To Swaddle or Not to Swaddle: There is No Question (for us)

All of my babies have had to be swaddled to sleep. Oh, how I wish it were another way. There was never a chance for them to find their own hands and fingers to self-soothe, as they were tied up tight in large receiving blankets any time they needed to sleep. I dislike the feeling of them swaddled when I hold them -- there's no cuddling, no tiny baby curled up against my chest, just a large stiff burrito of a baby unable to even wiggle.

But, alas, there was no sleep if every one of my babies weren't tightly swaddled. REALLY, REALLY tightly swaddled. In fact, anytime I swaddled them, they'd sleep an hour or so at night, then wake up screaming and half escaped from their blanket. Greg, on the other hand, is a master swaddler. Like, he should teach classes or give seminars or tutor nursery nurses or something. His swaddle is legendary. It's so tight that when he'd swaddle Annie, our first baby, his Mom could scarcely watch, so convinced he was torturing her tiny granddaughter in a blanket-y death grip. Greg was good to start with -- but when it became obvious our children would only sleep tightly swaddled for MONTHS AND MONTHS of their lives, it became necessary for him to be able to swaddle the baby so tight that even a strong five month old would be unable to break loose for hours on end. (I would often whisper reminders to him when he was swaddling newborn Isaac, "Um, hon, he's not going to be able to break out, he's a week old . . . that's probably tight enough." )

I TRIED to not have to swaddle Isaac. Oh, how I tried. For weeks I resisted. "Look," I'd tell Greg, "he's sleeping! Not even swaddled! Like a regular baby!" But after a few weeks it became obvious that swaddling Isaac (at night, at least -- we rarely swaddle him during the day) was the only way to achieve a four hour or better block of sleep at night. I wonder sometimes how long we'll need to. I'd love to be done by winter, as I vastly prefer sleeping babies in 'sleep sacks' during the colder months -- I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Just as a final 'testament' to Greg's swaddling ability -- here is Ellie at over five months old, being supported in the standing position by nothing but the tight swaddle she was encased in . . .