Advice/experience of weaning 17 week old off miracle blanket swaddle

[waitinggirl]

hi

dd is 17 weeks (4 months) and ebf (haven't even tried a bottle yet). after an initial horrendous 3 weeks of no sleep, we discovered the miracle blanket. thereafter she slept like a dream in her moses basket, once sleeping through (8-7), but mostly waking once (8-3ish, then 3.30-7ish). however, the last 3 weeks she has been different and she now seems to be waking at 12ish, 3/4ish and sometimes more. i know this is pretty good going, compared to most.

the problem is that she is now getting too big for the moses basket - she only fits because she is so tightly swaddled - and marginally too big for the miracle blanket. i am terrified about stopping swaddling anbd of moving her to her cot because i fear we will return to the bad old days. i suppose she should go into a grobag - any ideas?

how have other people done it? are there any books you would recommend for sleep training?

Could you leave her swaddled and move into a cot, then after a couple of weeks maybe use a sheet rather than the MBS and either (a)make it a little looser every 6 days if sleeping is good and then move to a grobag or (b) use the MBS but leave 1 arm out and move the blanket to upper arm level and then after a week if sleeping going well leave both arms out and if after a week or 2 if all good move to a grobag?

As a nanny i have had a baby be swaddled till 6+ months because she was content, she then went into a grobag.

oh Mat that is so reassuring to hear a baby can be swaddled until 6+ months, and you are a nanny, so it is official, tried and tested info. this sounds like great advice. thank you.

Hi if you are looking for swaddles that are suitable for 4 months+ there is a shop on Ebay that sells swaddling pods suitable for up to 9 months. Its called Freedom Slings.

The Miracle blanket is great isn't it? I used it with my 4 month DD. I left her left arm out after a while as she was sucking on her hand, after maybe 3 weeks of this I then went and ditched it for the grobag.

My ds was swaddled and I worried about weaning him off it. I put him in a grobag one night and had the swaddle on standby for when he woke up but we never used it again! You may find the same so perhaps it is worth a try?

erm although i agree with matnan i would not take someone's word as a nanny as 'official'
anyone can work as a nanny

i still swaddle ds2 and he is 9 months (he has eczema and it stops him scratching)
i just do it looser these days

My DS2 is 6 months and still swaddled. We used the miracle blanket and it was fantastic, but he outgrew it. We tried a few other types but they were no good - he has to have his arms pinned to his sides!

So I went to John Lewis and bought a length of cotton jersey fabric an dcut it with pinkingshears so I didn't have to hem it.

I have a smaller rectangular bit that goes over his arms nad under his back like the miracle blanket.

I then use a larger piece that goes all the way round.

It works really well as he is a complete disaster without it, and i have no plans to stop using it any time soon!

BTW, moving him to a cot was fine - I think when they're swaddled it doesn't make that much difference

You dont need a 'miracle blanket' to swaddle, just use a blanket foled in half triangular ways.

DD is 17 weeks and never gotten 'out' of one of my swaddles

Best thing is you can use diffent blankets to suit the temperature the, tonight its warm so will use very light cotten blanket,

in winter i used knitted blanket.

DD will be going in her cot in a few days too, still swaddled

I needed the swaddle cloth I had (a M&P thing). I am the crappest swaddler ever. Even a 3 day old baby can get out of mine. Disenchanted do you use gaffer tape?

Noooo.

Huge elastic bands

I could never keep DS's arms in my swaddles either, without the underneath layer pinning them down.

definitely agree to swaddle for as long as it works with your baby! our youngest started escaping at about 5/6months and his sleep deteriorated. We got a Peke Moe sleep sack for him, and he transitioned immediately. I have heard you can start with a regular sleeping bag but keep their arms 'inside' it and pin the arm holes shut to start with. I never tried it, but apparently it works for some babies.
I liked the ideas in the sleepsense book waitinggirl.
I agree with the other mum who said to continue with the swaddling for now and move into cot, then work on the swaddling after that.
all the best.

-Pearlnz- i wouldn't recommend putting babies arms inside a grobag as there is a slim chance they could get their head in or 'stuck' in the neck hole.

-Waitinggirl - thank you, am happy to share my '19yrs of finds' tho agree with -FrannyandZooey- my reccomendation/advise is just that

oh yes no offence Matnan - i agreed with you as i said
i was just slightly alarmed at the OP thinking your advice MUST be right as it was 'official', because you were a nanny

No offence at all -FrannyandZooey-

thanks for all the advice/experience.
what does OP stand for?

OP = Original Poster

Waitinggirl - my DS1 was a swaddlee - we used the miracle blanket for him till it no longer fitted (used to just do the arms bit and let his legs stick out) and thereafter switched to a 0.5 tog grobag and large muslin (meter square from John Lewis) which we used to swaddle his arms. We slowly phased out the swaddle by letting one arm out, then both arms and swaddling round his waist only, then just using the swaddle to tuck him in. He needed abit of shush patting to go to sleep while these changes were introduced but was out of the swaddle completely at about 7 months and a terrific sleeper.

dinky - thanks - how did you swaddle wiht the large muslin? like the way the miracle blanket does it, with the weight of the baby pinning their arms down?

also, i presume shush patting is a baby whisperer technique?

matnanplus - thx for the explanation. franneyandzooey of course, nothing is "official", but those who do this professionally have had way more experience than me and my only dd, and have had the opportunity to try different methods out. am really appreciating everyone's input - so useful.

hi does anyone still have there baby in the room with them at 11 months. i live in a 1 bedroom flat with my partner and 11 month old. my dad who is 70 has c.o.p.d. and has been in out of hospital with his condition for the past year. i had to bring him home to stay in my flat in the room meant for the baby. i am still waiting to be accomodated somewhere bigger but feel torn everyway. people telling me my baby should have his own room but i cant bear the thought of my dad going home to his own home and panicking with his condition. any advice would be appreciated thankyou

sorry posted on wrong page

Waitinggirl - I just folded the muslin into a large triangle and laid DS1 along the long side then used the left side to wrap over DS's body (over left arm and body) then did the same with the right side. The weight of DS's body kept it in place.

Not sure if shush pat is BW or not - just long rhythmic shushes and gentle pats till DS was calm then shushes until he went off to sleep.

My daughter is ten and still sleeps with the one remaining fragment that was her sleeping bag from about 4 months old. Best thing we ever bought. She slept really well as soon as she was popped into the bag and its successors.

I wish she could get over it now, though.