Breaking the swaddling habit

DD is currently 4 1/2 months old. She has been sleeping in her swaddle since she has been born. We've been tryimg to get her to go to sleep without the swaddle for the past week without success. She starts screaming as soon as we put her down and will continue to scream for hours if we don't pick her up. It just breaks my heart to hear. Any advice on what we can do???? We've just been giving up after hours and swaddling her.

Re: Breaking the swaddling habit

We had to stop cold turkey when DS was 3.5 months and started rolling over onto his tummy in his sleep. We were panicking because we thought he was addicted to the swaddle but surprisingly enough, he made the transition well.

Not sure I have any advice for a baby who is not taking too kindly to the non-swaddle.

Hope it gets better for you soon!

Re: Breaking the swaddling habit

My DD did that when we tried to break her out on our own.
PED said we can swaddle her until she doesn't want to be swaddled any longer, there's no age where you have to do it by.

She stopped on her own around 6 months old. She would go to sleep in the MB then break out during the night and still be sleeping through the night. After about 2 weeks of that, we knew it was time to get rid of the swaddle. She gave us a hard time for the 1st couple night falling asleep without it but after that she was fine.

Now if only her teeth would be bothering her since she was 7 months old, DH and i would be able to sleep again.

Re: Breaking the swaddling habit

DD was being swaddled from the armpits down up until last week when it just got too hot here...the first couple of nights she woke up 1-2 times through the night...after a couple nights she seemed fine...she talks to herself a bit and has her feet up in the air, but within 15min shes usually asleep...i think she now enjoys her new freedom to sleep in any position!

she may not be ready to give it up yet...I tried to break DD of swaddling many times before this and she didnt do so well! (DD is 5.5 months now) give it time...try again in a couple nights and see how she does.

Re: Breaking the swaddling habit

This was a rough one for us too. What we did:
Started with naps
Used a sleep positioner and had him sleep on his side
Once he was sleeping for his naps unswaddled we went to nights
Took one arm out for a week
Then 2 arms
Then all out
DS would wake up every hour for about 3 weeks in the night
Then he just got used to it

Message edited 6/12/2008 10:34:54 AM.

Re: Breaking the swaddling habit

We were former miracle blanket addicts.

we started with naps and then let one arm out and then the other...

She resisted every, single step of the way...you can probably search and find my posts of desperation. We finally were weaned her completely off when she was close to 8-8 1/2 months old.

She slept through the night from 3 1/2 months and whenever we took it off she was up every half hour. Our ped said when she is ready, she is ready and don't force it. Well, she still wasn't ready at that time, but we started using a blanket then and she was fine.

Re: Breaking the swaddling habit

When we stopped we went through a week of the "newborn" phase where ds was waking up 2 or 3 times throughout the night. It was crazy! Then we started using the sleepsacks and since that night he has been sleeping through the night again. Not sure if it was coincidence or if it was the sleepsack, but it worked for us.

Re: Breaking the swaddling habit

My DS is addicted too. He is 4 months and he wakes up and cries if he is unswaddled. Swaddled, he sleeps for about 9 hours; unswaddled - 1/2 hour!