Sleep advice?

CER+MEL

We've been doing pretty well with sleep so far, but we're hitting some bumps.  Here are a few issues I'd like some input on:

1) Both babies have slept at night swaddled in their cribs from the beginning and got to a point of sleeping 8+ hours at a time.  In the last week or so they've both started breaking out of their Swaddle Me's, and Michael stays awake when it happens.  I've been going in a few times at night again when he fusses to wrap him back up and give him his paci.  He goes right back to sleep when I do, but only for an hour or so at a time until feeding.  Since they're approaching 4 months old and can roll from tummy to back, I don't think switching to Miracle Blankets would be good...or would it?  Sophie breaks her arms out, but sleeps just fine.  Should I start transitioning them out of the Swaddle Me's?  Any other tips?

2) The second issue is they'll be starting child care in less than a month where they'll nap in cribs.  Currently they take four short naps unswaddled in Rock and Play Sleepers in the living room, both requiring a lot of attention to get them down (replacing paci's, holding and patting backs, etc.).  I'd like to get them napping in their cribs, possibly two longer naps rather than 4 short ones.  Should I start swaddling them during the day now and putting them in cribs to make that transition even though I'm thinking of transitioning Swaddle Me's out as well?  Based on bits I've read and heard from other moms, I'm wondering if I should try to stretch out feedings to every four hours instead of every three and/or keep them awake until naps at 9 and 1?  Or will they just sort of start doing that?

3) I read bits of Babywise and HSHHC to get us to this point, but I borrowed the books from the library and don't have them to refer to now.  I'm thinking of buying them on Amazon now.  Any other recommendations?

macchiatto

We did swaddle until 6m because our boys both slept so much better that way. I think Miracle Blankets could be worth a try.
I would also try to get them down to 2-3 naps (I think 3 naps is most common until 6-8 months, and then 2). We followed the EASY routine and did 4-hr feeding cycles. My boys did 3 naps a day from about 2m to 8m, and now at 18m they are just getting ready to drop to one nap.
HSHHC was extremely helpful for me and I find it very handy to have as a reference when my boys move to a new stage or sleep problems arise and I need trouble-shooting help, so if you liked it I would encourage buying it!

regenab

I agree with PP about them needing at least 3 naps a day at this age. Maybe even 4 if they are not down for sleep 12 hours at night, meaning if their bedtime and wakeup time in the morning are not 12 hours apart.

At 3 1/2 months adjusted I started sleep training to get them to sttn 12 hours without getting up to eat at night anymore and I used A Baby Sleep Solution by Suzy Giordano. The first step in her 4 part plan is to spread daytime feedings out to 4 hours apart, this will help them to take in more at these feedings and need to get up less and less at night to eat. So if you are up for spreading the feedings out, I would try this to see how they do, you will probably need to do this in 10-15 min. increments until you can get them pushed out to 4 hours b/w feedings.

At this age, my girls went down to bed at 6PM (needed wakeup to be at 6AM, so DH could help with morning feeding and still get to work on time), they usually got up at around 1AM for a feeding and then maybe at 4:00AM and then getting up at 6AM for the first feeding of the day. We would feed them at 6AM and then put them right back down to sleep, so it was like an extension of their overnight sleep and this worked out really well for our girls and me because I could get showered and eat breakfast before they got up for the day. They usually woke at around 8AM, I would change them and dress them for the day and take them downstairs. We would have tummy time/playtime/story time and then I would feed them and have them back down for nap no later than 10AM (2 hours of awake time max or they become overtired and will not nap). I followed this routine all day long with their last nap of the day ending at around 4:30, so they would be in bed by 6PM.

As for the swaddle mes, when my girls started breaking out of them at night, I moved them to sleep sacks. I did this on a Friday night, so if they had a hard time sleeping, DH was home with me the next day to help with the girls since I would be tired. They really didn't have any problems with transitioning and we never looked back. I was still kind of swaddling them during the day because I didn't put them in sleep sacks for nap. I just wrapped them up in a swaddle with their arms out using a Gerber waffle weave stretch blanket, I found them to make a good tight swaddle when not using a swaddleme. I did this until they were about 10 months old because they liked it so much.

CER+MEL

Thanks for the advice!  We've been putting them down around 7 or 7:30, they wake at 3 or 4:00 to eat, and then they wake again at 7 or 7:30 for the start of the day and feeding.  The breaking out of swaddles happened back when they were newborns, and going back to it is what got them to sleep for 5+ hours for the first time.  This new phase is throwing me.

Today I added a half hour between each feeding (3.5 hours) and put them in their Swaddle Me's in their cribs for naps.  It's been tricky, but I'm hoping to have them napping three times during the day in their cribs and eating every four hours within the week or so.  We'll work on the Swaddle Me's once we have that down (although Michael is currently in his sleep sack - just thought I'd try.  I'm off to tend to him now though, as that's not going well.)