Swaddling - when to stop?

[MissyPie]

Can someone talk to me about swaddling?

I wrap my 11wo DD in a shawl for daytime naps and also after her last feed at night, and at night she sleeps right through til 6am therefore it has seemed to work for me so far, however my DP has a problem with it and would like us to stop. He reckons that she must be uncomfortable being unable to move and when she wakes gets agitated easier because of this...

Am I wrapping her up too much? Should I perhaps get away from this habit?

I'd appreciate your thoughts - be as blunt as you like I can take it!!!

It sounds like she likes it. If she didn't, I think she wouldn't sleep.

I wrapped both of mine until they were 4 months or so, then I just wrapped them more loosely!

I wrapped my second until about 17 weeks and she loved it, I had a rough few nights getting her used to a Grobag. Most of the babies I've known have loved being swaddled.

If you want to put it to the test, put her down one night and see how she does without it and make your decision from there. You'll soon see if she misses it!

My DD was a mega wriggler and so I stopped swaddling at about 6 weeks and moved her into a Grobag which she loved.
I think it all depends on the child, I like to be wrapped up tight in the duvet all night, whereas my DH likes to be on top of the covers. We're all different and your DD would let you know if she wasn't happy!

I was thinking about this, DD is nearly 5 months and I still have to swaddle her to sleep. When she was younger (up until about 12 wks) she would sleep with her arms above her head, but then she got really 'waggly'. If I try to put her down unswaddled she throws her arms out like a Moro type reflex and wakes herself, if she is swaddled she goes straight down.

But, she will normally free her arms, sometimes she does this calmly in her sleep other times she wriggles and struggles and wakes herself up. Sometimes she will then start 'waggling' again and get all distraught!

So, do I stop swaddling her? Surely I have to at some point?! But how do I stop?!

Ninky, I pretty much agree with what SlightlyTubbyHali posted - if she didn't like it then she wouldn't sleep etc...

My dd sometimes wakes in the night and her arms are free, I simply pick her up and wrap her back up again, have a few seconds of a cuddle and she is straight back to sleep again, I'm quite happy with the swaddling for now (It's my DP who is not best pleased, to which I reply "then you deal with her constantly waking in the night then :))

However, to answer your question (and this is the method I'm going to use) ...

Swaddle her, but initially with one arm out and see how she gets on - perhaps it's the struggling to get free that wakes her and distresses her..?? (I think this may be the case with my dd)

Over time wrap her more loosely with one arm free and gradually take the shawl away completely.

If there is an item of clothing (in my case my dressing gown) that you generally wear when getting her off to sleep then perhaps put this safely next to her in her cot to settle her,I think this is the road I will go down but not yet as my dd is only 11 weeks and I feel she still needs the security of a shawl.

Ninky I'd be interested to hear your comments to my suggestion and/or perhaps how it works for you should you go down that road.

and thanks to everyone else for the comments... the grobag suggestion is a good one, I think I may invest in one.

:)

Id say around 9 months. I was waddling from about 8 months and but then once baby arrived It stopped.

someone made a joke...woohoo

Thanks, that seems Luke a very sensible suggestion. I'll give it a try and report back!

LOL at Peter Andre.