did you swaddle? for how long?

aoverlock · June 2010

we have swaddled LO at night since he was born. recently i have been leaving his arms out of the swaddle because i heard that it is not good to swaddle them too long since they need to build up their muscle strength and also because of the fear he may roll over and have trouble breathing. however, he was sleeping for longer stretches at night when his arms were also swaddled. should i start swaddling his arms again or should i just suck it up and get less sleep? or maybe try swaddling just one arm? what did you do?

Babs022 · June 2010

we swaddled until 5 months...its the ONLY way she would sleep.

lovesinthehouse · June 2010

At some point DS started pulling his arms out of his swaddle himself, and he's nowhere near rolling over yet. If your LO is sleeping with arms out, you can leave them out, but I don't think you need to worry about them rolling over with their arms in. How would they roll without the use of their arms anyway?

We tried to quit swaddling this weekend use a sleepsack, and it was a minor fail. So we're still swaddling.

ceramsey · June 2010

We didn't stop until 5m-he has a bad startle reflex. Now that he's rolling he sleeps on his stomach so the reflex is no longer an issue.

aoverlock · June 2010

lovesinthehouse:

but I don't think you need to worry about them rolling over with their arms in. How would they roll without the use of their arms anyway?

yeah i'm sure he wouldn't be able too. it's kind of a crazy thing to worry about, i know that makes me feel better though, i think i will keep swaddling his arms, thanks!

lil_rhody · June 2010

We haven't swaddled his arms from the beginning. He screams if you try to swaddle his arms down. Just last night we didn't swaddle and used the sleep sack, and he slept the same (no much, but the same as he has been), so we might be stopping. It made nighttime diaper changes faster and easier without the swaddle.

popcorn13 · June 2010

Swaddled until about 3 months then weaned cold turkey. Then had to start swaddling again because daycare was doing it for naps and she needed it. Weaned gradually around 6 months. As long as LO isn't swaddled alot during the day and is developing normally, you don't need to worry about swaddling at night.

mh2t · June 2010

We swaddled DD until 7 months. We only stopped when she began busting out of the Miracle Blanket. We had to swaddle her that long because she would scratch the crap out of herself (even with mitts on) if we didn't.

DrDPM · June 2010

We only swaddled for the first 2 or 3 weeks. DS hated having his arms pinned down (he likes to sleep with them above his head), and he's a great sleeper now.

mikkimikey · June 2010

Logan was completely swaddled until he was 4 months old. That's the only way he would sleep!

smittendorff · June 2010

We are still swaddling at 3.5 months. He hasn't yet started to roll over or break his arms loose, and we'll keep swaddling until then. As far as building muscle strength, just make sure to give him enough tummy time. We also don't ever swaddle when he's awake. But since your LO isn't rolling or breaking loose, keep on swaddling! What do you use to swaddle with? We really like Halo sleepsack swaddles, and highly recommend them!

beaner628 · June 2010

We are in the process of stopping now. She breaks out of it in the middle of the night...even with the miracle blanket and she seems to like her hands over her head. So we are now just using the sleep sacs and she is doing well. She will knock out her pacifier sometimes and get upset but its getting better. We did the one arm out for a bit and just kept making the transition.

mynaturalbaby · June 2010

I only swaddled DS for a couple of months before transitioning him into a sleep sack. He's now almost 1 year and has been sleeping in it every night and loves it. The thing I like about the sleep sack is that as soon as he has it on, he's able to make the association that it's bedtime and starts to settle down. That being said, keep him in the swaddle as long as you can and then you can transition him over to the sleep sack until it's safe for him to sleep with blankets or comforters in the crib (at least 1 year of age).

A couple of words of advice, try to buy one made of natural cotton or merino if you can. I found the polyester sleep sacks caused DS to get hot and damp, preventing him from sleeping through the night comfortably. I use a merino sleep sack and it's fantastic. A little more expensive, but able to regulate body temperature which poly and cotton can't do.

Also, make sure you buy a brand that your little one can wear for a while and you won't have to be upsizing every few months. Hope that helps!

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