breaking the swaddle habit - please please help me!

[eggybrokenoff]

ds is now six months, huge, and is capable of breaking out of any kind of swaddle. but he has always slept best swaddled. he also goes to sleep with a dummy, which he takes out and drops as soon as he breaks the swaddle, and then cries for it. how do I get him to sleep without being swaddled? I really can't imagine how I'll get him to fall asleep without a dummy unless I go back to feeding him to sleep (which was a nightmare for all sorts of reasons)

help!

[CherryandWhite]

We swaddled ds but as soon as he could break out of his swaddle he did the same as your lo. He would wake himself with his arms flying around. It continued for a couple of nights, but we put him into a grobag when we realised that swaddling was no longer any good. After a couple of nights of disturbed sleep he got used to it, dummy would stay in place and he was used to the grobag.

One thing i do remember doing for a month or 2 to keep him swaddled as long as possible was to use a thinner but bigger sheet. This meant that it went around him more but because we used the thinnest sheet we could find it wasnt too hot(ie bottom flat sheet) we folded it in half and swaddled him in that. Because the sheet was much bigger ds was lay on it with all his body weight so found it more difficult get out of. HTH

[sheeplikessleep]

we 'un-swaddled' by leaving one arm out for a few nights, both arms out for a few nights (i.e. with body / legs still swaddled) and then totally unswaddled and in gro-bag.
still took some adjusting, but wasn't as bad as i thought it would be.
good luck

[eggybrokenoff]

it's the arms that are the problem - pulling the dummy out! will try a bigger sheet and try and postpone the problem for another month or so. I guess tying his hands behind his back would be considered bad parenting thanks for advice

[littlelordfauntleroy]

We had the same problem. If arms were loose he would pull the dummy out and then cry because he wanted it !

Around 7 months he was able to find his dummy again and put it back in himself and eventually he stopped pulling it out. Took a few weeks mind you. I think he just realised how annoying it was pulling it out and putting it back in umpteen times a night ! maybe your LO will be the same ?

[hashmi]

my little one 5 months old will only sleep at night and nap if he is swaddled, he also wont sleep unless i sing and jigg the cot, i tried controlled crying but it only worked for a few days now he is worse than ever how do i get him to sleep without me rocking or singing, the swaddling i just give up completly, pls help im exhausted as he still is not sleeping through the night anyone knows any tricks