When and how to unswaddle

[Pensta]

Can anyone tell me the best way to wean a baby from being swaddled?

I have been advised that you start to unswaddle at about 3-4 months when baby starts to find their fists and that a way to get them out of being swaddled is to start by not swaddling one arm and then progressing to two arms out of the swaddle.

Well, my baby is 15 weeks and HATES the whole one arm out of the swaddle. I tried it today and it dissolved into a 2 hour crying session (my baby then me). I have tried putting him in the gro bag and he hates it.

Based on this - should I wait a few weeks and try again?

[taralee]

I think you should do whatever your baby wants you to do for sleep time, as he gets older he'll let you know what works for him and what doesn't.
i stopped swaddling evie's arms when she could pull them out and there was just no point wrapping them anymore. now she can get her legs out too but i still wrap her legs more as a matter of course and cos she knows it sleep time when i do, rather than it being for any other reason
I dont think it's something for you to be worrying about though - especially if it means hours and hours of tears!

[Kitty33]

taralee hit the nail right on the head the best way is right there
Jacob unswaddled himself in his own time and by about 5 months he was happy to have the legs swaddled and then eventually happy just to have a blankie.......
xo

[Erin_25]

I'll agree with that advice, do what's best. If bubs will only sleep that way then why stop. I too thought I needed to stop a while ago & it just didn't work, he had found his hands but still doesn't know exactly how they are working - so he'd pull out his dummy then wave it about crying. Most people I've spoken to say bubs just grows out of it on their own. I suppose they get to a point where they know what to do with their hands and they don't want them wrapped up. I'm just going to wait til he's ready & Charlie is 21weeks. I also tried the one arm & it just seemed really silly to me, one arm flapping about. I was given some advice that might work for you if you want to keep trying - that was to just put the wrap around their tummy. That way they still have the wrap around them but arms are out. Or start lightly wrapping, letting the arms come out as they put themselves to sleep.

[Pensta]

Thanks for that advice....and (lol) it did seem strange to me for Blake to have one arm flapping about as well.

He does unswaddle himself at night...his little hands work their way out and so does his legs so he wakes up with the wrap just around his middle.

My gut tells me to keep on swaddling until he is ready and your comments ladies have confirmed this.

Thanks

[lilima]

Hello,
I found that moving into summer, James naturally stopped wanting to wrapped. As it got hotter, he wanted to sleep with his arms wide out. He must have been around 15 ish weeks. When it got cooler again I started him in grobags. So maybe your bub will naturally not want to be wrapped when it gets warmer. There is no *right* time. If you are really concerned, wait till he is asleep, then unwrap him. See if that works.

[Meluchja]

My DD was wrapped until she was 7 months old. I was worried that she would be the only toddler still being wrapped, than one night out of the blue, she decided she didn't want to be wrapped anymore And that was that. She still loves 'Mr Wrappy" takes him everywhere.
I agreee, trust your instincts, he will let you know when he is ready.
Although hsving said that, I'm trying to ease DS put of his now, but I think he is more ready than she ever was.
Good Luck.

[krisp]

My DS was wrapped until he was 9 months old. We weaned him off slowly, first his arms out then his legs out with the wrap just around his middle and then nothing. It took about 3-4 weeks. He slept much better with the wrap on but I guess he can't still be wrapped when he's 21 can he?

[Pensta]

No - imagine what his girlfriends would think!

[Jac]

I too thought I needed to stop a while ago & it just didn't work, he had found his hands but still doesn't know exactly how they are working - so he'd pull out his dummy then wave it about crying.

Erin this is EXACTLY what my DS does!!! So frustrating. I stopped wrapping for about a month but was finding myself putting him to sleep by holding his arms and legs still under the blanket (took about 10 minutes) until he nodded off - otherwise he'd remove dummy and become upset as he wanted it back. So, in effect, I was acting as a wrap - and he wouldn't go back to sleep after 1 sleep cycle. So we have recently recturned to the wrap (arms only) over the Grobag. Back to 2 hour day sleeps - bliss. Interestingly, we don't wrap for overnight sleeps (after dreamfeed) and he does not wake up. Go figure.

[Pensta]

Well, after thinking long and hard about Blake's love/hate relationship with his swaddle, I went cold turkey and put him in a grobag. He grizzled for the first sleep and then by the evening he was fine and slept soundly from 7pm until 4.30am.

BUT!

He wanted to suck his fist and his dummy at the same time and would get upset when his fist kept on knocking the dummy out. Consequently he is still finding it hard to resettle during his daytime naps (but has no probs at night), so the 45min duration naps still continue. So, his dummy has gone. I feel like a Harriet Hard Heart but if he can settle himself just with his fist then I reckon its better for all of us.

Understandably, hes not a happy little camper atm and I've cried with him, but we'll get there.

[MamaPan]

hmmm i am confused.. my little man is 6 days old and he hates having his arms in the swaddle, he has hated it from day 1.. and needs at least 1 hand out at all times..
I am guessing that if he sleeps this way then I will just go with it... what do you all think?