Weaning the swing can happen earlier than weaning swaddling. Somewhere about 2.5 months old (adjust for prematurity if needed), many newborns no longer get more peaceful while swinging. There will always be babies that prefer to be jiggled on your shoulder or in your lap from the beginning. There will also be babies a bit over 3 months old that only calm when snugly swaddled and swinging, firmly buckled in and fully reclined, of course. If you are not talented in the blanket swaddling area, this is the time when you might want to try a swaddle garment. It is unsafe to loosely swaddle a child when they are old enough to partially roll inside a swing. If your child is so strong that he can undo a swaddle garment or a firm blanket swaddle, then swaddling in a swing is not for you. You will just have to double-down on the shush/white noise, sucking and side/stomach calming. I would also recommend the dream feed (my most popular blog post ever from January 2015) and be very careful not to put off naps until your child is over-tired. More on that topic later this month.
When your baby is ready to wean swinging it may be as easy as shutting it off and putting him in the bassinet or a co-sleeper. Wean a movement-loving baby by slowing the swing down for sleep for a few nights and then seeing if he can sleep in a non-moving swing. If his sleep is still as long and as deep, then it could be time to put the swing on Craigslist or in the garage.
Don’t forget that the other S’s, especially shushing/white noise, may be even more important now for general calming and signaling bedtime. This is not the time to dismantle your previously perfect newborn sleep routine. Abandon all the signs and sounds that tell him things are quiet, safe and cozy at your own risk. You may even add some more mature routines that can continue throughout childhood, like infant massage and story time. Babies love to hear your rhythmic voice as you read “Goodnight Moon”. I hope you like it too, since you will be reading it over and over…and over!
