Skip to main content

Swaddling


Q: My daughter is 15 weeks old. My husband and I stopped swaddling her at about four weeks, but when we moved her out of her bassinet to her crib at eight weeks, we realized that she still needed to be swaddled to sleep. Without it, she doesn't stay asleep because she flails her arms and pulls her hair. I'm using a velcro swaddler so she doesn't kick it off, so it's safe. But, how long is it okay to swaddle her? Am I doing any harm to her development by continuing to swaddle? She has plenty of tummy time during the day and can already hold her head up well and roll over from her tummy to her back, but my mom keeps insisting that my daughter needs to figure out how to sleep without the swaddle.

A: Dr. Harvey Karp recommends swaddling as it mimics “the snugness of the womb” and limits the Moro reflex (startle reflux).   He recommends swaddling w/ flexion in the legs and abduction of the hips for safe development. 

Swaddling is safe until they roll from back to front - that can be as early as 4 months and some are later, but most are rolling by 6 months.

How to transition out of the swaddle

As she is progressing in age, look to transition out of the swaddle - either by leaving one arm out and then once she handles this well, swaddle just the torso and legs.  You may also use a sleep sack (sew the arms closed up to start with and then one by one leave an arm out).  There is also a product called a "magic sleep suit" which can be used up to 9 months of age safely for those babies who need that input from swaddling.
Tell your mom she has plenty of time to learn how to sleep without a swaddle.  Right now your focus is on getting her to sleep well, develop those self-soothing skills and learning the skill of independent sleep!  Congratulations on your lil one! 

 Written By: Michelle S. Donaghy 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Spring Forward - Top 10 tips for you and your family

     In the US on Sunday, March 14th we “spring forward”! Be sure and turn your clocks forward 1 hour, before bed on Saturday night.  I always think that losing sleep is a bummer, even if it's just 1 hour!   If you have kids this change may help you sleep later.  Here's how - If you/your child(ren) typically wake at 6am, then they will likely wake 7 AM on the new clock ... if 6 AM was their usual wake up time.  If you like this change then YAY!  This is a great fix for an early riser.  See more tips below.   Grown-ups and teens may have difficulty with this change as most go to bed too late as it is and to properly adjust to this time change we should go to bed earlier and on Monday we have to get up an hour earlier too.   Here are 10 tips to help with the transition: 1. Do nothing to fix early rising If you/your child(ren) typically wake at 6am, then they will likely wake 7am.  If you like this change then YAY!  This is a great fix for an early riser. Keep meals, naps, and
Post a Comment
Read more

Time Change - Fall Back 2018

Summer is officially over and we are in the midst of the fall time change. Sunday, Nov 4th at 2:00 AM clock fall back by one hour. Spring forward...Fall back.... I love fall! Cooler weather, leaves changing colors, holidays around the corner and I get an extra hour of sleep. As a parent, I dread my kids waking up too early and having to adjust their sleep patterns. Do you? If so, here are some options to help you and your family through the transition when we set our clocks backwards one hour on Sunday November 4th. Gradual Approach:  The gradual approach is usually recommended for younger children (3 and under) or those who do not adjust well to rapid changes in their schedules. Start the week before the time change and slowly shift your baby's sleep schedule later.  For example: move bedtime, morning wake up time and nap times later by 10-15 minutes. Keep moving the entire schedule later every few days but ensure your child doesn't get overtired.  By the t
2 comments
Read more

Tips To Handle Spring Forward - Daylight Savings

Sunday, March 10th we “spring forward”!  Turn your clocks ahead 1 hour, before bed on Saturday night March 9th. If you/your child(ren) typically wake at 6am, then they will likely wake 7am.  If you like this change then YAY!  This is a great fix for an early riser. Keep naps and bedtime on the new schedule (1hr later). To protect this new schedule and time make sure you use continuous white noise for all sleep periods and keep the room really, really dark. If the new time doesn’t work for you, below are some options to help your family adjust: Gradually adjust: This is ideal for children under 2 or those who don’t do well with big changes.  Go to bed 15 minutes earlier every night this week.  Each day, wake up your child 15 minutes earlier in the morning.  If napping, put her down 15 minutes earlier for each nap the following day. Continue to adjust the schedule earlier in 15-minute increments (wake up, naptimes, mealtimes, and bedtime) until you get to your
1 comment
Read more