is there any reason why I should stop swaddling dd (4 months)?

[deaconblue]

She is a dream to get to sleep, just swaddle her and off she goes (nighttime and naps). I worry that by securing her arms at night and for sleeps (so a total of about 15 hours in any 24) that it might impair her development in some way. Have tried putting her down without swaddling and she can't settle until she's swaddled.
Is it ok to keep going until she chooses to get her arms free herself? (she is always free by the morning so can free herself when she wants to)

[VinegarTits]

I am not expert, but i cant see how swaddling her would impair her development as she is asleep anyway, and like you say, she can free herslf if she wants to, so i would carry on with what ever she is happy with, if she wants to be swaddled then do it, enjoy the sleepless night while you can.

[deaconblue]

it was a pampers advert from a while ago made me think about it. It showed babies moving in their sleep and said those movements allowed the baby to process what it had learned that day. But like you say she can move when she wants to, she just likes to be snuggly to doze off.

[bluestripes]

My ds LOVED to be swaddled and would only go to sleep if he was tightly swaddled - I had to carry on until he was about 6 or 7 months. Every time I tried to move him to a gro bag he found it impossible to go to sleep - I was worried he was going to be about 10 and I would still be swaddling! One night he suddenly didn't want to be swaddled and from then on slept fine in his grobag. He is now a very very active little boy so swaddling didn't harm him at all!!!!

[nappyaddict]

ds was swaddled until 15 months!!

[deaconblue]

good to hear. She's so happy and life is so easy with a baby who gets herself off to sleep (compared with ds who had to be rocked til he was about 1) that I'm reluctant to mess with it. Have tried her in a grobag a couple of times but she's just not happy like it. Will continue swaddling then