Need advice

Ok, so LM can only fall asleep swaddled in her kiddopautamas swaddling device. However LATELY she can now break out of it, so I have begun wrapping a large cotton blanket around her lower arms while she is swaddled, and then I knot it on her side, so she gets out less frequently, but she can still get out after about 4 hours of wiggling in her sleep.. She sleeps for hours while swaddled, but does still manage to break out during the night, and when that happens, she wakes herself up, ad pulls out her dummy, and won't sleep.

I tried putting her down to nap without swaddling, and she just rips put her pacifier and cries for it, because she hasn't yet figured out how to replace it herself. I get sick of getting up frequently during the night and replacing the pacifier as well, because she is so addicted to it.

Her doctor said that swaddling her at this point is perfectly fine, but I am wondering, when will she get better control of her hands so she stops scratching her face and pulling out her pacifier involuntarily, thus eliminating the need for her to be swaddled? Should I take away her pacifier, or should I ride it out until she knows how to put it back herself? It helps her falls asleep, but she cries for it several times through out the night when she spits it out.

I just want to be able to put her down to sleep in a normal fashion. When she gets her hand out of her swaddle in the middle of the night she starts playing and talking and eventually crying non-stop, but the second I wrap her back up, she falls asleep again. This is adding extra annoyance to her already frequent night waking, and I am so selfish and want my sleep, that I am torn about what I should do?

Help.

I understand where you are coming from and Tiff we all need our sleep, you are not alone there...I get extremely short tempered if I haven't had much sleep.

Theo has been taking his dummy out and putting it back in for sometime now but it is only very recently that he can pick it up after dropping it....it's a skill I guess they have to learn and the only way they will learn is if they drop it?? I don't know whether Lily Mae has her dummy during the day? Theo does on and off but when he doesn't I just leave it by the side of him and he quickly learnt how to pick it up and stick it in his mouth, I guess this is what he does at night should he wake up. Can you try that? I am sure it wouldn't take Lily Mae long to realise that she CAN pick it up herself, she may get a little frustrated trying.

In regards to the swaddling, I can't really help there as Theo never liked his hands tucked away he slept much better with his arms loose, what if Lily Mae's arms were loose but you put scratching mits on or socks on her hands?? I suppose it helps with the scratching/hair pulling and she wouldn't be able to take her dummy out easily, although she wouldn't be able to stick it back in easily either!

Oooooo it's a tricky one Tiff......hopefully someone else comes up with some suggestions!

LM can pick up her dummy and she attempts to put it back during the day, but at night she does not think or know to try to put it back. She tears or knocks it out constantly if her hands are out :( It's easy for her to pull out since it is the NUK with the ring that hangs down.

I tried scratch gloves and they just fall off, but I haven't tried socks yet, I will try that at her nap time. Thanx for that idea, Georgi.

we don't have as much issue with the paci. By the time it falls out he is usually asleep and doesn't notice. The swaddle was an issue for us because he kept trying to roll over in it and I was afraid he would get on his tummy and not have the use of his arms if he needed them.... we started swaddling him with one arm out and now he sleeps in long sleeve, footed pajamas and doesn't need the swaddle anymore. It took 3 or 4 nights for him to get used to having full use of his arms.

Not much help.... just wanted to share our experience!

Lucy wouldn't stay swaddled either. She fought and fought it and wiggled til she was out. No burrito baby for me lol. She likes to sleep with her hands above her head. I will try the socks on hands too, cause she scratches her face. I also have her in long sleeve, footed sleepers. Or I have a couple of those sleep sacks that I use. I plan on putting her in both when it gets colder. The problem with the sleep sacks (and gowns) is she gets mad and pushes on the front of them with her feet and the next thing you know the neck is all stretched.

Maybe you could try a different pacifier? I have a couple of the nuk ones, and she too pulled it out way too easy with that ring too. I got some Mam ones, and they seem to stay better, they just have a knob on the handle, and they seem to be shaped so that if they just get partially out of their mouths they tend to get sucked back in instead of falling out. She's got the hang of pulling it out, just not putting it in yet. She will give up and go for the thumb or a few fingers.


This is how she likes to sleep!

Lucy is so dang cute! I love that picture!!!!

I have attempted different pacifiers, but L.M. won't take them. She is used to the shape of the Nuk, and especially since she is nearly 6 months old, she is very attached. I thought of this, that maybe the mam's would work better, I actually had some from my baby shower, but, she wouldn't take it

Lou, Lou, it is good to hear your experience if transitioning from swaddling, to no swaddle. I will attempt this, but I don't know if she'll go for it.

I tried putting socks on her hands at her nap, but her wrists are so fat that the were too tight!!! LOL.

Oh gosh, what the heck am I gonna do with this kid??

We are working on getting Addy out of the swaddler too. For the last 4 nights I have been putting her to sleep with one arm out. Today I just started putting her down for naps with both hands out. I still have her legs wrapped up. She didn't sleep as good but I am hoping she improves. My hope is that she will learn to suck her fingers to soothe herself so she wont need the paci. I can always dream, right???

ok,3 suggestions;

1) I'm with the socks,they are tighter


2)Get some pliers n cut the ring off the pacis,its not a neccessity n she might still knock it out but it might work.

3) wean her from the paci,you'll have to at some point anyway.

4) I know this may be shock horror to some,but,the same with both my kids,they HATE sleeping on their backs n will wake frequently.I put them on their sides which is better but not great,n recentlt baby has been sleeping with me n I put her on her stomache,she sleeps 8 hours without even moving.she can roll over now right?Maybe take off her swaddle n try seeing how she wants to sleep?

So I tried to put her down to sleep on her tummy, and she rolled to her back straight away, cheeky bugger! She just hates her stomach.

I also experimented during her naps today, and tried not to swaddle her, and for an hour she fought me, as soon as I wrapped her up, she was out like a light.

Thank you for the suggestion, Angel, I am going to try cutting the rings off one of her dummies and see if that stops her from ripping it out. That's why I luv ya!!

Oh gosh, I dunno what I'm gonna do...

My hubby joked that she is going to call me over to her apartment when she is in college to wrap her up like a burrito!! LMAO.

I'm going to have to get bigger socks, because hers are too tight for her fat wrists!!!

LOL,bless you Tiff.I feel for you and I feel so luck to have a relitavely good baby,having said that ,last night she screamed for about an hour,I had no milk left in me and I tried to make her some formula,she was NOT impressed.It was actually so funny to me coz she saw the teat (usually I pump if she gets a bottle which is very rare) and she got all excited,sucked down a moutful and then spat it back out at me and started screaming again.It was like she was saying 'screw this shit!Try and trick me...give me the REAL stuff,I aint having NONE of that " I gave her to hubby in the end.I was exausted and had a migraine.He was not impressed to be handed a screaming baby but I had to lay down in the dark and quiet.

I hope the cutting the rings off works better for you tiff,she is a little monkey isnt she? LOL It will settle down eventually.I think you will find something that works for her one day and all this will end!hugs!

Ya. I know that she will sleep like a normal person eventually. Probably by the time she does, I'll have another newborn! LOL.

It's cool. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right??

or..."what doesnt kill you...makes you wanna die" LMFAO!