Can I ask? (Flame if you want but I'm really just trying to understand)

Etta07

What's the purpose of continuing to swaddle once your LO shows a desire to get out of it?

DS hasn't been swaddled since he was about 3 weeks old.  He was making it very obvious he didn't want his arms to be pinned down.  We only kept it up for so long as a form of physical therapy, his left shoulder got stuck on the way out.  

ameliahedlund

I wondered this too, But DS fights it for a little while when he is first swaddled but then calms immediately one he is laid down.  I think it helps his startle reflex a ton and also helps he stay asleep.  I only swaddle him at night and he sleeps much better because of it.  I think at least!

Mrs.EmmaLouise

LO sleeps so much better swaddled. I agree with pp, its because of the startpe reflex, it cant wake her up that way. She doesnt fight tje swaddle as much as she just escapes it. So were moving on to sleep sacks now.

monkey_pants

My DD won't stay asleep if not swaddled - she punches and kicks herself awake

Firedancer1013

DS STTN whether swaddled or not, but after recent posts about the escape proof swaddle, we've tried it for naps and it really does help him not wake up and do what Dh and I call the 'rapper arm' where all of a sudden one arm flies up and he freaks out and wakes himself up. It honestly has helped him nap more in the day time and as a result he is way less cranky and we've gotten better play during the day and tons more smiles. For us, when DS sleeps better, he feels better, and we want to make him as happy as possible, so if that helps, we are all about it even if he does fuss for a minute or so when we first put him in.

liladelphia215

I don't know, all I know is DD fights the swaddle but once she's pinned and in her RnP, whether she escapes or not, she has been sleeping from 10 or 10:30 to 4:30 or 5:30 every night, so I will not mess with success lol. 

Jenniferk08

Mj doesn't seem to care if he's swaddled or not.  He does escape during the night from it but I keep the house at a comfy temp. 

auburn76chic

We don't swaddle, we tried once and he screamed and never calmed down until we removed it. DS sleeps with his hands above his head and does not like for them to be tied down.  He sleeps fine at night too, just wakes up to eat. I some times use the halo sleep sacks.

thatsmary

I don't really understand for my lo either. I'm sure for some it is necessary, but for us, as long as we're bedsharing, DD only wakes once or twice to eat anyway. You know, if she didn't I'd be kind of worried. I wake up full in the middle of the night anyhow and we often both just fall back asleep in the glider. I'm figuring that if she wants both of her arms free bad enough so that she was able to come out of the top of her pj's and a tight Swaddle Me with both arms that there must be an evolutionary reason. 

dee1369

We stopped swaddling for a while early on, and got back into it at about a month old - we noticed that DD slept a lot better when swaddled. It helps her STTN. Now, I frequently find her with both arms out of it in the morning, but it is part of our bedtime routine and we'll probably keep doing it until the startle reflex is completely gone.

daniellepanda

If we don't swaddle him at night, he wakes himself up with his startle reflex.

cgr8979

We only swaddle at night. We've found she stays asleep longer if she is.

RumbleLina

DS hates to be swaddled for about the first minute of it and then he is fine.

I would prefer not to swaddle him but he still has the startle reflex so he wakes himself up which then becomes a struggle to get him back to sleep.

We do not swaddle him for naps though since the majority of naps are in his swing still.

smitt2619

If your LO doesn't seem to want it and sleeps just fine without it, then there's no need to swaddle.  Just switch to a Halo Sleepsack instead. 

Wufroggy79

Our pediatrician and another orthopedic surgeon we saw (due to a false alarm hip dev prob because of her being breech) both do not recommend swaddles.  They would rather baby kick and work leg muscles instead of being restrained.  We swaddled for maybe the first week and she always got out of it or screamed her face off at the Miracle Blanket.