Swaddle escapee=exhaustion

lifesaverz

LO's got one of her arms out of her swaddle tonight which woke her up (2 hrs ago), then I tried getting her back to sleep to no avail. Now she's finally aleep & technically I could get 5 more minutes of sleep before I have to get up for work. I'm sad. Anyone else have swaddle escapees? I don't know how she'll ever sleep without it, & I'm scared to try.

BootsOrHearts

I was worried about that too and after we stopped swaddling we had two so-so nights where he woke up a bit more than usual but since then he's been fine without it!

ugoglencoco

We are really struggling to break ds2 of the swaddle. Ds1 never even liked being swaddled but ds2 can't sleep without it. We've been swaddling with just 1 arm out for a few days now to break him of it slowly and it has not been easy ( we plan on doing both arms out after a few more days) He wakes up almost every hour just thrashing his head around because he hates having his arms out. We've also been putting him in his crib umswaddled for naps and he sleeps for 20 minutes tops. I'm so tired. Hopefully he will start to turn around soon.

playball13

Why are you trying to break him from the swaddle?

ugoglencoco

@pinkshoes1975‌ he rolls a lot. Hasn't in his sleep yet but it makes me nervous that he will and not have his arms out.

lifesaverz

Mmc0323 said:

We are really struggling to break ds2 of the swaddle. Ds1 never even liked being swaddled but ds2 can't sleep without it. We've been swaddling with just 1 arm out for a few days now to break him of it slowly and it has not been easy ( we plan on doing both arms out after a few more days) He wakes up almost every hour just thrashing his head around because he hates having his arms out. We've also been putting him in his crib umswaddled for naps and he sleeps for 20 minutes tops. I'm so tired. Hopefully he will start to turn around soon.

See this is exactly what I'd be afraid would happen. I'm going to swaddle for lyfe!!

playball13

Mmc0323 said:

@pinkshoes1975‌ he rolls a lot. Hasn't in his sleep yet but it makes me nervous that he will and not have his arms out.

That makes sense. Good luck!

jy725

My LO was swaddled until 12 weeks. She kept busting out and waking herself. I switched her to a sleep sack with no problems!

lifesaverz

Eta: @Mmc0323‌, you have all my sorries. That sounds miserable. Hope it gets better for you soon!

musicnmoon123

If you want to keep swaddling, try the miracle blanket. Virtually impossible to break free from! It has cloth that wraps individually around each arm and then goes behind LO's back so his/her own weight keeps them from being able to break out.

notkateanymore

The miracle blanket isn't impossible to break out of unfortunately... just saying.

musicnmoon123

KateMW said:

The miracle blanket isn't impossible to break out of unfortunately... just saying.

I said virtually.

Eta - damn mobile cut off the rest of my text. That looks snarky. It's not. Should've had a winky face next to it. Plus I added, it's more difficult to break out of then the Velcro swaddlemes.

lifesaverz

MrsHoffman2b said:

If you want to keep swaddling, try the miracle blanket. Virtually impossible to break free from! It has cloth that wraps individually around each arm and then goes behind LO's back so his/her own weight keeps them from being able to break out.

Hmm, thanks I may have to look into this!

insertclevername

I switched from swaddling to Merlin's Magic Sleepsuit. One crutch for another but hopefully he will do fine without the sleepsuit once his Moro reflex goes away.

utlawgirl

Yep, she started busting out of the swaddle about a week ago, and she was sleeping like crap -- up around 5 times a night. We went cold turkey -- just switched to a sleep sack. And we also sleep trained at the same time, because I couldn't set her down without her screaming. A week later, she's sleeping great again (and we only really had two rough nights).

:::dons flame-retardant suit:::

lifesaverz

NYMama1 said:

I switched from swaddling to Merlin's Magic Sleepsuit. One crutch for another but hopefully he will do fine without the sleepsuit once his Moro reflex goes away.

Oh yeah I read about those the other day. Seemed super expensive though, plus LO gets hot really easily, sometimes recently I've put her to bed in just a onesie since it has been warm. Hope your LO takes to it!

musicnmoon123

utlawgirl said:

Yep, she started busting out of the swaddle about a week ago, and she was sleeping like crap -- up around 5 times a night. We went cold turkey -- just switched to a sleep sack. And we also sleep trained at the same time, because I couldn't set her down without her screaming. A week later, she's sleeping great again (and we only really had two rough nights).

:::dons flame-retardant suit:::

How old is she? DS is sleeping like crap too.

insertclevername

jordanm24 said:

NYMama1 said:

I switched from swaddling to Merlin's Magic Sleepsuit. One crutch for another but hopefully he will do fine without the sleepsuit once his Moro reflex goes away.

Oh yeah I read about those the other day. Seemed super expensive though, plus LO gets hot really easily, sometimes recently I've put her to bed in just a onesie since it has been warm. Hope your LO takes to it!

If your baby runs warm it most likely would not work. We had one from using it for DS1 and I bought another off a discount site. He doesn't sleep any better than he did swaddled but doesn't sleep any worse either.

lynngotts

For those who don't swaddle, doesn't LO wake himself/herself up with arm flailing? That's our problem. No swaddle just doesn't work!

utlawgirl

MrsHoffman2b said:

Yep, she started busting out of the swaddle about a week ago, and she was sleeping like crap -- up around 5 times a night. We went cold turkey -- just switched to a sleep sack. And we also sleep trained at the same time, because I couldn't set her down without her screaming. A week later, she's sleeping great again (and we only really had two rough nights).

:::dons flame-retardant suit:::

How old is she? DS is sleeping like crap too.

Just over 3 months. I didn't want to ST this young, but it was either that or go crazy. We did the same with DD1 at 3 1/2 months, and both times it went surprisingly easily. And DD2 is a great sleeper (well, WAS until recently, anyway), so I really believe in the method we're using (from Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child).

AGriffin620

Our LO also escaped from his swaddle for the first time the other night...twice! He woke up in the middle of the night with one arm out, and then the same thing happened first thing in the morning.

insertclevername

@utlawgirl‌ did you use the extinction method with your 3 month old?

clhathaway

I've been putting LO in a cotton swaddle now that it's not -225 degrees out and she escapes that thing before I can turn my back. She always has a little hand poking out the top and by the time I go to bed both arms are completely out and she's smacking herself or pulling her hair. So I've turned our heat down to 60 and am using fleece swaddles until I have to swaddle her naked.

Edit because I meant to say the cotton ones stretch and work to her advantage.

utlawgirl

NYMama1 said:

@utlawgirl‌ did you use the extinction method with your 3 month old?

Yes. Weissbluth recommends trying between 12-16 weeks, although I do think that's a little young. I was hoping to wait until 4-5 months this time.

lifesaverz

utlawgirl said:

NYMama1 said:

@utlawgirl‌ did you use the extinction method with your 3 month old?

Yes. Weissbluth recommends trying between 12-16 weeks, although I do think that's a little young. I was hoping to wait until 4-5 months this time.

@utlawgirl, just curious, what is the extinction method?

tattooedtragedy

lynngotts said:

For those who don't swaddle, doesn't LO wake himself/herself up with arm flailing? That's our problem. No swaddle just doesn't work!

Not for us but then again we haven't swaddled since we came home from the hospital. With DD1 we started with one arm in and one out because she liked to suck on her hand.

stacers33

utlawgirl said:

Yep, she started busting out of the swaddle about a week ago, and she was sleeping like crap -- up around 5 times a night. We went cold turkey -- just switched to a sleep sack. And we also sleep trained at the same time, because I couldn't set her down without her screaming. A week later, she's sleeping great again (and we only really had two rough nights).

:::dons flame-retardant suit:::

@utlawgirl‌ - what did you do to sleep train? DS was an awesome sleeper (came 8 weeks early and by his due date was STTN), DD started great, then 3 weeks ago - regression!!!

thebobloblaw

Our LO has been a swaddle escapee from birth, I found that she slept worse because she was fighting the swaddle. I stopped swaddling at about 7 weeks and it took her a couple nights not to wake herself up by flailing. She's 3 months now and loves sleeping on her side and being able to wiggle around the crib, or boot scootin as I like to call it. If she does wake up she falls right back to sleep within a couple minutes.

insertclevername

A sleep regression is a normal developmental milestone for babies between 3-5 months old. It is sometimes referred to as the 4 month wakeful.

Eta: @stacers33‌

lifesaverz

Mapeers3354 said:

Our LO has been a swaddle escapee from birth, I found that she slept worse because she was fighting the swaddle. I stopped swaddling at about 7 weeks and it took her a couple nights not to wake herself up by flailing. She's 3 months now and loves sleeping on her side and being able to wiggle around the crib, or boot scootin as I like to call it. If she does wake up she falls right back to sleep within a couple minutes.

@Mapeers3354, yeah I'm kinda thinking we might need to try it without the swaddle sometime soon here....I'm scared it will mean no sleep, but I also see that she's fighting the swaddle in her sleep a lot more often recently

lifesaverz

mrssturm45 said:

L is outgrowing the swaddle me blankets and never stays in a swaddle without the velcro. We really need to transition him out but he sleeps so well swaddled.. Sigh

is he outgrowing even the large size? it's supposed to go up to 20 lbs.

esf60

We switched to the Halo Sleep Sack with the velcro panels to swaddle her arms down. It keeps her more contained for sure. This weekend we're going to try one arm out, then both arms out with the swaddle just velcroed around her waist and see how it goes. She breaks out of the SwaddleMe's every time

lifesaverz

esf60 said:

We switched to the Halo Sleep Sack with the velcro panels to swaddle her arms down. It keeps her more contained for sure. This weekend we're going to try one arm out, then both arms out with the swaddle just velcroed around her waist and see how it goes. She breaks out of the SwaddleMe's every time

@esf60, you know, that's a good idea actually.  we had a halo sleepsack but she outgrew that one so haven't used it in awhile.  I have one in her size but without the velcro panel...maybe I should go get one in her size that has the panel & go from there...then once we swaddle with an arm out she can at least still have the panel around her waist & maybe that will feel more similar to what she's used to with the swaddle.

Caitlinh27

We tried E without the swaddle last night and it was horrible. He probably woke up 5 times, compared to his normal 2. I got the Halo sleep sack at target today so I'm hoping that he won't be able to break out of that!

utlawgirl

@stacers33 and @jordanm24

Extinction (for nighttime sleep) is soothing to sleep for a period of time and then setting them down whether asleep or awake. If they cry, you let them cry until they stop (so yes, it is CIO in pretty much the purest sense). It's rough, but it works quickly -- it took us only 2 nights and now she doesn't even fuss when I put her down awake.

notkateanymore

Not sure I'm a fan of any method called extinction no matter what it's for. 

Marchmellow2

Yea I'm STing right now too. It's hard. I'm doing a gentler approach but it's still very very hard. I'm sure it will get better in a few days and I'll be glad I did it. I'm using the Sleepeasy Solution. Praying LO and I get through it and I don't mess it all up. It's really all about staying consistent. I just wish I would've read about sleep training before I gave birth. If I would've known the things I know now I wouldn't have to break the bad habits I created. I mean I would still wait until he was 4-6 months to ST but I would have done things differently. I'd reccommend researching ST now so you guys can slowly start breaking bad habits and not create new ones.

snorticusprime

KateMW said:

Not sure I'm a fan of any method called extinction no matter what it's for. 

Extinction is also a technical term in behavior therapy/applied behavior analysis. It definitely has it's merits. I won't be using it when it comes to my kid sleeping though.