"Help! My baby only sleeps if swaddled?"

Amanda - posted on 02/03/2011

Dont worry I am having the same problem with my 6 month old daughter! She is still wrapped but with arms up under the wrap and I have been trying to transition her but with no luck thus far! Even the sleeping bag didnt help! I am going to keep trying using the idea of one arm out then the other and go from there...I think my daughter likes the feeling of having something against her face, I think she is going to end up with a blankie...she loves her wraps! lol Good luck!

Karen - posted on 01/27/2011

My girls wouldn't sleep without being swaddled either. Once they could kick their way out of a blanket I used the halo swaddle sleep sacks. Once they outgrew those I used "woombies" which you can only buy online. At the point we finally decided we needed to stop we tried doing it gradually but letting out one arm, then the other, etc. but it didn't result in any less crying so we went cold turkey but we gave them their woombies to sleep with, instead of in. The first two nights were tough but then all was fine and till this day they still love their woombies.

Erin - posted on 01/26/2011

I swaddled my son until he was about 6 months old. we started with the one arm out first, then both with his body still wrapped. And then we moved to a sleep sack until the summer when it was warm in our house so he slept with no blankets. Of course now I still don't have him sleeping with blankets which he hates so he has to wear super thick pj's all winter. I feel like changing anything to do with sleep will always cause us mothers anxiety!

Jennifer - posted on 01/26/2011

But the other suggestions will work- either loosen it a little each night or start with the on arm at a time.

Jennifer - posted on 01/26/2011

I'm kinda curious why you think this is an issue. If they're comfortable that way what's the big deal. I've never heard that they shouldn't be swaddled after 4months what's your source on that. I think as moms we tend to invent things to worry about. This isn't a big deal.

Deanna - posted on 01/21/2011

Keep swaddling him. OK. I know that isn't going to work forever. So swaddle him a eensy weensy bit less tight each night. Eventually it will come down to what you are comfortable with.
good luck

Kristy - posted on 01/20/2011

We stopped swaddling at 6 months - I was dreading it like crazy because she was so dependant on it, but I knew we had to cut it out so we stopped cold turkey and she was fine. I was expecting her to be waking up every hour but she slept straight through. Good Luck!

Katie - posted on 01/20/2011

I took my daughter out of a swaddle when she was about 3-3 1/2 months. I read somewhere that they shouldn't be swaddled once they're 4 month. I did it gradually too. I started by taking 1 arm out for a few days, then I had both her arms out, then eventually went to no swaddle.

Mina - posted on 01/19/2011

Thx guys! Tonight I'm trying Angela plan! Right now as I type I'm putting him to sleep swaddled and with one hand out! I hope it works and he stays asleep all night:)

Angela - posted on 01/19/2011

I worried about this all the time before my daughter turned 1. She has been wrapped up to sleep since she was born and still gets partially wrapped now. She was 10 months old when she started getting an arm out during her sleep. So I took this as a sign she was ready to start being unwrapped at night. I started by wrapping her with one arm free at night... I let her get use to that for a couple of weeks and then I started wrapping her body and leaving both arms out... So far so good :)
I think babies do things when they are good and ready... I tried multiple times to wean her but She would cry and cry... She let me know she was ready for the transition by getting her arm free all the time...

Asia - posted on 01/19/2011

He won't fight you forever. Just go a week without swaddling him at all and I'm sure he'll get the idea. You might get less sleep that week but he'll get sick of waking up too, he'll just give in.

Jackie - posted on 01/19/2011

Hmmm...well I could suggest that you check out this link that gives great suggestions as to how other parents have sleep trained their children since that is what you are essentially doing in order to "wean" him from being swaddled. Hope it helps!

http://www.theskinnyscoop.com/search/sle...

Shannon - posted on 01/19/2011

my middle was swaddled at night till 10 mo

Mina - posted on 01/19/2011

Shannon, that's exactly what I swaddled him in! The fabric is really light and thin my mom just kinda fixed it up for me! I was thinking the same maybe he will let me know when he is ready to sleep on his own.

Mina - posted on 01/19/2011

Thx guys!
Liz, that's a great plan and I'm glad it worked for you specially with twins! I do have a pajama bag and I will give that a try since I bought it for him when he was smaller but didn't like it because he wasn't tight enough!

Shannon - posted on 01/19/2011

ther is a dvd called the happiest baby on the block by Dr harvey Karp try and find it at the library but it says that the bay will let you know when they are done they will let you know go to the fabric store and get a measure of 40 x 40 to wrap him in

Liz - posted on 01/19/2011

You could gradually decrease it. For my oldest they loved being swaddled. They will be three in june ( b/g twins) my youngest doesn't like being swaddled so we don't have to worry about that with him. This is what we did with the twins though.

1) We started with just the receiving blankets when they were younger ( they were six weeks early).

2) once they outgrew that we went to those swaddle mes.

3) Then after that we went to those bag type pajamas and a light blanket.

4) Then we finally transitioned them to their normal pajamas and a blanket.

Most importantly keep consistent. Even if they cry, it was important to keep with the plan, and it worked great for us. They will be three in June and their little brother will be one in July.