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The trick is usually going gradual rather than cold turkey. Most parents find it works best to introduce the sleep sack while still swaddling - so you're layering them together for a few nights so your kid gets used to the feeling of the sack. Then you can start loosening one arm out of the swaddle while keeping the sack on, let them adjust for a few days, then loose the other arm. This way they're not dealing with a totally foreign sensation all at once, which tends to freak them out and tank their sleep.
Timing matters too. Pick a week when things are relatively calm - not when you're traveling or dealing with a developmental leap or something. You want their sleep as stable as possible during the transition so you can actually tell if the new setup is working or if they're just cranky from teething or whatever else is going on. Some kids barely notice the switch, others take a week or two to settle into it, so be patient with the process.
One thing that helps: make sure the sleep sack actually fits well and feels secure-ish. A lot of the appeal of swaddling is that snug, contained feeling, so if the sack's too loose or baggy they might actually sleep worse until they adjust. Once you nail the fit and they've had a few nights to get comfy, most kids transition pretty smoothly and honestly sleep just as well in a sack as they did swaddled.
I'd push back a bit on layering them at the same time - that can actually get too warm and defeats the purpose of the transition. What worked better for us was doing it in reverse order: drop the swaddle first while the sleep sack is already part of the routine, so the kid adjusts to having their arms free but still has that cozy sack feeling. Give it a week or so before fully committing, and watch for the startle reflex kicking up at night - some babies need a bit longer than others to get used to their arms being loose.
One thing nobody seems to mention is timing - if you switch right when your baby hits the developmental stage where they start rolling or resisting being swaddled, the transition tends to go smoother because they're ready for it anyway. The sleep sack works best once they have that natural urge to move their arms. That said, watch the room temperature closely during those first few nights; even experienced parents sometimes underdress the baby or overdress thinking the sack alone isn't enough, which messes with sleep quality.
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