Dd WILL NOT sleep unswaddled - HELP!

[Bexter]

Dd (5 Mths today) will not sleep unswaddled and is now getting too strong to stay put! She does her Houdini trick every 2 hours or so and, once her hands are free, she wakes herself up by rubbing her eyes and wiggling until she is properly awake (then rolls onto her front and thinks it is all very amusing at 0001, 0230, 0500 and finally 0630!). Once re-swaddled, she does drop off quite quickly but this is getting more frequent than the night feeds!!!! B4 she got so strong, she would happily go 7-7 in her swaddle! So - 2 questions here:

1. How do I 'wean' Dd out of her swaddle? (She is unable to settle herself due to the eye rubbing malarky!).
   
   
2. If Q1 is unachievable, how do I continue to swaddle without hurting her? (Blanket is already wrapped so tight!!).
   
   
   Grateful for any comments and advice (have GF CLBB - no real help there as Dd didn't take to the 'half-swaddle'!).

[fee77]

Can't help, but i have been there!! DD was exactly the same, would wriggle herself free then stare at her hands for ages or poke herself in the eye!! She eventually grew out of it, but the next step is getting legs jammed in the bars. And then there is the stage we are on, attempting to climb out - it is never easy.

[desperatehousewife]

I would try the sleeping bag approach - worked for me. Or rather for my son!

[Evesmama]

get a grow bag..definatly

[Bexter]

TY for responses - Have 2 GORGEOUS gro-bags which Lottie Lou has only had on her back once or twice when we've tried to give her a go unswaddled. However, as her arms are free, she still rubs her eyes, which wakes her up fully. Can I put a gro-bag on her and zip her arms inside? (Bit afraid that she'll suffocate if her heads slips down the neck hole!!)

[Evesmama]

prob not, but there may be something else allong those lines? hopefully someone else can advise

[moosh]

Bexter can you please go to my thread on Swaddling a newborn and explain to me how it is done. (I know you want your little one out of swaddle but my friend wants her one in swaddles). Also agree with others you can buy gro-bags 3 months onwards. Ds was 3 months when I first bought his from 3-6months.

[nailpolish]

maybe you could keep the arms inside but put her at the bottom of the cot to stop her slipping down inside? difficult i know cos they are so strong at this age, and goodness knows how they get into some of the positions you find them in ...

[moosh]

Also she is beginning to move around a bit, rolling e.t.c. and ds (now 10 months) used to do this even in his gro-bag and wake himself up constantly. this may be a phase that will pass eventually.

[charlie01]

We had this problem for ages, how come you didn't get on with the half swaddle? Do you use a sheet or a blanket? I found we had fewer escapes with a sheet. We half swaddled for ages until his arms calmed down (!) then eventually started just wrapping his body. It was at this stage that we swapped to a grobag.

[Bexter]

Moosh- have replied to your thread x

Charlie - she didn't get on with a half swaddle cos her arms were free and she just constantly rubs her eyes and flails!

Will try with a sheet (currently using a thin blanket). Still a bit scared about putting her arms inside a gro-bag - might try it during her daytime sleep so that I can monitor her!!!

True to GF - the wee one's awake and ready for her 2.30 feed! TY to all who have responded so far x

[highlander]

she might just need another month or so in the swaddle. I used Harvey Karp's book for DS when he was a nipper and he says there are a few babies that need the swaddle a lot longer than the recommended 3 months. He reckons by 6/7 months most babies grow out of it themsleves.

I weaned DS by not using it during the day and gradually introducing a fleece grow bag at night.

[Bexter]

Thanks to all who responded, Dd is now snugly swaddled in a cot sheet which works much better than the blanket and, for now at least, keeps her 'flail free' so she can enjoy a good night's sleep! TY to Highlander for support re length of time some babies are swaddled for! Hopefully my Gorgeous Girl will grow out of her need for swaddling and we can move her onto a growbag!