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Popular Questions - How long should I swaddle for?

Popular Questions - How long should I swaddle for?

Popular Questions

No 8 - How long should I swaddle for?

Most newborns sleep much better swaddled, but once baby is a few months old you may start to wonder when is the right time to stop wrapping your baby for sleep.

There is no right or wrong time to stop swaddling, however the AAP recommends stopping swaddling once your baby shows signs of rolling. If your baby is not showing signs of rolling we recommend you wait until your baby no longer has a startle reflex, as she will find it easier to adjust to sleeping unwrapped when her arms aren't flailing around! This generally happens around 3-4 months.

A gradual transition to stopping wrapping works best, such as leaving one arm out for day sleeps and continuing fully wrapping baby overnight.

Here are the main considerations to help decide on the right time for YOUR baby:

1. Is your baby showing signs of rolling? If so, it's time to start the transition to a sleeping bag. Swaddled babies sleeping face down have 7 x SIDS risk compared to swaddled babies sleeping on their back. So it's not safe to carry on swaddling once your baby can roll over when swaddled. If your baby is showing signs of rolling we recommend using a Safe T Sleep sleepwrap to keep your baby safely on her back.

2. Do what works for your baby and for you, not what your Plunket nurse, midwife, mother-in-law, coffee group or anyone else tells you!

3. Listen to what your baby tells you. If your baby has been sleeping well swaddled but starts to get frustrated or tries to escape their swaddle, they may be ready for at least one arm out or to drop the swaddling altogether.

4. Does your baby need her hand out of the swaddle to make self-settling easier? once your baby is over 5 months she will start waking 4-6 times a night and 'sleeps through' when she can get back to sleep without help. It is generally easier to self-settle with at least one arm out, so baby can suck her hand or put a dummy back in.

5. If your baby escaping her wraps? It could be time to either change to an escape-proof wrap such as the Purflo Swaddle to Sleep, Love To Dream swaddle or ergoPouch Cocoon Swaddle Bag, or to stop wrapping.