Swaddle weaning

[Tabathagucci]

Lo is 4 months and ped told me to wean the swaddle now.  She takes awful naps anyway so thought I'd start with one arm out for naps.  We've had two naps each day for 2 days (the others were on the go).  It's taking her a little longer to settle and she has woken up a little earlier for most of the naps.  Not a huge deal but I haven't been able to extend the naps at all since leaving one arm out.  That could be because of the arm or could mean it's time to extend A time but I can't really tell....
Wondering how long I should give it till she gets used to it?  I'm tempted to just swaddle her back up.

[Tabathagucci]

Ok just had to put her down 20 mins late for nap so she was plenty tired.  Tried going in at transition and holding arm down, didn't work. 

[Lindsay27]

I tried weaning the swaddle at 4 months and it was a complete and utter disaster.  She was waking herself up constantly, I couldn't extend, her nights were horrendous.  So after 2 days I gave up and swaddled her again and tried 2 weeks later, same thing happened.  So 2 weeks after that (5 months) she made it very clear she didn't want to be swaddled anymore...she would break out of it, try to roll in it, cry when I put her in it, so we tried to wean again and then it worked perfectly!  She was completely unswaddled in less than a week with zero disruptions to sleep.

They recommend weaning at 4 months for safety reasons, if they roll they can't get back over.  And I understand that and obviously took it into account, however it was clear DD wasn't ready and she was also not rolling in her sleep, so I just decided to let her take the lead.  Just saying if you don't think she's ready you don't have to do it right now . Just be aware of any safety issues.

[Tabathagucci]

Yeah I don't really think she's ready.  She keeps jerking her hand up and waking herself up.  And I haven't even tried it at night!  She had her arm out for all naps today and it doesn't seem to be getting any better.  It's just hot for her in the swaddle so was hoping we could wean her soon as the weather gets warmer but maybe we'll wait!  Thank you!

[Tabathagucci]

Fast forward, she is almost 6.5 months and can get the paci in her mouth most of the time but then takes it out and turns it around and can't get it back in right.  She is not rolling back to front yet.  I've been fully swaddling her since this last post, but two days ago and she's been sleeping pretty well, needing paci for sleep and replugging occasionally but overall doing well (except for some sleep regression and 3-2 transition lstuff!).  So two days ago I swaddled one arm out but still tucked in for naps (not night). She did great.  Next I did one arm fully out for nap only, did great, next day I swaddled both arms out for nap only and it was a little messy but she slept two short naps ok.  So at night I decided to try one arm out.  She had take a late CN because of the short naps so had trouble getting her down, lots of crying. Had to hold the arm down, etc.  Slept fine, woke at 2 (a little early), nursed and back to sleep.  Woke at 505 and couldn't resettle, nursed back to sleep till 6:15 but it was a restless sleep and she nursed the entire time.  I'm tempted to just reswaddle till she can turn the paci around herself, or maybe just swaddle at night?  When she has one or both arms out she keeps hitting herself in the face and knocking the paci out and can't get it back in straight, which is causing issues. Or do I just suck it up and have an OT baby and hope it works out soon?

[Lindsay27]

As with any transition you can either go full on or take it slowly, sounds like she isn't doing too bad so if you want to swaddle for night but not for naps that's totally fine.  If she isn't rolling there isn't a huge rush.  I would say though if she eventually can't figure out how to put the paci back it the right way you may need to wean.  Does she sleep at night when it falls out? My DD uses it to fall asleep but when it falls out she's fine without it through the night/nap.

[Tabathagucci]

Hi!  Thank you!  Yes she sleeps well without it, transitions through naps as long as I put her down at the right time and sleeps most nights till 3 or so, then nurses and back to sleep.  Tonight we did one arm out and left her wubanub (paci attached to small stuffed animal).  I woke up around 1:30 just in time to see her putting her paci in her mouth and she went back to sleep!  Yay!!! I'm sure it'll take time till she can do that every time but happy she did it once at least!

[Lindsay27]

Great to hear! Sounds like good progress!

[Tabathagucci]

Thank you!  She slept till 6:30!  Yay!

[Tabathagucci]

Ok we're 6 days in and still a bit bumpy.  We've got both arms out because with one arm out it seemed harder for her to get the paci back into her mouth but she's still having issues.  Before when she was swaddled, I would may her down, put the paci in and walk away and she'd fall asleep on her own holding the paci in her mouth.  It would fall out some time later and she usually didn't need it back, but occasionally did. Now, if I don't put her down within a minute or two of the perfect time for her to fall asleep (we're in the 3-2 transition so this isn't always easy to figure out), she keeps batting the paci out of her mouth and then can't seem to get it back in the right way most times.  She keeps trying to put it in backwards and then gets frustrated and cries and I have to go give it to her.  We repeat this many times until she's ready to sleep.  We've also been having slightly more night wakings and some early wakings and extending naps is impossible unless she's swaddled.  Please tell me this will get easier and I should just stick it out!!?!? 
Just a note, her first nap is her best and she goes down easy and stays asleep every time even with both arms out...

[Lindsay27]

Do you want to post your day in EAS format (even if it's messy) and I can take a look, it could be more of a routine issue vs a swaddle issue yk? Especially if she can go down easily for the first nap.

[Tabathagucci]

Sure! Her A times have always been really high, just warning you!  She will be 7 months on 9/11. Some days we have 2 naps but it's been increasingly hard to get a long 2nd nap, requiring a 3rd nap. I used to always have to extend the 2nd nap but she was starting to sleep through on her own in and off. Now I can almost never extend second nap.

Wake ~6:30
E 6:45
A
S 9:40/9:45-11:15
E 11:30
A
S 2:30-3:05/10
E 3:15
A
S 4:45/5 I wake her at 15-20 min
A
E6/6:30
S 7/7:15

On a good day I can get a long second nap and bed time is ~3 hours after wake up, so usually 6:30 or 7.  Because it's been hard to extend the second nap I decided to push the A time. One day I tried 3h20m and it worked (slept right through) the next two days it didn't.  Then when I had her arm out she fought me hard so I finally swaddled her and she ended up falling asleep at 3h30m and I was able to extend the nap with some effort.  The next day I tried 3h30m with her swaddled and I couldn't extend.
Oh and when she's swaddled she generally falls asleepright away or just lays there quietly for a few minutes.  She wakes around 2:30-3:30 am to nurse (she sometimes used to sleep till 4:30/5 am before 6 month regression but hasn't since it ended).  If she's swaddled she sleeps straight through till 6:30 am, if not I have to replug paci around 5:30 am and sometimes she goes back to sleep.  She has replugged herself 2x and fallen back to sleep on her own.
Thank you!!!

update: I wind her down with a 15 min walk for every nap but today for nap 1 we went out a little late and only had 10 mins then when we walked in the door, the cleaning lady had the vacuum on and daddy had just gotten home.  When I put her down she was all flustered and talking/crying and grabbing for the paci to chew on it so I swaddled her and she fell asleep right away. I had to replug paci at 35 mins tho which I don't normally have to do.  Maybe it's an overstimulation/wind down issue?  But her OS nap is generally 25 and I'm getting 35-40 mins was used to mean UT I thought!   So confused!

[Lindsay27]

Too much wind down can sometimes be a part of the issue for sure, I usually do max 10mins wind down, but that's just us, every LO is different.  I would say that 30/35min naps are usually OT, 40/45mins are UT.  I think that 6.5/7 months our A time was about 3.15hr and it stayed here for a good while, until pretty recently actually.  If you push A times I would hold for a few days as it can take them a bit of time to adjust.  There was a mama on the birth club who was swaddling into the 7th month.  I know it isn't usually recommend, but if she isn't regularly rolling it is something that's up to you/what you feel comfortable with yk?

[Tabathagucci]

Ok think I will keep swaddling at least until I figure out her new routine.  She was sleeping long naps before and is now sleeping short naps at the same A time so I can only guess she needs a push!  We will see!