When to Stop Swaddling Your Baby: Everything You Need to Know
Swaddling is a great sleep tool for your baby. It can be helpful for getting babies to sleep, especially fussy ones. While this is a helpful solution for the first portion of your baby's life, eventually you will need to transition from a swaddle to other sleepwear.
The AAP recommends transitioning from the swaddle “as soon as their baby shows any signs of trying to roll over.” It's important to know all about safe sleep practices so you can keep your little one healthy.
While you will need to transition your baby from swaddling at some point, there are several things you can do that will make the process easier.
It's important to know how to stop swaddling your baby safely and what you can do as a viable replacement. Many parents find that they need swaddle transition products for their children which will make the process much easier on them.
How to Know When to Stop Swaddling
The biggest indicator to stop swaddling your baby is their ability to roll over independently. The safest sleeping position for any baby is on their back. When in doubt, follow the ABCs of sleep:
- Alone: Your baby should always sleep alone. There should be no blankets or other objects in their crib with them.
- Back: The back is the best sleeping position for babies.
- Crib: Your child should be sleeping in their own crib with a firm, flat mattress, and a fitted sheet.
If you follow these guidelines, sleep is one less thing to worry about when it comes to keeping your child safe and healthy.
Another indicator for transitioning out of swaddling is your baby breaking out of their swaddle. If your child is consistently breaking their arms or legs out of their swaddle, it's time to transition to other sleepwear.
How to Stop Swaddling
Once your baby can roll over on their own, you should start transitioning their sleepwear.
Start Slowly
You know how hard it is to get your baby to sleep when things change. Start transitioning your baby by swaddling them with one arm out.
Both Arms
Once your baby has acclimated to having one arm out of their swaddle, it's time to swaddle them with both arms out. This is a change from the traditional swaddling method of having their arms tucked in close to their body, but it's still a safe sleepwear option.
Sleepsuit
A sleepsuit is a great swaddle transition product. Your baby can stay warm and safe while being cozy. Sleepsuits are a great option for easy diaper changing.
Sleep Sack or Wearable Blanket
After your child begins to show signs that they are ready for more freedom of movement in their sleep, it is time to transition them from the Magic Sleepsuit. Typically, they show this by trying to roll over while wearing the Sleepsuit or scooching around in the crib.
We recommend transitioning them at this time to a sleep sack or wearable blanket. This is a wearable item that will cover most of their body. They are typically made from cotton or fleece and they have arm slots for your child's arms.
Sleep sacks are great because they keep your baby warm and cozy without the restraint of a swaddle or extra bedding in their crib.
Take your Time
Swaddling is a wonderful tool for helping your baby get rest during the first few months of life. While it's an amazing solution that will help your baby sleep, you will need to start transitioning to other swaddle alternatives as they grow older.
Start with a one-armed transition and stay consistent until they are sleeping without a swaddle. Be sure to take your time during each stage; always monitor your child if they break out of their swaddle. If it's time to stop swaddling, you can transition your child to alternative sleepwear without a huge hassle.
Don't Be Discouraged
If you're not having success transitioning them out of swaddling, don't despair! Small changes can disrupt your baby's sleep. As you make consistent but small changes, your baby will acclimate.
Once you decide it's time to stop swaddling, make sure you are taking the proper steps to ensure their safety when sleeping. Educating yourself on safe sleep practices is imperative to keeping your baby healthy.
If you're still struggling with your swaddle transition, talk to your pediatrician or sleep specialist. They can help you make a plan specific to your child.
If you're looking for swaddle transition products or sleepwear that's perfect for your baby, check out our wide selection here.Also in Our Blog
What’s the Difference Between a Swaddle and a Sleepsack
Five Questions about Early Morning Wakeups for Baby
The team at NAPS helps you tackle the issue of early wakeups. *BONUS* NAPS is hosting a webinar on February 24th. Register here and use the extra-special code MAGICMERLIN and you can join the webinar FREE of charge!
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The sound of cheery calls of “MAAAAMAAAAA” from the next room may be lovely at 7am. At 4am, or 5 am, not so much. Your baby may be up and ready to start the day, but you probably aren’t.
Answering the questions below may help you get there.
- Is your nap schedule mucking up your baby’s overnight sleep?
This might seem like an obvious question, but your baby’s sleep needs will change fast in the first few years of their lives. A quick look at the average nap number and duration might give you an idea:
- For babies from 3-6 months old, it’s normal to take 3-4 hour-long naps per day.
- For babies 6-15 months old, expect 2 naps with 3-3.5 hours of total sleep.
- For one and two-year-olds, you should expect a single 2-hour nap.
Part of the reason you might be seeing earlier wakeups is that your baby has graduated from one nap cycle to the next.
- Does your baby have enough time between their last nap and their bedtime?
We call this an “awake window,” and it can make a big difference. It might seem strange that your baby went to bed fine the night before, and you’re seeing a response to nap scheduling in the pre-dawn hours, but if your kiddo’s sleep is disrupted at night, it will impact the morning.
- 3-6 months, at least 1.5-2 hours between final nap wakeup and bedtime.
- 6-12 months, at least 2.5-3.5 hours between final nap wakeup and bed.
- 12-18+ months, 3.5-4.5 hours between final nap wakeup and bed.
- Is the room staying dark after the sun comes up?
Black 0ut curtains can make a big difference here. Remember that our brains signal wakeup when the light changes. So if dawn is at 430am, and even a little bit of light comes into your baby’s room, their little brains will PING with wake up juice.
- Is your baby going to sleep too early or too late?
It might seem counter-intuitive, but a late bedtime can actually backfire on you. Overtired kids don’t sleep as well. If you made their bedtime later and it didn’t fix the problem, try an earlier bedtime and see if that helps. You might be surprised.
- How do you make it better?
Try to make one change at a time; just one. Stick with that change for 3-5 days to see if it impacts things. (One night is usually not enough to see substantial change.) Be as consistent as you can with the change you made. For instance, if you decide to increase the space between bedtime and final nap wakeup, make sure to stick to the wakeup time you planned.
If your baby is waking up and chirping happily to themselves, feel free to leave them there for a little while. Let them get used to being alone in the crib. If you can, try to delay the start of the day by 5-10 minutes each day. This can make a big impact.
Everything else aside, remember that this is a short time in your kid’s life; as they get older, their sleep will become more regular, and so will yours. Don’t let yourself get too discouraged. Things are hard now, and you’re doing a great job.
