Swaddling - do you have to stop when they can roll over?

[emmajlh]

Hi

i know there is a lot of threads about swaddling so apols about that.

My DD is 6 mths and has been swaddled since she was 4 weeks old, she sleeps very well and i've always known it is due to the swaddling, however she is now able to roll over (back to front) - she has never done this during the night but am concerned that is is only a matter of time. Over the past few weeks i've been making the swaddle looser to wean her off it. Last night she didn't have it at all and she slept terribly - woke at 11, 12.30 (and wanted to play which never she has never done before), 2.30, 3.00, 5.30 and then was up at 6ish.

do i have to stop swaddling? i can't bare the thought of another night like last night when usually she sleeps excellently and only wakes twice.

please help, from a tired mummy in manchester.

Oh I remeber this with DD1, she was swaddled from birth and like yourself it always guarenteed she would sleep. DD started rolling around the same age and I remeber walking in and she was on her tummy and face to the side. This is when I had to stop, but what I did was still swaddle tightly around the body but left her arms out although she wasn't as easy to get to sleep the snuggness around her body and legs still helped. I also used to put a blanket aver her (up to her armpits) and really tighly tucked it into the sides of the cot for extra snugness.

Hope this helps

When I put the cover in up to her armpits, I mean over her arms at armpit height so she has the snuggness still over her arms but ment if she got free and did roll she could lift her chest up IYSWIM

I have been swaddaling from birth until lieterally about 3 weeks ago (14 months) yes it's a long time but that's by the by. as joey got older we were 'loosely' swaddaling him - tight enough he felt secure going to sleep but loose enough that once he started to move about his arms would come free and he'd be able to have the blanket round his tummy area.

fwiw - I don't think i'll swaddle as long with a no 2 - worked for us for so long, but when we stopped we had screaming for 2 weeks at bed time

You could always try freeing her arms when she is fast asleep, that way she falls asleep as normal but you have some peace of mind.

i still swaddle my 15 month old - he looks ridiculous