Does anyone *not* swaddle their newborn/infant?

[Beauchamp]

With DD we were a little nuts about getting the *perfect* swaddle, and there was much anxiety about it. For our new baby boy, it seems he like his hands up and out. I have just been putting a blanket over him and slightly tucking it around his body.

For those whose babies seemed to want their hand out, do you think he'd sleep better if he really was swaddled and couldn't get to his hands, as in, every new baby sleeps better when swaddled, or do you give into the possible preference to be free?

p.s. I am probably not making much sense or wording my question just right, so apologies. I am pretty tired.

[southernmommie]

I didn't swaddle any of my babies. If I did, the woke up sooner than if I'd just tucked the blanket around them. I really think it depends on what your baby likes. As with any new baby it's trial and error.

[new2this]

We didn't swaddle DD but a few times. She didn't like it. The only times she got swaddled was when she was so upset from being over tired did it work. Otherwise it was a fight to have her swaddled. Even in the hospital the nurses would swaddle her and after having to feed her or change her and it would get messed up. I couldn't figure it out...lol

However she didn't mind sleep sacks. because she could move her legs some and her hands were free. 

[Chloe'sMama]

We have not swaddled either of our girls.  They were big and didn't really like it.  

[teeg1973]

We swaddled our first DD, but not my 2nd.  She was sick early on and I was too nervous to swaddle with breathing issue going on....by the time I actually tried it, she was not having it!

Different kids, different preferences I guess.

Tracy

[katelove]

I didn't. She didn't like being wrapped at all. Sometimes she'd tolerate being covered with a blanket. Fortunately we live in a warm climate.

[Magali]

Never swaddled my kids.  In fact it used to irritate me when people would do it to them (like nurses in the hospital after birth)...I'd just unwrap them.

[kristandthekids]

Both of mine hated it. They were such wiggle worms if I tried it it would quickly be undone. They were finally out of their 5 ft tall Mommy and liked their movement! They wanted to have those arms free!
I'll try it again with #3 but if she doesn't dig it, I won't force it.

[gumshoegirl007]

Our baby is a breakout artist!  She can get out of any swaddle in the matter of seconds (even those swaddle sack things).  She loves to have her arms free.  However, she doesn't like her feet free.  So we just swaddle her from the armpits down.  She won't got to sleep at night for any decent period of time without the 2/3 swaddle.

[greenmulberry]

I didn't/don't.

We tried, but after carefully wrapping her up while she struggled, just to have her immediately break free, over and over again, we just gave up.

[MidcoastMEMom]

Two non-swaddled girls in this house! My DD #2 is 6 weeks old and does like to be in her Moby wrap, but swaddling her and leaving her in her bassinet? Forget it! She wants to kick and flail those arms and be free!!! Both my girls were a week late and we joke that they both wanted freedom so much that when we try/tried to swaddle, they're like, "are you kidding me?" Ha! I know another mom who is now trying to break her 6 month old of only sleeping swaddled, so I guess don't worry about it if your babe doesn't like it! Go with the flow! They grow up really fast... :) Try the half-swaddle and keeping him in long sleeves if it's chilly at night.

[eleonrauis]

My first did not like to be swaddled, but my second did.  Just follow your LO's lead.

[baglady]

My first always pulled his arms out and put them over his head. I gave up after a few weeks. He still (at 2.5) sleeps with his arms up.

My second would still sleep swaddled if he could. He's six months and an expert roller. We're having trouble getting him to feel comfortable unswaddled.

If your LO is comfortable, go with it.

[Dingletwitz]

I never did, but I'll admit that the whole practice was lost on me. Holding a swaddled baby felt like carrying around something inanimate.

[LadyCatherine185]

no swaddling here either... DS2 has liked to have a blanket wrapped around him though, but I let him have his arms wherever he wants them.

[VocalMinority]

I had twin sons (now about to turn 16 - gasp!) who were born extremely premature (24 wks.).  From birth, one of them liked to be swaddled, curled up and cuddled (as much as that could be done, with all those tubes in an incubator!!), while the other was happier (had higher oxygen saturation levels) when splayed out like a drunk sunbather and left alone.  

Even newborns (even newborns with identical DNA) are still individual spirits!

[newmamalizzy]

We were arms-out swaddlers, but actually didn't start until DD start sleeping poorly at 4-ish months old.  Then she was swaddled from the chest down until 9 months!  Just occurred to me, though, that swaddling her might have really helped our nursing struggles as I simply could not keep her hands out of her face while learning to latch her.  Whoops...

[Ansley]

I didn't swaddle my dd..she didn't like it at all! I just wrapped her blanket around her, under her arms and tucked it under her back and she has been the best sleeper since.