Reducing swaddling:the ultimate step-by-step plan

Weaning off swaddling can be a huge challenge. Your child is used to security and cannot find peace without swaddling. In many cases, the sleepless nights turn - the reason you started swaddling! - right back. How can you reduce swaddling without your child becoming restless? In this article you can read useful tips!!

As a mother of 4 children, I myself have the necessary experience with swaddling. What a drama. With most swaddling methods you suddenly have to expose 1 arm. That transition was much too big for my children. Reducing swaddling is not possible if your baby is not used to freedom of movement. There is a good chance that the arm will mow again and that your child will keep itself awake. That is why it is important to phase out swaddling in small steps.

Reduce swaddling in small steps

The frustrating process of phasing out swaddling gave me an idea. I had already discovered that exposing an arm is too big a step, so it is necessary to reduce swaddling in smaller steps. I came up with something for that: a sleeping bag with zippers under the sleeves. With the zippers closed, your baby has more freedom of movement than when swaddling, but the arms remain close to the body. Uncontrolled mowing is therefore not possible!

To reduce the swaddling step by step, simply open the rides a little further each time. It's super simple, anyone can do it and everyone does it the same way. Your child will slowly get used to more and more freedom of movement. This way you can phase out swaddling at a pace that suits your child!

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When to phase out swaddling?

Between 3 and 4 months is the ideal time to phase out swaddling. As soon as your baby can roll over, swaddling should actually be finished. For most babies, this happens somewhere between 4 and 6 months. If your baby starts rolling over, you must immediately stop swaddling because this can be dangerous and increases the risk of SIDS. Because phasing out swaddling is quite a big step for your baby, it is better to take a little longer so that your baby can get used to it. So don't put it off!

Dismantling swaddling step-by-step plan

Reducing swaddling with a sleeping bag BUNDI sleeping bag makes it easy! Good for your baby, because he can slowly get used to more freedom of movement. Good for you, because it's very simple. You put your baby to bed without any hassle, even if you are phasing out swaddling. This is the ultimate step-by-step plan:

Step 1. Put on your baby the BUNDI sleeping bag

The sleeves of the sleeping bag are deliberately tight - tighter than you are used to from other sleeping bags - because this is necessary for proper operation. Tip for donning: Turn the cuff twice, put only the fist through the cuff and pull the BUNDI up by the shoulder fabric. Then fold back the sleeve cuffs and fold the mittens around the hand if necessary.

At the bottom of the sleeping bag are strings for when the sleeping bag is still on the large side. To limit the room for movement, tie the sleeping bag tightly under the feet. This is how you do it: give the fabric a tug so that it is tight on the upper body. Then tie the excess fabric together with the strings..

Step 2. Zip up the arms at the desired level

There are zippers under the sleeves of the BUNDI sleeping bag. You zip the arms next to the body in just seconds. With the zippers fully closed, your child can move around, especially if it is a bit older. Your child therefore has sufficient freedom of movement, but cannot mow uncontrollably with its arms. If you come from a tight swaddling situation, always start with the zipper completely closed. If your child is used to a little more freedom of movement, open the zipper a little wider next time..

Step 3. Put your baby to bed

Preferably you use itNUNKI sheet to put your baby in. The innovative award-winning sheet provides a feeling of security in bed, so that your child is less likely to become restless. Reducing swaddling can cause unrest and the sheet can reassure your baby, so that it falls asleep better. The combination of the NUNKI sheet and the BUNDI sleeping bag works optimally, because you tackle both the cause and the symptoms.

At your baby's pace

Repeat this step-by-step plan every time, always adjusting step 2 slightly to the pace of your child. In the beginning, for example, you zip the arms completely, then you open the zipper a little on one side. Tip: take a good look at which arm is the most dominant with your child and start with the least dominant arm. If that goes well Then you open the zippers on both sides a bit. Give your child a few days to get used to each step and only go a step further when your child is ready. This way you can slowly get your child used to more freedom of movement, at a pace that suits him or her. 

Is there an annoying night in between? Feel free to close the zippers a little further. It's about gradually tapering off and it's okay if there's a restless night in between, that's part of it..

BUNDI: the ideal sleeping bag

The BUNDI sleeping bag is ideal for reducing swaddling. The sleeping bag has a super fine soft fabric and is available in 3 sizes and 8 different colors. Please note: it is important that you do not buy the sleeping bag on growth.

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Frederieke Meihuizen

Owner Fedde&Kees®

Ik ben Frederieke, getrouwd met Ewoud en mama van 4 kindjes. Na op veel plekken gewoond te hebben, ben ik gesetteld in Nieuwkoop. Ik werkte in de commercie tot mijn vierde kindje geboren werd. Fedde was een huilbaby en vanuit deze wanhoop heb ik de producten van Fedde&Kees bedacht. Ik gooide mijn leven om en begon met ondernemen. Sinds 2018 help ik andere ouders naar een betere slaap!