Needs Swaddle to Sleep

I have a question regarding getting my baby to fall asleep on his own. He is 5 months old and cannot sleep without his arms being swaddled or having a soother for the first few minutes of being put down. When he is swaddled, he sleeps for around 2 hours for his naps. He usually has 3 of these in a day as he can’t yet manage to stay up for 2 hours at a time. When we don’t swaddle him he only manages to stay asleep for 1/2 an hour and cannot get himself back to sleep once he’s woken up. How can I teach my son to sleep without being swaddled?

Teaching your baby to fall asleep without swaddling or having a soother can be difficult once they have learned to rely on those techniques. You can begin to teach your son to sleep without being swaddled by not using swaddling for naps. It would help to begin with the nap where it is easiest for him to fall asleep.

Look for Tired Signs and Establish a Routine

You can watch for his tired signs, pulling on his ear, nose or hair, yawning, rubbing his eyes or fussing. When you see those signs, you could use a routine around nap time. For example, tell a short story, sing a song, and rock him a little until he is drowsy but not asleep. Then you can put him in bed still drowsy and let him fall asleep on his own.

It is not too early at 5 months to use the bedtime routine for each nap and for settling to bed at night. The routines provide cues for the baby that it is time to go to sleep. You can also use a ‘luvey’. Wearing a t-shirt for a few days and then tying it in knots and putting it in bed with your son can help reassure him because he has your scent but will not get tangled up in the t-shirt.

Give Up the Swaddle at Night

Once you have helped him go to sleep for naps without swaddling, you can start putting him to sleep without swaddling at night. If you are teaching your child to fall asleep without swaddling now I would also stop using the soother. Soothers can be a sleep association where they are necessary to go to sleep and, if your son cannot find it himself at night, he will signal for you to come and put the soother in his mouth. You will have the same problem that you are having with the swaddling.

With your son at 5 months, he may be close to giving up his third nap of the day, if he has been sleeping for 2 hours for his naps. His behavior during the day will give you some cues about whether he is getting adequate sleep. If he is cranky and irritable he is not getting enough. If you are going to help him learn to self-soothe when falling asleep it is also important to have his feeding at least 20 minutes before you settle him to go to sleep.

Use a Sleep Diary

As you use the techniques I have suggested keep a sleep diary or log. That will help you see whether he is making small gains in going to sleep without swaddling. Sometimes the days and nights can be a blur and it is not easy to remember what your baby did the day before or even a few hours ago. The sleep log helps you see the patterns.

*Answers by sleep expert, Dr. Wendy Hall, PhD. Should you need individualized help or advice regarding your baby’s sleep, please consult an infant sleep consultant.