Babies: 3 - 6 Months

Swaddle Drama

Husband and I are breaking the swaddle and so far it is not going well...at all!

Baby is fed, changed and sleepy or asleep when we put him down so I know he?s not hungry and that his basic needs are met. I think his jerky arm and body movements are waking him up. We don?t feed him in the night anymore. When we were swaddling him he would usually sleep 9:30pm-6:00am and either not wake up or wake up once in the night. When he would wake up we would just stick a paci in his mouth and he?d usually go back to sleep just fine. Maybe we should just keep swaddling him!? I don?t think he is teething because he isn?t fussy during the day, but what do I know?! 

So to CIO or not? Some people say it is harmful to the baby and others say baby needs to learn to self soothe. I have read to let them cry for set intervals of time and then to go in and check on the baby, pat his tummy, but ?do not pick up!? I read another theory suggesting to pick up your baby every single time he cries so he doesn?t break the trust he has already established with you.  I am so confused and just recently read not to even rock the baby!

Baby was up 2:00am-6:30am and of course I was completely inconsistent and tried every method it seems!  No wonder baby is confused.  I am afraid to go back to the swaddle because he is almost 5 months old and rolling this way and that and I do not want him to suffocate. 

 Any advice is appreciated. 

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Re: Swaddle Drama

  • I don't have any advice for the swaddle b/c we are currently having a hard time breaking this sleep association as well, but nothing bad will happen to your baby if you use CIO. Some moms are ok with soothing their babies to sleep every couple hrs, but you need to do what's best for your family. As far as how you practice CIO, I think that is really dependent more on your babies own personality/temperament. Some babies do well w/ mom/dad coming in every few mins to comfort and soothe, but for my little guy the few times I actually tried to do that he would get so angry, so it was a fail. One night DH & I were desperate to get him to go to sleep. He had been awake for a few hrs w/ no luck and nothing we did was helping, so I ended up putting him in bed and letting him cry for a little bit. He wasn't screaming his head off or anything and he wasn't doing the I'm really angry cry, so I just let him be and after 10mins he fell asleep. Also, in regards to the swaddle (I know I said I didn't have advice), but have you tried one arm in, one out? Like I said, I am trying to wean him from the swaddle as well and was just able to get him down for a nap this way (thank God). :) GL.
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  • avblissavbliss member

    imageelektra1835:
    I don't have any advice for the swaddle b/c we are currently having a hard time breaking this sleep association as well, but nothing bad will happen to your baby if you use CIO. Some moms are ok with soothing their babies to sleep every couple hrs, but you need to do what's best for your family. As far as how you practice CIO, I think that is really dependent more on your babies own personality/temperament. Some babies do well w/ mom/dad coming in every few mins to comfort and soothe, but for my little guy the few times I actually tried to do that he would get so angry, so it was a fail. One night DH & I were desperate to get him to go to sleep. He had been awake for a few hrs w/ no luck and nothing we did was helping, so I ended up putting him in bed and letting him cry for a little bit. He wasn't screaming his head off or anything and he wasn't doing the I'm really angry cry, so I just let him be and after 10mins he fell asleep. Also, in regards to the swaddle (I know I said I didn't have advice), but have you tried one arm in, one out? Like I said, I am trying to wean him from the swaddle as well and was just able to get him down for a nap this way (thank God). :) GL.

     

    This totally!

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  • I know most don't agree but try putting him on his stomach. They feel more secure this way. I just thought I'd mention it. We never swaddled, been tummy sleeping since about 4-5 weeks old.

    What ever you decide to do, good luck!

     

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  • Thanks ya'll :)
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