To swaddle or not to swaddle?

[lady5280]

LO was sleeping OK for a while just in his sleep sack, but after he discovered his hands they seem to be a hindrance more than a soother. He wakes up and starts sucking them but rarely goes back to sleep. So I started swaddling him again and he napped better again, plus it was easier to get him back to sleep after the 45-minute intruder when his arms aren't flailing all over. But at almost 3 months, should I be letting his arms free even if he doesn't sleep as well? I don't want to hinder his development, plus he really loves his hands in his mouth. But I also know he needs better sleep.

What to do, what to do?

[lady5280]

Also, will swaddling him longer keep him from learning to self-soothe?

[susaninlondon]

If he has managed so far without swaddle I would be tempted to say dont do it (speaking from experience you will only have to get rid of it eventually). If his hands are a hindrence,,How about giving him a muslin or part of one to hold? this really helps my LO (although he has only had it from 8 mths onwards,,,before that swaddle.....something I would avoid next time if possible!)

[Rinkydink]

I'm in exactly the same position with my 13 wk DD but worse in that we've always swaddled so my DD takes it as a cue for sleep.  Now don't know really how to start to wean her off which I want to do asap as I've noticed she is starting to push herself nearly on her side and am terrified that she will roll over in teh night onto her face.  If you stop the swaddle and find a good way of doing it please let me know, I know BW suggested one arm out that I found that even one had is a hindrance to sleep - should we go cold turkey on it?!

[lady5280]

Yeah I tried one arm out when i was weening him from it, but that didn't seem to do much and so I went cold turkey after a couple of days of one-arm swaddling. He was fine, but taking too short of naps. Now I'm really working on lengthening those so back to the swaddle we go. Once he learns to sleep well in the day I think we'll revisit unswaddling.

Good luck to you and keep in touch!

[Rinkydink]

I'm going to try unswaddling for day naps and accept that unless I hold her they will be short so am holding her for one long nap a day.  She nearly pushed herself on her side again in the swaddle so am desperate to unswaddle! You can't win can you!

[lady5280]

Nope, I guess not. LO is taking super-short naps today and it's really messing up our EASY. In fact, there is no EASY today, more like SAEASAE. The swaddle isn't helping, and it's making me think maybe there is no difference...

Feeling really frustrated today

[creations]

If your Lo is taking the swaddle as cue to sleep you might want to introduce something else into your wind down routine so that come swaddle-wean time the rest of the routine remains the same and acts as the cue to sleep.

A wind down doesn't need to be long or detailed, just the same at each sleep.  Introducing a key phrase is great as this will go with them into toddlerhood, something like 'sleepy time now'.

fwiw I don't this swaddling is going to hinder development at all, nor do I think it will prevent a LO from learning to sleep independently.