Swaddled babies, when and how to stop?

[LoopyLouize]

My 5 month old has always loved to be swaddled and has never settled unless he is. However it's at the point now where he is getting pretty strong and breaks free, thus me going into him at least 10 times a night to re swaddle and re settle. Has anybody any tips or ideas?

 

[Anna456]

Hi - we're in the same boat! My lo is almost 6 months. We've been using a swaddle strap (from Anna & Eve) but its getting to the point where he gets out of it plus at almost 6 months I don't know what to do!
The thing is if we put him down asleep he's fine but wakes up about half an hour later touching his face etc the won't re settle unless we swaddle him in the strap!
So sorry - no advice but will be watching to see if anyone has any tips! X

 

[JD.Deedee]

Try to swaddle without the arms. Once they start rolling it's dangerous to swaddle with the arms in the swaddle. I know some people whom used the puckababy it's like a swaddle/sleepbag in one comes in various sizes.

 

[CamFi]

Just thinking out loud as I've never been able to swaddle my little houdini's arms...

I would try getting a gro-bag and sleeves with inbuilt mitts. Arms wouldn't be restrained, but at least it would be cloth hitting the face rather than skin.

 

[BUGGY82]

1st step is swaddling without their arms in, then once they're used to that you can move on to the sleep sack/ grow bags.
It can take a while for them to get used to having their arms free but you just have to preserver, I don't think theres a quick fix.

 

[Becky1]

I stopped when lo was 3mths. We went straight to a gro-bag with sheet / blanket over and tucked really tightly down the sides of the cot so movement was limited. x

 

[aliciabubba]

Try this. It's so good, my little George won't go to sleep without being swaddled but this has helped so much. www.lovetodream.com.au.

You can get this in the UK too!

 

[BevG]

sleeping bag?
it worked fine with alyssa as a transition from swaddle to just blankets

 

[Kay Kay]

I posted an almost identical post when my lo was about 13 weeks. We put him in a gro bag and tucked a cellular blanket around him and I'm not gonna lie it was tough for a while cos his arms just wouldn't settle. His arms still flail about now at 7 months but it's much better than it used to be. Think you just need to bite the bullet and put lo in a gro bag. Good luck xx

 

[CeeCee]

Grace was swaddled until 7mo! And doing exactly the same. Breaking free and wanting to be swaddled again- moved to a Grow bag and she's sleeping fine without waking!! Xx

 

[H16]

I have the opposite issue, my LO likes her arms sprawled out above her head when she sleeps, and she would repeatedly kick any blankets until they fell off lol. She's been in a sleeping bag since 3 weeks old. I hope something works for you soon xx

 

[musikhi]

We used the Swaddly swaddle, found it was really useful to only swaddle one of LO's arms for a few weeks to help her transition, and then removed it all together xx

 

[kittykitchn]

I hope you don't mind me jumping in?
I've been umming and ahhing about whether to swaddle or not. In hindsight, would you have chosen Not to? The "weaning" off is the main reason I will probably choose not to.

 

[russellmuscle]

Jees this is an old post. Louise is rarely on now!!

I didnt go with swaddling as although at first Ive heard its praises sung I hear its not so fun when baby keeps wriggling out of the swaddles during the night and waking.

I think they say dont swaddle past 6m. We didnt swaddle and Jackson slept through from 7w so I guess we didnt need it.

xxxx

 

[*glow*]

I swaddled only one of my children because he wasn't a great sleeper and used to wake himself up flailing his arms around.
From around 3 months I stopped and he just went happily into his sleeping bag.

I didn't need to swaddle my other two children but I did use a sleepyhead for my youngest, which snuggles them up tight. Great thing, very overpriced but bubs has always been great at night so maybe that's why? Who knows

 

[Kay Kay]

Kitty I think it depends on your baby. Some babies won't tolerate being swaddled. For my lo it was a godsend and you could actually feel his wee body relaxing. Without it his arms were going everywhere like he was swimming in mid air. I think it's meant to remind them of being in the womb, all cosy and secure. I actually had no idea what swaddling even was before I had him though (sounds crazy now but it's true), it was a midwife on the ward that showed me how to properly swaddle on day 2 after a particularly tough first night - wish she'd shown me sooner! I felt so clueless that I didn't instinctively know how to do it!

 

[Rose83]

I know this is an old post but just in case people are reading with same problem...my daughter is 15 months and I still have to swaddle her arms to get her to sleep,'as soon as you do it you feel her body relax. She sleeps in a gro bag and then I swaddle her arms with one of those giant muslin things. Once she is asleep she wriggles out of it but it doesn't wake her. She just needs it to initially relax enough to sleep x