Here's the deal. Henry is not sleeping through the night. Why? I blame the blankety-blank swaddle. That lousy, no good swaddle.
Sooo, if the blankety-blankin' swaddle holds (rare, these days), Henry sleeps like a rockstar. However, he has become more and more Houdini-esque and I don't know what to do. Last night, he came out of the blankety-blank swaddle by 2 a.m. and so, was awake. I could NOT re-swaddle him in that Kiddopotamus thing for the life of me because he was just a-fightin' it and I almost threw it out the window. So, I ended up changing him into a pair of normal jammies (non-swaddle) but THEN he wakes up like every 45 minutes to an hour. It's like he doesn't know how to link his sleep cycles well when he's not swaddled.
Which is fine- I'll let him practice, right? So the first time he woke himself up around 2:45 or so, he talked to himself nicely for a couple of minutes and then apparently fell asleep. But then the next time he woke himself up around 3:45, he talked and then started crying and so Adam (who was about to walk out the door to go to the hospital- aaaugh) swaddled him really well for me because Mama needed some sleep. (Adam is who swaddles him every night for bed- he's good but Henry has skills after a couple of hours...especially with that left arm)
AUGH! What do I do? He's almost 4 months so do I go ahead and wean him from the swaddle? Or do I search on the Internet for a bigger, badder swaddler that'll keep a kid in super-duper well and he can use that 'til he goes to college?
AUGH! What do I do? He's almost 4 months so do I go ahead and wean him from the swaddle? Or do I search on the Internet for a bigger, badder swaddler that'll keep a kid in super-duper well and he can use that 'til he goes to college?
Have we created a swaddle monster?
13 comments:
If you want to continue swaddling the miracle blanket worked great for us. Jacob is now a tummy sleeper so we don't swaddle him but Jack liked the miracle blanket. Good luck!!!
I know every baby is different, but I'll share what worked for us. We weaned Caris from the swaddle about a month ago before. we started by putting one arm out, then both, then using just a halo sleep sack. The sleep sack alone didn't work (she woke up every few hours), so now I put her in her crib with fotted jammies and tuck a blanket over her tummy beneath her arms and tuck it in really tight under the crib mattress on either side. Not sure if that even make sense in written form... But it seems to work great, she's sleeping like a champ and the blanket doesn't move.
So funny that you just posted that because I just tried to get Will into his swaddler for a nap and he fought me tooth and nail. (He doesn't nap nearly as long if he is not swaddled.) We are having sleep issues too so I probably don't have very solid advice. But at night Will sleeps in a sleep sack and that works great now. It did take a couple of nights but he is doing well now. I found some that are sleeveless for the summer. Good luck with whatever you try!!!
Grandmother's advice-THIS TOO SHALL PASS! We only swaddled when you were little for a very brief time-so you got used to being free and easy from the beginning-OF COURSE-we did put you ALL on your stomachs! IT'S A MIRACLE YOU ALL THREE SURVIVED!
We never used a swaddle blanket, but did put our babies on their stomachs from 6 weeks on. They still sleep on their stomachs and are still alive:). I do feel your pain in not knowing what to do, but know that some crying is OK. I should have let Jake cry more bc he still gets up during the night.....we just make him go back to his bed! As for LGT, I did let her cry more and she seldom makes a peep before 7am....,hope you can take something from this message:)
We never used a swaddle blanket, but did put our babies on their stomachs from 6 weeks on. They still sleep on their stomachs and are still alive:). I do feel your pain in not knowing what to do, but know that some crying is OK. I should have let Jake cry more bc he still gets up during the night.....we just make him go back to his bed! As for LGT, I did let her cry more and she seldom makes a peep before 7am....,hope you can take something from this message:)
I read your blog often but never post, however...
I always found those swaddling contraptions goofy and silly. A blanket works best. Make sure you have one that has a little stretch, the better to tuck tightly. Also check this book out for tips on how to swaddle and different techniques (don't really have to buy it, just go to the store and flip through it):
http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Gami-Beginners-Andrea-Cornell-Sarvady/dp/0811847640
Also check out what Dr. Sears (my fav baby guru) has to say:
http://www.parenting.com/article/Baby/Health/Ask-Dr-Sears-Alternatives-to-Baby-Swaddling
i think you're a grateful mom and you're not giving yourself enough credit! you're doing a great job and henry is going to be a well adjusted kid=)
Aww...wish I could help. But I've got nothing. And my kid's only four weeks old...so maybe this is a hurdle we haven't reached. We tried swaddling Frazier for, like, a week and a half. Then gave up because he always ended up out of it and didn't seem to like it. He (so far, knock on wood) sleeps fine no matter what. We just put him in some footed pjs and stick him in his bassinet...I think we could leave him in there in nothing but his diaper and he'd still sleep all the same. Maybe he doesn't miss the swaddle since we didn't stick with it long. Who knows? Good luck...hope it gets better!!
check out the Peke Moe - a sleep sack for swaddle weaning!!! babies love it!
http://www.pekemoe.co.nz all the best!
Hi Camille! We had the same issues...Addy turned into Houdini. We swaddled her until about 6 months. Then she started getting her arms out and rolling over on her own and started sleeping much better (after we let her cry a little). Which of course does not mean she slept great every night though! From about 4-6 months we used a footed swaddle blanket that looks alot like this one: http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/184-7117371-7525748?ASIN=B001LVX6XK&AFID=Froogle&LNM=B001LVX6XK|TeddyToes_Classic_Swaddle_Blanket_with_Feet_Navy&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=B001LVX6XK&ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001
If you don't mind Henry sleeping in pink, I will mail you the one Addy used. I can't find the exact one online. We did move to the Halo sleep sack eventually and that was great..now she carries her silk blanket around everywhere and that is what she cuddles with at night. I agree with your mom....this too will pass! : )
Camille can you give me the measurements of your toy box or window seat in Henrys room. Helen boersma
duck tape!
Love
Dad
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