My Love for a Swaddle

Emmeline is quickly approaching the time where Moms on Call suggests transitioning from being swaddled to a sleep sack. This makes me very sad for many reasons...

1. The Moms on Call special swaddling method is AH-MA-ZING. Emmeline has slept like a rock since I really figured out how to swaddle her the way they teach you.

2. She associates her swaddle with sleep. She knows when she is swaddled in that crib, she is supposed to sleep. I've even noticed when she is able to get an arm free after I've swaddled her, she will not go to sleep until she has worked the arm all the way out and then she just plays.

3. It means she is growing up and not so much of a newborn little baby anymore which makes me very sad.

They suggest doing away with the swaddle between 3 and 4 months. Emmeline will be 3 months old tomorrow. She is definitely not loving the swaddle as much anymore. She fusses and cries when I lay her down to swaddle her. I think this is more about not wanting to nap because she wants to play, more than not liking the swaddle. (She's asleep in like 2 minutes after the swaddle is complete.) The only thing that makes me feel bad for her is that she will not take a passy and seems to want to suck her thumb, so when she's swaddled, she has no way to self-soothe. She is also getting a little big for her swaddling blanket. She lets me know this by stretching her legs and pointing her feet as far down as she can when I start swaddling her to show me she is a big girl and doesn't need this.

My best friend Courtney who initially led me to Moms-on-Call (best shower gift I've ever received!) also didn't want to give up her son Berkley's swaddle. She told me about a swaddling blanket called the Miracle Blanket that they used to swaddle him until he was 6 months old. I was fortunate enough to have a friend who has one and is sending it to me. I hope this blanket will be a little bigger and keep her from busting out as often.

I guess when I do get brave enough to "deswaddle", we will start with naps and see how she does and then try nighttime. I am just afraid she will start waking up all through the night.

Enjoy pictures of her swaddled cuteness. Most of these are from when she was a little wittle baby.

I think she was almost a week old in this picture. Courtney had come over one day and swaddled her up for us.

She was about 4 or 5 weeks in this picture. She had started taking her naps in her crib. (And no, I didn't leave that little sheep in there with her!)

This is how she would prefer to sleep/how I find her some mornings. Love that cutie!