Our LO is 3.5 months old and is swaddled with a Miracle Blanket. She's too long for it, so we only use the wrap part and not the foot pouch any longer. She's wiggling her way out of it most nights now. She is very restless when she gets loose. I haven't been successful in putting her to sleep without it.
Given that she's finding her way out of it, I think it might be time to stop swaddling.
How old was your LO when you stopped swaddling? How did you break the habit?
GOLD / wonderful coffee bean / 18478 posts
My daughter was about 4.5 months. We did 1 arm out first, then the other arm but still wrapping her belly. Then we got rid of that. We didn't have any issues since we waited so long to stop I guess. Good luck!
apricot / 254 posts
I was going to post this same thread today too. So I don't have any advice to give but commenting so I can follow it.
pomegranate / 3008 posts
My son was 6 months before we stopped swaddling. We had to take it away cold turkey when we sleep trained. We tried to wean him off of the swaddle around 5 months but he wasn't ready.
GOLD / wonderful grape / 20289 posts
She was 2 1/2 months and also got too big for it. We quit cold Turkey, and of course I was worried but not only did she do awesome, but she was able to find her thumb and started sleeping through the night right away.
cherry / 173 posts
We stopped around 2.5-3months. She was kicking off the blankets in the night, or getting frustrated when she couldn't and waking up upset. She's 4 months now and what we do is wrap a warm blanket around her chest but leave her arms out. That way she stays warm at night and feels the blanket but she's not swaddled. She was restless at first when we stopped and jerked herself awake for awhile, but that stopped after a few weeks.
clementine / 889 posts
DS was about 5 months old. We used a swaddle me blanket that I modified to be like the miracle blanket. After the first month he would struggle when we put him in it, but couldn't sleep without it. At 5 months he started learning how to lift his bum and wiggle his arms out, so we just stopped cold turkey. It was a rough 48 hours, but then he went back to sleeping well.
cherry / 182 posts
We stopped with Claire at 4.5 months, when we sleep-trained. I tell all my friends over and over again about the Magic Sleepsuit (http://www.magicsleepsuit.com/) — it's a transition piece and Claire LOVED it....we used it until she was 8 months old!
blogger / watermelon / 14218 posts
We LOVED the miracle blanket too!! The parents who recommended it to us said they wanted to try and make a bigger one that would fit the baby until they turned 2. Haha. But yeah, when RJ started to flip over on his own around 3.5 months, we transitioned him to a sleep sack. We would hold his arms down and pat him to sleep in his crib, then we'd put a lovey (flat stuffed animal) over each arm. Of course they didn't stay there, but it would at least be a barrier for the first time he moved his arms, so it would be less likely to wake him up by scratching at his own face. There were many a night when we'd stand over him, holding his arms down, until he was really asleep, but he eventually learned how to not bother himself with his hands. He's still in a sleep sack to this day, at almost 24 months old.
pear / 1639 posts
I never swaddled DS. I would start by slowly swaddling looser and looser. You could also just "tuck in" your LO after you get pretty loose with the swaddle.
hostess / eggplant / 11068 posts
When LO was 3 months old she started breaking out of her swaddle or fussing a lot while in it because she wanted to get her fingers/thumb in her mouth. We started swaddling with just one arms out but still she ended up escaping. We quit cold turkey and put her in a sleep sack, which she was indifferent about. Now, (she's 4 months old) it's just footed onesies by itself or a sleep sack if it's colder.
blogger / pomelo / 5400 posts
We're still swaddling at 5 months. And I say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it! We tried to get rid of it cold turkey at almost 4 months, and he clearly wasn't ready.
My son also outgrew the miracle blanket by 3 months, so we've done a variety of things since. The best is the double-swaddle technique -- it pins the arms like the miracle blanket, but just uses a regular blanket. (You can put a SwaddleMe or sleep sack over it, too.)
Some people swaddle up to a year!
grape / 81 posts
I stopped swaddling at 2 months. I just started wrapping her under her arms, it seemed to do better, but eventually she just wanted to get free.
You could try one of the swaddle sleepsacks to transition to a sleepsack
wonderful clementine / 24134 posts
Give it a bit more time. All of a sudden this week she is falling asleep with her arms out and blanket just wrapped around her belly.
pomelo / 5298 posts
Update: At our 4 month appointment we discussed her getting out of the miracle blanket and the doctor said for her safety it was time to stop. I wasn't surprised to hear this. So I waited for the weekend and went cold turkey. Her sleep has been rather restless and she still startles and jumps a lot. I'm hoping some of the restlessness is due to her being sick and when we get over this virus she will return to good sleep that doesn't involve as much fussiness.
blogger / pomelo / 5400 posts
@ mamag: hope it goes better for you than our attempt at that age. But we finally may have kicked the habit now at 6 months. After a rough first night, his sleep is either equal to or better than it was when he was swaddled.
| Today | Monthly Record | |
|---|---|---|
| Topics | 0 | 1 |
| Posts | 1 | 3 |
Ask for Help
Make a Suggestion
Frequently Asked Questions
Bee Levels
Acronyms
Most Viewed Posts
Hellobee Gold
Hellobee Recipes
Hellobee Features
Hellobee Contests
Baby-led Weaning
Bento Boxes
Breastfeeding
Newborn Essentials
Parties
Postpartum Care Essentials
Sensory Play Activities
Sleep Training
Starting Solids Gear
Transitioning to Toddler Bed
All Series
Who We Are
About the Bloggers
About the Hostesses
Contributing Bloggers
Apply to Blog
Apply to Hostess
Submit a Guest Blog
Hellobee Buttons
How We Make Money
Community Policies
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
15 comments