swaddling for fussiness

Anyone have a fussy baby that loves to be swaddled? My dd loves it for bedtime and I usually don't like to swaddle her during waking hours but today she seems calmed by being swaddled while she is awake. Is it okay to leave her like this all day and night? I can see swaddling 24/7 for a newborn but what about a 3 month old and older?

 

I still swaddle my 7 month olds, only when they wake in the middle of the night (about 5am or so). They are in party mode at that time, so I swaddle them for them to relax. It works to put them back down until about 6 or 7 am. I remember thinking I'd never teach my girls how to control their hands/arms if I always swaddled, then one night (at about 4 months) they were so tired, they fell asleep in our arms and we put them down in the crib without swaddling, and they did fine. We stuck with no swaddle after that. We semi-swaddled them for naps in their swings-not tight, but enough to settle them down. But, I just broke the habit of sleeping in their swings. I'm of the "do what you need to do to get them to sleep" mentality. I don't care about habits. So far, none have been too hard to break. I might not be the model for pure sleep training.

 

Totally ok! As long as she gets some unswaddled time when she's awake, especially tummy time, it's fine. If you've found something that works for your poor little cranky girl, then go for it!

 

Our girls were both VERY VERY cranky ... colicky babies. I swear they stayed swaddled 80% of their lives for the first 3 months. Now when they fuss and it is not nap time ... they get a paci ... now that they will take one. One is still swaddled for night time and nap time she has an arm out. The other is in a sleep sack which is a new thing as of 2 nights ago ... wish me luck. She is trying to learn to suck her thumb and she likes to sleep on her side ... so I want to get her out of the swaddle. Last night was the first night I didn't end up swaddling her in the middle of the night. They are 5 1/2 months old. I think fighting the swaddle is good for muscle development. Also, like the pp said ... make sure they get some tummy time.

 

My Grace is always swaddled at bedtime she will not sleep until I make that last fold. Then it is like snapping a light she is out. I even have a friend that made me some larger blankets because she is getting so big (5 months). If it works I do not question it!

 

I would say if it works DO IT! Give her some tummy time and some "free time" and if she's happier that way right now just go with it. I'm sure it will naturally get better.

 

When mine got fussy, it was back into the swaddle, swing, and binky. The combo worked everytime. Like a pp said, as long as it is not all the time every day, day in and day out, I wouldn't worry about it.