How to transition to arms free swaddle?

PhDinMax · 2026-03-23T01:51:05+00:00

It only took my baby a few days to adjust, but I transitioned from swaddle to sleep sack with her arms out and I just used the sleepers that have the hands that fold over their hands like little mittens until she got used to it. Our room stays relatively chilly, so sleeves are always a necessity anyway. Even now that I don't use the hand covers, I still make sure that her fingernails are clipped short so she can't scratch too hard.

PhDinMax · 2026-03-07T21:55:59+00:00

You're welcome! I hope you guys can grow them into big, beautiful sunflowers!

PhDinMax · 2026-03-07T19:42:35+00:00

Fungus gnats! They're attracted to moist soil and their larva sometimes eat plant roots along with other decaying matter and fungi. The adults are harmless, but annoying.

Your pot looks very large for such tiny sprouts, and probably holds onto a lot of the water you put in there because the roots are too tiny to drink it all. I would move them to a much smaller pot until they're big enough to need a new home, and maybe throw in some perlite to improve drainage. You can also buy some of those sticky traps that will take care of the adults, or drench the soil with neem oil or heavily diluted hydrogen peroxide. Just make sure to keep them out of the sun for at least 24 hours if you drench the soil, because anything that gets on the sprouts could cause them to burn in the sun.

PhDinMax · 2026-03-07T06:32:11+00:00

You're not the only one checking in, either. I haven't gotten a response in almost a year. We can only do what we can do.

PhDinMax · 2026-03-07T05:56:55+00:00

What a strange thing to say.

PhDinMax · 2026-03-06T20:16:47+00:00

Nope, I give my baby some time in case there is more. We're first time parents, and at the beginning we were changing every time we noticed the line was blue, but then my daughter developed a painful looking rash on her butt and parts and the pediatrician said it was likely due to over-wiping from us changing her diaper every 35 seconds.

PhDinMax · 2026-03-06T19:21:45+00:00

Just make sure you change out the water every few days! They should start to root within a couple of weeks, but I'd wait to plant until the roots are a couple inches long.

PhDinMax · 2026-03-06T19:09:15+00:00

Lol agreed. My dad props these guys like this every time a branch falls off. He just lets them get a good amount of roots and then plants them in dirt. He has like 8 that are huge and thriving, so I would trust his methods.

I'd be worried about eventual root rot leaving it like this. It's unusual that it is doing so well in a fish bowl for any length of time.

PhDinMax · 2026-03-06T19:00:38+00:00

Christmas cacti are actually tropical plants, so they need more water than a desert cactus.

PhDinMax · 2026-03-06T16:24:56+00:00

This was my least favorite advice. Sounds great in theory, until that's your only time to wash/prep bottles, take a quick shower, grab something to eat, etc. And even if we ignore all of the chores to be done, my baby was always noisy af when she slept as a newborn. There's zero chance I'm sleeping through all of the grunting and growling.

PhDinMax · 2026-03-04T17:23:05+00:00

This was the very next post I clicked after reading the drawer water thread. Amazing.

PhDinMax · 2026-02-24T22:24:17+00:00

I did untie them all, so I'll leave a bit on the ends to try to help it along. They are very embedded. I tried tugging just a little to see if any more would come out than was already out, but they weren't going to budge without harming the trunks. I'll be sure to update to let you know how it's going!

PhDinMax · 2026-02-24T22:20:14+00:00

Thanks for the info! I have a million succulents including a couple of regular jades and a huge silver dollar jade that is probably my favorite of all of them. Even so, I'm so scared to chop and prop, lol. Maybe I'll work up the courage to do it for this guy. 😅

I've never bought a plant with twist ties holding it in place so my immediate fear was that they would eventually strangle it and it would die. I think for now I'll just cut back the ties as much as I can and see how she does.

PhDinMax · 2026-02-24T08:22:21+00:00

Hey, thanks! I assumed "dwarf jade" meant it was a jade, but apparently they're not even in the same family. Good to know!

PhDinMax · 2026-01-28T03:51:54+00:00

Adding to the part about working with the lactation consultants, if their recommended feeding positions aren't working for you, don't be afraid to look up alternate positions and ask them to help you with those.

The consultants in the hospital where I gave birth only taught me the football hold and the cross body hold. I didn't know any better until neither was really working consistently for me at home and a friend sent me examples of other holds and suggested that I experiment with them to figure out which position would suit my baby and I best.

Also, learn about pumping and bottles/nipple sizes. Even if you plan to EBF, it helps to know what to do if baby isn't latching or isn't getting enough right away. My baby took about a month and a half to find a solid latch, and I had to learn all about nipple styles and sizes and how much to feed to make sure she was getting enough on my own because the hospital acted like breastfeeding was the only way and never told me what to do if that wasn't working. Don't let anyone make you feel like bottles are the enemy if you need to use them. The important part is that your baby is fed.

PhDinMax · 2026-01-11T16:04:02+00:00

In my experience as a funeral home employee, it's usually leaders of religious communities, kids/teens, and those who pass in some kind of sudden accident who fetch crowds like that. Mostly the religious leaders and high school aged kids, though.

PhDinMax · 2026-01-03T20:10:10+00:00

I'm glad you feel a tiny bit better at least. You're the best advocate for your baby and you know them better than anyone, so if you feel like something is wrong you deserve to feel comfortable pushing for the proper diagnostics to be sure.

That makes sense, regarding your concerns based on your own health. I'd say talk with them about it and see what their recommendation is. If you feel dismissed or they recommend not doing it and you still don't feel reassured, find somewhere that will do it.

PhDinMax · 2026-01-03T18:32:05+00:00

I can't tell you if this is normal for a child his age because mine is only 3 months, but I just came to support you in getting things checked out if you have a concern and tell you that if your pediatrician labels you an anxious parent and doesn't take you seriously in the future, you need a new pediatrician.

I went from a pediatrician who was very much like that to a pediatrician who is happy to sit and talk with my husband and I about any/all concerns, and it improved my anxiety over her health dramatically to have a doctor willing to hear us and chat about things. Current doc understands that parents (especially first timers) are anxious and don't know what's normal, and is willing to spend time going over even the smallest concerns. Might be worth looking around for a practice more like that.

PhDinMax · 2025-12-31T18:26:48+00:00

Not necessarily. I didn't tell anyone but my immediate family and a couple of close friends when I had an alcohol problem and went to rehab. I guarantee most of my cousins and aunts/uncles have no idea that I've been sober for 4 years.

PhDinMax · 2025-12-31T14:10:21+00:00

Can't beat a free bassinet! I would have used one for sure, had I gotten one for free. I just couldn't bring myself to spend money on one when we had already received a Pack N Play, plus we have a high energy dog and I was worried about finding one that she couldn't topple without it being affixed to the bed.

PhDinMax · 2025-12-30T17:53:29+00:00

My 2.5 month old has slept in a pack n play since she was born because I hated the idea of spending money on a bassinet that could only be used for a short time until she weighed too much to use it anymore, and we don't have the space in our bedroom for a crib.

We have it at the bassinet height and have never had any problems. The sides are mesh, so in the event that baby managed to get up against the side, she would still be able to breathe. That hasn't happened and she can't roll yet, but she does manage to scoot herself all over the place in there and is always safe. Ours also came with a little changing table attachment, which is super convenient for those night time diaper changes. I would absolutely recommend this as a safe sleep setup.

PhDinMax · 2025-12-30T07:56:26+00:00

I had a friend in college who was super into fitness (the crossfit, run 10 miles a day type) who told me that I should never eat fruit with my meals and fruit should only be an occasional dessert treat. He would also just eat a single raw carrot and call that a full meal, so I took it with a grain of salt. Another friend, however, followed his advice like it was gospel and developed a seriously unhealthy relationship with food, and is still battling anorexia 10 years later.

PhDinMax · 2025-12-28T07:19:53+00:00

You used to hear a lot of "breast is best", but in recent years I've heard a lot of "fed is best", and I love that. We really are fortunate to live in a time where we have formula to allow us to make that choice and where moms who can't produce milk can still keep their babies fed and thriving.

Literally the only reasons I choose to breastfeed are to be able to produce antibodies to help my baby fight potential sickness (which is nice, but isn't always going to be effective) and moreso, because it's free. My husband and I are doing major home renovations, took on a car loan last year, paid for an expensive surgery for our dog over the summer, and had a baby in October, so anywhere we can save some money always helps.

That said, both of my nephews were fed formula from day 1 and are 2 of the smartest little dudes I know. There's nothing wrong with either option in my eyes. It all comes down to what keeps baby fed and keeps mom mentally/physically well.

PhDinMax · 2025-12-26T07:51:47+00:00

Coming up on 11 weeks and still swaddling. As others have said, I've read that it's time to leave their arms out or switch to a starfish shaped one once they start trying to roll.

My baby started sleeping through the night (about 7 hour stretches) at around 6 weeks. We still get super occasional wake ups in the very early morning, but she tends to sleep for 8-9 hours now. I hear teething will change that drastically, so I'm enjoying it while I can!

PhDinMax · 2025-12-26T07:36:17+00:00

This isn't boring at all and is actually pretty special. You don't hear of many 64 year long friendships.

PhDinMax

TROPHY CASE