Author Topic: Time to unswaddle?  (Read 2466 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline JWB's Mom

  • New, But Posting Steadily!
  • **
  • Showing Appreciation 1
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 70
  • Location: Kansas City, USA
Time to unswaddle?
« on: September 01, 2005, 00:55:40 am »
My son is 3 and a half months old and has been moving to the corner of his crib while still swaddled. He's been working his hands out of the swaddle and then cries until I re-swaddle him and then goes back to sleep. I have tried loosely swaddling him and just using the sleep sack, and he won't go to sleep. At what age should I stop swaddling him and how do I transition him to being unswaddled? Everything I've read says that I'll know when he's ready, but I don't know what to look for. Please help!

Thank you!
Julie (Jack's Mom)

Offline tylersmommy

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 172
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 3433
  • Nebraska, USA
  • Location: Nebraska
Time to unswaddle?
« Reply #1 on: September 01, 2005, 02:12:38 am »
When Tyler got to be around that age, we moved to the Aussie swaddle with a bedsheet (directions are at the top of this forum). He just couldn't settle without a swaddle, so we knew it wasn't time to wean him yet, but he was wiggling out of his regular blanket swaddle almost as soon as I laid him down. IMHO, if he settles with a looser swaddle or none at all, then he's ready to wean it. There really isn't a specific age to wean the swaddle. For us, we weaned Tyler back to a regular blanket, legs-only swaddle around 8 mo or so. It had become a part of his nap routine (we never swaddled at night for some reason) and had strong sleep associations, so we just stuck with it...to this day, we still wrap his legs at naptime, and he's 20 mo! HTH!
Melissa
Mommy to Tyler, 12/30/03 and Mackenzie, 10/17/06
<img src="http://b5.lilypie.com/Uavem6.png" alt="Lilypie 5th Birthday Ticker" border="0"  />

Offline JWB's Mom

  • New, But Posting Steadily!
  • **
  • Showing Appreciation 1
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 70
  • Location: Kansas City, USA
Time to unswaddle?
« Reply #2 on: September 02, 2005, 00:29:11 am »
Thank you so much for this information! I will take your advice and look for cues when he's ready. Take care!

Offline Jill1000

  • New & Learning The Ropes!
  • *
  • Showing Appreciation 0
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 5
  • Location:
Time to unswaddle?
« Reply #3 on: September 05, 2005, 19:00:16 pm »
Is it safe to put them in their own room when they are swaddled?  My son is swaddled (11 weeks) but I am keen to put him into his own room as he is so noisy when he sleeps.

Swaddling works, but when he wakes he then grunts and sighs until he has broken out of his swaddle.

It is OK to put him in his own room when he is bound up?
Ed's mum

Offline Jaime

  • Queen of the Wicker People
  • Administrator
  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 941
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 22756
  • Location: Florida, USA
    • Laughable Lunacy
Time to unswaddle?
« Reply #4 on: September 05, 2005, 19:31:57 pm »
absolutely - as long as he's sleeping on his back. 

my kids had to leave our room for being too loud too.   :wink:  :D
Jaime
~~~
DD - Textbook
DS - Touchy/Grumpy

Offline vickytxs

  • New & Learning The Ropes
  • *
  • Showing Appreciation 1
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 28
  • Location: Nottingham
Time to unswaddle?
« Reply #5 on: September 06, 2005, 10:17:52 am »
hi julie
i need some answers too! my son is 3 and a half months and will only settle to a good deep sleep when swaddled. he cant get out of it cause i use this blanket with a cheesy name, the miracle blanket, i found online. its wonderful but he wont settle unless hes swaddled and i was reading somewhere you shouldnt have babies swaddled more than 8 hrs in a row, something like that. i put him in his swaddle for naps and nighttime sleep and surely the nighttime sleep is at least 8 hrs total!
so what do i do, is that even true? he seems to be just fine. i also dont know how to and when to wean him from the swaddle. he may soon be growing out of this one and im worried he wont sleep then.......anyone got any advice or help..???

Offline Jaime

  • Queen of the Wicker People
  • Administrator
  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 941
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 22756
  • Location: Florida, USA
    • Laughable Lunacy
Time to unswaddle?
« Reply #6 on: September 06, 2005, 17:43:57 pm »
i've never heard the 8-hr suggestion about swaddling.... i think if you just do it for all sleep times you should be fine.  when he is ready to be done it will be very obvious.

when your lo outgrows the miracle blanket (& if he still needs the swaddle) you may want to try a twin size bedsheet cut/folded in half

HTH
Jaime
~~~
DD - Textbook
DS - Touchy/Grumpy

Offline Netspi

  • New & Learning The Ropes!
  • *
  • Showing Appreciation 0
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 15
  • Location: UK
Time to unswaddle?
« Reply #7 on: September 07, 2005, 10:52:49 am »
My 3 and a half month daughter is swaddled at night but not for naps. I'm also considering moving her to her room in the next few weeks (I'm sure it will be more traumatic for me than for her). I think that once she's in her room, I'll try weaning her off swaddling, but as Tracy suggests, it will be one arm at a time. She's a thumb-sucker so that should please her. Nights tend to be quite good for her - 11-12 hours with just one feed around 2-3am so it will be interesting to see what an un-swaddled night holds for us...

Offline JWB's Mom

  • New, But Posting Steadily!
  • **
  • Showing Appreciation 1
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 70
  • Location: Kansas City, USA
Time to unswaddle?
« Reply #8 on: September 08, 2005, 21:30:27 pm »
Hello, I have not heard about not swaddling for more than 8 hours, but I did read that swaddling beyond a certain age can hinder or cause hip joint problems (don't know if this is true?) My LO will be 4 months next week and still gets upset if he gets an arm out of his swaddle, which I guess means that he's not ready to give up the swaddle. He sleeps almost 12 hours at night, so I'm reluctant to disturb a good thing! I'm going to try the Aussie swaddle and test it out during nap times. He can't roll over yet but holds his head up well - don't know if the swaddle is hindering his development in learning to roll over or if I need to do a better job in teaching him how to do it. We do tummy time 3 times a day and he hates it.

Thank you for all of the comments and advice!

Julie