Swaddle???

Question

I am trying not to swaddle my son anymore. He will be 5 months old on Feb 10th. What have others experienced when they stopped using the swaddle?

My son hasn't really like the swaddle this past couple of weeks. Every time I go into his room either one or both of his hands are out. My husband is very concerned about the rolling over while being swaddled. They is why we are trying to not use it.

That is another question...HOW DO YOU KEEP THEM WARM.. I LIVE IN AN AREA WHERE IT GETS COLD AT NIGHT..sometimes below 15...they say not to use a blanket but the blanket he has is hand made w/ little wholes in it...A knit blanket. :)

Answer 1

I stopped swaddling mine at around 2 months they just wouldn't stay in any more. Stop whenever she seems like she's not liking it anymore, it's up to you. No, not dangerous - unless you've duct taped her in the blanket! Most parents don't swaddle very tightly.

Try a blanket sleeper or one of those zip in sleepers. Or you might try just swaddling her bottom half starting under the arms, leaving the arms free. Babies like swaddling in the first place because a) it reminds them of being in the womb, all tight and folded up and b) if tightly wrapped when they enter REM sleep they don't startle and twitch and wake themselves up. Because of this babies always sleep better on their tummies, HOWEVER because of SIDS it's always, always back to sleep which means babies are harder to get and keep asleep.

Answer 2

Some babies don't like to be swaddled at all, I'm surprised that yours isn't bothered by it at 5 months... My son would have his hands and arms out by the time he was at the most two months. Every time i would try to swaddle him he would fight it a little bit. At 5 months, he's probably going to be rolling over soon, and swaddling him will impede his progress as far as that. When you put him down, try to just put warm enough clothes on him that he doesn't need a blanket (so that the blanket won't end up covering his face).

Answer 3

I swaddle my son, sometimes he likes it..sometimes not. What I use when he is being particularly fussy with the swaddling blanket is to use a blanket sleeper/sack. The temperatures here get below zero on the norm and he is always comfortable in those. They are generally made out of a fleece material and allow for arm movement. It is a thought if you haven't tried it yet.

Answer 4

My daughter is 3 months old. I stopped swaddling her when she started "unswaddling" herself, about a month ago. She likes her hands out.

As for keeping your son warm at night, I use 2 blankets. Because my daughter likes her hands out, I put the blankets under her armpits, that way, it doesn't ride up to her face. I put the second blanket lower down (about where her belly button is) so she doesn't kick the one blanket off (she usually does, that's why I started using 2). The second one is mainly a weight to keep the first one on. I hope that makes sense to you.

Answer 5

i was told by the pediatrician that once your baby can get out of the swaddle not to do it anymore because he/she can grab the covers and move it over his/her face. i stopped using the swaddle method and my son is 4 months and nothing has changed. if it's too cold i put him on a warm sleeper and turn the heat up a notch. swaddling is used to prevent sids but also it is used to make the baby feel like really secure almost like the womb. he is 5 months and should be fairly adjusted to life outside the womb so i feel you can stop the swaddle if you want to.

Answer 6

When you lay him down instead of swaddling him get a longer blanket and keep his arms out of it...tuck the sides of the blanket underneath the mattress so he can't suffocate but he can still roll back and forth!

Answer 7

I think your son is more than old enough to switch him out of the swaddle. I do recommend you begin a swaddle transition with a Zipadee-zip. This will give your child the arm and leg movement he desires but also makes him feel coddled and encloses him!

Answer 8

My son hated being swaddled to begin with, he loved to grab and touch stuff and was very exploritorive of his hands (not a thumb sucker though thank god! LOL) For parents who's kids do love to be swaddled I suggest not swaddeling the hands/arms tightly too the torso once the baby can roll himself over that way if he/she ever flips himself accidentially he'll be able to flip himself back without risk of suffication.

Answer 9

Try swaddling with his arms out that's what we do with our 4 and a half mo old son....

Answer 10

My baby is 5 months and I now use a sleep sack--so he's still cozy and snuggled in. He also sleeps with me, so he gets warmth and touch from Mama, which helps.