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Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler.

Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler.

Sleep

Swaddling...can it be an addiction?

15 replies

Nessamommy · 26/01/2008 18:12

I started swaddling my now 4 month old at 10 weeks or so. Ever since then, he's been sleeping for around 8 hours straight before needing another feeding at night. Well, about a month ago, he started getting out of his swaddle, so friends of mine told me to just put him into a blanket sleeper..that's what they've all done. So I did that one night and it was a disaster! His arms jerked around and woke him up constantly. Nobody else I know had this same problem. They said they just put their babies in a blanket sleeper and everything was normal and fine. So I've kept my baby swaddled. I talked to a nurse the other day and she told me that he's probably not going to be swaddled for much longer?? She was surprised to hear that he was still being swaddled. So I tried keeping his arms out for a nap yesterday, and that was horrible! I stood back and watched while he slept...his arms jerked and he woke up. Does anyone know...do you think he's "addicted" to being swaddled, or is that reflex something that is still there but will become less with time. I don't know if I have to "wean" him from this, or if like my friends, it'll just fade.

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Seona1973 · 26/01/2008 19:47

could you try doing 1 arm out at a time to get him more used to not being tightly swaddled?

bunnyhunny · 26/01/2008 19:49

ds was swaddled until he was about 6 months old. one day he fought the swaddle and he never needed to be swaddled again. It was a life saver for us!
I think they get used to their arms being still - his arms jerking would always wake him if he wasnt swaddled.
but if it works, use it.

and if anyone asks, just say he isn't swaddled!

Nessamommy · 27/01/2008 16:51

Seona - I did try that once with one arm in and one arm out...he slept for 3 hrs. and woke up tired and grumpy.

Bunny- nice to hear that you swaddled him till 6 months...my guy does get out of a swaddle sometimes but still jerks his arms when sleeping???

I actually talked to another friend of mine yesterday about this...she's a physiotherapist and she looked in her books from school...this "moro reflex" apparently doesn't disappear until between 4 and 6 months. I think if he's going on 7 months, I might start to "wean" him but in the meantime, sleep is important to me so I'll keep swaddling to get the 8 hrs. of sleep!

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pulapula · 27/01/2008 20:12

My DS is 7mo and is still swaddled. I have tried him without but he scratches his head (he has mits on), rubs his eyes, disturbs himself etc, so I have decided to carry on for now. I think any addiction is more mine than his! Sometimes he does get his arms out and sleeps fine, but not always. I am sure a few nights unswaddled and he'll get used to it, but I'll wait til his ezcema (sp?) on his head gets better.

bunnyhunny · 27/01/2008 21:29

pulapula - you could have cut and pasted what you said from a post of mine about 6 months ago (you didnt did you? )

A remarkable solution was to sew his mitts onto his sleepsuit. He still rubbed, but didnt manage to scratch.

fungi · 27/01/2008 22:42

Hi, bunnyhunny, could i ask what you mean by sewing mitts onto sleepsuit? I will try anything as I have same problem as pulapula but my dd is nearly 10 months old!!! I keep putting it off and have been like this for months now, but I do think 10 months is a bit too 'old' to be still swaddled.

bunnyhunny · 27/01/2008 23:27

I sewed some scratch mitts onto his sleepsuit (to cover his hands obv) so that he couldnt scratch himslef in the night. Our main issue was that when he wasnt swaddled he cut his face to bits scratching his eczema, but he lost his mitts in the night if he wasnt swaddled.

So I sewed them on, and he couldnt scratch himself (though he still rubbed himself).

pulapula · 31/01/2008 19:30

Just a quick update,

After DS kept wriggling his hands free once swaddled, and me popping in a few times before he fell asleep to swaddle them back up, I decided to go for it, and he's had a couple of nights unswaddled, and has also slept through, although is a bit restless in the early evening.

His eczema is clearing nicely so he doesn't feel the need to scratch it, and has long socks on his hands to make things difficult for him.

I still swaddle in the day though, as when I've tries without before, his naps only lasted 40 mins rather than 1.5-2 hours. I may brave naps without a swaddle soon though...

Tutter · 31/01/2008 19:32

i swaddled ds2 til he was about 4.5mo

he now sleeps on his tummy - would not sleep on his back, unswaddled

disclaimer: i do not recommend putting babies on their backs to sleep. it works for us and it was a risk i was prepared to take (he was, at that age, strong, and could turn over)

nappyaddict · 31/01/2008 19:42

i swaddled ds until he was 14 months when he decided he didn't want to be swaddled anymore. just give it up when he does and have an easy life!!

TREBUCHET · 31/01/2008 20:03

my ds is 15 m & loves being swaddled still! He was very jittery from birth, was the only way he would sleep. These days I think he just likes it as it says 'sleeptime' to him, and when I look in on him he has wrestled his way out, but as soon as he lays on the blanket he starts dozing off. my HV says it's fine, no worse than having a comfort blanket or a dummy.

rubles · 31/01/2008 20:31

Don't worry about it nessamommy. I kept dd1 swaddled until 9 months (when it became clear that SHE didn't want it any more). I would have carried on for much much longer if she had wanted it. However, I did feel that there was some external timetable that I was failing to follow correctly.

Just because other people's babies cope without it, it doesn't mean they all will. Do what makes him happy. I intend to carry on swaddling dd2 for as long as possible.

Nessamommy · 20/02/2008 17:21

Thanks rubles...he does fight out of it and fusses a bit initially but I just figured out a way for him to not get out. Do you think he is telling me to stop?

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Clazz · 21/02/2008 12:06

My DS is now 5 months and was sleeping for about 8 hours when swaddled. I was desperate to stop however as he hated it and I had to wait 'til he was asleep to wrap him. I stopped swaddling 3 weeks ago and he hasn't slept properly since, sometimes waking 20 mins after being put down! I know exactly what you are going through and am desperate for things to settle back down. I'm not going to start swaddling again so I guess I'll just wait it out.

Nessamommy · 21/02/2008 21:35

Let me know if it gets better for you Clazz...I hope it does!

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