talk to me about de-swaddling
redshoegirl
member
I'm not sure if our boys are ready to go without swaddling quite yet, but I think they're going to be soon so I want to have a game plan ready. 
They still need to be swaddled to go to sleep, but now they've started doing this thing where one or the other will wake up at night and start fussing and straining their arms, seemingly to get them free from the Miracle Blanket or Woombie. So far I've been able to go into the nursery, give them a pat and a paci and settle them back down, but I'm wondering if it might be a good idea to try leaving one arm free at night to start the de-swaddling process? The problem is that it's FREAKING COLD here at night, and even though there's a heater in their room, their hands will definitely get cold if they're not bundled into their nice cozy swaddle. 
Thoughts? How did you know your LO was ready to go swaddle-free? And what would you do about the cold temp?
Re: talk to me about de-swaddling
I just stopped it cold turkey when Jack was breaking out by morning a majority of the time. He never really depended heavily on it though (it kept him asleep, but wasn't required as part of the night time routine) so maybe that makes a difference. By the time I did it (3ish mo? b/c it was right around when I went back to work) the constricted swaddle would cause him more stress if he woke up because he wanted to wiggle and roll to his side.
Not too sure about temp, it doesn't get that cold here and we have thermostat controlled central heat - I would maybe add a layer under their sleeper or whatever they sleep in. I remember Lori (M2MW) said Libby also wore socks under the sleeper. That doesn't really help for hands - but they are older and if you layer their core enough they should be able to regulate body temps by now...
Ditto. I thought he might be ready when he became stronger -- fighting it in the morning as part of his wake-up routine -- and big enough to outgrow the bassinet. It was right about the time that he transitioned him to his own room, about 10 weeks.
We went cold turkey at nights (haven't swaddled for naps for a long time). The first 3 nights were not fun and I nearly gave up. But then he just settled in, and the thrashing minimized with each try. On the plus side, I really think all that movement helped him learn to roll over. He got onto his side a week later and fully turned right after that.
We stopped around 4 months after Alexa rolled over. We stopped cold turkey, but you can do it gradually with one arm out, then both arms out. We moved from the Miracle Blanket to a Sleep Sack.
I recall that we had 1-2 rough nights where she had trouble falling asleep, then she was fine. Once she figured out how nice it is to sleep on her tummy, she would just roll over and go to sleep.
During the winter, we used to put Alexa in a cotton footed sleeper, then in a fleece sleep sack. Now she sleeps in a cotton onesie under a cotton sleepsack.
Malia & Dave & Alexa
Happily married since 2-17-08! Three since 9-9-09!
Baby Blog
our babies are very much alike
we didn't stop until she learned to roll over from back to belly on her own, and at this point we stopped cold turkey. she LOVES to sleep on her belly and as soon as i removed the swaddle, she was instantly rolling from back to belly the minute her body hit the mattress after i set her down!! we were lucky and did not have any rough nights, it was like business as usual for her. not sure if this played a role in it, but we had been going swaddle free for naps during the day for quite some time (2 months maybe?) before this.
as a side note - i've recently started finding her asleep on her back again sometimes. i guess she misses the good ole days every now and then LOL
Jaime & Brent
Oahu, Hawaii | Sept. 9, 2005
My Food Blog - Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats
I know!! It cracks me up. I love reading your comments because they're always exactly the same. LOL!!
Awwwww! How cute! So here is one difference... I have never found Alexa asleep on her back! Not yet at least... LOL. :-)
Malia & Dave & Alexa
Happily married since 2-17-08! Three since 9-9-09!
Baby Blog