When is it time to stop swaddling?
Swaddling our babies helps them feel safe and secure, just as they felt while in the womb. It also helps prevent the moro or “startle” reflex from waking your baby up. As a parent, it’s really easy to get into a routine of continuing whatever has been working for you. As you’ll soon learn as a parent of a baby, the only thing constant is change! Your baby is constantly growing and changing and so are his or her needs. The first big change you’ll need to make with your baby’s sleep is recognizing when it’s time to stop swaddling.
When is the right time to stop swaddling?
There are a few things we can look for to help us know when the time is right.
Your baby is between 8-12 weeks old, adjusted age. (Adjusted age is used for babies who were born prematurely, or before 37 weeks.)
Your baby is showing signs of rolling.
You notice your baby bringing their hands to their mouth during the day. This is a good sign of self soothing!
Your baby is actively busting out of their swaddle over and over.
How should I transition my baby to an arms out swaddle?
There are a few ways you can do this, depending on the sensitivity of your baby to the change.
Cold Turkey: Keep arms unswaddled either in the same swaddle you were using, or a traditional sleep sack small enough for your baby. Expect 1-2 nights of a few more wake ups as your baby gets used to the change.
One arm in, one arm out: Keep one arm free and one arm swaddled. At each night wake up, switch the arm that’s kept out of the swaddle. Do the same thing for naps.
Use a transitional swaddle: I would recommend using a swaddle that allows for rolling, such as the zipadee-zip transitional swaddle over something like the Merlin magic suit that will require more time to transition out of.
My favorite sleep bags are the kyte baby sleep bag and the woolino 4 season baby sleep bag. I love how soft the kyte baby sleep bag is. It’s like wrapping your baby up in a cloud before putting them to bed. The woolino sleep bag is pricy at $109 dollars, but it fits from 2 to 24 months so you’ll get lots and lots of use out of it! I love that it has an opening to insert a car seat buckle through it. We’ve used that feature plenty of times when we kept a little one out past bedtime and wanted an easy transition from car to bed upon getting home.
With any method that you try, give your baby a few days to adjust to the change. You will likely find that your baby sleeps better after the adjustment period, now that they can bring their arms up to their face, or roll to their side or belly for more comfortable sleeping. Always place your baby on his or her back for sleeping. If your baby can roll to their belly on their own, it’s safe for them to sleep that way. Practice lots of tummy time during the day so that you and your baby both feel confident in your baby’s rolling ability!
