Weaning from the Miracle Blanket...suggestions??

[jamsmu]

Gulp... we may be in trouble with this one. DS is an angel, very quiet, etc. But he can't sleep unless he's swaddled. Which is making napping, etc. very difficult. Plus, he's not getting the movement and play in his crib that DS1 got when he slept (he slept swaddled, too, but not in an MB, so not for as long or as tightly.)

SO... I need suggestions!! When do you wean from the MB (i know this was discussed before, but I need depth)? And how do you do it? Is it basically like CIO?

TIA

[RwnMayfair]

Wish I could help. About two weeks ago, Elowen woke up in the morning furious. My husband tried jiggling her, everything and she just kept sounding really mad. He finally unwrapped her from the blanket and she immediately stopped and beamed at him. So we tried swaddling her with just one arm out that night to see if she'd sleep okay, and she did. Ever since then we haven't been swaddling her at night and she hasn't woken up really mad since. ;) She's also been sleeping unswaddled as well as she did swaddled.

Maybe try swaddling him with one arm out for a bit and see how he does? "The Happiest Baby on the Block" has what I think is a helpful section on swaddling. :)

-Melissa

Taran, November 20, 2003
Elowen, August 20, 2005

http://lilypie.com/pic/051122/0DU8.jpg http://b3.lilypie.com/11Vom5/.png
http://lilypie.com/pic/051122/bQLg.jpg http://b1.lilypie.com/9Ogqm5/.png

[jamsmu]

Thanks Melissa. He squirmed his arms out at some point last night and was still happy. DH wrapped him lower than normal last night, which may have helped him to adjust slowly.

i have the book in my nightstand, so I'll check that out.

[table4three]

We kept DS in the MB until around 4 months. At that point, he'd wake up completely unswaddled with arms and legs out of the blanket. He'd actually get that way pretty early in the night. So, we just stopped swaddling him when we saw that he was sleeping well without the MB. It never became much of an issue - we just stopped using it then and he was fine.
Good luck!

http://lilypie.com/baby1/060325/3/15/5/-6/.png

[kelly ann]

Julie-

DD grew out of the MB quickly since she is a big gal. She even poked a hole in the bottom and we used to just let her toe hang out - just like adults do in bed :) We then started creating our own homemade swaddle with two blankets, but she still managed to get a hand out. Then we realized...she is a thumb sucker!

We actually had success by putting her in a snug sleepsack or blanket sleeper. This way she was still snuggly, but her thumb was available.

Good luck!

[Java]

Kael was a MB lover too! I was worried that he was going to have to ask his wife to swaddle him whenever he got married.

We started with a loose swaddle. Sometimes that worked, sometimes it didn't. Then we let one arm loose. Or we'd swaddle both arms, but left one loose and gradually did both arms, then loosely did his legs and eventually he was swaddle free. I think it took a few weeks.

I tried it earlier (around 4 months) but he still had strong startle reflex so back in he went.