How to wean off swaddling...

[mrs f]

Hi all, so baby F has been swaddled for all his sleeps since birth. He is now 10 weeks and still loves to be swaddled, and actually can't sleep for long periods without being swaddled (I'm up for the 4th time tonight, the 1st three times he just wanted to be re-swaddled!!) however, no matter how tightly he is swaddled he pulls his arms free as soon as he is put down... Which is fine for a bit but it's when they start flapping that he gets upset. So seeing as I can't continue getting up 4 times a night I need to wean him off the swaddle... Any advice please?

[snowboarder]

Have you tried any of the zip up swaddles - like a tight sleeping bag with no arms? On phone so can't do links - but there's the ergo cocoon and sthg called the woombie...worth a try?

[Yak]

Ugh, feel for you Mrs f. Maybe doing the swaddle up progressively more loosely would help?

There's also the miracle blanket - yaklet (who is a complete houdini) stays swaddled all night in it, INCLUDING nappy changes. You're welcome to come round & try it out!

More generally (and apologies for the hijacking) when did people stop swaddling?

[mrs f]

I may just buy a miracle blanket & deal with it later... !

He is ok for his naps with flappy arms it's just over night (when I want to sleep!) plus I had him in his cot rather than Moses basket for the first time last night, he had only done naps in the cot before, so perhaps he was getting used to his bed suddenly being so big!

Urgh, I'm tired today though :-(

[jennyh]

Ours was the same and was swaddled for about 9 weeks I think, to be honest we went cold turkey when we removed the swaddle and after a couple of nights in a sleeping bag she could sleep just as well with her arms free. I cant recall why but I think it was because she was escaping her swaddle so much and also she was starting to explore her hands and I was keen on her developing that if she wanted to.

I remember it being a bit tough but we put a large rolled up blanket all around her which made her feel secure. The midwife told me that babies who love being swaddled really just like to feel that they are snug in their surroundings so this worked for us, it meant she could still feel the edges around her but gradually became more comfortable to sleep without anything.

[mrs f]

Hi Jenny, thanks,

sorry, very sleep deprived today... just having a nap when a delivery arrived urgh!

anyway I'm being a bit dim, did you wrap B in the blanket or put one on either side like prop things?

I'm still swaddling for now but his arms are free pretty much as soon as I put him down then he has blankets on top of him... I've tried the sleeping bag but he was not having it at all...

[jennyh]

ah poor you, if it makes you feel any better Bess is having her 16 week mental phase so feeling it here as well! We got one large cellular blanket and rolled it up like a giant sausage which we then laid up one side of her, around her head and down the other side and she lay really snugly inside it. It was quite good because the blaket became very familiar to her so in the early days if we went away or she was sleeping on the sofa etc we just took the blanket and it made it more familiar, then we used it for the transition to her cot as well.

I think that initially we used blankets to go over her and tucked them over the edges and tightly nder the mattress then we progressed to the sleeping bag very soon after. Have attached a pic so you can see what I mean about where the rolled up blanket, not sure I explained it properly!

[jennyh]

just thought - when we did this, Bess wasnt moving much in her sleep so she rarely turned her head, obviously dont pull it so tightly that if he were to turn to the side he could still have enough space to breath! We took the blanket away as soon as she was starting to grab everything within reach!

[mrs f]

Ah she is so cute there!

Yep C thrashes his head from side to side along with the arm flailing so not sure that would work but we could try something similar... When he wakes at night he goes straight back to sleep if I reswaddle him so would you just try & get him back another way or re swaddle...? I'm worried that could go on for a while!

Thanks

[snowboarder]

Try blankets trick and sleeping bag but back in the moses basket tonight? More cuddly and one step at a time?

[jennyh]

snowboarder Wrote:

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> Try blankets trick and sleeping bag but back in

> the moses basket tonight? More cuddly and one step

> at a time?

Good idea - keep him comfy and as snug as possible without actually swaddling. I remember she thrashed around a lot with her arms as soon as she went into her cot but again only last a day or 2 before she was comfortable with her limbs!

The thing with any recurring behaviour (as I am always finding out) is that it becomes a familiar habit and is always hard to break, but you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. i put her to sleep in her cot for naps and suddenly she wont nap in the pushchair, you give a dummy and they get addicted, you read a book before bed and they won't settle without the same every night!!! I don't know if babies naturally grow out of swaddling(???) or if you are going to have to break the habit for him which will always cause a bit of unsettled behaviour until he becomes used to it!

[mrs f]

Good idea but only problem with that is the Moses basket is too small for him to put his arms above his head...

I may go to mothercare & get some bugger blankets so we can get him cozy in the cot 1st then tackle the swaddling another week!

[mrs f]

Quick update... We went cold turkey into the sleeping bag the night before last, C woke 4 times before 9pm but put himself back to sleep within 5-10 mins each time then he woke at 10:45 just as mr f was getting the dream feed ready, then again at 2 (when I picked him up & he had wind, possibly from the ferocious fist sucking) then at 5, which is when he often wakes for a feed.

Last night was a vast improvement, he woke at 10:20 & had his dream feed then stirred a couple of times during the night (I presume but was sparko myself) & then woke at 5:45...

Now we just need to work out how to sleep for more than 45 mins during the day!

[mrs f]

Oh forgot to say, we did this after buying a miracle swaddle & C managing to break free from it almost nightly, waking himself up getting cold... So in the end we had no choice, plus he is so into sucking his hands right now!