Fighting the swaddle

jordans_wife · March 2016

I swaddle with a muslin blanket at night so his startle reflex doesn't wake him up. But a lot of the time he fights it afterward bc he's mad and wants held. So he breaks out of it and the process repeats. It's exhausting and I'm out of ideas. How do you put your lo's down at night? He sounds like a grown man trying to break out of a straight jacket! I feel like at 4 weeks I should have a pretty good routine and know what works but I'm at a loss with him. I'm afraid to leave his arms free but I'll try anything at this point.

mwmiller4 · March 2016

I'm so impressed that you've been using real blankets!!! DH and I are total swaddle failures.

I love our halo swaddle sack thing! It has two giant strips of Velcro and also long as I'm not lazy when I put her in it, she can't break out. We also have a woombie (which I haven't tried in a while since it's been cold and when she was first born it was too big and she would still startle herself awake) and a miracle blanket (which works but is slightly more complicated).

lilqt3929 · March 2016

Our LO was the same way with being swaddled, he was so loud grunting so we had to move him to his room so I could sleep and also we stopped swaddling his arms in so he is only swaddled from under his arms down. I do put socks on his hands since its still cold here and I think that helps some. So far its worked great for us.

VitaLuna · March 2016

I don't swaddle and my LO has been sleeping fine in her rock n play. I didn't swaddle DD1 for very long, either.

Ju111310 · March 2016

Summer infant swaddle me wraps - Walmart,target, Amazon. Like a comfy little baby straight jacket! Used them with DS1 until he could roll over and using again with DS2. I've tried the fancier ones like Halo but they tend to be too stretchy for us and little LO get his arms free.

TheBeesBonnett · March 2016

I eventually had to realize all the sweet swaddle sacs we were gifted and had bought were useless because my girl (2wks 3 days) was born a hand sucker, and is also very strong and doesn't want her arms restrained. I blanket swaddle with the cloth under her arm pits. She would be fine unswaddled but I use it as a part of our routine. After diaper and before nursing I wrap her up in a way so she can access her hands, it's just sheer chaos to refuse her her hands, which she isn't sucking as much but just wants to feel free.

ladyofsummer · March 2016

My DS has been kicking out of swaddles some day one, so I don't even try. Daddy does though, he was shown three ways to swaddle - two nurses and his boss - the later had the tightest sales swaddle and was amazed even he kicked himself out before her fifteen minute visit was over.

"That boy of yours has strong legs."

Don't I know it, my ribs got a beating those last couple of weeks.

MississippiCatfish · March 2016

Only you know if it's beneficial to keep swaddling baby or not, but it is common for babies who do like being swaddled to fight it initially each time. If you think it helps baby sleep once he calms back down, I'd agree that there are some amazing swaddle products out there that are much more difficult to get out of! Things like the woombie and merlins Magic sleep suit will also suppress the startle reflex:)

CountryAir13 · March 2016

The only time little one was swaddled was in the hospital. I never could master it and he hates the sleep sacks. Neither one of our boys liked to be swaddled. They have to have their arms free

ashton2190 · March 2016

DD did better in a swaddle for the first couple of weeks. I used the halo sleep sack and muslin blankets. After that period of time, she would fight and scream as soon as I would start swaddling her and it was too stressful for me. Now we put her in one of those sleeping gowns and make sure she has socks on. She's a little space heater too so I'm not concerned about her getting overheated. She sleeps just as well as she did before and really only wakes up during the night to eat, get a new diaper, or occasionally to burp if I couldn't get her to after eating

meg+on+the+DL · March 2016

My LO hates being swaddled with her arms down. Ever since she was in the womb, she's always had her hands up by her face. So when I swaddle her I bend her hands up and she'll sleep like a rock. And that's with the Halo sleep sac and a blanket swaddle.

* Side note: she didn't really sleep on the bed like this. I just laid her there so I could use the bathroom. I came back and she was just too cute. DH said that she just laid there so so quiet. Normally her hands are not so close to her face, just right at her chest.

jordans_wife · March 2016

Thanks guys! I'm going to try the swaddle with arms out tonight and see if that works. Mama needs some damn sleep so I hope so;)

Vkrosa · March 2016

My LO hates being swaddled but she is finally getting the hang of it. It only took 3 1/2 weeks. Hang in there. Also I use the swaddle sack things with Velcro because the blankets are to easy for her to bust out of. Hang in there. You can do it

jordans_wife · March 2016

Well I swaddled my baby with his arms out last night and finally I think I found something he likes. I put a soft blanket over the top of that and put him in a fleece sleeper and he slept pretty dang well. Almost 4 hours tge 1st stretch! Thanks for the advice ladies:)

FriendlySoutherner · March 2016

LO is 6 days old, we first started attempting to swaddle him with receiving blankets. He broke free every time. DH picked up a Wombie but he has to be VERY drowsy to stay in it but it makes night time feedings almost impossible because he keeps his fists in the boxer pose. . so we give up with swaddling and only use the Wombie when he is in the right mood for it. He sleeps pretty good without it so I don't stress it. I sorta can't blame him for not wanting to be tied down like that.

oxfordlanding · March 2016

If your baby doesn't like swaddlig I'd just go with the flow and forget it. we use blankets tucked in tightly and no higher than the nipple. It's what they use in the hospital and it's perfectly safe. Just make sure baby's feet are near the bottom of whatever she's sleeping in so she can't wriggle under the blankets. However the struggling and crying may be nothing to do with the swaddle.it may be wind, hunger (even if you've JUST fed her) not wanting to soil herself (many newborns don't like sitting a dirty nappy, or pooping peeing in a nappy, in which case you might want to play around with letting her pee/poop nappy free), or sheer bloody mindedness. Ours hasnt been swaddled except for one not very successful attempt and does exactly the same thing :-)

oxfordlanding · March 2016

Ps the moro reflex doesnt wake her up at all. I think it gets blamed for every waking when sometimes it's just one of those things and nothing to do with the reflex.

g0lightly8706 · March 2016

so good to know I'm not alone.. my girl HATES being swaddling. she is constantly stretching and raising her arms in her sleep so being tied down in a swaddle just doesn't work. Even in the velcro swaddles doesn't work because she's so strong she just rips through those and becomes free. She also hates laying straight on her back so she's going against everything 'they' have told us. To get some sleep, we have resorted to her sleeping in her vibrating bouncy chair that put her on an incline with long sleeved onesies and a blanket wrapped around her from the chest down so her arms can freely move about. It's working for now but i'm nervous about what's to come when we try to transition her to a crib in a couple months…

lilqt3929 · March 2016

jordans_wife said:

Well I swaddled my baby with his arms out last night and finally I think I found something he likes. I put a soft blanket over the top of that and put him in a fleece sleeper and he slept pretty dang well. Almost 4 hours tge 1st stretch! Thanks for the advice ladies:)

Glad you got some sleep! Hopefully it continues for you!

egraves4 · March 2016

@oxfordlanding we do the same. She hates the swaddle. She sleeps in a RnP and we just tuck in a light blanket tightly. Much easier for nightly feedings and diaper changes.

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