Unswaddling the swaddler

TamarraL

Hi mommies, I've read somewhere that you should start Unswaddling your baby from 3 months to develop their motor skills. Has anyone anyone successfully pulled this off yet? What age did you start?

I'm really beginning to think that I won't be successful in this one. Ive tried putting her less dominant hand out first to let her get used to the movement and the "freedom" with no success. Not sure if I gave up too quickly. She only sleeps with one hand out is if I let her sleep in my arms and then the only way to get her to sleep in a her cot is to be completely swaddled.

laceymarie3

We kept swaddling our son until he started struggling to get out. He was over 3 months. I knew the extra few weeks of swaddling was not going to have an adverse affect on his gross motor skills. It was more important for us that he slept. Good luck!

shaley29

It might just be too early yet for her. Not all babies are on the same developmental schedule. Wait a week or two and try again. There are also sleep sacks you can get that wean babies put of the swaddle (though I can't remember the name!). I swaddled my DD until she was almost 4 months, though her arms were always free from day one because she didn't like them being tied down and wiggled them out. Either way her legs and chest were always tightly wrapped until then. I use the baby deedee sleep sack now.

kde4

Both of our boys also really, really loved being swaddled. I dreaded the transition, but it was surprisingly smooth since we used 'transitional swaddles.' Our boys slept best in Zip a Dee Zips, but there are lots of great options out there. A friend of mine loves Merlins Magic Sleepsuit. In case it helps, these are all of the things that worked for us when we transitioned them out of swaddles. https://www.theydontfeedthemselves.com/transitioning-twins-out-of-swaddles/

Bigboobsmcgee

I swaddled my second kid until she was 4 months old then did the one arm out thing. It takes time but you'll get there!

delujm0

LO started turning over onto her belly in her sleep just before 4 months, so even if we had been swaddling, we would have had to stop at that point.  Fortunately, she never liked having her arms swaddled, and it never affected her sleep to have them out.  She is a pretty heavy sleeper, so she rarely startled herself awake.  We moved from a swaddle with both arms out into footed PJs around 13 weeks and then after two weeks in PJs in the bassinet (where her sleep patterns hadn't changed), we transitioned to the crib (where her patterns also didn't change).  We are pretty lucky to have a good nighttime sleeper though.  naps are another story entirely.

 

I'd start by swaddline with one arm out for a week or so, and then both arms out, and then PJs.  LO really loves moving around in her sleep, so she actually sleeps better in PJs in her large crib than she ever did in a swaddle in the bassinet.

lizzypoo96

We would put LO to bed fully swaddled then did the one arm out thing after he had his first wake up... Then after a week we started putting him down with one arm out to start and leaving both arms out after first wake up... Take your time moving from one phase to the next. We use the swaddleme wrap sack

shabnamfaal

This is what I've heard too, but my baby is 5 months and half now and I still swaddle him and I have a problem with unswaddling, since he can't sleep deeply with the arms out.