sleep help needed

MelodyMoonstone

've created a monster on so many levels here. DS has been swaddled since day 1 and uses a paci at night.  I put him down awake, he falls asleep on his own.  He can sleep from 8-5, eat then back to sleep until 8 or 9.  But for the life of me, I cannot break the swaddle.  He is double swaddled.  If I put one arm out, he pulls out his paci and screams.  He rolls around, plays with his feet, which he doesn't do if swaddled.  I've given him a lovey instead of the paci to suck, but he won't do it.  Swaddle = sleep.  No swaddle = play time.Now on vacation, he was a crappy sleeper and we were in a house full of extended family, so I couldn't let him cry, so as soon as he'd wake up in the middle of the night, I'd nurse him back to sleep.  If he was still fussy, I'd bring him to bed with me.  He wake waking up at 12, 3, and 6 or 7 for good.  I attributed this to being somewhere new, etc.So, since I've been home, he's still waking up at 12 to eat, but I know he's not hungry.  I give him the paci and soothe him - rub his legs and stomach and head, but it took him over a half hour last night to fall back asleep.  Tonight he's been up for over an hour, losing his mind.  I know he's not hungry.  he's carely eating when i nurse him. I tried to lose the swaddle cold turkey and he's in there screaming, turned 90 degrees in the crib, with his toes in hand.FML.  I have no idea what to do but nurse him back to sleep.  

KateLouise

Is there any particular reason you want to get rid of the swaddle?

My LO is still swaddled. I often just swaddle her with one arm, but she too will pull out her pacifier, throw it across the room and then cry.

I find that she'll break out of her swaddleduring the ight but she's fine, but she needs it to first go to sleep.

I quite like the baby-whisperers ideas on pick up put down for getting Lo to sleep.  

Have you tried giving Lo water when he wakes at midnight? 

ncbelle

If he goes right back to sleep nursing, that's what I'd do.  He'll grow out of that need for that sort of comfort as he gets older.  Nursing isn't just about eating.

MelodyMoonstone

I haven't tried water.  We'll try that tonight.  He doesn't wake up at first when he's crying.  That's how I know he's not hungry, he just wants comforted.  DH went in there last night and tried to comfort him for 10 minutes, and then I went in since I'm off for the summer and DH had to go to work.

I want him to sleep swaddle-less for a few reasons.  1 - he's escape proof swaddled and then regular swaddled over it since he's breaks out of it.  When we first swaddle him when it's time to sleep, he'll fight it a little, but then relax.  When i go to get him when he wakes up, he's all tangled into the blankets and his legs are kicked out.  In the carseat, he'll sleep for an hour or so and then rub his eyes or kick and wake himself up still.  2 - he rolls during the day ( but not at night when he's swaddled) so I do worry a little about safety.  3 - I'm feeling some pressure from family to not swaddle him.  I'm not -dying- to break it.  It's just that he sleeps quite well at first with it.  

He's just on this stupid vacation schedule which sucks because we're going to be leaving again in 2 weeks.  I won't be in the same house with family though, so I don't care if he cries - we'll try to comfort him before we feed him. 

I'm just frustrated.  The swaddle really isn't the issue - the habit of waking up is.  I just tried to break it cold turkey and it was a miserable fail.