To be appalled at the suggestion that I swaddle my nearly one-year-old?

[Shockeddd]

I thought this was appropriate only for very young babies and becomes dangerous and increases the risk of SIDS when they are able to turn over.

Who swaddles a baby this old?

Who suggested it?

Someone with recent experience/ training in this area - fine, be appalled.

Someone who has never had kids / had them a lifetime ago / has no experience in anything of this nature - just shrug off a nonsense suggestion surely? No need to be appalled

Someone whose profession it is to look after babies suggested it.

‘Who swaddles a baby this old’….. erm literally no one.

It would be like trying to swaddle a cat surely. No one year old worth his salt would tolerate it surely

That’s crazy… it would literally be putting your child in a straight jacket.

Interesting….my DD loved being swaddled and only stopped when she was about 18 months old and she started putting the muslin on her head instead…just balanced it there, not wrapped! Something comforting about it I guess…don’t think it would work if you’ve got a wriggly unhappy one year old though!

You can still swaddle an older child but you do it with their arms hanging out so they can turn over.

Like this

genmindful.com/blogs/mindful-moments/my-child-is-clingy-am-i-doing-it-wrong

Could use one of those sleep sacks that keep arms free?

You just do it by keeping their arms free.

Mine loved being swaddled, but I found they liked sleeping in the sleep sacks just as much. Same concept i suppose.

We need more context really. Why was it being suggested? Did they mean with their arms free (safe) or arms tucked in? I'm not sure many 1 year olds would allow that

I work in a nursery, some of our 2 year olds can’t nap unless they are swaddled, they love it, it feels like a firm cuddle I suppose.

There are amazing transition swaddles that are safe for older babies as they still give them arm movement but they do cover their arms so they feel safe. I avoided all swaddling until my daughter was 7 months and then, sick of her short naps, tried the Zipadee Zip transition swaddles, and lo and behold my daughter started taking long naps! Immediately! So yeah I would recommend those.... She used it until around 15 months when she moved to a normal sleeping bag for bedtime.

Context: My son has never been swaddled. He breastfeeds or needs to be held to sleep. He recently started nursery and won't sleep there so they tried swaddling, with arms in, and he slept. I am sure he didn't like this (and probably cried himself to exhaustion which is why he finally slept) because he is a very active boy who sleeps in a big bed at home and changes position a few times a night in his sleep.

The transition swaddles are great. We've used to zippidy zip ones on both kids.

But, does you kid sleep ok at home?

I suppose the nursery staff are watching them nap all the time so sids risk is reduced?

@Shockeddd how can you know he cried himself to sleep? Did staff at nursery tell you that?

Most be is almost 3 and still adores being swaddled. We unswaddle her once she's asleep.

Mine is. Not most be.

Kids sleep very differently depending on the environment. He may well move a lot in his sleep when not swaddled but just like a weighted blanket, the feeling of pressure may stop him from wanting to wriggle.

It’s odd that you seem to be assuming the nursery staff are lying. Do you have reason not to trust them? Did they say he cried? If a child was crying and crying because they didn’t like being swaddled but the staff kept him wrapped up then that would be borderline abusive. Especially for a toddler. So I really doubt that he fought it like you seem to think he did.

I think you need to open up to the possibility that the nursery staff know what they’re doing and have looked after a fair few kids so have some good tricks up their sleeves.

Also what did you expect the staff to do? They can’t breastfeed him obviously but they also can’t hold him while he sleeps, they have other children to look after

I have a child who loved been swaddled even at this age. He is now 7 and have a weighted blanket for him. He is also a very active boy, but there is something about the restriction and pressure which he finds very calming.

@Shockeddd

Context: My son has never been swaddled. He breastfeeds or needs to be held to sleep. He recently started nursery and won't sleep there so they tried swaddling, with arms in, and he slept. I am sure he didn't like this (and probably cried himself to exhaustion which is why he finally slept) because he is a very active boy who sleeps in a big bed at home and changes position a few times a night in his sleep.

If he’s never been swaddled how can you possibly surmised that he cried himself to sleep through not liking it? Nursery staff wouldn’t have allowed him to cry himself to exhaustion. Firstly because they’re childcare professionals and secondly because it would disturb the other children.

Children are often very different at nursery when it comes to sleep. One of mine has never napped at home without very careful swaddling, darkness, limited noise and exact temperatures, yet napped on a mat with a blanket and other kids running around at nursery!

Why do you think they’ve lied to you? That’s very odd unless you don’t trust them.

You'd be amazed. Sometimes it's the wriggly children who love to be swaddled - my daughter was like this. Just because a child hasnt been swaddled before doesnt mean they won't like it. There are safe swaddled styles for older babies toddlers that cover arms but allow movement.

Yabvu if you expected the nursery staff to hold your child to sleep.

My eldest either needed bf to sleep or just refused to nap during the day at that age

But at nursery he would literally lie down on a mat with all the other babies and go to sleep.

Nurseries have powerful magic.

Like other pp have said, that’s an odd assumption to make that he would have cried himself to sleep? If he likes being held to sleep then he probably does like the similar sensation of being swaddled. Babies like being cocooned - he’s might prefer it even to being in a big bed at home!
I would just ask for them not to swaddle his arms