R.I.P. Swaddle

Rest in peace, swaddle, rest in peace.

We are free!  Swaddle free, that is.

This makes me so very happy.

I mean ecstatic.

Like I'm so thrilled I could do a cartwheel.  Except then I would pull a muscle and would not be able to enjoy my swaddle-free joy so I won't be doing any cartwheels.  But I am truly cartwheel flippin happy.

Here is a tribute to our swaddle journey....

First swaddle EVER

swaddled in the hospital

 We learned about swaddling in one of the classes we took before the babies were born.  Tim was a pro from the beginning!  Here is Rhett sporting a swaddle job by dad.

cute swaddled Aggies

Then we got home and the swaddling continued.  We got better (and faster) with each swaddle we performed.  We went easy on them at first, and gave them some room to move.

Rhys sneaks one fist out of her swaddle

Rhett gets one arm out

Oh, the memories we have with the beloved swaddle.  Here are a few pics from those early days...

the "half swaddle" (lower body only)

tiny Rhys sleeping sweetly in her swaddle

Rhett loved having his hands swaddled out

After a couple weeks at home, we got a little more hard core with our swaddling.  We started using the Miracle Blanket and loved it.  This is a special kind of swaddle blanket made to wrap around the babies.   Both arms down and the tighter the better.  The babies were getting stronger and started busting out of our swaddle jobs.  We may have had some contests to see which "swaddler" did a better job of keeping their baby nice and snug.  I hate to admit it, but Tim was always the best!  

Here is an example of what happens when the baby gets out of their swaddle.  It's not pretty, but it's the truth.

Rhys demonstrating swaddle trouble

We loved using the Miracle Blanket, but the babies kept getting out of it and waking themselves up. Which also means they were waking us up. 

Waking up to re-swaddle crying babies all night long is not fun.  At all.  

We thought it might be a good idea to try to double swaddle them.  We would wrap a regular blanket on top of the Miracle Blanket.  It looked something like this...

This worked for a couple more weeks.  Then our amazingly strong babies were busting out.  Again.  We were desperate.  We needed sleep.

So my mom's friend sewed some special swaddle blankets for us.  The swaddles featured some heavy duty industrial strength velcro.   These were awesome!  So we would use the Miracle Blanket first, and then swaddle them again with the new blankets.  A double swaddle, if you will.

The results...

happy, sleeping babies

We continued to do this double swaddle for several weeks.  Then, about a month ago, Rhys started doing some magic Houdini tricks during the night and every morning she would have one or both arms out of BOTH swaddles.  I knew it was time for her to lose the swaddle.  So we started with naps first and just swaddled her with one arm out.  After she got used to that, we swaddled her with both arms out.  Then after another week or so she graduated to a sleep sack.  Yay Rhys!

Rhett took a little longer and was a little more hesitant to lose his swaddle.  Actually, we would probably still be swaddling Rhett except that he outgrew all of the swaddles.  He was too long to fit in the Miracle Blanket and we would have to bend his knees to make him fit.  I thought about cutting a slit in the Miracle Blanket so his legs could just go through.  I continued to use the velcro swaddle with Rhett, but he quickly outgrew that as well.  Look at his little feet hanging out of the swaddle!  (yes, he is wearing Rhys' pink striped swaddle....it's a twin's life, for sure!)

So, what do you do when there are NO more swaddles to fit and your mom doesn't want to spend any more money buying expensive swaddles online?  You have to learn how to sleep without a swaddle!  And so that is what Rhett did.  

The swaddle was a beautiful thing and gave the babies (and us) lots of good sleep.  We do believe in swaddling and all the benefits it provides.  But we are so happy to be swaddle free!  Why, you ask?

Let me break this down:

4 naps + bedtime = 5 swaddles per day (x2 babies) = 10 swaddle jobs a day minimum

Then add the times that the babies bust out and need to be re-swaddled and the times that we added in a double swaddle....and the times when we had to un-swaddle and re-swaddle to change a diaper, clean up spit up, etc.

That is a lot of swaddling, people!  

I love the swaddle.  I respect the swaddle.  I am a swaddle master.

But I will not miss you, swaddle.  R.I.P.

Goodbye swaddle....hello sleep sack! (pics to come soon)