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Sleep

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Original poster

How to stop swaddling

21 replies

lovelymama · 14/12/2010 20:19

DD is 3.5 months and loves to be swaddled for sleeps - it settles her well and i've tried to put her to bed without it and she doesn't go to sleep - just flies her arms around everywhere and pulls her dummy out.

She's always been a wriggler and by morning will nearly have her arms out of the swaddling but at least it's contained her for 12 hours! Now she's wriggling out of it really quickly, sometimes after 45 mins and it's waking her up. When I go in she's sucking her hands furiously, which I wouldn't mind but this sucking isn't soothing her, it's almost frustrating her.

I'm not sure if this is a sign that she's ready to stop being swaddled and even if it's not I don't think I'm going to have much choice because it's disrupting her sleep so much.

How did you stop swaddling and when and did it have much impact on sleep patterns?

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whomovedmychocolate · 14/12/2010 20:20

Switch to a grobag. They feel contained but with arms free to wave.

sheeplikessleep · 14/12/2010 20:23

i did it v gradually over a few nights.

first, kept one arm out, swaddled other arm, body and legs

second, kept both arms out, swaddled body and legs

third, just swaddled legs

fourth, switched to gro-bags

each 'stage' i did for 2-3 nights.

sheeplikessleep · 14/12/2010 20:24

whomovedmychocolate - , i have this image of a baby in their gro-bag, both arms waving as mum or dad leaves the room. sorry had to post

Orangesarenottheonlyfruit · 14/12/2010 20:29

Annual hammock really helps them to feel secure and snuggled. I think they are a lifesaver!

whomovedmychocolate · 14/12/2010 20:31

Mine used to do this sheeplikessleep.

sheeplikessleep · 14/12/2010 20:34

aah, did you wave back whomovedmychocolate ? v cute

lukewarmcupofmulledwine · 14/12/2010 20:35

Yes, like sheeplikesleep for dd1. Nice and gradual. But DD2 is a big strong farmer's daughter type like me, and was escaping by about 1.5 months (or earlier I think!). Kept swaddling the legs for another couple of weeks in vain but then gave up, but fortunately it didn't seem to matter too much for her.

Try a grobag, and also a top tip (gina ford, sorry... ), tuck a sheet (or a blanket if its really cold in the room, bearing in mind grobag guidelines for clothing etc etc etc) over widthways, so its tucked right under both sides of the cot, and secure with a rolled up muslin or towel down each side. That'll give her the nice tucked in feeling. I used to tuck DD1s arms under the sheet as well, and she barely moved all night. DD2 on the other hand - well, it worked for a bit anyway, and she still loves being tucked into bed even if it doesn't last very long.

whomovedmychocolate · 14/12/2010 20:36

Well I say wave, it was more firing projectile teddies at me

RoonilWazlib · 14/12/2010 20:54

We swaddled and ds would fall asleep as we were wrapping him.
He is a March baby and we swaddled for about 5 months. We developed an interesting way of swaddling during the summer to keep him cool but still covered.

We would lay him on the sheet and take the right side over his arm and tuck it under his body, check it wasn't too tight, maybe loosen it near the upper arm. Then take the left side of the sheet over his other arm and then tuck it under his body, again checking that it wasn't too tight.

It meant that he wouldn't overheat or wriggle out and pull his dummy out.

You could try this and then cover her with a blanket as normal. He was 5 months before he could wriggle out of this. It did take him a few nights to go to sleep without being swaddled but still had his dummy which helped and by then, he wasn't flailing and accidentally pulling it out.

RoonilWazlib · 14/12/2010 20:55

Oh, forgot to say, we used a cot sheet, not a moses basket/pram sheet.

Original poster

lovelymama · 14/12/2010 20:59

I like the idea of a wave from DD...if only she had that much control. She's a big girl but she has the arms of a new born and has no real control of them.

We already use a grobag on top of her swaddling to try and contain her arms (no chance of overheating as swaddling is just a giant muslin and gro bag not that thick) but I suppose gradually I'll just have to introduce her to her arms by reducing the swaddling.

Will definitely try the sheet pinning down trick.....I like that idea

Thanks ladies

OP posts:

lukewarmcupofmulledwine · 14/12/2010 21:25

Ahhhh...... if the swaddle is just a muslin, and your dd really does still need to be swaddled to settle (i.e. she won't just get used to it after a couple of nights, as she's got to at some point...), then it might be worth investing in a specialist swaddling blanket

eg tons of them here - the grobag one looks quite good. There are probably product reviews on them on mumsnet as well.

Muslins are quite stretchy, you might need something less wrigglable-out-of

lukewarmcupofmulledwine · 14/12/2010 21:27

I posted before I finished....

We had one that had a pocket for the feet, then separate wraps for each arm, followed by a big tail that wrapped all around the body. Houdini would have problems getting out of that (although dd2 does have houdini like skills admittedly)

Original poster

lovelymama · 14/12/2010 21:45

Thanks luke. God I didn't realise there were so many swaddling options available! I just want the tightest, most secure, wriggle proof one available.

Come on guardian angel, come along and tell me which one to buy

OP posts:

YourNewFriend · 14/12/2010 21:52

Oh gosh I thought that was me writing that OP! Exactly the same situation, DD is also 3.5 months and loves to be swaddled still. She has now got strong enough to wriggle out and knocks the dummy out but currently investigating all new options including the gro bag!

Reading with interest!

FillMyXmasSprocking · 14/12/2010 21:54

I am still swaddiling my 7.5 month old in one of these You can get them in different sizes and they are quite strong, she can get out if she really tries but generally it stays on all night.

I don't see how i am going to get her to sleep without it, as soon as it is off the arms start waving around and she wakes up.

YourNewFriend · 14/12/2010 21:56

Wanted to add- We were bought the grobag swaddling blanket when DD was born and found it quite small. If your DD is big I would go up a size as it bearly wrapped around her even as a newborn (9lb).

ToysRLuv · 15/12/2010 07:47

We swaddled DS for 9 months. He really needed it to sleep. In the end he was in a Woombie, which allows for arm movement, but not flailing7pulling dummy out etc. Then Peke Moe and he has been in a "normal" sleeping bag (with sleeves) for a couole of months now. he is 14 motnhs old.

MrsGangly · 15/12/2010 14:23

We went straight from swaddling to a gro-bag without any problem.

Pearlnz · 18/12/2010 18:52

we also used a Peke Moe to transition from the swaddle.. worked well for our LO.

washngo · 18/12/2010 18:58

We has this exact thing acouple of months ago! Bought a "halo sleepsack". Basically a grobag with flaps to pin arms down. Was quite good as we just removed the flaps when we felt she was ready.

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