What should I do if my baby does not like to be swaddled or keeps escaping from the sack?

It’s common for new babies to resist swaddling. It can make parents think; My baby hates to be wrapped! But rest assured, parents all around the world have swaddled their sleeping babies—arms down—for thousands of years…because it works! Remember, babies like to feel snug and secure like they did in the womb. That’s why we naturally cuddle babies and use our arms to keep them from flailing about. (We literally swaddle them with our arms!)When your baby is awake, it’s fine to keep the arms out (or swaddled with arms bent up), but during sleep that will lead to more startles and accidental whacks to the face—and more waking. Watch our video for proper swaddling in SNOO. If your little Houdini manages to escape the swaddle don't worry. It can be easier for a naked baby to Houdini their arms out of the swaddle. A long sleeve shirt or onesie can often help solve this problem! If that doesn’t work, we have some tips you can try:

Step 1: Lay a folded thin blanket on the open SNOO Sack—across the area where the baby’s upper back will rest—then lay your baby on top of the cloth.

Step 2: Fold one side of the blanket over your baby's arm and underneath their body. Repeat on the other side, securing both of your baby’s arms down at their sides.

Step 3: Now, pull the sack's arm bands across the upper belly—keeping your baby's arms straight at the sides. Make sure the band is snug and low covering the wrists.

Step 4: Bring the leg flap up and attach it to the arm band. Zip the swaddle fully closed—top and bottom.

Your baby is now snug as a bug and ready to be placed in SNOO!

So, while your baby may fuss at first…swaddling is super valuable for 99% of babies, and the benefits—less crying and more sleep—are huge! To help swaddling go even better, introduce these tips to your daily routine: Swaddle before feeding: Sometimes, swaddling can wake a baby who has fallen asleep during feeding. So, swaddling before you start a feeding can help prevent this—and it creates a positive association with being swaddled.

Do a calming routine. After you secure your baby in SNOO Sack, here are a few things to help them relax and settle: 

• Play a strong white noise in the background (about as loud as a shower)
• Do a feeding
• Rock and cuddle your baby (it's fine if they fall asleep in your arms) before placing them in SNOO
• Offer a pacifier
• Once down, immediately boost SNOO to the purple or green level (manually or with the App). This added motion/sound often helps babies settle. 

Lock SNOO on a higher level. Some babies find the normal blue baseline level too boring. They like it when SNOO’s level is increased, but fuss when the bed cycles back down. Try locking SNOO on the purple or green level and keeping it there all night. (It's like lulling your baby to sleep by driving them in your car all night…but safer and less polluting.)

Older babies, usually around 4 to 5 months, have more coordination and can sleep well with one or both hands-free. So, if your newborn has reached that age or is able to roll during tummy time unassisted, test out releasing one arm at a time and see how they fare! If they start sleeping well, this means they were simply ready for a little freedom now that they’re older.

Swaddling is key to good sleep, but it’s just the first step of getting your baby calm. Once your baby’s arms are snug and down, they can better focus on the rest of the 5 S’s (sound, motion, sucking, side/stomach).

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