Stopping swaddling

Well, we have decided that it is about time to stop swaddling my 7 1/2 month old girls. The swaddle has worked GREAT so far, but they are starting to get out of them and the larges are starting to be too small! So, for the past two weeks we have been swaddling them with one arm out for nap time. At first it was rough, but then it got a little better. They still didn't nap the way they used to.

This weekend we decided that for one of their naps we would go cold turkey on the swaddle...oh boy! That is NOT going so well!

Has anyone else had trouble breaking their twins of the swaddle wraps? I want them to be able to just sleep anywhere when you lay them down, not have to swaddle them up like little mummies anymore. It feels like they would rather be swaddled when I send them off to college!! haha...

But really, should I just let them CIO for naptimes when they are unswaddled? One of them likes to roll over onto her belly when she isn't swaddled, then that makes her mad after a while. Generally we lay them down when they are sleepy but awake, and both are pretty good at going to sleep on their own. They may fuss for a few minutes or so, and some days more than a few minutes.

What to do??? I'm sure they MUSt have it in them to sleep when they aren't swaddled, right???

HELP!!!

 

Have you tried still wrapping them up tight, but leaving both arms out? That's what I did with my girls. I went from 1 arm out to both arms out but still swaddled. Then, when I got rid of the blankets completely they didn't even notice.

 

With DS1, we swaddled with one arm out for a few weeks and then both arms out but still swaddled their bodies and then eventually just didnt' have to do it anymore. We are right now transitioning the twins and they have both arms out with their bodies swaddled. They are in love right now with having both arms out. Plus, they are learning to self soothe....woohoo!

 

That's a good idea...I will try that for one of their naps tomorrow. I still swaddle them all the way at night time, mostly because I want to sleep!! Did you swaddle them all the way at night time until they got used to be unswaddled during naps?

 

Are you doing anything in particular to help them self soothe? We are trying to teach them this too, but some days are better than others. I give them a paci (if they will take it- one likes it more than the other one), and then a little soft bunny blanket for them to cuddle with. Any other self soothing tricks?

 

OMG!!! It worked!!! They went right to sleep, no crying. And slept for almost two hours this afternoon! One is still sleeping! Hope it isn't just a fluke!

 

Are they in the same crib? If so, are they next to each other or at opposite ends? My boys are almost 4 months, and I have to use 2 blankets to swaddle them, and it's just too warm for that, so I want to transition them out of the swaddle too..

 

Congrats on getting them to sleep with their arms out. SUCCESS!! :woo:

 

We did the same thing, swaddling with both arms out, but found that within a week or two they figured out how to wriggle out of the swaddle blankets entirely or flip themselves over. When this happened we switched them to sleep sacks and they did really well with them. This let them move around the bed like they wanted but kept them feeling contained.

 

if you continue having issues, you might try a sleep sack, but leaving their arms inside for a while... as a transition after the swaddling. a friend has a pekemoe sack from NZ, here's a link she LOVES it! she was like you, didn't know if her girl would go to college swaddled either! the sack is pretty pricey, but I saw it in person and really its a big pillow case with a zipper at the bottom and a neck hole! so seems like a sleep sack w/their arms in would do the same thing.

anyway, good luck!