To swaddle or not?

ecloho · August 2015

I go back-and-forth about swaddling… Sometimes I think my son does not like to be swaddled. He is very into using his hands for self soothing when he's asleep, as babies do naturally in the womb. Sometimes I still try swaddling and it works, other times it doesn't work at all and he seems very unhappy. I have purchased a product called a "swaddle up" which allows them to be swaddled but still have their hands up near their face (based on the science of babies using their hands to self soothe in utero) we tried it but it's just a little bit big for him right now. Does anyone else have conflicting thoughts or opinions about swaddling, Or perhaps a baby that doesn't like to be swaddled?

Vronyo16 · August 2015

My daughter is 3 weeks old today and she used to like being swaddled but recently she gets ticked when I lay her down and her hands aren't out! So I have been swaddling her with her hands outs and she put them up by her head and passes out! Crazy babies

kyrenora · August 2015

I always swaddle my girl with her hands free, and she's much happier.

2babes3angels · August 2015

Mine was the exact opposite. He wanted completely restricted movement of the arms lol. My thought is if something works for your baby one day and then not another, no big deal. You can just add it to your "bag of tricks" for when you need ideas later.

audi681 · August 2015

We don't swaddle. He hates it. We gave up after laying in bed and listening to him scream for a couple nights in a row!

Melis222 · August 2015

I swaddle at night with one of those Swaddle Me blankets with the velcro...baby always manages to break her hands out of it though. Maybe I'll try doing it with her hands out.

becksellence · August 2015

My LO is a week old and is the same way. She self soothes by sucking on her hands so swaddling doesn't really work. She did on and off the first day or two but we don't bother anymore unless her hands are out.

ecloho · August 2015

@Melis222 my Reign boy is an escape artist too! Lol

lovermyboys · August 2015

We swaddle sometimes and not sometimes depending on what he wants for the day. The hands out are a must for our LO he has actually gave himself hickies on his arms from sucking so hard it soothes him.

MEXARAB · August 2015

Every day it's a different story with this little guy. I don't like his hands out cause he pulls his hair sometimes and he cries so bad because of it. But he doesn't like to be swaddled all the time.

zmombie · August 2015

My oldest hated being swaddled. My middle, didn't care either way, but I was scared to use blankets. And my youngest, who is now 6 weeks tomorrow won't sleep without her swaddle me

mers90 · August 2015

I don't like swaddling. I was told at the Lamaze class (6 years ago) that both swaddling and baby mittens aren't good for their development because they need to learn to use and control their hands and also, they use them to discover the world around them. It made sense to me so I didn't do it with my son, but with my daughter I had to do it the first days because she wouldn't stop crying after her bath if I didn't. She's 2 weeks now and I don't do it anymore.

Leahauc · August 2015

My baby girl is 50/50 on the swaddle too. Sometimes it puts her to sleep as soon as she's in it and sometimes it pisses her off beyond belief. I pretty much know after her being in it for a minute if it's a good day for the swaddle. I just hate not swaddling because she likes to sleep with her arms up over her head and she always manages to scare herself awake.

kaylacrain · August 2015

I have a peanut shaped swaddle sack I got from walmart that my son absolutely loves! The swaddle me ones you have to take them completely out of to change at night, the peanut one zips up from the bottom for changes.

qtjo5 · August 2015

mers90 said:
I don't like swaddling. I was told at the Lamaze class (6 years ago) that both swaddling and baby mittens aren't good for their development because they need to learn to use and control their hands and also, they use them to discover the world around them. It made sense to me so I didn't do it with my son, but with my daughter I had to do it the first days because she wouldn't stop crying after her bath if I didn't. She's 2 weeks now and I don't do it anymore.

I was told this exact thing, in addition to my son hating it and breaking out of the swaddle - we dont do it anymore. He is 3 weeks old and loves kicking snd punching. Lol

ecloho · August 2015

@qtjo5 & @mers90 makes sense to me! 8->

PurpleBookmark · August 2015

My DS hated it, my first DD loved it and this LO was okay with it but she kept working her hands out and managing to loosen the blankets enough to bury her face in them. This of course frightened the heck out of me so I just try to make sure she's comfortable temperature wise and that seems to be enough for her.

She wears light long sleeve sleepers when we're wearing shorts and t-shirts but she's much happier and no longer needs a swaddle. I guess for her it was the warmth she liked versus the restriction.

lovehorse77 · August 2015

We swaddle with hands and arms out....com day one LO would destroy any swaddle where her hands and arms were not out. She sleeps w her hands above her head pretty much any time she's really truly in a deep sleep. We bought the Halo swaddle sack and it has the option for hands in or out. Love it! We use it at night only bc she sleeps really well in it and we want to encourage the longer deeper sleeps at night time .

mnj05 · August 2015

DS1 would not sleep without a tight swaddle for a long time. If I swaddled with arms out before he was ready, he would startle himself awake when he hit himself with his uncoordinated arms. By the time he started rolling and we had to stop swaddling, he had figured out his arms and didn't wake himself.

DS2 is 4 weeks tomorrow and needs the swaddle to a point in order to sleep. He can be arms in or out but he likes it tight around his torso.

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