaned it completely pretty quickly. Whenever you're changing things up like this some sleep disruption is pretty much inevitable - you just have to ride it out and pray you come out the other side soon!

[LittleLegs]

What's the best way, just to cold turkey, do the one arm out thing or do it loosely.  What are people's experiences of what the LO's are likely to do?!

[anna*]

I wouldn't go loosely, too much danger that it will end up round their face. It's really up to you the way to do it, depends on your babies personality and yours! I'm always a cold turkey kind of gal, but that's just me. Introducing a lovey at the same time can help control the flailing arms, you will need to physically hold his hands onto it until he gets the idea.

[LittleLegs]

Thank you for your friendly advice :-)

He has a lovey in the day that he holds or plays with as we just sleeping bag him for daytime naps.  We put it near his face at night, when he's escaped his swaddle at night he's played around with it too.

My fear is that he'll think it's the daytime and have a short nap.  Or will he be too used to his 11.5 - 12 hours at night by now?

I am a born worrier....

[anna*]

My fear is that he'll think it's the daytime and have a short nap.  Or will he be too used to his 11.5 - 12 hours at night by now?

He sleeps without it in the daytime? Well then you're halfway there! He might have a couple of restless nights but you'll get through to the other side. I bet it won't be as bad as your'e imagining.