FTM Question: Swaddles, Sleepsacks, etc Question

[Widget123]

DD hated being swaddled and I wasted a lot of money buying Swaddlemes, Halo Sleepsacks, etc that she never used. So I wouldn't recommend buying more tHan a few of these types of things until you determine your and babies preferences. What wasn't a waste was the Aden & Anais thin swaddle blankets we got which we used for many different things like a lightweight breathable cover for the car seat while walking outside from the car to a store, for example. When it got cold out DD lived in fleece one pieces and we added another layer underneath that with a onesie, etc. as necessary. I believe many try to transition out of swaddles around 6 months when the baby starts learning how to roll over? Pro-swaddlers correct me if I'm wrong

[PurpleIris]

We used the SwaddleMe's and the Miracle Blanket until he was able to roll over, then we switched to sleep sacks. You don't need a ton of swaddlers, you can get by with 3 or 4 in a size. Without swaddling my son was constantly waking himself up, he slept longer swaddled.

The SwaddleMe is the easiest to use, the Miracle Blanket stayed put longer. I'm getting the plain cotton ones for this baby, she'll have a onesie or sleeper on underneath anyway. By the time winter comes you'll be in sleep sacks and the fleece ones will be good.

[tulips114]

Every baby is different.

DD1 hated to be swaddled and she didn't start sleeping with a blanket until she moved to her big girl bed at 2 1/2. Probably later than most, but I was big on the nothing in the crib rule. She never used a sleep sack either. ETA - she just used footed PJs, always with a onesie under, cotton or fleece depending on season.

DD2 seemed to like to be swaddled, but we later figured out she just likes to be warm. So we used fleece long sleeve sleep sacks for a while with her, or cotton ones once it was warmer (she's a Feb baby). Under that she had on a onesie and footed PJs. She's a blanky girl so she has had a small receiving blanket in her crib since about 9/10 months, which I still snuck out of there after she fell asleep because of the nothing in the crib thing. She just turned 2 and is still in the crib, she doesn't use a wearable blanket, she just as her blanky to snuggle.

I'd suggest having a few receiving blankets large enough to swaddle with and if yours likes to be swaddled you may have to go through some trial and error to see what works for you and your baby. You'll probably get a lot of different answers as to what worked best for each mom.

I think most babies transition from the swaddle about 4-6 months when they can roll and move around more. If they can roll back to tummy they shouldn't be swaddled any more. ETA - at which point I still don't think they're ready for a wearable blanket, sleep sacks are still best for warmth until they are really more mobile and able to move (to get themselves out from under a blanket if needed). I think around a year.

[bendherova]

We swaddled DS in receiving blankets until he grew too big (he was 100% for height by 2mo, so atypical), for the blankets we had. after we used summer infant swaddleme wraps until he rolled from back to tummy while swaddled(!) at 3.5mo.

We used Halo Sleepsacks without the arm swaddles until he was over two in place of a blanket.

[erbear]

WE took a parenting class at our hospital where they said you shouldn't put a baby to sleep in a blanket swaddle...news to me! I've heard good things about the sleep sacks. We run our a/c all summer, too, so that's something I've been thinking about!

[ladysif]

The hospital gave us one Halo swaddle sleepsack and I'm hoping they do it again. We used those exclusively, but like PPs said, it will be up to your baby. Some hate to be swaddled, you just never know. We used those to swaddle for a while, I want to say several weeks, then switched to the non-swaddle Halo sleepsacks. He stayed in those until he climbed out of his crib just past 2 and now uses blankets.

You also need to decide how warm/cool you're willing to keep your house as that will factor in to baby's comfort.

Also, the A&A blankets are amazing for everything. We still use them occasionally for random stuff.

[wifedeangel]

It's really up to your baby, and what they like. We swaddled DD for about 4 months, then She would break out, and it was summer anyway, so agencies slept in cotton footie pajamas. When it got chilly, we kept her in cotton footies and put her in a fleece sleep sack. She's almost 2, and we're still doing this.

[baytosa2013]

Mar 4, 2015 1:06:11 GMT -5 @demanda88 said:

My mom picked up a few Carters micro fleece long sleeve sleep sacks today because she found them on major clearance at Macys (like $3 a piece) and that made me start thinking...I have no clue what kind of sleeping apparatuses to get for the baby. I see sleep sacks that are sleeveless, muslin swaddle blankets, the swaddles that velcro on the sides, and long sleeved sleep sacks. I've also heard some babies can't stand being swaddled. So, what would STM' s recommend to start with? When do babies typically transition from a swaddle to a wearable blanket (assuming they like being swaddled in the first place)? We have AC and our winters are pretty cold here so I'm anticipating needing to keep him warm during the nights, regardless of season.

Thanks in advance for any tips you have! This is one of the most confusing things to me- there are just way too many options.

I just wanted to say thanks for posting these questions!  I am a FTM struggling with this registry thing and everyone who is giving their input and different things they have tried and brands they love is just fantastic!  I have Amazon open while I read and am getting a lot of good stuff added that I would have never thought of!

[Deleted]

DS liked being swaddled so I will have a couple of the Swaddle Me summer wraps on hand for this one. I liked those better than the flannel blankets. They just seemed to stay put better and I liked that I could change his diaper during the night without having to completely unwrap him. But as others have already said, every baby is different so we shall see what this one prefers.

[tiffbot]

DS preferred being swaddled with his arms out. I still find him sleeping with his hands above his head often

Otherwise, from 2.5-8 months we bed shared and swaddling is not safe then so we didn't swaddle long.

[bendherova]

Mar 4, 2015 15:06:03 GMT -5 @demanda88 said:

Thank you sooo much for the tips, everyone! I have no idea why this is such a confusing topic for me. Just a clarifying question because I'm not sure I know exactly what all the terms mean. When you guys are saying "blanket swaddles" do you mean, the actual muslin square cloths like the Aden and Anais ones or like Summer Infant Swaddle Me type with velcro on the sides?

So far, my mom has gotten me three small sized Summer Infant Swaddle Me (ones below) and then 4 Carters Microfleece Long Sleeved Sleepsacks.



I am hoping the long sleeved sleep sacks will be okay, even though most of the sleep sacks I see are sleeveless. I guess we'll see and even if he ends up hating them, they were only a few dollars a piece.

I had a winter baby, so we used cotton flannel instead of muslin blankets, but same idea.

And then once he was too big for a blanket swaddle, we used the ready made summer infant swaddleme that you have pictured. some people used the swaddle me from the beginning, but they didnt fit tightly enough for DS, despite how big he was.


And then after swaddling was over- Sleeveless halo sleepsacks.

[Widget123]

@demanda88

Yes, blanket swaddles = the cloths you use to make the swaddle yourself

[erbear]

Mar 4, 2015 15:50:15 GMT -5 @demanda88 said:

Mar 4, 2015 8:20:59 GMT -5 erbear said:

WE took a parenting class at our hospital where they said you shouldn't put a baby to sleep in a blanket swaddle...news to me! I've heard good things about the sleep sacks. We run our a/c all summer, too, so that's something I've been thinking about!

Did they explain why?? I've heard that the Halo sleep sack type swaddles are preferable because they don't constrict the legs which can cause hip dysplasia. 

I think she said it was the risk of having a loose blanket in the crib if baby becomes unswaddled. She was also really against retrofitting drop side cribs.

[junch817]

You are right about this being confusing. There are a million options out there - sleepsacks, swaddling sleepsacks, footie pajamas, gowns, onesies, etc. plus factoring in the temperature can make you go crazy.

It was a lot of trial and error for us. Our daughter fought a swaddle initially, but would eventually calm down and sleep peacefully in one. She still sometimes woke up with an arm coming out the top (which was always cute and comical), but it wasn't like she was struggling and it would wake her up, it would just happen. We tried swaddle me's, but I personally didn't like them. They only stayed fastened with 2 little nob things and she broke through those super easily. Then we went to halo swaddle sleepsacks and stayed with those. So much stronger of a grip, and lots of kicking room. It was really loud trying to unvelcro at night, but I still liked it a lot more than swaddleme's. I heard good things about the miracle blanket too, but didn't want to fork over the $$ for it.

For the summer, DD was born in March, she just wore a plain cotton onesie and socks and that seemed to keep her warm enough in her halo swaddle sleepsack. (I think fleece ones in March/April - for summer we switched over to cotton sleepsacks). Once she started becoming more mobile, I just cold turkey stopped the swaddle (of the arms - that's also another nice thing about the halo ones, you can still use them to swaddle/make it tight around the belly and waist for that snug feeling). She did really well with the cold turkey switch. Once fall came (around 6 months), she went into cotton footie jammies and a wearable blanket (fleece), and then winter was footie jammies with a onesie under it and a wearable blanket. It is all trial and error though unfortunately.

We had 2 halos in each size/material. They add up fast, so I didn't want a million, but I needed a back up at least for spit up and such.

[Deleted]

We used the swaddle me for the first 3 months until DS rolled over. Then we transitioned to A & A cotton sleep sacks. Once DS started pulling up to stand in his crib we switched to footie pajamas.

I would only buy a few newborn size swaddle me or any brand you prefer to test out first. I would wait to get sleep sacks until later on.

I found the A & A gauze swaddle blankets really tough to figure out. Maybe it was my sleep deprivation but I gave up on them and only used the swaddle me brand because it's a no brainer and requires no effort to figure out. DH was gifted at swaddling so he preferred the A & A blankets.

[Deleted]

I also agree with the previous poster that DS didn't like being put in the swaddle but once it was on he would go into this happy mode and he slept so well at night being all wrapped up.