My son is 4 months old and he sleeps through the night. The problem is he has to be swaddled or he wakes up. Well he's getting to big and i don't want him to start waking up in the middle of the night ... Anyone have any suggestions?

Renee - posted on 04/07/2009

my son is now 16 he would have to be rocked to sleep with swaddling but we had his bed ready so that the way we laid him in it he was stll swaddled and he slept well. When he woke up he was mad at us but he got over that soon. he still wanted the rocking though and i didnt mind. to confess when he was as young as yours i would let him sleep with me but, if i had started earlier i know this would have worked. It did with my second son..Hope that helps some

Allison - posted on 04/07/2009

We swaddled our son (using the Miracle Blanket) until about 8 months when he was able to get out of it himself and it became a safety issue - but he was walking at 8.5 months. I would think for most kids, swaddling can continue until close to walking age.

My philosophy regarding sleep is to keep doing what works until it doesn't work anymore. Why upset the boat? Sleep is disrupted by so many things the first 2 years: teething, illnesses, growth spurts, and developmental milestones, so if they are sleeping well, then I let that go until I see there is a need for change. I try not to give in to the "shoulds" other people tell me, like "He *should* be sleeping alone" or "He *should* be able to soothe back to sleep" or "He *should* be able to sleep without swaddling".

So, really, I guess I'm saying to just follow his cues. If swaddling is still working, keep going. If it's not, try something else, like a swing or infant massage or soothing music or rocking to sleep or whatever. Just try to keep up a routine...try to do the same things before bed every night. It's helpful, but at this age not completely essential.

Good luck!

Diana -n Craig - posted on 04/07/2009

Hi there. This is exactly what I dealt with with my daughter, now 6 months old. I wasn't sure how long to swaddle or any of that. Her Ped (who I love!) gently commented that between 4 and 6 months it's healthy for babies to learn to self soothe, ie; crying to sleep. I was so scared of that, but it worked like a charm. At 4 months to the day we stopped swaddling and let her cry to sleep. The first night was 45 minutes of crying (my heart was wrenching), the next 30, the next 20, and the next nothing. If she wakes up at night I give her at least 30 minutes to try and soothe herself. Otherwise I'll go in and burp her and see what's wrong.

She pretty much sleeps 12 hours straight through at night!

A bedtime routine is really big in our household. The same pj's (pretty much), the same time for last meal, the same bed time, etc.

I guess I'd say don't be afraid to try something new, your baby just might surprise you :)

Best wishes!

Jennifer - posted on 04/07/2009

Try the 1-2-3 Swaddle blanket.  it is 42 inches by 42 inches!  My son is 11 months old and I still swaddle him to bottle feed if he is fussy and fighting me.  I love this blanket and actually have 9 in the house..3 for each twin and 3 for my youngest son.  They are a wonderful cotton flannel and they get softer and softer every time you use them! 

Also, as my youngest has grown, I have also changed the way that I swaddle him.  Instead of the conventional swaddle, which is on a tag sown on the 1-2-3 swaddle, I modified it to leave his legs out b/c he used to sleep in his swing for naps.  I fold the top down and bring the bottom corner up to make it fit the length from his shoulders to mid butt....make sense?  basically I am swaddling his arms to help him sleep. Hope this helps....

Holly - posted on 04/07/2009

It sounds more like he is simply waking up at night and feels, thats, what he needs to get back to sleep. Like a habbit, sometimes it's binkies, a pat on the back, or a snack that they feel is needed to get back to sleep. He needs to learn how to get himself back to sleep with out it. At that age my boys were so big they didn't fit into a swaddle blanket. I simply tucked the blanket around there body so that they felt the comfort of being wraped up. If they woke up at night. I let them cry it out until they fell back asleep. It took 2 nights before they didn't need to be tucked in again. My oldest is 10 now and he still likes to be tucked in tight. Just be aware that at that age there might be other things at play that would wake him up at night.....gas, sleep apnea, teething (yes it can start that early)

Alicia - posted on 04/07/2009

my son started sleeping through the nights at 2 months...we only had a problem w/swaddling the 1st month...my oldest son on the other hand hated it since the day he was born

Terri - posted on 04/07/2009

My Son is 20 months old, he used to sleep through the night until he was 12 months old then we had alot of trouble, we started swaddling him again in a cot sheet until we were sure that he could cope sleeping without it.

Candace - posted on 04/07/2009

We swaddled our guy until about 6 months and by about 6 months the moro reflex that causes your baby to wake up is outgrown by then.  Miracle Blanket makes a blanket that can keep your baby swaddled.  I had big babies.  10 lbs at birth and still big 40 lbs at 4.

Pat Wattanaumphaipong - posted on 04/07/2009

try T safety wrap, they are available at babies galore, i have been using it for my son since he turned 5 months until now (15 months) it works wonder....

Liv - posted on 04/07/2009

My daughter was the same way.  Luckily, as she got older she did not seem to mind if it was a little looser than she was used to.  She is 18 months now and I still swaddle her in the same blanket I have always used and usually her feet are loose by the time she hits the crib and she is fine with it.  I guess my point is to try to always use the same blanket and hopefully he will be fine with it.

Pat Wattanaumphaipong - posted on 04/07/2009

Quoting Tammi:

My son is 4 months old and he sleeps through the night. The problem is he has to be swaddled or he wakes up. Well he's getting to big and i don't want him to start waking up in the middle of the night ... Anyone have any suggestions?

try T safety wrap, they are available at babies galore, i have been using it for my son since he turned 5 months until now (15 months) it works wonder....

Jamie - posted on 04/07/2009

I too had to swaddle my son up until that age...it wasn't much long after that he was just too big as well.  We simply stopped swaddling and had to let him figure it out on his own.  He soon felt comfortable after about 1-2 nights or so.  It wasn't bad at all.

Liz - posted on 04/07/2009

My twins are 10 months tomorrow (8 and a 1/2 months adjusted) They loved to be swaddled when they were younger too.  After they out grew the swaddles we got bigger blankets to  swaddle them in.