Somewhere between about week five and week 11, we stopped swaddling Isaac at night. I’m not entirely sure why, but I think it had something to do with him being so cozy in the bassinet, and us being lazy and tired. We would put a blanket over his bottom half to keep him warm, and tuck it in so that it would stay in place.
Since we moved him to his crib in his own room (Which we successfully did at week 12…HOORAY!), we’ve had to re-visit the swaddle. It occurred to me that he went from sleeping in a cozy little bassinet to a giant crib, which must feel to him like he’s completely exposed and out in the open. I thought this would help him feel more secure, plus it’s winter and it’s cold. Somehow, we’ve gotten horribly out of practice though, as he Houdinis himself out of the swaddle blanket during the night.
One night, I watched him on the video monitor flail about until his arms broke free and he proceeded to whack himself in the face. This of course lead to waking up and fussing, and one more trip in there for mama to calm him down.
The other morning, I found him completely uncovered with the blanket around his neck like a cape. I asked him if he’d been out fighting crime all night. He just smiled.
At that point, I gave up on the swaddle blanket, and put him in a sleep sack instead so I could Velcro his little arms down. The sleep sack is a size newborn, so I’m not sure how much longer I can squeeze him in there. I might just have to invest in a larger one if we can’t perfect our wrap. But, we already have a bunch of adorable swaddle blankets that need to be put to use. We might have to do some swaddle drills this weekend to practice. I have a feeling it’s going to be the key to us all getting some rest.
Here’s to swaddling our sweet boy like a delicious baby burrito! Wish us luck.
