swaddling

Whenever I go over to my df's grandparents house and the babies are napping, sometimes I swaddle them so they don't startle themselves awake and they just sleep better. My MIL always goes off about how that's horrible to tie them up and that they need their hands for protection. They're 5 weeks old, WTH are they going to protect themselves from?!! They hardly know how to move their hands! My family has always swaddled and used it for soothing and naps. I know that millions of mothers swaddle, it can't be that wrong.

So how many here are for it, or against it?
How long did you swaddle for?

Any other thoughts or comments welcome.
I'm just kinda bugged cause she has something to say about how I do practically anything. Living 6 blocks away from in-laws sucks sometimes!

 

We swaddled until they were about 5 months old, I think. We planned to swaddle any way, but the nurses in the NICU started swaddling them before I even mentioned it.

 

First off....YOUR BABIES! You are their MOTHER!

For us-we swaddled for SIX MONTHS. I know people here have done longer, shorter. It certainly worked for us!!! They were swaddled for 4 months straight-whenever they were sleeping(maybe even other times). At 4 months, we stopped swaddling them at bedtime. I still swaddled them at naptime(as they were in their swings still) until they were 6 months old. When we decided to stop swaddling-we went cold turkey. They did FINE with it.

They have had no ill effects from being swaddled! It's what they are used to being in the mother's womb and in close quarters with their twin. It helps SOOTHE them/calm them down.

I plan on doing it with the next one as well!

 

I never heard about swaddling with my oldest ... she is still a rotten sleeper 4 1/2 years later. I read about swaddling while pregnant with the twins and was willing to give it a shot. They were down to 1 feeding a night within no time and sleeping through the night by 9 weeks. I had a great experience with it and was shocked at how quickly my twins settled down for naps and bedtime when I did it to them! I recommend it to anyone having a baby now. My twins stopped swaddling around 4 months without any problems.

 

QUOTE(Beth*J @ Dec 13 2008, 11:01 PM) [snapback]1109820[/snapback]
We swaddled until they were about 5 months old, I think. We planned to swaddle any way, but the nurses in the NICU started swaddling them before I even mentioned it.


That's my other thing too, they always swaddle in hospitals, I'm sure that there has to be a good reason for it.

I went to a school for young mothers when I had my first and they taught us to swaddle as well.

 

I would also like to mention that I put my oldest swaddle onto an Indian cradle board when he was a baby up until 7 months or so. He loved it.

I just basically want to read others stances on this.

 

We swaddled until my girls were about 5 months or so and started breaking out of it. Swaddling is good because it keeps them confined somewhat replicated what life was like in the womb. My girls slept amazingly better when they were swaddled!

 

We swaddled them from the beginning. I think we stopped doing it at bedtime when they kept breaking free aroung 6 months. I started using the sleep sacks though. I will still lightly swaddle ds at nap time. DD is not a fan of it, she likes to move around and ds likes to sleep with his arms up. Babies like to be swaddled most of the time, they will let you know if they don't like it. It is a security thing as well as keeping them from startling themselves awake. Babies have been swaddled for a long time, moms carry babies in slings and pouches keeping them swaddled. It is not cruel at all. Do what you feel comfortable with and take what everyone else says with a grain of salt. Just make sure you let her know what your wishes are if you leave them with her. GL.

Jen

 

Swaddling is wonderful. We only got to do it for 2 months until they were breaking out of them but if we could have gone longer they would probably still be swaddled. I know MIL's can say some crazy things to you but just do you!

 

Yup we swaddled too, found it worked great! I think we quit at around 3.5-4months.

 

I always swaddle!! It is a life saver. My mother in law always makes comments too. Who cares! I tell her it works and the babies like it.

 

Swaddling is good. They still have the startle reflex, so the swaddling helps them sleep. We swaddled until 4 months, and would have swaddled longer, but they started rolling over on their belly at 4 months!

You can find articles or books by pediatricians that say swaddling is fine if she needs to read that. Or just tell her that you swaddle, and that's what you are doing!

 

The nurses swaddled them at the NICU too, so we kept doing it until 4.5 months. Frankly, between the swaddle and the paci (which they dropped at 4.5 months too), we really didn't have many crying problems. It's just wonderful. My mom was commenting about how quiet they were compared to me and my sister (twins also), and it was just the swaddle. They don't do it in Europe for some reason though!

 

Still swaddling an my girls love it. Although now they do get one hand out to suck on. They started getting unswaddled with reg blankets, so we bought the kiddopotamus swaddle mes and we love them!! Just got them some bigger sized ones from santa!

 

We still swaddle also. My babies won't sleep unless they are swaddled. We just had to get the bigger swaddle blankets by kiddopotamus as well.

 

QUOTE(Kimani @ Dec 13 2008, 09:54 PM) [snapback]1109892[/snapback]
I would also like to mention that I put my oldest swaddle onto an Indian cradle board when he was a baby up until 7 months or so. He loved it.


I'm jealous! I would love to get my hands on a couple of cradle boards for my twins.

Anyway I love swaddling. I spent a month in AZ and the only person that could seem to get my twins down for naps was a Navajo friend of mine. She'd wrap them up nice and tight and cover their eyes with something and rock them. It was amazing! She said if they're warm and it's dark they'd sleep.

My mom kept telling my brother who didn't want to swaddle his DD that it helps the baby build strength by pushing against the blanket.

Sometimes I think people worry too much. My MIL keeps saying I'm spoiling them by holding them too much. As if you could ever spoil a baby too much! :lol:

Hang in there.

 

Both my parents and my in-laws loved commenting on the swaddles. "We never did that, blah blah, blah". I tell them the difference is they were allowed to let their babies sleep on their stomachs. Babies sleep better that way. Now that they have to sleep on their backs, they need swaddled. After me saying it a couple times, they stopped commenting.

 

I never did it but that was due to not knowing how to really. I think my DS would have benefitted from it to be honest. As for your MIL saying its cruel, thats rubbish. Thats just an adult projecting themself on the situation. You´re recreating the womb and your LOs would soon let you know if they werent comfy.

 

I'm so sorry that you've gotten flack for how YOU want to parent your own children!! I swaddled in the first few weeks and then they started breaking out of it, we started again at 5 wks and didn't stop until 6 1/2 months!! A huge reference for swaddling is The Happiest Baby on the Block book/series by Harvey Karp. He is a huge proponent for it, as he is with the "5 S's"... Sushing, Swaddling, Sideline position, Swinging, sucking... they all replicate the womb for what he calls the "4th trimester"... it is VERY soothing... to them. I went to huge lengths to keep our babies arms in... our boy got his arms out all the time. I actually ended up sewing my socks into the inside of a 42" square blanket (just flannel from the fabric store - with the top corner folded down & sewn)... I would thread the babies arms into the socks which were sewn in so that their arms would remain at their sides and not be able to come out. I must have had to modify their blankets every month or so just to keep their arms in.

Oh the reason we swaddled... they started sleeping much longer... at 6 wks they slept through their 2am feeding.... and just kept sleeping longer - by 2 months they were sleeping 5-6 hrs a night and by 3 months I think from 10p to 7a...

Keep up the good work - and keep swaddling!

 

We did swaddle when we first got them home and quit around 3 months. Then they started waking up more often again and we went back to swaddling. I had to buy bigger swaddle blankets to make it to 6 months! We quit and switched to sleep sacks around then. I don't think we would have survived with swaddling! Don't let her talk you out of it!

 

QUOTE(Vivian @ Dec 14 2008, 04:18 PM) [snapback]1110348[/snapback]
I'm jealous! I would love to get my hands on a couple of cradle boards for my twins.

Anyway I love swaddling. I spent a month in AZ and the only person that could seem to get my twins down for naps was a Navajo friend of mine. She'd wrap them up nice and tight and cover their eyes with something and rock them. It was amazing! She said if they're warm and it's dark they'd sleep.

My mom kept telling my brother who didn't want to swaddle his DD that it helps the baby build strength by pushing against the blanket.

Sometimes I think people worry too much. My MIL keeps saying I'm spoiling them by holding them too much. As if you could ever spoil a baby too much! :lol:

Hang in there.



Here is a site that sells them for decent prices for those that want to take a look. My son really loved his!

http://www.navajocrafts.net/site/618450/product/CB-HB01-B

 

We swaddled our first for about 4 months. We tried it with the twins and eventually figured out that they hated it. They always sleep all stretched out like they are trying to make up for the lack of room they had inside mommy!

As far as your MIL goes, I would go with your instincts and do what your babies want. You know best!

 

hi my twins are also 5 weeks and as I type they are in one crib swaddled and side by side sleeping away!!!! They prefer it and I also do it to calm them when fussy. They really love it but I am sure it is due to me doing from birth too! Good luck.

 

The only times the boys were swaddled was in the hospital..so 2 days. They seemed to hate it. Never swaddled my girls and they turned out fine LOL So wasn't too concerned.

Dianna

 

Big time swaddler here! Just stopped at 5+ months.
We only did it when they were sleeping, it's not like they were
swaddled all day long. Any time they were up their hands and legs
were completely free.

 

We swaddled until about 6 months old, they loved it, we used Miracle Blankets, they are the best!