is it still safe to swaddle?

[neonalee]

DS is 1 week shy of 6 months.  Our nights for the last week have been pretty restless and he's been more clingy than usual.  There are many things that could be the cause, including the next tooth (he has 1), but 1 thing I've specifically noticed is that he goes through what feels like several hours (no idea really how long though) very late night/early morning, of tossing & turning & being fussy.  Would swaddling him for bed be ok at this point?  He sleeps between us and he can roll from back to front & front to back, though he doesn't do so often.  Or is this some developmental thing where it's better to just let him move around?  Is this a sign he needs his own/more space?  Eventually we get him back to sleep with a hand on his chest & lightly trapping whichever arm happens to be swinging around.

[Knitting Mama]

Well, we still swaddle Cecilia at 9.5 (almost 10) months old, so I am in support of it. We use a Woombie Leggies, so really the only thing that's swaddled is her arms, and it's very stretchy. We're lucky that she doesn't move around a ton in her sleep, but even if she does, the nature of her swaddle makes it so she can easily flip around if she ends up face down (she does sleep on her stomach).

[Adaline'sMama]

We still swaddle, and DD is 10 months old. I use a small sheet, or a large baby blanket. She is too big for her swaddle blanket, so Im about to buy one of these:

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=ie7&q=aniais+swaddle+blanket&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&rlz=1I7TSNA 

[Llyra]

My DS was swaddled until about 12 months, at night, and until about 16 months for his daytime naps. He did sometimes flip over, but he was able to flip back easily, and he could lift his head just fine to yell if he wasn't happy, so I assumed that if he couldn't breathe he'd be able to lift his head just fine. He was a twin, and I was seriously ill that first year with them, and had a two year old besides, and sleep was everything to us. Without the swaddle, he woke every 20 to 45 minutes. Swaddled, he could give me two or even three hour stretches, and sometimes even a four hour stretch early in the evening. So we figured that whatever worked was what we needed to do.

Some people made comments, or said they thought he'd have motor skill delays because of the swaddling. Pish. He's four now, and can scale walls and run like the wind. Clearly it didn't hold him back at all.

By 16 months, we were using a Miracle Blanket with holes cut for his feet (that neat-o thing the other poster has is AWESOME, I wish they'd had those when we had babies), secured with a diaper pin, with a knit afghan wrapped tightly around that, around his arms.

[Knitting Mama]

The motor skill delay thing makes me roll my eyes so hard. Have you ever seen Mongolian babies? They are swaddled nearly 24/7 for the entire first year of their lives and yet they still crawl when they're not swaddled and walk when they're not swaddled. In fact, I have heard before that some researchers think that swaddling might actually help muscle development, because the baby's muscles are actually in a relaxed state at night, and that non-working-out state is necessary for good muscle tone-- just like how you don't lift weights every single day if you're working out that way.

[Snapdragon]

Originally Posted by Cecilia's Mama 

Well, we still swaddle Cecilia at 9.5 (almost 10) months old, so I am in support of it. We use a Woombie Leggies, so really the only thing that's swaddled is her arms, and it's very stretchy. We're lucky that she doesn't move around a ton in her sleep, but even if she does, the nature of her swaddle makes it so she can easily flip around if she ends up face down (she does sleep on her stomach).

wow, that thing looks cool! We still swaddle ds (10 and a 1/2 months) but are in the process of trying to stop doing it- though we haven't quite figured out how yet! We have been using a sidecarred crib but unswaddled he just scoots right out of it- so we were considering putting up the 4th side and a bumper- ut I am not that into the idea of a 4th side between me and the baby. Anyway- we use a miracle blanket top that I sewed a new bigger pocket onto the bottom and longer arm flaps- but I don't think ds likes it too much anymore and he really prefers to sleep on his side or belly- Cecilia looks so comfy in this photo! I am thinkong of trying one of these- did you get the largest size or middle size? Ds is about 18 lbs so should I get the one that goes up to 19 or start right at the 20? Probably the larger one! thanks for sharing this- does it hold a secure swaddle for the arms?

[Knitting Mama]

I'm glad to help! So here is my experience with the Woombie convertible leggies.

• I ordered the Big Baby sized one, which is said to hold babies from 14-19 lbs. Cecilia was 16 lbs, now is 17 lbs. It's big on her. Not like ridiculously ginormous, but definitely a lot bigger on her than I thought it would be
• It's also too long. You can sort of see it in that picture above-- where the folds are near the "ankles" of the Woombie is where her feet actually end. She is 27" long, for reference
• The arms are quite secure inside, though with it as stretchy as it is, she can pretty much straighten her arms all the way while still inside the swaddle (though it being too big is probably part of that too). She can't get on her hands and knees, though, which is what I wanted.
• This is our 'transition' swaddle, I think. I think that when she's sleeping very well with the stretchy body, I'll start letting one arm out, and then the second, and eventually switch her to wearing a sleep sack.

[neonalee]

Thanks mamas!  I'm taking a look at woombies and miracle blankets now.  How is nursing at night when they are in these?

[Knitting Mama]

For me it's no problem! I have to sometimes roll her in the right direction myself, but that's not a big deal....

[aphel]

We just got our woombie (houdini, DD is a wriggle monster!) in the mail, and are super pleased so far. We'd been using a miracle blanket, but she has been able to bust out of it for some time, and sleep was becoming a BIG issue around these parts.

For nursing, I think the woombie is far superior to the miracle blanket. The miracle blanket pins the baby's arms to the side, making it difficult to get a good side lying position. In the woombie, the arms can move around a bit, and it's much easier to get the baby tummy to tummy without squishing any appendages!

[lrgs]

We love our Woombies...........DD is 6 months and still in hers. MIL is a really good seamstress and made a pattern from ours to make us the next size up so that is what Ainsley is in right now. We don't get much sleep but I think we'd be getting a lot less if it wasn't for the Woombie. Edit: We nurse in it without any issues.

[bdoody11]

We still swaddle DD#2 at 8 months and swaddled DD#1 until 13 months (and BTW, at 4 years old she has absolutely no problems with gross or fine motor skills. In fact, she is super coordinated and never stops moving!). We use(d) the Miracle Blanket with both girls.

[Snapdragon]

we just got our woombie leggie in the mail today and ds is asleep in it right now! It is great so far! Much better than the miracle blanket at this point for his age. The m. blanket was great for us when he was smaller. But at this point he likes to wiggle around and sleep on his belly- so he can do that with the woobie! thanks for the picture and suggestion Cecilias' mama. We were right in the middle of this transition with ds's sleeping- where he had been sleeping in a miracle blanket, still with sleep positioners and a sidecarred crib- and he was just feeling too restricted by that and sleep was becoming difficult. So now we put up the 4th side of the crib, but it is still right next to the bed- with a bumper, and now he is in the woombie leggie and so he can wiggle around in the crib and find his comfortable position and sleep sideways or at an angle if he wants to and we don't have to worry about him rolling out of the crib like we were starting to w- the side car. I was reluctant to put up the 4th side but at this point it works for us, and ds is so used to me and dh being right there from having been sidecarred for his 1st ten months that he doesn't seem scared or too separated from us- and as for nursing I always woke up and sat up for night nursings anyway- and took him out of the swaddle and we do a toilet chance/ diaper change- so that is no different. yay for MDC for showing me things I would never find on my own!

[Knitting Mama]

That's so awesome! And as for nighttime pottying, I love that the Woombie has a zipper at the bottom too, so I don't have to fully remove it to potty my (mostly still asleep) girl.

[Snapdragon]

hmm. well ds did really well w- the wooombie for a nap today but come night time- he just kept getting his hands out and not settling to sleep- finally in desperation we pulled out our revised miracle blanket and it worked- so I am not sure how this will evolve!

[Knitting Mama]

It will get there! It just takes time. Cecilia was the same.

[Snapdragon]

we have had a few more successes with the woombie- still cobbling it together, figuring out our evolving sleep arrangements. I had put up the 4th side of the crib- and it is great in terms of ds moving aorund safely- but I really don't like the separation for either of us- so dh is gonna take down the 4th side and re-sidecar the crib tomorrow. I guess we may have to get a rail in case ds rolls onto our bed.  He is so into moving around now that he can really scoot himself!