Poll: Swaddling

lelekay

Did/do you swaddle your baby?  Just for nighttime, or for naps, too?

What did/do you use to swaddle: miracle blankets, swaddle me, woombie, a+ a blankets, other?

When did you/do you plan to stop swaddling?  How did you do it: cold turkey, or in stages?

Working mamas: is your baby swaddled at day care for naps? 

MrsIH

Thanks for posting this, I'm curious about this too.

For us we 'assumed' that J didn't like to be swaddled because he would fight it and want to have his arms free (he sleeps with his arms up beside his head).  So we didn't swaddle much in the early days with a Swaddleme or Miracle Blanket. We used a+a blankets a ton though with a swaddle and he'd usually get his arms free ;-)  Now we use the Miracle Blanket every night at bed time and he can't get his arms free in that one (the Swaddle Me he usually wiggles until he does).  We don't swaddle during the day because I was hoping to associate swaddling with bed time.

I'm curious to know the answers to the other Q's :-) 

Married2MrWright

Like Tara, we also assumed that Libby hated to be swaddled.  She slept so well in the hospital all wrapped up, but when we brought her home she fought it so we stopped doing it.  Despite having two Miracle Blankets (thanks to Malia) we didn't use them until she was about 4 weeks old.  We had friends visiting that swore by the "Happiest Baby on the Block" and encouraged us to watch the DVD.  Then we learned better!

Since then, we've swaddled...for naps and bedtime too.  We've used the 5's from "Happiest Baby on the Block" from the time she was about 4 weeks old...even now, DH will sometimes swaddle her and rock her to sleep with the sounds of the hair dryer when she's super fussy.  It works every time. Especially now that she's mobile and teething...swaddling her arms helps her to be calm. It's one of her sleep cues.  She knows if she's swaddled, it's time to sleep.  She doesn't always need it to sleep though, because she will go down without it.  But when she's really wound up we still use it to settle her down for sleep.  At this point, she breaks out of it as soon as she's laid down, which is good and prevents her from being tangled up or unable to roll to her side or onto her tummy.

When she was still small we'd swaddle her with a Miracle Blanket or the big flannel swaddling blanket from the hospital.  Then, when she was too big for that (around 12 weeks old) we started using a thin, knit, cotton blanket.  Now?  We use a a+a gauze swaddle wrap folded in half into a triangle and just swaddle her upper body (again, to calm her when she's flailing about and fussy).  In general, she'll go down for DH or my mom with just rocking to sleep, but every once in a while, she's just riled up and then DH will swaddle her arms and then rock her.

parrotgirl

When we first brought Mason home, we used the hopitals's blankets and the a+a swaddle blankets, once he was a little bigger we used the Swaddle Me. He was always fighting it too and managed to get out on most nights (because i was a dud and didn't put it on right). Once I figured out what i was doing wrong he slept really well until about 3 months with his arms swaddled. For almost one month now, we've been swaddling only his lower half...he's not swinging his arms like crazy anymore and waking himself up like he used to.

We only swaddle at night and still using the swaddle me and a halo sleep sack over it. He goes down pretty easily these days and it is nice not having to rock him to sleep because it was getting tiring, lol

 

inamra

We didn't swaddle very much or for very long...but we started swaddling from the beginning. We used the Miracle Blanket. It lasted for 6 weeks, when he would cry bloody murder and absolutely refused to sleep until we unswaddled him, so we did so for one night. The next night, we tried to swaddle him again and he wouldn't stop crying until we unswaddled him so we did so again and then never swaddled him again after that.

lola808

Did/do you swaddle your baby?  Just for nighttime, or for naps, too?

All the time at first, but only at night after the first couple weeks.

What did/do you use to swaddle: miracle blankets, swaddle me, woombie, a+ a blankets, other?

Miracle blanket. Our own blanket swaddles worked fine at first, but the miracle definitely helped more as he grew.

When did you/do you plan to stop swaddling?  How did you do it: cold turkey, or in stages?

We stopped cold turkey just before 3 months. Then a week later, he started turning from back to belly, so it was perfect timing.

MauiWedding08

we swaddled until 4mo or so.  I used A+A blankets and did it until he started to break out a few nights in a row.

I did swaddle for naps but didn't encourage them to do it at daycare because by then I could tell that swaddling was on the way out for him.  But I see various miracle blanket or swaddle sacks hanging on the younger babies' cribs at daycare so I know there are some babies that must be swaddled for all naps.  

If Jack is having difficulty going down at daycare they often burrito wrap him up in his blanket and rock him for a bit so I guess he is still slightly swaddled on occasion.  Our daycare pretty much does whatever works for the family because it makes the transition easier on everyone!

redshoegirl

We've swaddled since day one - one of the benefits of having babies born after a few other ladies on this board is that I'd heard everyone rave about the benefits!

We did it both at night and for naps, although I kinda wish we didn't. I've read opposing opinions on this - that you should only swaddle for night so that they associate it with their "long sleep" and that you should swaddle for all so that it's a sleep cue no matter what. At first we were only doing it for night, but then a nurse told me at their 6 week checkup that we should do it for both, so we changed. In retrospect, I wish we'd kept on leaving them unswaddled during naps, since they were doing just fine - and although they've been weaned from the nighttime swaddle for about 2 months, it's proving MUCH harder to wean them from the daytime swaddle (we still have them in their miracle blankets with one arm out - I'm going to try taking it to the next step this week, so wish me luck!).

We used regular blankets until about...10 weeks, I think? They were a waffle weave and had a little stretch to them and worked quite well. Then we were given some Miracle Blankets and used them instead - we also used Woombies during the day, which are EXCELLENT, but when we wanted to wean them I didn't want to have to buy new Woombies with the arm holes, so we switched to the MB. 

We stopped in stages - we tried going cold turkey and it simply didn't work for us. First they went for a week with one arm out of the Miracle Blanket (this is the stage we're still stuck at during the daytime). Then about two weeks with both arms out. And finally we put them in their sleepsacks and night and never looked back! I discovered that the first three nights were always the hardest for us - the first was the worst, the second was marginally better, the third wasn't too bad, and on the fourth night they were pros. So if we could just survive the million trips to the nursery to give them their pacis and pat their tummies for the first 3 nights, we'd make it.

Since they'll be watched by MIL and a friend, yes, they'll be swaddled until I can finally break them of the habit. 

redshoegirl

This poll has inspired me to move to phase 2 of their daytime unswaddling - both arms out. Wish me luck!

ETA: Aaaaaaaand 45 solid minutes of top-of-the-lungs screaming from both boys = me giving up for today.

lelekay

I suppose I could answer my own poll!

 

We do swaddle Henry whenever he sleeps, both naps and at night.  I'm wondering if we should be more actively trying to break him of this habit yet or not.  At least maybe for naps?

We tried all of the above, but miracle blankets work by far the best, so we use only those now.

I don't know.  We've tried taking one arm out a few times....sometimes it's okay, sometimes not.  I have no idea when or how we should stop, thus the poll!  

Our daycare will swaddle, and I was planning on doing that, but now I wonder.  Maybe this would be a good natural break to try to stop swaddling during naps?  As of now I plan to send a miracle blanket along with him, and just see what happens.  

MauiWedding08

lelekay:

Our daycare will swaddle, and I was planning on doing that, but now I wonder.  Maybe this would be a good natural break to try to stop swaddling during naps?  As of now I plan to send a miracle blanket along with him, and just see what happens.  

even if you do want it to end I would still send one just in case he has "one of those days" and they need it as a last resort. 

lelekay

MauiWedding08:

lelekay:

Our daycare will swaddle, and I was planning on doing that, but now I wonder.  Maybe this would be a good natural break to try to stop swaddling during naps?  As of now I plan to send a miracle blanket along with him, and just see what happens.  

even if you do want it to end I would still send one just in case he has "one of those days" and they need it as a last resort. 

Oh, I definitely plan on it!!  I even bought an extra miracle blanket this weekend, since he likes those best. 

myday1708

Did/do you swaddle your baby?  Just for nighttime, or for naps, too?Yes. Nights and naps.What did/do you use to swaddle: miracle blankets, swaddle me, woombie, a+ a blankets, other?We started off using a velcro swaddle me and/or a+a blankets. Then I discovered the Miracle Blanket and never looked back! Wish I had the MB from the start!When did you/do you plan to stop swaddling?  How did you do it: cold turkey, or in stages?We stopped once she was able to roll over, which happened at about 4 months. We stopped cold turkey. She had 1-2 rough nights and was fine. We went from the swaddle to the sleep sack. We just stopped the sleep sack cold turkey a few nights ago in favor of PJs since she's standing and walking in her crib and we don't want her to trip. No problems with the switch.Working mamas: is your baby swaddled at day care for naps? N/A since we didn't have daycare until 6 mo, after we stopped swaddling. However, daycare did use a sleepsack in the beginning. They stopped using it several months ago, well before we stopped using it at home.

mrspresley

Did/do you swaddle your baby?  Just for nighttime, or for naps, too?

she was swaddled from the moment she was born. at first every time she went to sleep, day or night...but after about 4 wks (i think?) i switched to just swaddling her at night only....just to kind of get her used to sleeping swaddle free so when we had to drop it she wouldn't have such a hard time

What did/do you use to swaddle: miracle blankets, swaddle me, woombie, a+ a blankets, other?

mostly the miracle blanket and a halo sleepsack w/swaddle....whatever was clean i did not know about the woombie until she was 4 months old and at the point we were about to drop the swaddle

When did you/do you plan to stop swaddling?  How did you do it: cold turkey, or in stages?

we dropped it cold turkey when she started rolling from back to tummy at 4.5 months. she had no problems whatsoever... i think that was b/c she loved sleeping on her tummy so much that the freedom to roll over onto her tummy to sleep trumped the comfort of being swaddled