Swaddling - when and how long for

[supergolden88]

My new little one is ten days old today (feels like it should be much longer!) and from day one he has been very restless - feet and especially arms always moving and long nails scratching his face etc. I started swaddling him at night but he is a regular little houdini and will escape all but the tightest of swaddles. I bought a Kiddopotamus Swaddleme contraption from amazon that has velcro and he is sleeping well* with that on except he is still tries to escape. During the day we have had times when he will sleep very peacefully without a swaddle and days like to day when the fussing only stopped after I swaddled him.

What are your experiences with swaddling? When do people usually stop? My daughter was born during a heatwave in 2006 and I never swaddled her because it was so hot even a nappy felt like too much.

* when I say he sleeps "well" that's only when he is not ravenous for the boob - some days he is content and others he feeds non stop. Last night was very bad!

[Peppa]

I found swaddling really helped until around 8 weeks, her arms did manage to escape fairly frequently but it did help to settle her to fall asleep. I bought a couple of the mothercare swaddling blankets but mainly just used a normal blanket. I think it really depends on the individual baby.

[Knomester]

We have swaddled Baby Knomester since he was born and he too is a little wriggler who can escape from any swaddle, but we found it helps him to nod off. He had a v strong Moro reflex so would wake himself up constantly at first. He's 11 weeks now and we're still swaddling him for night, although not for daytime naps. During the say we started swaddling with one arm out one nap a day and then both arms, finally progressing to tucking a blanket firmly under his arms over his legs. We've yet to take the plunge and progress from swaddling to a grobag at night - maybe this weekend!

[aimeelev]

We swaddled our DS until he was 5 months old - his arms and legs would always startle him awake otherwise. He was also a little houdini and we found the best swaddle was the 'miracle blanket'. We found it the best way to get him to settle well and to do longer stretches of sleep. To transition to a sleeping bag we did one arm out for a few nights and then just went for it and he seemed to sleep fine.....then along came teething, but that's another story....!! :-)

[MrsC]

Was logged in as my sister - this is from me :-)

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> We swaddled our DS until he was 5 months old - his

> arms and legs would always startle him awake

> otherwise. He was also a little houdini and we

> found the best swaddle was the 'miracle blanket'.

> We found it the best way to get him to settle well

> and to do longer stretches of sleep. To transition

> to a sleeping bag we did one arm out for a few

> nights and then just went for it and he seemed to

> sleep fine.....then along came teething, but

> that's another story....!! :-)

[helenat1970]

I became a totally obsessive swaddling devotee with my second child. I used swaddles from mothercare, nothing fancy - but it absolutely sorted my baby's sleep - it was impossible for him to sleep in the early days without it - he was the sort of baby that would sleep for about 10 mins in the pram, regardless of how long the walk might be - but with the swaddle he was sleeping through the night by 8 weeks.

I stopped using the swaddle at about 14 weeks as he was too strong and could get out by them. But even after that there were one or two occasions - as late as at five/six months when he was really distressed and 'swaddling' (basically wrapping him up snuggly in his blanket calmed him down.

Your baby will show you when they're ready to give up the swaddle.....

Enjoy your little one!

[alicinha]

My baby girl is 6 months old and I'm still swaddling her. I was worried about 'restricting her' but I was assured by my paediatrician that swaddling was fine up until 8 months old. Actually, the Baby whisperer book (Tracy Hogg)also recommends swaddling babies up until 6 to 8 months.

[realdeal4476]

congrats on your new baby :-)

he sounds so similar to our DS at same age - ie wriggly, feet always kicking, arms waving - we called him an electric starfish!

I can also vote for the miracle blanket (they are on amazon). they are great for wind and reflux too. Our DS startled himself awake all the time before we found them. there are those babygrows in mothercare that have the turn down cuffs to stop them scratching too.

DS more or less learned how to get an arm out of miracle blanket at around 10 weeks, but we just had to ride that out. then he outgrew them at 20 weeks. Then we were into the smallest sleeping bags ... cue strange back-flipping up and down crib all night - sometimes i had to hold his legs still for him to fall asleep lol - i still have no idea what caused it!

(well- i say lol now - at the time i think i nearly lost my mind :-) )

[EmmaG]

Agree with another poster that the best swaddle is the Miracle Blanket. Here's a demo vid http://www.miracleblanket.com/ We carried on until she was about 4 months old and then she started thashing her legs around and making such a noise banging the end of her cot we left it off.

[Moos]

Did you/do you reswaddle after each night feed? I'm only just starting to swaddle Twosling regularly, and he seems to partially escape each time he wakes to feed.

(he is 3 weeks old)

many thanks for your tips!

[Knomester]

I reswaddle before night feeds so I don't need to unsettle Baby Knomester after the feed.

[Moos]

thanks Knomester! I do about 3 or 4 night feeds and tend to find a little sneaky hand has escaped regardless of my efforts at the beginning of each one, so I think I will do the same.