WHEN AND HOW TO DROP THE SWADDLE

Tweet

Stella recently reached the 3/4 month mark which made me contemplate how long we were going to continue the swaddle. For some reason, when it comes to dropping the swaddle,
I feel so pressured to make this transition. I just can't wait to mark it off my 'to do' list. I admit I'm a bit of a nutso about my 'to do' list (I have even been known to write something down AFTER I've done it just so I can feel the satisfaction of checking it off!) so maybe that's my problem. Or maybe I just like to see baby-acrobats during sleep times.

If you think it's time to drop the swaddle, you may be feeling pretty worried. I know I get this way. I don't want to mess sleep up. If you've got a sleeper who, well, doesn't like to sleep, the change might not be as scary. Things might not be able to get much worsen anyway and they could even get better :)


When should you drop the swaddle?
If your child is doing well swaddled, there really isn't a reason to drop the swaddle unless...

1. He is rolling to his tummy. Swaddled babies and the tummy do not mix! It's not safe folks, don't do it! Because you'll need to make the switch cold turkey, you might want to use some sort of swaddle transition (see below).
2. Baby seems to be really into sucking on his hands and you want him to be able to soothe himself with them.
3. Your baby seems to be sleeping fine without it (he busts out of it and still sleeps fine) 
4. Your baby is fighting the swaddle more and more. This is a hard one because sometime the fighting can mean baby simply doesn't want to sleep (because YOU are so fun to play with or because he's overtired) or maybe it can mean he wants to move around more while he sleeps. You'll have to use some trial and error to see what is going on here and also listen to your gut feeling.
5. You are crazy antsy about it for some reason and just have to get rid of that dang swaddle!

If your child isn't sleeping so totally awesome, you may want to drop the swaddle...

1. During sleep training. Some people out there don't like to sleep train a swaddled baby. They want baby to have full access to his hands in case he wants to use them to self soothe (he may or may not use them to self soothe). I personally have found that babies are usually pretty good at self soothing even if they don't have their hands available (for example, Stella has been sucking her lips, moving her head back and forth and rubbing her feet together while falling asleep for months now) so I don't find dropping the swaddle totally necessary. IF you are helping a baby learn to self-soothe (especially if  they have a lot of work ahead of them--i.e. they don't know how to put themselves to sleep at all) and they are over 3/4 months of age then you might want to consider dropping the swaddle--but it isn't necessary.
2. If he's really into sucking their hands. A bad or even good sleeper can sometimes turn into an amazing sleeper when he finds his hands. So if it seems like baby is getting a lot of pleasure from sucking on his hands, then you might want to allow him more access to them while sleeping.
3. If you're dropping the pacifier and want to allow baby another way to suck, you may want to drop the swaddle so he has access to his hands. But, keep in mind, that just because he has access to his hands, it doesn't mean he will actually use them to self-soothe. That is simply a possibility.

If you think you need to drop the swaddle because your little Houdini has mastered how to get out of a swaddle, then you simply need to swaddle better, double swaddle (put one swaddle on top of the other) or get a better swaddle blanket. Personally, I think the miracle blanket is the best option for these babies. It has been a life saver for me and my children. Yes, me too--- because if baby is sleeping, then I'm sleeping!

Most children do well having the swaddle dropped sometime between 3-6 months of age. The moro/startle reflux disappears around this age and babies also start to have more control of their hands (especially after Wonder Week 12).

Some people recommend your drop the swaddle sooner so baby doesn't get too addicted to it, but I personally feel that it is a need up until this point and that dropping it sooner results in more problems than it helps.  If your child is unswaddled at an earlier age and is fine with this, then no problem. No need to fix something that isn't broken! My first child was actually sleeping unswaddled and sucking his thumb (very, very happily, I might add!) at 11 weeks of age. I don't know when exactly I stopped the swaddle with him because I was, well, somewhat confused about everything having to do with parenting at that time, but either way, I know that by 11 weeks, he was much happier with that thumb in his mouth than with it by his side swaddled!

What to expect when you drop the swaddle
The swaddle is a sleep association, so even though baby stops 'needing' it to sleep, it will still take some time to get used to not having it. And just like with everything sleep, some babies will do better with change than others. Some will not even notice the swaddle gone while others will have some rough days of sleep. Think of suddenly having to go to sleep each night without a pillow or without a blanket. Even if you don't need these things (like if your room is super hot and a blanket is the last think you need to help you sleep) it is still really hard to get used to sleeping without them! The same holds true for any sleep changes with your baby.

So how do you know if your baby is having a normal rough patch while dropping the swaddle verses 'it isn't time to drop the swaddle'? This is a tough question to answer and it'll vary from child to child. Because that's a pretty annoying response for me to make I'll give you this one ;)  If your baby is taking longer than usual to fall asleep and is having a hard time making it through sleep transitions for a couple days, this is normal. If he is unable to fall asleep at all or is taking 20 minute naps and waking up all night long, it's likely he still needs the swaddle.

How do you wean from the swaddle?
When you get to a point that you feel like your baby might do fine without the swaddle, then go for it. You won't really know for sure if your baby is ready for it until you try it. If he doesn't do well with the transition (see above), you can reswaddle and try again in a few more weeks, try a swaddle transition product (see below), or continue to drop it and expect a few rough days of sleep before things go back to normal. Just try not to go back and forth constantly with swaddling and unswaddling. That will make it harder on baby.

To wean from the swaddle, start with one arm out for 3-7 days (or until baby is sleeping like 'normal', if you'd like ), then take the other arm out while swaddling from the waste down. After several more days (or until baby is sleeping 'normal', if you'd like), unswaddle completely and use a sleep sack instead. You don't need to use a sleep sack, but with young children free blankets aren't really helpful because they can't keep them on (and they're dangerous with infants) so I personally find sleep sacks a must.

When you put your newly unswaddled baby down for sleep, you might also want to put a little pressure on his tummy and arms for several moments to help him adjust to this change. Do this for several days if it seems to help.

If you've had the swaddle dropped for more than 1-2 weeks and sleep still isn't going great, you might want to reconsider reswaddling for a while longer or consider a swaddle transition product. It's always a good idea to evaluate the whole situation though, because sleep may be off for some other reason besides the swaddle.

Swaddle Transition Products
Two swaddle transition products I know of out there are Baby Merlin's Magic Sleepsuit and the Zipadeezip Slumber Sacks. These are both useful when a slow transition out of the swaddle isn't an option (like if your baby is rolling over) or if your baby is out of the swaddle but still seems to need some extra security (which may also be the case if you are transitioning from a swing or {recalled} rock and play sleeper). Some extra benefits of each are:

• Baby Merlins' Magic Sleepsuit - This suit helps keep baby on her back for longer which may be beneficial in reducing SIDS risks. Because the suit is somewhat plush and restricts some movement, it can help prevent baby from pushing the pacifier out of her mouth (either because sleep is suffering when the pacifier gets pushed out or if you really don't want hand/thumb sucking). Baby may still be able to put her hands in her mouth while wearing this, but it's much less likely to happen, especially if the sleep suit is on the bigger size for her (do not size up more than suggested though or it won't work!)
• Zipadee-zip Slumber Sack - The sack allows baby to suck on her hands through fabric. She will be able to knock out a pacifier, but because her fingers are covered, she won't be able to scratch herself (if that's an issue).

Feel free to share any swaddle triumphs, failures or advice!