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Sleep

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Original poster

Swaddling

41 replies

pie · 16/01/2004 10:18

DD2 has only slept being swaddled since birth. She is 15 weeks old tomorrow, and the little sleep she is getting is only when she is swaddled. One of the reasons she is waking so much is because she is getting strong enough to brake free of her swaddling. As soon as the little arms come up the eyes pop open. She won't fall asleep being unswaddled at all. If she stays swaddled she stays asleep longer.

But as I said, she's just getting too big!! Any suggestions on weaning her off the swaddling? Or shall I just leave her as this is the only way she will sleep. How long did yours need to be swaddled for?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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popsycal · 16/01/2004 10:21

About to type something a little controversial....
Gina Ford really recommends swaddling - are you following her or waddling independently of the GF routine?
If independently, try to get hold of a GF book (or ask on mumsnet to type/photocopy the relevant bita...
I am sure she suggests how to 'wean' a baby off swaddling

popsycal · 16/01/2004 10:22

ROFL at my typing...
not WADDLING!!!!
swaddling!

lydialemon · 16/01/2004 10:26

Can't give any proper advice on this as I have never done it, but I can't see that it would be a problem trying to keep her swaddled to sleep. I remember watching a programme about it once - can't remember what country it was, but they kept them tightly swaddled most of the time until they were one and then stopped and they were all fine.

popsycal · 16/01/2004 10:28

russia i think...?

Original poster

pie · 16/01/2004 10:29

Not really a GF type popsie, I'm a bit of of a hippie attachment parenting type. Anyone know what she says about this though?

Until they were 1?? Those grobags I was given are never going to come out of their packets

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CountessDracula · 16/01/2004 10:30

Pie I swaddled dd til she was nearly 6 months!

I used a table cloth once she outgrew the blanket (!) and tied a muslin round the outside and that was fine, she didn't squiggle out of it.

Beccarollover · 16/01/2004 10:30

Hi Pie

Harvey is nearly 19 weeks and a little pudding at over 17lbs - he has always slept beautifully but only when swaddled - Ive attempted to wean him off it since he was about 12 weeks some nights he does ok and others he doesnt so I just swaddle him! I dont see it being a problem at all

I used to stress about it but then thought if it works just do it! He certainly wont still be swaddled at 18 so if it helps him to sleep I dont see the harm.

What I do is leave one arm out of the swaddle sometimes to get him used to be less wrapped - you could try that as a starting point if you would like to wean her.

popsycal · 16/01/2004 10:35

Pi - i thought you would not be a GF lady - but didn't want to make any assumptions...

I don't have the contented little baby book but did read bits of a friends....
SOMEONE here must have it...

Original poster

pie · 16/01/2004 10:41

I've tried that Becca, but she's not having that either, very particular is Anastacia.

But I guess its not a problem really is it? Just got to find something big enough to put her in. CD, did she just one night decide she was fine unswaddled, or was it a gradual thing?

Ah popsie, you know me too well

DH and I were laughing last night that she would be still needing swaddling when she's 25 and won't be able to leave home because of it.

OP posts:

popsycal · 16/01/2004 10:46

she will have to lay a huge table cloth on the floor and pefect a rolling action to swaddle herself
then jump to her bedroom!!!

Beccarollover · 16/01/2004 10:47

I would just go with it - when the small blankets got too small I just used a big cot sheet!

Original poster

pie · 16/01/2004 10:47

lol

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moominmama86 · 16/01/2004 18:55

Hi Pie

Ds has been swaddled right from the start until 2 weeks ago (6.5 months old) when I just decided to take the plunge and stop swaddling cold turkey (as it were lol). I was TERRIFIED he wouldn't sleep but he seems more comfortable out of it now and (most of the time) actually sleeps better.

But...I did use the Miracle Blanket (www.miracleblanket.com) because I could never get a swaddle tight and secure enough just using an ordinary blanket or sheet. It's expensive but IMO worth every penny. If swaddling's working for you I'd say keep at it and maybe look at ordering one of these - it saved my sanity - well...kind of

zebra · 16/01/2004 18:58

I found swaddling very effective until at least 6 months... and I am quite impressed to discover from this thread that GF actually has at least one decent idea!
We didn't really wean them off... things just sort of moved on by themselves.

Original poster

pie · 16/01/2004 19:48

moominmama86, that looks really good, what age are they good up until, DH is going to ask his grandpa stateside to get us one, but I can't find the size.

It would seem that 3 months is still pretty normal to be swaddling then.

OP posts:

bunnyrabbit · 16/01/2004 21:47

OK, never swaddled DS but looked in CLB:
GF recommends half swaddling after 6 weeks, which means under the arms, apparantly.
She also mentions about babies waking cos their hands/legs get caught in the cot bars and recommends a lightweight sleep bag so you can still use a sheet and/or blanket to tuck them in.

No nothing about this myself.....

Original poster

pie · 16/01/2004 21:49

Thank you for looking that up for me BR ...6 weeks, well DD2 is well past that, I have tried arms out, one arm in etc, but nothing works other than the full swaddling. She looks like a glow worm thing.

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CountessDracula · 17/01/2004 13:09

Pie DD got to the stage where she no longer liked being swaddled at about 6 months and used to struggle when I did it (prior to that she would just beam and sigh and yawn aaah!)

So I just took the swaddle away one night and gave her a bag. We had a couple of nights where she would wake up more than usual and then it was fine.

We used to call her the Bug when we swaddled her cos she looked like a chrysalis and was snug as bug in rug

bunnyrabbit · 17/01/2004 14:14

Oooh sorry to digress, but CountessDracula, we call our little boy a bug too, because he always looked like a bug in a rug when we used to wrap him up in a towel at bath time to wash his face and head!!!

We even call his sleep bags, bug bags now...

CountessDracula · 18/01/2004 19:09

Ah, how sweet bunnyrabbit!

susanmt · 19/01/2004 02:09

We swaddled dd1 until 6 months as she wouldn't sleeep without it and with it she went all night. Ds hated it from about 6 weeks so we stopped and put him in the grobag. Dd2 is still lovinbg swaddling at 7.5 weeks and so we still do it. I'm pretty much of the 'whatever floats your boat' school of apreenting, if they like being swaaddled (and dd2 sleeps 9 - 7 with no feeds on it right now) then go with it! I get dh to do the wrapping up as he can do it firmer than me and in fact it looks pretty brutal but she loves it and sleeps better than if I swaddle her then she wakes at 2am).

Ruth21 · 19/01/2004 11:53

I have occasionally tried swaddling dd (6 weeks) but am no good at it and she always escapes. Any tips on doing it effectively? Or do you need to do it from birth for it to help them sleep? I do think she sometimes wakes herself up by waving her arms around, so perhaps it would be useful.

CountessDracula · 19/01/2004 11:57

Ruth21, I have some pages scanned in from a book -if you send me your email address via contact another talker I will send them over to you.

Ruth21 · 19/01/2004 13:55

Thanks CD, just sent it now.

bobsmum · 19/01/2004 14:06

We used a "swaddle-me fleece" from the baby catalogue.com. It was £9.95 and fastens with velcro. Ds rarely escaped and slept brilliantly. It does say it's not to be used "as a sleeping aid" but I really couldn't work out why and so I used it anyway. So this is a cautious recommendation, just in case it was the wrong thing to use....

Ds always escaped a normal blanket though and would batter himself on the head when he twitched in the night. He was in a grobag from about 6 weeks though, possibly earlier.

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