Xp: your LO and their startle reflex..

andricjl · July 2012

Just wondering when does LOs startle reflex ease down to where it won't wake her up? I don't swaddle her for naps so let's just say she is a terrible napper. I swaddle her arms in with a halo swaddle sleep sack at night just for bedtime and she does tend to break out of it but not usually both arms and sometimes it's just a hand poking out. I know that once she starts rolling over I need to stop swaddling her arms at night and I'm dreading it. How did it go for transitioning your LO from being swaddled arms in vs arms out? How long did it take? Did it totally screw up LOs STTN schedule? That's another one of my fears that if I try arms out it will screw up her great night sleeping.

starbound6 · July 2012

With my DS1 he was swaddled until 5 months, when we then did Ferber to transition to crib and out of swaddle. We did it cold turkey. He then used a sleepsack and rolled to his belly and slept great from there on. Will probably do the same for DS2.

ETA: my DS2 definitely still has his startle reflex. It wakes him up when he's in the carseat or stroller, as he's not swaddled then (obv.);)

WildcatPrincess · July 2012

Swaddle for naps if she won't sleep otherwise. The reflex usually disappears between 4 and 6 months. Once DD started rolling we went cold turkey and it was about a week adjustment, but not as bad as it could have been.

metucker · July 2012

It has been really rough for me. She broke out of the Swaddle and rolled over, so I've been swaddling her in the RNP (buckled in) ever since. She wakes up literally every 5 minutes when not swaddled and then screams. I am going to keep trying every few days.

Tambcat · July 2012

I think she still has it, but it doesn't wake her up. She's never liked her arms swaddled.

Ruby412 · July 2012

We went cold turkey the other day after 2 nights of her breaking out of the SwaddleMes and her freaking out when we tried to swaddle her at night. The first night she slept fine. The last two nights her sleep has not been good - up every 3 hours. Don't know if it's swaddle related, a growth spurt or something else. She was only going 5ish hour stretches before that anyway.

For naps, she sleeps on her tummy (observed through the monitor.)

Steffie17 · July 2012

We Started weaning off the swaddle a week ago. We did 3 days one arm out. Then 4 days the other. We are on night three of both arms out. Last night she slept 6 hours (her longest stretch ever!) and the night before she was able to put herself back to sleep by sucking on her thumb. She still has the reflex but it doesn't wake her. She was escaping from under the swaddle so the swaddle part of the halo sleep sack swaddle was up around her neck. So we decided now was the time. If she wasn't ready we would have waited.

vtwd40 · July 2012

DD actually slept better when we stopped swaddling. We had to do it unexpectedly because she outgrew her swaddleme and we suck at using a blanket to swaddle. She sleeps great without it (10-12 hours straight) She'll wake up and suck her thumb to get back to sleep

JaimeG183 · July 2012

his startles have decreased and the last 2 nights I've left his 1 arm out because he has been sucking on his hand. I figure if he can self-soothe that would be great

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