I still swaddle my 3 1/2 month old baby. Recently he has started to try and break free. I am nervous to stop though because he does fall asleep and stay asleep much better with it on. Is there any easy way to transition him out of the swaddle? I was planning on doing it around 4 months (because I have a week off of school so I don't mind not getting enough sleep).
I swaddled my daughter until 6m when she would kick her way out. You could try the sleep sacks
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2880793
We started not swaddling during the day for naps and kept my daughter swaddled for nightime until we had it down during the day. It took about 2 weeks of getting her adjusted to no swaddle during the day and then at night it was fine. She was breaking out of that thing at 3 months too and also slept better with it. I think by about 4.5/5 months she was out of it all the time. Good luck!
I swaddled my DD until she started breaking herself free. Then I put her in a sleep sack until around 5 months she REFUSED to sleep in one.. Maybe you could try wrapping her so that either her arms or her legs are tight, and leave one loose. My DD is 11 months, and still sometimes likes to have her arms wrapped tight but able to move her legs.
My DD (7mos) still likes to be swaddled to sleep for naps. But she kicks out of it as soon as she's asleep.
If he kicks out, let him. It's fine to put him down that way. If he starts waking up once he's out, it's time to start some sleep training. If not, then there's nothing to worry about!
I swaddled til about 6 months, then left one arm out, then both. It was a long sleepless process. For some reason, one arm was ok, but not both. My little one is 20 months now, and sleep is still not the same. =/ I believe they sell a product that keeps the arms and the rest of the body inside a sack-like thing but the baby can still move the arms. I can't remember what it is called. My friend had luck with it.
Try doing it gradually. First, stop tucking the bottom flap up, so that he learns to sleep with his feet free. Then leave 1 arm out. Once she's used to that, then start leaving both arms out (at first my son still wanted the blanket swaddled around his chest, even with his arms out). Then start making the swaddle more and more loose until she doesn't notice anymore.
Why stop swaddling? He'll get strong and big enough that he'll get out of swaddling himself. I swaddled until the girls were about 6 months and I couldn't keep them swaddled. They started rolling over on their tummies at night then - and slept great. (There is nothing you can do when they can roll on their tummies - all the moms I talk to admit it.)
