# Day 168: Swaddle off, pacifier loose

> A baby who tries to roll is a baby who's done with the swaddle, tonight. The pacifier stays, unclipped. Back to start every sleep, in your room, and leave them be once they roll both ways.

- Series: Your sixth month, day by day (https://chorevia.com/learn/sixth-month), day 168 of 365, week 23
- Canonical URL: https://chorevia.com/learn/sixth-month/day-168
- Last reviewed: 2026-10-21
- Publisher: Chorevia (https://chorevia.com)
- Cite as: Chorevia. "Day 168: Swaddle off, pacifier loose." Last reviewed October 21, 2026. https://chorevia.com/learn/sixth-month/day-168

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

If your baby is still swaddled for sleep, today is the day it ends. Not because of a date, but because of what their arms and legs have started doing.

## Heart

Stop swaddling once your baby tries to roll, and don't hang a pacifier around their neck or clip it to clothing for sleep ([Moon, AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/a-parents-guide-to-safe-sleep.aspx)). The reason is blunt: rolling while swaddled raises the risk of suffocation and SIDS, and swaddling sleep sacks that compress the arms and chest should stop at the same point. A wearable blanket that lets your baby move freely is fine ([Moon & Glassy, AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/diapers-clothing/Pages/Swaddling-Is-it-Safe.aspx)). In a meta-analysis of four studies, SIDS risk with swaddling was highest when swaddled babies were placed on their stomach or side, and limited evidence suggested it rose with age ([Pease et al., 2016](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27244847/)). At 24 weeks, with a baby who rocks and twists, the swaddle has run out of road.

## Head

The rest of the rules haven't moved. Back to sleep, on a firm, flat surface with only a fitted sheet, in your room but not your bed ([Moon, AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/a-parents-guide-to-safe-sleep.aspx)); room-sharing is for at least the first 6 months ([Moon, AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/a-parents-guide-to-safe-sleep.aspx)). Always start your baby on their back, but once they roll both ways comfortably, you don't need to flip them back ([Moon, AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/a-parents-guide-to-safe-sleep.aspx)). Never use weighted sleep sacks, swaddles, or blankets ([Moon, AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/a-parents-guide-to-safe-sleep.aspx)). And one arm out is a comfort step, not a safety step: there's no evidence about SIDS risk with arms in versus out ([Moon & Glassy, AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/diapers-clothing/Pages/Swaddling-Is-it-Safe.aspx)). If "one arm out" has been your compromise, it's time for both.

## Body

The pacifier is the part that stays. Offering one for sleep lowers SIDS risk ([Moon, AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/a-parents-guide-to-safe-sleep.aspx)); just never tie it to the crib or around your baby's neck or hand ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/crying-colic/Pages/Pacifiers-and-Thumb-Sucking.aspx)). Loose in the mouth, free to fall out: that's the safe version, even if it means a 2 a.m. hunt for it on the mattress.

## Try today

### Arms free tonight

- **Time:** 5 minutes at bedtime
- **From the guide:** [Safe sleep for a baby who rolls](https://chorevia.com/learn/5-months#safe-sleep-for-a-baby-who-rolls)

1. If your baby still sleeps swaddled, or in a sack that pins the arms, switch tonight to a sleep sack that leaves both arms free ([Moon & Glassy, AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/diapers-clothing/Pages/Swaddling-Is-it-Safe.aspx)).
2. Take off any pacifier clip, cord, or string before sleep ([Moon, AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/a-parents-guide-to-safe-sleep.aspx)).
3. Lay your baby on their back on the fitted sheet, nothing else in the crib, in your room ([Moon, AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/a-parents-guide-to-safe-sleep.aspx)).
4. Keep the bedtime routine exactly as it was; the sack is the only change ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/oral-health/Pages/Brush-Book-Bed.aspx)).

**Make it work:** Put the swaddle blanket somewhere you won't reach for it at 3 a.m. The drawer, not the crib rail.

## Watch for

- **Normal:** more startling and flailing for the first few nights with the arms out. **Call your pediatrician right away** if your baby has cried nonstop for more than 2 hours ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/tips-tools/symptom-checker/Pages/symptomviewer.aspx?symptom=Crying+Child+-+3+Months+and+Older)).
- **Normal:** finding your baby on their tummy in the morning once they roll both ways comfortably ([Moon, AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/a-parents-guide-to-safe-sleep.aspx)). **Call 911** if your baby is struggling for each breath, has stopped breathing, or has bluish lips or face ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/tips-tools/symptom-checker/Pages/symptomviewer.aspx?symptom=Breathing+Trouble)).
- **Normal:** a bump against the crib slats while rolling. **Call your doctor right away** after any head injury, including a fall from a bed, couch, or changing table ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/tips-tools/symptom-checker/Pages/symptomviewer.aspx?symptom=Head+Injury)).

## For you

The first night of a new habit is the hardest, for both of you. Expect a worse night than usual and plan for it: nap today if you can, and go to bed right after the last feed ([Moon, AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/safe-sleep-tips-for-sleep-deprived-parents.aspx)). The rule that matters most on a rough night is the one about where you feed: skip the couch and armchair, and if you nod off, move your baby to their own sleep space as soon as you wake ([Moon, AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/safe-sleep-tips-for-sleep-deprived-parents.aspx)). A bad night in a safe crib is a bad night. That's all it is.

If you're the partner: tonight is yours. Take the wakes, and don't offer the swaddle back as a mercy.

## Sources

- Moon RY. "How to Keep Your Sleeping Baby Safe: AAP Policy Explained." HealthyChildren.org, 2026. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/a-parents-guide-to-safe-sleep.aspx
- Moon RY, Glassy D. "Swaddling: Is it Safe for Your Baby?" HealthyChildren.org, 2022. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/diapers-clothing/Pages/Swaddling-Is-it-Safe.aspx
- Pease AS, Fleming PJ, Hauck FR, et al. "Swaddling and the Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: A Meta-analysis." Pediatrics, 2016. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27244847/
- American Academy of Pediatrics. "Baby Pacifiers & Thumb Sucking: What Parents Need to Know." HealthyChildren.org, 2026. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/crying-colic/Pages/Pacifiers-and-Thumb-Sucking.aspx
- American Academy of Pediatrics. "Brush, Book, Bed: How to Structure Your Child's Nighttime Routine." HealthyChildren.org, 2024. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/oral-health/Pages/Brush-Book-Bed.aspx
- American Academy of Pediatrics. "Crying Child - 3 Months and Older" (symptom checker). HealthyChildren.org, 2026. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/tips-tools/symptom-checker/Pages/symptomviewer.aspx?symptom=Crying+Child+-+3+Months+and+Older
- American Academy of Pediatrics. "Breathing Trouble" (symptom checker). HealthyChildren.org, 2026. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/tips-tools/symptom-checker/Pages/symptomviewer.aspx?symptom=Breathing+Trouble
- American Academy of Pediatrics. "Head Injury" (symptom checker). HealthyChildren.org, 2026. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/tips-tools/symptom-checker/Pages/symptomviewer.aspx?symptom=Head+Injury
- Moon RY. "Safe Sleep Tips for Sleep-Deprived New Parents." HealthyChildren.org, 2026. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/safe-sleep-tips-for-sleep-deprived-parents.aspx