Swaddling - Redlands,CA

There is no maximum age limit to swaddling - do whatever helps your daughter sleep! It isn't going to harm her, it will actually help if it means she's getting more and better sleep. This is one of those things about going with your gut as a mom - good for you that you tried it! There are warnings about swaddling a baby too long because if she is constatnly swaddled during the day she won't have time to stretch and grow and practice moving around for all her physical development needs, and it can impede her hip development. BUT there is no problem with swaddling just when she sleeps! Keep up the good work!

My Pediatrician told me when my children were babies that as long as they can breathe and you do not have the swaddle too tight it is great. It gives them the security and comfort they need or want to sleep soundly. We should not worry about giving them crutches so to speak... I say it is ur job to give them all the security and comfort they need while we can. I hope that this helps and you are an awesome mom for worrying so much. Take Care and Be well.... T.

I had a friend that swaddled till about a year. It's just a tight blanket not a binkie, bottle... don't worry about it. Whatever helps them feel loved & secure can't be wrong. She's 7m not 7 years. Don't rush to grow them up

our daughter just turned a year, and we still swaddle her loosely. at this point, we leave her arms pretty loose, and she gets them free when she wants. her swaddle blankets have become her "lovey" object. she holds one and we wrap her in the other. i figure if she loves it, who cares! she puts herself to sleep, but she loves her blanket! and, it didn't seem to inhibit HER growth at all - she's in 97% for height!

do what seems best - i'm sure you won't have to still swaddle her when she's going off to kinder! ;)

I would say do what you think is best as a parent. My son needed to be swaddled for a long time (until 8 or 9 months). Sometimes we would leave one arm out. Then we started to leave both arms out. He eventually grew out of it. It was something that helped him sleep and in turn let us get some sleep. It also provided him with a safe form of a blanket so we did not have to worry about him getting too cold at night.

Hi R.! I personally do not feel swaddling is a cause for concern at 7 months! Your baby might just need the extra support! Their also is a blanket that zips up around your baby(like a potatoe sack) And they go up to about 24 months ! Good luck and take advantage of cuddling your baby asleep!They are only babies once and it goes fast!

I really think of it much more as comforting and helping, not as a "crutch" or "making her dependent". She is not even a year yet, she will learn how to do things for herself - EVENTUALLY - right now she should be under the wings of her parents.
Swaddle away!

i say swaddle as long as they like it. my older son was swaddled until he was almost 7 mo and he wouldn't sleep otherwise. it may be a crutch for her but when you need one a crutch is a good thing.

One of my twins needed to be swaddled really late as well. I think we did until she was about 8 1/2 mos. My pediatrician had no problem with it as long as we followed her cues. People thought we were nuts though. I think the main concern is safety if she rolls over while she's swaddled because of suffocation possibilities. My daughter just never did and when we thought she was starting to move more in her sleep, that's when we stopped the swaddling.
Definitely talk to your doctor as well.
Good luck!
A.

The only thing that I was told in my childbirth class is that you don't want to do it at this age because a tight swaddle can inhibit the proper growth pattern of a baby! I would probably speak to your pediatrician. Though I don't see why a lose swaddle should be a problem! Good luck!

I have to agree with the other posters...in my opinion with a baby there is no such thing as a crutch! Do what you've gotta do to keep her comfortable, happy and healthy.

Keep up the good work!

Why not! If this makes her happy and sleepy, I say go ahead. I let me daughter suck her thumb much longer than she should have. My husband at the time said that it will make her buck toothed. I said to myself it's much easier to straighten teeth than to have a troubled child. She's fine and so are her teeth!!!
C.

We had to swaddle our daughter until she was almost a year (according to all the drs I talked to that is totally fine). I was very upset about it and would try to break her of it about once a week. Looking back I should have just left her alone. She needed it to sleep and she eventually "kicked" it. Now she is a great sleeper w/o any crutches. She will let you know when she does not need it anymore and until about 1 year drs say it is fine. It is not odd. If she gets too old you can try to ween her off of it by swaddling with one arm out for a while...and then both arms out and so on. Let her sleep how she needs to. She will out grow it soon :) Good luck

i have not heard any advice towards the contrary of swaddling. infact, i follow the belief that if it helps your child then it is ok. remember, she's ONLY 7 months old.
i learned about swaddling from the video"the happiest baby on the block" by dr. harvey ?karp? you could probably do some research on that or get the book/video. good luck.

I really don't think it could be a problem to swaddle. I worked hard not to let me babies become too dependent on one thing or another as a "sleep crutch," but I swaddled them for a long time. I can't remember when we stopped, but I have heard other moms say they swaddled 9 months or longer. Now my babies are almost 4 years old and 2-1/2 years old, and they like to be tucked in when I put them to bed (tucking the blanket in tight around them). Even my husband likes that! If it helps them sleep better, or they simply like it, and they are not waking in the night needing it all over again, I don't see any problem. I think it is just a way to get comfortable in order to fall asleep.

Dear R.,
Children are all different. If it helps her, I would do it. You can adjust the tightness of the swaddling gradually and see if it still works when it is looser. She is still young and swaddling still would be fine. Just so you know, when older children have sensory problems, they often use swaddling to help them relax by giving them a feeling of security with the pressure. One of my sons wrapped himself tightly in his blanket for year when he got into bed. I had another that I had to hold and rock to fall asleep until after 1 1/2 years. What works is probably what is best and right for you precious daughter.
God's blessings on you and you little one.
H.

If swaddling comforts the child, do it. My grandson is 10 months old and still wants to be swaddled at bedtime or he just can't fall asleep. Each child is different. Of my three children, I only swaddled one as long as seven or eight months and he needed the security. The other two did not seem to care after about four months. Each child has his/her own needs. You just go with your mommy instincts and you will do just fine.

Swaddlig should be stopped between 4-6 months as you child is begining to expole what his/her body can do. Like begin to roll over, lift head or maybe crawl. It is an exciting time and all the new "thig" can create sleep distruption.

If she likes it then go ahead! I would say just make sure that it is not so tight that she can't get out of it by herself (in case she wants to at some point in the night).

i swaddled my daughter then later just her arms until she was about 10 or 11 months old. she could easily bust out of it during the night, but it helped her fall asleep.

I would talk to your pediatrician and read a book called The Sensory Sensitive Child. Even older children sometimes benefit from being "contained" if that is in their nature.

Babies strive to feel warm, loved and confident. They ARE dependent on us...to read their needs I do not believe we can "spoil" a child, just be sensitive to what they need. Good luck!!

I had the same thing with my first one - He loved to be tightly swaddled and couldn't sleep well without it. I actually asked his pediatrician about this. ( I was concerned that having him tightly wrapped might interfere with his developing bones/and or cause him to walk funny later or something like that)anyway, the Dr said it was no problem and to continue doing it as long as baby liked it! So we did, can't remember how long it lasted but it really did help him sleep! I don't recall any problems with transition to 'not' swaddling, just a natural progression. The thing the other person mentioned below - the zip up sleep thing is called a "sleep sack" by Halo brand. It is great! (but doesn't wrap them tightly, it's basically a wearable blanket, I used that all the time too)

My daughter is three and although I don't swaddle with a blanket, I will cuddle her and hold her in a little ball and watch TV or read to her. It comforts her and when she is done she just blasts right out of it.

I am still swaddling my daughter but I leave her arms out and she breaks out of it at night don't worry about it.

Ditto on : There are no crutches in infancy!!! :)

We had the opposite problem...our son sleeps like a cat; all stretched out, taking up an impossible amount of room. We tried swaddling, he hated it, we quit. The inverse: You tried swaddling, she loves it, keep doing it. As she grows and changes she may grow out of it...but if she grows into a child who likes to be tucked in, and an adult who curls up in blankets & can bounce a quarter on her perfectly made bed, or someone who likes her husbands arm thrown over her as she sleeps...is that really such a bad thing?

R

Swaddling is one of those baby-determined things. Just continue until your daughter unswaddles herself and/or kicks off the blanket.

For older kids we call this "tucking them in" -- so I really wouldn't worry about it :)

I wouldn't worry about it. Just continue doing it. It is just a phase, and she will eventually learn to settle herself down.
Good luck!

I say continue swaddling if it so distinctly makes her sleep better. You will eventually have to stop- at that point you will probably have to let her (which may produce crying) find another way to soothe/comfort herself. This gets tricky as they get older... so I wouldn't wait too long. May want to swaddle her with one arm out... later with two arms out... kind of ween her off of the swaddle.

C. Graham
sleep consultant
www.lullabyluna.com

There are few crutches that you can give them at such a young age. They need security and control at this age. You do it until she can feel comfortable controling herself.

Hi R.,

There is nothing wrong with swaddling. Kids are made to swaddle up! Do it as she needs it! To me, I think you've personally missed out (and her too) by missing the 5 months of swaddling. Children grow up way too fast, and there seems to be just to many worries out there about this, about that.......nowadays, the world has to analyze everything! Enjoy your baby and love here up all you can. She'll be five before you know it! I would give anything to go back to those days of swaddling with my children. By the way, both hubby and I swaddled for many years, and our kids are responsible, independent, loving, caring teens who still cuddle for hugs with us. It's awesome and a privilege! Best to you!