The Swaddle Chronicles

For those of you not aware, swaddling is the new must have technique for parents. Dr. Karp has made a bundle on this system, selling books and DVDs titled "The Happiest Baby on the Block." Prior to having Hudson, it seemed everyone referred me to this and claimed it was the best thing ever. I ordered and read the book and my insurance company sent me a complimentary DVD in conjunction with their new moms program. Dan promised he would watch it before Hudson arrived. Finally, as we rushed home on February 11th to pack our bags for admittance into the hospital. I saw him grab the DVD and stash it in his bag. "I'll watch it tonight." he promised.

There simply wasn't time for watching DVDs at the hospital (go figure) and so, our first night home I tried to follow Dr. Karp's recommendations of the 5 S's to calm and soothe Hudson. This included the tight swaddle. Dan didn't buy it, and kept thinking he needed his arms out because he wasn't comfortable. So, we tried it Dan's way. Two nights later, Dan looked at me with sleepy eyes and said, "Let's watch that DVD." From that day, we haven't looked back.

Hudson has been the poster child for swaddling and we've been very fortunate that he has been a great baby. He sleeps well, eats well, and very rarely cries or fusses. Then came the last month. My sweet swaddled baby was suddenly Hudson the Hulk. I think the pictures explain more than words can.

Napping became impossible. It wasn't that he was fussy. I'd hear him singing on the monitor, and go in to find him sometimes with his legs out, sometimes with his arms, dancing or rubbing his fingers against his crib bumper. Many told me he was too old to be swaddled and it was time to let him out of it. So, I tried. Suddenly, the singing turned into wailing and screaming. Dan and I likened it to the transformation from sweet fuzzy Gizmo to a crazy Gremlin at night! He was NOT our sweet baby Hudson.

One night while Dan was away I decided to go "cold turkey" with no swaddle. For 3 hours straight my sweet baby Hudson cried. I tried rocking, I tried feeding, I tried walking with him. We sang, we danced, we swayed. Finally, I pulled out a swaddle and tried once again. Instantaneously he signed and fell fast asleep. "OK, I thought." What do these people know? He's just not ready." So... back to trying to find a swaddle that would fit my super baby.

I tried many things. Two swaddles:And again:


Here is a picture of me catching him in his Houdini act. (A little hard to do my serious mom face when I see this proud smile :)

I decided to go "old school" and try a regular old blanket swaddle.

Yeah, no dice. And this is the "ultimate swaddle blanket."

Ultimate fail. It too was no match for Super Hud. He wore it like a cape. He was out of it before I even got out of the room.

A friend told me that The Woombie Houdini blanket worked for them. I researched it and found that it was basically a baby sleeping bag that zipped up the front and clasped around the neck so they couldn't break free. I'd like to say I didn't go that far, but... I ordered it. The Woombie came in three sizes: newborn, big baby and mega baby. Based on the sizing, "big baby" was to fit up to 19 pounds. The "mega baby" went up to 25 pounds and had this picture of a BIG kid wearing one.

Surely, my baby Hudson wasn't "mega." So, I opted for the "big baby."

I was so excited when it came. I was in Derby so Dan brought it down to me. I got Hudson all ready for bed and laid him down to try out the new swaddle. This was the key. This was going to mean nights of restful sleep and a return to naps. Ahh, it was going to be so nice.

But, as I tried to zip it up, my happy thoughts came to a screeching halt. No such luck. The zipper wouldn't budge. He was too big. I looked at the return policy and looked to exchange it, but couldn't bear the thought of putting the label of "Mega Baby" on my Hudson. This was just something I was going to have to figure out.

And so, we continued to swaddle, occasionally letting him try to be out and see how he did. With each fail, we would again swaddle him tightly and pray for the night we could let him out.
Then, it happened. Maybe he realized his mama was just exhausted and he was humiliated. It'd be nice to report this has removed all worry and all is great.

Stay tuned for the adventures of "how do I make my baby sleep without a blanket over his head?" Yes, I know this is a SIDS nightmare and worries me to death.

The worry never ends. Does it?