4 month old and swaddling

My son can only stay asleep when he's swaddled. He just turned 4 months old and I've been trying to break him from it but for example, tonight he was able to fall asleep after 10 minutes of swinging his arms around but he literally stood asleep or 5 minutes until he popped his eyes open. Once I swaddled him he was out like a light. Idk what to do. I feel like he's getting too old to be swaddled but the poor kid loves feeling cuddled. Do they eventually just outgrow this on their own? Or is there something that I should be doing?

Message edited 10/5/2015 9:19:12 PM.

4 month old and swaddling

Maybe try to slowly break him from the swaddle by swaddling one arm and leaving the other arm out for like a week. And then leave both arms out of the swaddle and see how he does? this is how I broke my twins and it worked well for us.

Re: 4 month old and swaddling

My son loved being swaddled - loved!!!!

It was right around four or five months that we had to break him with CIO. We tried to transition - swaddling just his legs at first and not his arms and then we figured we would stop with the legs after some time. But he wouldn't have that at all so we went balls to the wall lol. You could try transitioning first.

Anyway, once we just did CIO it was one night of awful - every 45 minutes to one hour he would wake up and scream. I would give it ten minutes (so hard to listen to him and you feel bad) but after ten minutes I would go in and just shhhhhhhhh and "sush" him - I wouldn't pick him up or talk to him, just do the shh, pat his back, give him his binky, reassure him that I'm there but it is what it is. Then I would leave. I would only reassure and shhhhh for about a minute or so. It was one entire night of up and down and then that was it, he was free of the swaddle and went back to sleeping great from then on. I think I made a post about it! I'll check and link it! It was detailed and step by step bc it was at the time. :)

Re: 4 month old and swaddling

Found it!! Wow it feels like yesterday!!

http://www.lifamilies.com/chat/topic.aspx?ID=823821&Highlight=Odyssey+

Re: 4 month old and swaddling

Do whatever works! No kid goes to college needing to be swaddled.

Eventually, he will grow out of it on his own. He'll prob prefer tummy sleeping soon or want to suck on his hands or something. Otherwise, it's safe to keep swaddling until he's rolling over. Then you'll have to think of a transition strategy.

4 month old and swaddling

If he's not rolling I would just let it be. Try again in a few weeks.

Dd was broken if the swaddle around that age but then she stopped napping st 6 monyhs and swaddling was the only thing that worked. I broke her of it again but now at 10 months she stopped napping again and after battling for weeks I swaddle again for naps and it worked again. I just check her often but she never rolls while swaddled. At night her sleep sucks too but if u flip her in her belly and pat her butt she'll sleep a few hours versus her usual one.

Bottom line, don't take sleep advice from me but I think he's not too old if it's what works.

Re: 4 month old and swaddling

I kept my DD swaddled until 6 months old when I moved her to her crib.
It's fine

Re: 4 month old and swaddling

I wanted to add that there's nothing wrong with the fact that your child is still loving the swaddle. I would have let my son stayed swaddled for as long as he wanted! But, with him, he was breaking out of it and waking up so it was time that he HAD to stop it because he couldn't stay in it anymore --- yet couldn't stay asleep when he broke out of it.

4 month old and swaddling

my son loved to be swaddled. we kept him swaddled for naps and at night until he was rolling over and I was worried he might roll over while swaddled. then I invested in the zipadeezip or whatever it's called. he loved that too, and I didn't have to worry about him rolling over in it. eventually he outgrew it, just in time for the warmer weather.

4 month old and swaddling

Unless he is rolling over or you think it is getting dangerous for him to be swaddled because he moves too much I would just keep swaddling, 4 months they often still have the startle reflex and the swaddling helps with that.

4 month old and swaddling

To echo what many people said, I see nothing wrong with it at that age assuming he is not rolling over yet. Once that happens, being swaddled and having your arms restrained becomes a health hazard.

Re: 4 month old and swaddling

Thanks ladies for all the tips. The reason why I am becoming concerned is because he has been breaking free of his swaddle for weeks now. I can't even use swaddle blankets because he comes undone and the blanket is everywhere so I've been using the SwaddleMe blankets with the Velcro. However, he'll stay unswaddled for awhile but then wake up screaming until I swaddle him again. Also he started rolling from belly to back at 11 weeks old and over the past few days I've noticed that when I have him on his back he's starting to lean towards his left side and lift himself a little. It looks as if he's getting ready to roll from back to front so this is making me completely nervous and I want to make sure that he's not being swaddled when he's rolling. It makes me feel so bad but I feel like now it needs to be done. It took me and hour and a half tonight to get him to stay asleep with only 1 arm in the swaddle. We'll see how long this lasts... It might be a long night for me and of course I have a meeting in the morning. Fingers crossed!

Message edited 10/6/2015 10:00:57 PM.

Re: 4 month old and swaddling

If he's breaking out and getting close to rolling it may be time to transition out of the swaddle. DD rolled really early in both directions, younger than 3 months, so I had no choice. I did 1 arm out for a while, and then 2 arms out, wrapping the velcro just around her belly. Now she's 20 weeks and has been a tummy sleeper for a month at least, so we just leave her in sleep sacks, no swaddle. She does great, but we did have a few rough nights around 3 months because we had to unswaddle so early. They adjust!