Cameron is swaddled everynight for sleep and even during the day in his swing.

He manages to escape from the swaddle and ends up waking himself up and me as well. I have to rewrap him all the time. I have tried just the basic swaddle, I've tried wrapping his hands and arms in the blanket and then finishing the swaddle, I've tried a special swaddling blanket with velcro and I've even tried swaddling him in blanket and then in the special swaddling blanket.

I give up, I need some sleep, short of tieing up his hands what do I do to keep this child from thrashing around and waking himself up?

By Mrsheidi on Wednesday, December 14, 2005 - 03:54 pm:

How old is he now? At 3 months, we stopped swaddling. He was doing the same thing. Does he take a pacifier?

By Trina~moderator on Wednesday, December 14, 2005 - 03:56 pm:

Is he rolling over yet? At about 3 mos. my kids were rolling over, and at that point we gave up swaddling.

By Heaventree on Wednesday, December 14, 2005 - 04:06 pm:

He's 3 months but has been breaking out for at least a month already, he's a big baby.

Pacifiers he spits them out.

How do I get him to stay asleep? He waves his arms around and wakes himself up?

By Reds9298 on Wednesday, December 14, 2005 - 04:42 pm:

Natalie was done with swaddling at about 6 weeks. One day she just got ticked when she was swaddled and that was the end of that.

Sorry I'm no help...I had a really good sleeper. Is he still totally content when swaddled but then mad when he breaks free?

By Tink on Wednesday, December 14, 2005 - 04:43 pm:

I don't know if this will help or not but...my ds was the same way (now we know it is a stimulation processing issue) and my dh used to tuck his hands and arms against his body before swaddling and then would wrap him REALLY tight and then wrap him again backwards. Lay him on his tummy, reswaddle him, and put the "ends" behind him so he was laying on them. We'd just have him in a diaper so that he wouldn't overheat and the weight would help keep the blanket tight.

By Kaye on Wednesday, December 14, 2005 - 04:48 pm:

Ditto Tink, we did the exact same thing with my youngest!

By Mrsheidi on Wednesday, December 14, 2005 - 05:37 pm:

Is he swinging his arms to get the swaddling blanket off?
Maybe you have to do what Tink is suggesting, or not swaddle anymore. Once Connor started to destroy our swaddling contraption, we knew it was time to stop swaddling. But, if it helps him go to sleep, maybe you have to use duct tape!! LOL! (Only kidding...)

By Heaventree on Wednesday, December 14, 2005 - 06:57 pm:

Thanks Tink!

What is a "stimulation processing issue"?

I have double swaddled him, I was worried that I was going to swaddle him too tightly so of course I was up half the night wondering if he was still breathing. Ugh! He's so adorable, but I can't wait for the next problem/stage, I have had enough of this one.

By Tink on Wednesday, December 14, 2005 - 07:15 pm:

Seth has an autism diagnosis and he has trouble filtering out stimulation. It was much worse as a baby (when we didn't know what was causing it) and he startled whenever he wasn't actively playing or swaddled until he was about five months old. Lay him down for a diaper change, startle. Pick him up from a nap, startle. A door slamming shut, startle. The poor kid always had his arms flailing around and would jump at the least little thing. Putting him to sleep was no picnic! The swaddling really helped, though.

By Marcia on Wednesday, December 14, 2005 - 07:41 pm:

My oldest hated being swaddled, and wouldn't stay asleep that way. Maybe he's thrashing because he doesn't like it. I'd try putting him to sleep in warm sleepers with just a receiving blanket over him. He might sleep if he's not uncomfy and waking to let himself loose??

By Amecmom on Wednesday, December 14, 2005 - 07:59 pm:

Is he in a crib or a basinette? Helen kept waking when she would hit the side of the basinette. Once we moved her to the crib she was okay. More room to roam.

Also, (this should be on the no-no board) I put her on her belly. She flailed a lot less.
Ame

By Heaventree on Wednesday, December 14, 2005 - 08:25 pm:

He actually sleeps better swaddled. He sleeps fine from 8 pm to his next feeding which can be anywhere from 12:30 am to 3:00 am. He doesn't move much during this time and it's easy for me to get him to sleep.

It's after that night time feeding I'm having a problem. I nurse him and rewrap, no matter how straight I get his arms or how tightly I wrap him he wiggles his arms out of the swaddle and then he can't get himself back to sleep. I have to get up and rewrap and then he settles but I have to do this every hour after about 3 am. I'm exhausted and have spent the last 2 days crying. It's freaking both kids out and no DH won't or can't help out a night.

If he's not swaddled he will not settle and will grunt, complain and eventually cry. He's in a bassinette, but he's been like this since the beginning. I'm not ready to move him to a crib, I don't want to get up 5 times between 3 am and 7 am.

Ame he's not a belly sleeper and even if he was with so much talk about SIDS I wouldn't be able to sleep with him on his belly. Poor kid is getting a flat head.

He's asleep in his bouncy right now and he's double swaddled. We'll see how tonight goes.

Thanks everyone.

Geez, I don't remember being this tired with the first, but then again I could nap during the day.

By Tink on Wednesday, December 14, 2005 - 08:27 pm:

Once I couldn't swaddle any longer, we let ds sleep on his tummy, too. It made such a difference in the quality of his sleep.

By Marcia on Thursday, December 15, 2005 - 12:03 am:

What about lying him on his side?
Maybe he's gassy, if it's happening right after his feed. That could certainly cause him to flail around. Maybe try some gripe water to see if it helps to calm him.

By Andi on Thursday, December 15, 2005 - 01:26 am:

I didn't read all the post so if this is a repeat sorry.
With our kids I would lay them on there back in the crib with a blanket and I had a head support in there. the kind you use in a car seat. That helped both of my kids feel more secure and they didn't move around as much.

By Groovepickle on Thursday, December 15, 2005 - 06:30 pm:

My current 2 1/2 month old got tire of being swaddled about a month ago. He was just way more into flailing around so we let him. Our house is pretty cold so we dress him in a sleeper, onsie and socks at night. He loves it.
Groove

By Imamommyx4 on Thursday, December 15, 2005 - 10:18 pm:

DD didn't like the swaddling after about 3 weeks. Kicked at the covers until she got loose, then slept soundly. I gave up.

By Mrsheidi on Thursday, December 15, 2005 - 10:38 pm:

Sometimes, we would have Connor sleep in the swing at night. I would sleep in a bed in his nursery and fall asleep while he was swinging. Would that help?
Sweetie, I know all too well about the missing sleep thing. It depressed me SO very much. Make the DH take over somehow so you can get a nap, k? Even if it's for an hour drive somewhere.