How long did you wrap your baby??

Melissa - posted on 10/25/2010

mu last post was in reference to my now 5 1/2 year old.....i now also have a 7 months old who is still wrapped lol......she too doesn't need a dummy to fall asleep, being wrapped is all she needs and the music on her monitor (i think lol). This bub has had colic and reflux (still suffering from reflux). So we have had issues with resettling after 1 sleep cycle which i can happily say that she is now sleeping through sleep cycles and almost sleeping through the night (down at 7pm, dreamfeed at 10pm, wakes up at 4 pm and resettles to sleep without a feed, sleeping till 7am) My theory about being wrapped preventing crawling has been proven wrong as my little girl has been crawling around now for almost a month! the problem i have at 4 am is that she tries to unwrap herself (which she does) and crawls around in the cot! I go back in rewrap, lay her on her back and tell her its sleep time. Been doing this for a week now and each night there is improvement (she woke at 5am this morning and resettled without a feed) sleeping till 7am.
Im changing to muslin wrap during the day now and still using flannelette at night. I find a flat cot sheet gives you a much better wrap for an older baby. I also take wraps and use them in the pram. I won't be getting rid of the wrap till she is sleeping through the night. However in saying that i did try putting her to bed unwrapped a few days ago and she woke after 1 sleep cycle :( so she managed to settle but could resettle :(

Evina - posted on 10/25/2010

this is such a relief to know other mums are doing the same as what I am! I've been swaddling my daughter since birth as she was born in the winter this year..now 5mths on shes still likes to be swaddled and cant really fall asleep without it. I had no idea as to whether it was a wrong or right thing to do so I've just continued..hoping at some stage she will be able to fall asleep without it lol..for this reason I guess she finds it hard to actually sleep in her pram while we're out. Anyhow im a bit more encouraged by reading everyone replies..good thing I guess is that she doesn't need a dummy to fall asleep normally. I attempted today to half wrap her (without the arms in) and she actually did fall asleep but then I think I ruined it by walking into her room to get something and she woke up lol)...then i realised i probably should have wrapped her in the first place to avoid this! I notice she tends to get a bit sweaty when wrapped too so i may need a lighter wrap but am worried she may get out of it too easily before she falls asleep. Does anyone else go through this as well?

Leisa - posted on 01/09/2010

i wrapped my lil girl til she was bout 6 months lol,every baby is different and i think they decide when they dont want to wrapped, my lil girl ended up having to be wrapped in a cot sheet because she was so big by the time i stopped wrapping her. you might have to just wrap him loosly and put his dummy back in his mouth for a while when he wakes until he gets used to not being wrapped,

Sabrina - posted on 12/30/2009

My daughter will be 8 months old next week and we just switched to a sleep sack from swaddling about a week ago. I swaddled her with her arms in until she got too big for the recieving blankets and then I left her arms out, at about 3(?) months I bought oversized recieving blankets and started swaddling her with those. She's been sleeping through the night since she was 2 months old and now sleeps for close to 12 hours at night. The only reason I switched to the sleep sack is because one morning when I went to get her out of her crib I found her with the blanket over her head. As long as your baby is sleeping well and not in any danger, keep doing it!

Eileen - posted on 12/30/2009

Samantha,
I have four children, and each was swaddled till they were rolling and getting themselves unwrapped during the night. When I'd head in for that two or threeo'clock feeding and find the little one on their stomach with the blanketscrunched somewhere.. a few days in a row, that's when i gave up the swaddling for bedtime. They each found their own timeout of it ,the second was near 7 months before she started sleeping without it. The fourth was a sick baby for the first year, and was wrapped till he was closer to 10 months (he was also nursedthe longest, over9months). The first, well, he was done with that whole blanket thingbefore the third month.
My suggestion, if you like swaddling your baby, keep it up, until they work their way out of the blanket or seem to fight the process of being wrapped.

Best of luck!

Annie - posted on 12/29/2009

My son, Gabriel, is going on 14months.... I wrapped him in a swaddle till he was able to consistently roll over on his own (he was a little over 5 months). Even a couple nights after that we still kept him in the swaddle just to watch, and he rolled over while being in the swaddle..... that way after we un-swaddled him it was an easier transition him to his belly

Melissa - posted on 12/29/2009

i wrapped my daughter till she was about 7 or 8 months old, then to remove the wrap altogether, for a week i would only wrap one arm, then the next wrap no arms, then the next wrap only around body leaving the legs covered but not restrained. She slept prefectly and i think it had to do with the swaddling, but i do think that it inhibited her from crawling. She crawled at 11 months a month before she could walk.

Melissa - posted on 12/29/2009

Oh, and I recently got the Miracle Blanket to swaddle him in. I was using Kiddopatamous, but he's a big boy and they don't fit him very well and he can get out. With the Miracle Blanket you can swaddle them for a long time and he has a much harder time getting out of it.

Melissa - posted on 12/29/2009

I've always wrapped my baby since he was born. He's 4 months old now and doesn't sleep soundly unless he's swaddled. I asked this same question and all the responses got were"Why stop?" I guess there is no reason to stop swaddling until they are ready. If it lets you both get a sounder sleep then don't stop doing it.

Dawn - posted on 12/29/2009

I am still swaddling my 4 1/2 month old. I use the Kiddopatomus wrap that velcros. He does pull his arms out if I don't get them in good enough but he sleeps 8 hours so I am a happy momma. I guess by about 6 months most babies will not tolerate it anymore, but every baby is different - my first son wouldn't be swaddled at all.

Melissa - posted on 12/29/2009

You can wrap him as long as he needs it!! I was worried about this too ... but my son started breaking out on his own... for the last 2 weeks he has slept with 1 arm out.. I am sure the other arm is coming soon! Don't worry! I think as moms we put too much pressure on ourselves to do what we think is the "right way". I kept telling myself that 4 month olds shouldn't need to be swaddled, because that is what I was reading. Every child is different! If your son is sleeping well... then he will decide when the swaddle is too much. My ped. said as long as he is sleeping with it .. its fine. Sleep is healthy and is what really matters. He won't be swaddled when he is 16! So no worries.. Good Luck!

Zoe - posted on 12/29/2009

My son is just about 3 months and he was the same..i started loosening the wrap once he was asleep and gradually took it away, he has now been sleeping without being wrapped for a week or so, hes starting to push his dummy back into his mouth now, and if that fails his hands go in haha..I do have to put his dummy in a couple times when i put him down but once hes in a deepish sleep hes usually not too bothered if it falls out..

Louise - posted on 12/29/2009

I was recommended by a friend to get a woombie, best move I've made with a newborn, it was the best thing for him to settle and sleep for long periods of time without shocking himself awake when he moved.



Unfortunately it did not last long as he loved stretching out and even muslin wraps were a waste of a purchase, although the only good thing about them now is he likes to snuggle one when he's going to sleep.



God forbid I end up having a blankie baby, then I will really kick myself!

Samantha - posted on 12/29/2009

Thanks so much everyone for your comments, its great to see a variety of different techniques and ways other babies do and dont like.. Thanks Jenn Lemcke, your technique has worked wonders!!! Had the best nights sleep EVER!!!!

Leslie - posted on 12/28/2009

it depends on the baby some baby like it others doen't. My daughter was ok with it till about 2 to 3 months. I'd do it as long as he's happy. It won't hurt nothing.

Jenn - posted on 12/28/2009

I am still swaddling Cole and he was born Aug 4th-09. I will continue to do so until around 6 mos at which point he will be less likely to scratch at his face etc. If their arms break out try this....You will need two receiving blankets. Fold one in half (so it looks like a triangle). Lay the baby in the middle take one side and place the one tip over the babies arm, then pull it under her rear end. It "locks" the baby's arm to her side. repeat this for the same side. Then take the second blanket and swaddle the baby as normal. Believe me they LOVE it. It keeps the arms from flailing. It is NOT true to keep their arms out. It depends on what is comfy for the baby. Usually babies like to keep their arms INSIDE because they do not have coordination of their arms. They end up actually scaring themselves with their arms. LOL. Silly little creatures. (source: yahooanswers.com)

Lee-Anne - posted on 12/28/2009

my daughter is 2 1/2 years & to this day she will not go to bed without a satin edged wrap :) but it is her security & if that makes her happy.. I will be happy with that .. as they grow so fast & deserve there little comforts in life as we do .... I just change from Muslim to fleecy depending on the weather :)

Jane - posted on 12/28/2009

The only time my lil boy was swaddled was the first couple days he was in the hospital. He hated to be swaddled, as like Sarahs lil boy, he loved to be free to wave his arms around. We bought our lil boy a Sleeping Bag - as he was born just before Winter so it kept him warm. As for the dummy...my boy was the same..it always fell out but he could care less about it and ended up sleeping on it half the time. Now though...he puts it back in himself if he loses it during the night!! They learn pretty quick !!

Sarah - posted on 12/27/2009

i niver did my boy loved to wave his arms to much so would niver let me do it
just do it as long as u wont to them just let your baby take dummy out they soon learn to put it back in or my boy did

Emma - posted on 12/27/2009

I had to half swaddle my son til he was about 4-5 months old. From there is was an easy transition to not being swaddled up for bedtime and naps. As for the dummy falling out of his mouth, its going to happen and they learn to put it back in themselves.

Amanda - posted on 12/27/2009

Swaddling for a longer period of time isn't going to hurt your son. If it is going to get him to go to sleep then you should just do it, in the end you will have a better rested baby and that generally translates to a happier mommy. If he keeps breaking out, invest in one of those nifty swaddling systems. I was always able to just use a blanket but I am told they work wonders.

Bonnie - posted on 12/27/2009

i cant remember when i stoped but my lil one was in them for about 3 months i love the idea

Krista - posted on 12/27/2009

I swaddled Sam until he was about 4 months old -- he got to the point where he kept breaking his arms out of the swaddle, so I started just swaddling him from the waist down. From there, it was pretty easy to transition him to a sleep sack.

Raesheal - posted on 12/27/2009

My 2 month old hated to have her arms and upper body wrapped up...so I don't wrap her and haven't. It's always up to your baby to decide:)