swaddling

I have swaddled my girls since day 1. But lately they have been fighting to free themselves. Plus they both really like to suck on their hands. Do you think its time I start weaning them from the swaddle?

Also, they can both roll over. What happens if they roll over while swaddled? Or is that not possible since they use their arm to help get them over?

And one more question.... Now that they can roll over and sometimes they are wiggling all over the crib while they sleep, should I remove the bumper? I have a crib tent because I have cats so I am not worried about little limbs getting stuck.

(this is what I think about when I should be sleeping?!?!!)

 

Hi,

I don't think there's a right or wrong answer on when to wean from swaddling, but if your girls are fighting it, it sounds like time to me. Also, I do think it's time to remove crib bumpers if your twins are rolling all over the place. Some people keep the bumpers in place and their kids do fine, but I would worry that a baby's face would get stuck in the bumper.

 

I weaned the swaddle when my girls could get out of it b/c they would get their little hands all in their faces and it would irritate them being sort-of half in and half out ... that being said, they were pretty content having an arm in and an arm out for a while.

My Ped said we should wean them soon, too, (she said this at our 5 month appt) b/c she feels it is unsafe if a baby rolls swaddled and then can't push up to turn their heads. Ours, at 6 1/2 months, are still not rolling ... but at least if they do, we have weaned the swaddle.

We ended up having to eventually put them in sleep sacks and let them CIO ... at about 6 months ... it wasn't ideal .. but I was going in every 45 mins all night with either one or the other ... they would knock the paci out with their hands ... they still startled some and would startle themselves awake ... and a lot of times they ended up swaddled again at like 2AM b/c I wasn't getting any sleep. After about 3 days of CIO, they did (and still do) well w/o the swaddle ... actually, I think they are much happier and more comfortable. It was tough ... but a good thing ... you know, one less step (times two)!! =)

 

Our Ped said that it's ok to swaddle for as long as you think they need it - until they start breaking out of it or seem to sleep better without it. She said some docs will tell you it inhibits development, but she doesn't agree. She said one of her daughters was swaddled until 9 months because she liked it, and that her development was not affected at all.

 

You mean I can't swaddle them til they're 35???

 

I switched to sleep sacks once the babies started busting out of the swaddle - I think 3.5-4 mo corrected age. It went surprisingly well - if anything, they slept better, because they weren't getting cold after kicking their blanket off. There's absolutely no problem with swaddling for as long as the babies like it, but whenever they stop liking it you can stop.

About crib bumpers - I've heard a lot of scary stories about them. There are risks to using them, and no benefits - personally, I'd take them out.

QUOTE
Although bumper pads are theoretically designed to prevent injury to a baby while in the crib or bassinet, the risk of accidental death or injury to an infant from using them outweighs their possible benefits, according to a new study by pediatric researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

In the study, which appears in the September 2007 issue of The Journal of Pediatrics, the researchers reviewed three U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission databases for deaths related to crib bumpers and crib-related injuries from 1985-2005. They found 27 accidental deaths reported by authorities of children from 1 month old to 2 years old that were attributed to suffocation or strangulation by bumper pads or their ties. They also found 25 non-fatal injuries in infants attributed to bumper pads.
Of the deaths in which there was a formal investigation, 11 infants likely suffocated when their face rested against the bumper pad, 13 infants died from being wedged between the bumper pad and another object and three infants died from strangulation by a bumper tie.

source

 

We swaddled our boys until they were 8 or 9 months old. I had to keep reinventing the swaddle to contain them. I used old full-size sheets (that I cut down just slightly) to swaddle them in the winter and went out and bought 2 yards of the lightest weight fabric I could find for the summer. They were wrapped like mummies.

I had visions of them calling me once they got to college. "Campus life is really cool, mom....but can you come by and swaddle me around 1am so I can get some sleep?"

My boys were full on swaddle addicts and it became a huge pain b/c they were so mobile by 8/9m that they would wriggle out, then couldn't sleep once they were loose. I say when they start showing signs go for it. You can start with just one arm out, then both arms out and swaddle just their body, then move to a sleep sack.

Good luck...thanks for jogging my memory back to my 'swaddling art' days.