Stressed about about swaddling

[ladypop]

This might seem trivial, but here goes:
Out 15wk old DS has been swaddled using various swaddle wraps since birth as I quickly realised he needed it. He has always responded well to it as it helps him settle v quickly and without much fuss.
However, as he is getting stronger he is breaking out most nights of the Swaddleme he has been in for weeks. He then wakes up and I have to go into him, re-swaddle and put his dummy back in.
This happens several times a night and us basically becoming a real pita!!
I know it won't be long befor he starts rolling anyway so need to think how to wean him off swaddling but can't work out how!? The prospect of more broken sleep in the process depresses me (esp with DS1 still getting up randomly in the night too)
He really does seem to need it but I also hate it at the same time as it doesn't seem fair on him when he wants to break free!
I guess the other aspect if the problem is the dummy - if that wasn't needed then I guess he may be able to fall back to sleep unaided, but if he wakes up fully he needs it putting back in too......again, can't unite face the process of weaning him off that too :/
This all makes me sound very lazy and looking for the easy life, I know, but I guess when you solve one thing at one stage you create another problem for later on!?

Our DD loved being swaddled. She absolutely refused to sleep on her back though, so if we put her to bed on her tummy or side we'd put the end bit of the swaddle underneath her.
Dummies? iv'e not answers. DD used to go through them like billy-o. I got to be very adept at finding them in the dark and re inserting.

If his dummy is falling out it may be time for the next size up or a different brand. Babies mouths come in all shapes and sizes and there is no one size fits all dummy.

I'd personally try a sleeping bag in place of swaddling. He would still be enclosed but his arms would be free. Babies tend to wake because they are cold. He could be getting cold because he has broken out of the swaddle me. A sleeping bag would ensure he stayed warm all night, and his arms would be free so no need for escape attempts.

I've swaddled all my kids they seem to love it. only now in summer I've been lax it too hot for swaddling I just put covers over her and make sure she has warm clothing on if it suddnely turns cold.

I think you've got some sort of swaddling wrap you named a brand right? Maybe it's not long enough to tie tightly anymore? well just use a baby blanket the sort you can get in mothercare fleecy soft to touch fairly long. They usually come as a bale you get the sheets which you need for swaddling and the cellular blankets which are good for extra warmth especially in layers in the winter.

Anyways fold in half and swaddled fairly firmly, but leave one hand out since your baby is over 1 now he/ she will want more movement. Try and ditch the dummy. After one week of moaning the baby will forget about it. My daughter never took to the dummy believe me I tried I wanted to sleep s badly. my son however didn't want to let go of his I had to pretend it was lost after a week he simply got over .it if she still gets unwrapped don't worry If you think she'll get cold just put warmer clothes on again after 1 week of restlessness and moaning she will get used to being without the swaddle.

My daughter is about your baby's age now I'm not swaddling but im sure I will in winter. Just tuck her in tight before you get in bed. Warm the room up too if it feels cold, that way you know she won't catch a cold unwrapped. My 2.5 year old still likes swaddling but with both arms out when it's more nippy outside.

Good luck!

Thanks for your replies! I think I may have answered my own question. I made sure the swaddle was really secure last night and, although he still managed to break free aone point!, the other times he woke he was stil swaddled. he tends to wake any time after 4am, if I pop dummy back in he quite quickly falls back to sleep, but will wake about every hour until I finally 'let' him get up anytime after 6am
So I think whatever night attire he was in he would still wake up! I don't think it's hunger as he has a feed about 1am and I don't think he would re-settle if he was hungry??
We tried him in a Gro bag the other night as I would really prefer him to be in this but he woke more frequently due to his arms flailing about all over the place. So I might leave it for now until we can't swaddle no more! either because he simply won't stay in it or he starts rolling.....then accept we may have a more unsettled period when he gets used to Gro bag.
Dummy wise, I think weaning him from that is for later on - can't face it now!!

I swaddled DD until she was 6 months, I used a fitted jersey cot sheet. You can wrap them tight and there long enough to go round a few times. She couldn't break out of it. She also has a dummy. When the hot weather hit I couldnt swaddle her any more so put her in a thin sleeping bag. It took just over a week for her to get used to it. She would wake 4-8 times a night to have her dummy put in. Stopping swaddling also coincided with her rolling so not sure which was causing her to wake more frequently but after about a week she's back to sleeping all night undisturbed.

I use LovetoDream zip up swaddle sack. I think it's an Australian company, , very simple idea but seems to do the trick, , worth checking out. They come in weight sizes so my newborn has the first size and I had the next size up for my next eldest until he started sleeping through at 9 months. They zip ip the whole way at the front, both up and down zippers. Like a baby gro bag but with arms, baby looks a bit like a totem pole in it! Very cute and they definitely won't come unawaddled overnight.Fairly cheap too, possibly about £15 if I remember correctly. Would certainly recommend.

When ds started breaking free i started partial swaddling and leaving the arms out until i felt he was ready for the sleeping bag

When my daughter started breaking out of her swaddle she'd often end up with it over her face, cue panic from me. Sleeping bags were a lifesaver and she didn't bat an eyelid when first put to bed in one rather than blankets.

Are you sure it's not hunger? A feed at 1, then waking between 4-6 could be just that (my dn didn't sleep through for two years because he was always in need of an early morning feed, despite having had huge ones at 11/12. I'm just thinking he would settle with a dummy temporarily if hungry but wake within 20 minutes

Good point - the last few nights he hasn't fed until 2-3am and then been much more settled until 6.30am. I am hoping it continues!

And I have been upping the amount per feed, day and night. It may be helping..... Who knows!? X