SWADDLING

[Shelly Cunningham]

My husband and I started out swaddling our twin boys from the get go.
At about four months of age, Logan decided he was done. He would scream in his swaddler, so we unwrapped him and now he sleeps on his own, no binky, no thumb, no swaddle. Just a stuffed animal.
Jack, on the other hand, now six months old, only sleeps in his swaddler, with his binky in his mouth and a stuffed animal by his face to snuggle into.
I am wondering how to stop swaddling him without a horrible struggle or screaming that will keep his brother awake. Currently if we leave him unwrapped, he uses his free hands to knock out his binky, which makes him cry.
Help!

[Jennifer]

Well, I don't really have any experience with swaddling, since we never did that with the girls, beyond the hospital. They just always seemed to prefer having their freedom (so much so I couldn't keep them together long, because they kept scooting around, getting on top of each other, smacking and kicking each other :-p). This was them just 4 days after coming home from the hospital... I would always start them out parallel to each other, with the blankets on top of them, but Josie (the smallest one on the left) in particular couldn't stay still :-p BTW--the reason they're so scantily clad, even with being so small (those were preemie-size onesies that still didn't fit when they were over a month old), is because our air conditioner broke down... and it was a particularly hot June day :-p):

The only thing I have experience with is twins and I just know that, even with identical twins, one can be ready for something long before the other.... just wait 'til you get to potty training! :-p

So, personally, I would wait at least a little while and see if he grows out of it on his own... some just need that extra comfort longer than others. As long as it's not causing any problems, I don't see the harm... and I think forcing anything on babies before they might be ready for it can do more harm than good. Again, that's just from my limited experience of having my own set of twins :-) But, even if it takes forever, they always come around to things on their own, eventually :-)

[Zicea Becks]

umm...the knocking the binky out of his mouth is something that is going to happen. it's okay.

that's why you have to get up and stick it back in his mouth. it sucks, but so does having kids in general (bad joke, but really, when you have creamy baby poo running down your arms, you'll say this).


I don't knock what you or anyone else does. but i would imagine you swaddling them so old is going to make it harder and hard to break them...or at least Jack.

i say just stop swaddling him and get use to having to get up more often at night because he cries.

i don't think i swaddled outside of the hospital with my kids. they always moved around and wanted freedom to do so. and by 6 mos. they were crawling, so they weren't the wrap up and sleep sound babies. so i may not know what the hell i'm even talking about.

either way, good luck!

[Shelly Cunningham]

Thank you all for this advice...
I learned a lesson in parenting here- the kid'll tell you what he needs when he needs it!!!!
About three days after I posted this, he SCREAMED when I put the swaddle on him for a nap.
I took it off, and he stopped.
He has not been swaddled since. I can't believe the timing of it. Pretty funny, really.
Thanks again for all your advice.
:)