How long did you swaddle?

[Miss Chris]

So my boy is about 7 months old now and having a big raft of sleeping issues. I'm sure a whole bunch of things are going on, he's getting several teeth all at once (3 through in the last few weeks, and I think 1 more is almost through) and other normal 6-7 month growth stuff. He's growing fast and crawling and pulling himself up and all that is great but he's very restless. I remember my daughter also regressing in her sleep habits from around 6-9 months and how exhausting it was, but what I don't remember is how long I swaddled her (sleep deprivation stole my memory ).

So last night while I was not sleeping, it occurred to me, maybe I should start swaddling him again. It worked great when he was brand new but we kind of let it go around the time he started rolling over because I was concerned about him getting stuck face down. He's so strong now that I'm not worried about that any more, I'm just curious, is he way too old or have other people swaddled their older babies? and for how long?

Miss Chris

PS I decided to put in a poll to get an idea of what people do, I meant for it to be answered in reference to whatever baby you swaddled the longest.

[Snapdragon]

my baby is 6 months old and we swaddle him to sleep right now. We did it when he was really little and then stopped for a few months and now do it again.
I asked my pediatrician about it at ds's 6month appointment and he said it was totally fine to still do so that reassured me.

[katroshka]

I only swaddled my kids for a few weeks after birth... they would kick, struggle, and cry in there after that, so I figured it was meant to end.

[ChinaDoll]

12 months for DD - seriously. Every time we tried to wean her off it (from 5 months onward) she would.not.sleep. So we swaddled. One evening at 12 months old, she fell asleep next to me in bed - seriously the first time she fell asleep on her own EVER, and since then, she's been ok without it.

2 weeks for DS; he slept well without it and got angry when swaddled (DD calmed INSTANTLY with it).

[tzs]

it was about 10 months when she just stopped needing it. i had been swaddle weaning for months but could never take the final plunge and then it just happened.
now that she's mobile i'm considering an "all-day swaddle" though

[snoopy5386]

we're still swaddling here at almost 6 months. I've started the weaning process - she goes to sleep at night with no swaddle and then I swaddle her in the middle of the night because her arms will not stop moving. I also swaddle for all naps still. My 1st DD, however we only swaddled for a few days.

[momto4plus4]

DS1 we swaddled until 6 months when we just couldn't figure out how to keep him swaddled anymore. I didn't know about the Miracle Blanket which I think would have worked for him. Took me 10 nights to wean him and get him to sleep well (1 1/2 hrs at a time) without it.

DS2 we swaddled until 4 months. Even the Miracle Blanket wouldn't keep him in! I tried everything I could think of. He is the biggest and most mature of all 4 of my kids.

[MsVyky]

We never swaddled

[OkiMom]

First around 3 months then she started getting to big and it was uncomfortable for her (she would cry and fight to get out of the blankets)
Second like a week- week and a half maybe. Then it just got to be another thing and I was to tired to deal with it. Since she slept fine without it I never worried about it.

[Kelly1101]

With first baby, 5 days. With second, 3 days. Both HATED swaddling.

[ErinYay]

V goes through periods where swaddling really helps settle her enough so she can fall asleep. She hasn't been swaddled while sleeping since about 3 months, but we'll still swaddle her on occasion to help her fall asleep at 9 months. I unwrap one side, lower her into the cosleeper, and unwrap her fully. She's a tummy-sleeper, and I don't like the idea of her sleeping on her belly while wrapped up.

[Knitting Mama]

Cecilia is almost 6 months old and is swaddled for all sleeps that don't happen in the carseat. I don't see her weaning off the swaddle anytime soon, either! She sleeps so much better swaddled!

[Llyra]

DD1-- about a week. She never needed it, really. Never liked it, either.

DD2-- about nine months. She slept great with it, like crap without it, and DS's sleep was so lousy that I wasn't taking the chance of messing with what worked. We gave it up by accident one day, when she vomited on her blanket, and then on the spare, and I decided to go ahead and try going without it.

DS (her twin)-- (here's the part where you'll laugh, I'm sure) 16 months

Without the swaddle, he didn't sleep at all. With the swaddle, he still woke every forty-five minutes all night long, but at least he SLEPT. We stopped swaddling at night actually at about a year old, but he still needed it to settle for a nap until about sixteen months. He actually probably needed it longer, but it was at that age that I decided to commit to teaching him to get along without it.

He was in a Miracle Blanket, with two holes cut out for his legs, and then I wrapped the whole shebang in a cotton afghan, and safety pinned it. It was quite a sight-- by that age, he was 27 pounds, and in 2T clothes, and you'd have died laughing if you saw how funny he looked. But he was happy.

He's almost 4 now, and even now he asks me to roll him up in his quilt at night, and he sleeps with his two arms pinned at his sides. I hear, "tuck me in tight, mama," every evening.

[Miss Chris]

Well that is all very good to know.

I swaddled him last night and while it wasn't a huge difference I do think it was an improvement. He's been waking every 1 1/2 to 2 hours lately and I'm just getting way too tired. When he was younger he got into a sleeping schedule where he went down around 7 or 8 and then slept until 4 when he would eat and then go right back to sleep until around 7. So, of course, I was spoiled and when he inevitably started to wake up more often I just remembered how my daughter had done the same and didn't even make the connection to swaddling.


Hearing about your experience, Llyra, is inspiring . I always say you have to do what works for your own family, but sometimes I forget to apply it to myself. That's an excellent example of doing what works and not worrying about how funny it might look (I'd love to see a photo, btw, it sounds awesome) and I applaud you

I think I'm also going to start swaddling him for his afternoon nap again. He's been taking a good nap in the morning but he'll only go down for 30-45 minutes in the afternoon and I think he's getting overtired. It's funny how he seems so big and "mature" to me now at 7 months. I need to remember how young he really is.

thanks everyone!

[Tattooed Hand]

we never swaddled. She HATED it from birth. Seriously, there are picture of her screaming bloody murder once the midwives swaddled her.

[Hannah32]

I just discovered Miracle Blankets for our three month old. They make a real difference. Even if he can get his legs out, he can't move his arms and that was the biggest thing keeping him constantly waking. With the Miracle Blanket, I can get some 4 or 5 hour stretches and he can be transferred back to his Arm's Reach, which is where I prefer he sleeps.

He's not quite rolling yet, but it will be soon. Hopefully, he will not be rolling at night, at least not for the first stretch, which is usually the longest. It says on the Miracle Blanket website that it's only a possible issue if they can roll AND get out of the blanket. He can't get out of the top part, so I'm not too worried. Plus, I'm pretty aware of him and I would hear him thrashing about.

Good to hear that some parents of rolling babies still swaddle. I'd like to hear more from them on how they view rolling and swaddling. Do your babies not roll at night? Do they roll, but you figure the head control makes it all good? Sam can definitely lift his head pretty well.

[Knitting Mama]

Cecilia knows how to roll over both from front to back and back to front, but she doesn't roll while sleeping. She also sleeps mainly in my arms at night, but during the day when she naps in the bed without me, she still doesn't roll around.

[nola79]

I've never swaddled. I could never really figure out how, and both my babies just kicked their way out of it

[Snapdragon]

Originally Posted by Hannah32

I just discovered Miracle Blankets for our three month old. They make a real difference. Even if he can get his legs out, he can't move his arms and that was the biggest thing keeping him constantly waking. With the Miracle Blanket, I can get some 4 or 5 hour stretches and he can be transferred back to his Arm's Reach, which is where I prefer he sleeps.

He's not quite rolling yet, but it will be soon. Hopefully, he will not be rolling at night, at least not for the first stretch, which is usually the longest. It says on the Miracle Blanket website that it's only a possible issue if they can roll AND get out of the blanket. He can't get out of the top part, so I'm not too worried. Plus, I'm pretty aware of him and I would hear him thrashing about.

Good to hear that some parents of rolling babies still swaddle. I'd like to hear more from them on how they view rolling and swaddling. Do your babies not roll at night? Do they roll, but you figure the head control makes it all good? Sam can definitely lift his head pretty well.

rolled up towels as sleep positioners to keep them from rolling over while swaddled. Some people like the sleep positioners you can buy but I prefer not to use the foam stuff in the bed.

[Abraisme]

My dd was swaddled until 7mo.. One night she kicked herself out of the blanket and slept just fine. It was a super easy transition when she was ready. Even at 6/7mo people thought I was crazy to still be swaddling her, but she loved it. I think it's a fine thing to do if it helps your baby sleep.