how long to swaddle..

[midds]

how long should we be swaddling DD?? she is 5.5 months, a side sleeper with her top arm out (sort of..) i have tried to not swaddle at all and that was terrible. just wondering what others have done.
thanks

[my3girlsjde]

All my three were swaddled until at least 8 months in some manner. It just worked for them and I needed sleep I always found that when they started to sit on their own and get mobile then the swaddle was ditched quickly after. They all did surprisingly well with cold turkey weaning too. But where your lo already has one arm out I don't think you'll have many problems weaning that second arm and it altogether.

Hope that helps.

[ericapt]

We took the gradual approach with DS at 7 months, but DD was not ready at that point.  We weaned her cold turkey at 8 months.  The first night was rough, but surprisingly after that she started sleeping better than when she was swaddled!  I agree with pp about increased mobility making it much easier.  My DD just couldn't seem to control her arm movement (arms would flail and wake her up) before this time.  Hopefully your LO will continue to show you signs of being ready to stop.  Just beware that it is possible for them to roll over onto their tummy while swaddled (DD did it and luckily we saw her on the video monitor), so keep a close eye.  Good luck to you!

[~Sara~]

I think you just kind of know when they're ready...whether they just have more control over their body or they start waking up for no other reason than to be reswaddled (ahem, the last one was the clue for us).

With prop weaning, you kind of just have to be in the right place mentally, preparing yourself that, yes, it might be hard, and you might be at it for a few days before things iron out.  We had 3 days straight of horrible naps...but it was totally worth it.

Also, just remember that she will need to get used to the sensation of having her arms out...eventually she won't be bothered by them moving about and will do all sorts of things with them (above the head, out to the side).

HTH a bit.  Good luck!

[midds]

thanks everyone - she definitly has movement control issues!! I will have to be ready for a few rough days when this happens!!