How/When/Why to stop wrapping
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Topic: How/When/Why to stop wrapping
Posted By: FionaO
Subject: How/When/Why to stop wrapping
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 9:54am
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Hi, We have swaddled DS since he was born really, he is just super manic with his arms at the best of times and swaddling him just helps him calm down.....or it did. Recently when we go to wrap him he seems to get cross. He still sleeps well wrapped and if he gets an arm out (not often) I don't tuck it back in unless he wakes up.
Just keen to know really, when you stop wrapping, what made you stop and how you did it. Oh and its just his arms that are wrapped not his legs - so he can kick a lot, which he does, got him a sleep sack but far too hot for that at the mo. ------------- 
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Posted By: KiwiL
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 10:09am
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Finley sounds exactly like Jackson. His arms and legs flail everywhere constantly!!
We've gone to one arm out, which seems to work well. I trialled both arms free, but I think he lacked the security he was used to. So we'll keep swaddling like that until about 6 months I would suspect. Once the weather starts to cool we want to put him in his sleeping bag but even then it is possible to wrap over the top if they need it. If it is working, I don't see any reason to stop swaddling. Some babies just like that feeling, but also need it to sleep well. Jackson also gets cross, but he sleeps SO much better swaddled. |
Posted By: jaycee
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 10:35am
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There is some info on my fav website about weaning your baby off being swaddled (and heaps of other good info too).
http://www.thesleepstore.co.nz/ - The Sleep Store Amy was only wrapped from the chest down (first time mummy who didn't know how to do it properly!!). Then at about 6months she went into her gro-bag and is still in it (toddler size now). With Sophie I bought a shaped wrap and she was in it until about 4 months and then I transitioned her into her gro-bag. No real reason except that I had the bag and thought it was about the right time. If he is OK being swaddled then at 3 months I would keep going for a while. Lots of babies stay swaddled for much longer. If it helps him sleep then that is all good  -------------   
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Posted By: FionaO
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 10:42am
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I tried one arm out about a week or so ago, thought it worked ok, but then he woke himself up scratched his face a lot and got very cross. Just think he knows now wrap = sleep and he is not always keen, has taken to a growling type noise which is bizaare. -------------
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Posted By: Shezamumof3
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 1:21pm
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We stopped wrapping Caden at 3 months, cos he kept getting out of it and would angry when we tried to wrap him, he slept well but he hated "being" wrapped.
Caden slept well without it either, so he was just in the safe t sleep after we stopped wrapping. ------------- |
Posted By: Leahsmummy
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 1:28pm
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Fi, we dont wrap Leah during the day which she likes but then we wrap her at night, i tryed not to wrap her one night last week but she just kept waking up and as soon as she was wrapped she fell straight sleep so she knows wrap means night time. And the reason why we dont wrap her during the day is because she used to get really angry!!! -------------   
Angel Baby Dec 09, We will love you forever. |
Posted By: FionaO
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 2:33pm
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Ok silly question but i'm not sure how I would get him to sleep without, maybe i'll try days, its not like he sleeps long then anyway. The wrap just keeps him still, do you hold their arms? -------------
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Posted By: lisa85
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 3:16pm
We were wrapping the girls untill about a week ago and they're 8 months lol! We stopped wrapping their arms at about 3 months though. We were so scared they wouldn't sleep if we stopped wrapping them. Plus they would push off their sheets and get their legs stuck between the cot bars  Have now invested in gogo bags for them and stopped wrapping. It took about 2 sleeps for them to get used to the bags and now we can't live without them -------------  
TTC #3 since Jan 2010 - PCOS MC April 2010 |
Posted By: FionaO
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 3:40pm
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Ok when you say you were wrapping but not their arms, totally confused, do you just mean wrapping their legs - sorry if that sounds dumb, its just that I have no idea how you would wrap legs.
Gogo bag, is that the same as a sleeping bag thingy - I have such a hot bubba even the really thing one we got is too hot for him right now. -------------
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Posted By: lisa85
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 4:26pm
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Yeah a gogo bag is a merino wool sleeping bag that you use instead of sheets
http://www.gogobag.co.nz/ - Gogobag We use to wrap their legs. Basically we would wrap a thin blanket around their body just under their arms. My sister did the same with her twin boys till they were almost one! We figured it couldn't be good for their legs wrapping them every night. But they kept getting their legs stuck between the bars and getting cold if we didn't. The gogobags have been life savers. We just put on the A/C when its hot. -------------
TTC #3 since Jan 2010 - PCOS MC April 2010 |
Posted By: WRXnKids
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 5:33pm
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I stopped wrapping josh about 3ish months i think and he use to sleep really well through the night but in the last 2 months i have had to start wrapping him again because he wakes up screaming like he is having a nightmare and wont calm down for ages unless he is wrapped so its just easier if i do must be a clingy stage and needs the security again.
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Posted By: busyissy
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 6:08pm
| We were still wrapping Dominic at 10months old, mind you with one arm out. All babies are different just go with what your child needs. |
Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 7:28pm
Mostly I stopped the wrapping thing because it was too hot and/or because the baby seemed too old for it! Great scientific reasoning there!! 
How I did it was to wrap the baby looser and looser and see if they would still get to sleep. If they did - great. If they didn't - I'd wrap them a bit longer. Eventually you wrap them so loose that they'll fall asleep unwrapped and then you just stop altogether. -------------  |
Posted By: pekemoemum
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 10:04pm
I would say to definitely keep going with the wrapping if it's working well for him! The only reason we stopped was when Tyde started breaking free all night (even from a miracle blanket) and my perfect sleeper started waking all night. We developed the Peke Moe and never looked back. If you decide you are ready to transition, I would go with nap times first - loosen wrap slowly, then one arm out at a time (just do naps tho for a day or so), then nights. Sometimes the best option is going cold turkey.. and suffering a few days or week of disrupted sleep, but I personally think if it's going well, then just go with it! :) all the best! ------------- Gina, Reef 15/6/03, Tyde 12/2/07 http://www.pekemoe.co.nz - Peke Moe - Unique NZ Made Baby Sleeping bags for babies who get out of swaddle/wrap |
FionaandFinley wrote:Posted By: freckle
Date Posted: 27 January 2009 at 7:19am
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We wrapped our wee girl until she was 8 months - I tried a number of times to leave her unwrapped prior to this as she protested being wrapped a fair bit - but she couldn't sleep at all when left unwrapped!
Finally I stopped when we had a scary wee experience she was trying to escape from her wrap and smooshed her face into the bumper (which I know aren't a good idea but kept it bit warmer in there) and because she was wrapped up she was struggling to move - it was scary!! So from then on we put up with her crawling around her cot and climbing the bars to get out until she was so tired she gave in and went to sleep!! ------------- mum to 3 lovely girls :D |
Posted By: pomikiwi
Date Posted: 27 January 2009 at 11:58am
DD was over 7 months before she stopped being wrapped. If he sleeps better swaddled I wouldn't worry about it just yet. He's still real little! ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
DD-Carys Amelia 17.03.06 |
Posted By: hooper
Date Posted: 27 January 2009 at 2:26pm
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my fatman is still wrapped he wont sleep unless wrapped. i say go with what works. ------------- Desiree 
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Posted By: July Mum to be
Date Posted: 14 February 2009 at 3:39pm
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hi eveyone, im a first time mom to be, due in july (winter baby) and im a bit confused as to how many things i need to buy to help baby sleep? I was thinking of buying safe t sleep and a wrap. But do i also need a sleeping bag (gogo or grobag) and miracle blanket/wrap? Do I need all this ?
And also why can't you use bumper in the cot? i went and bought a duvet & bumper set in the weekend? And Because the baby is due in july and its going to be freezing, what can i use in their cot to make it warmer? thanks :) ------------- http://pregnancy.baby-gaga.com/"> 
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Posted By: ElfsMum
Date Posted: 14 February 2009 at 5:13pm
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we stopped wrapping about 8 months i think? But it took several goes.. and he was still safety sleeped as well ....
we wrapped arms tightly and then when he could get outta that we wrapped over his arm then underneath... he loved it and it took a few goes and then his sleep suit to get him to now which is no safety sleep or wrap.. he has a sleep suit for the sleep store (0.5 one)and still wears in the middle of summer.. which is brilliant:) if you are wrapping with legs like we did in the beginning.. you just wrap over body then under an arm and tuck around and then over the other side so they are like in a cocoon.. they love it as babies :) ------------- Mum to two amazing boys! |
Posted By: weegee
Date Posted: 14 February 2009 at 5:28pm
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Hi July Mum to be, welcome to Oh Baby! My little man was born in July, great month
You will need lots of wraps, not just one. We had 3 plain flannelette ones which we got given as a present. It's harder to keep them in those though, so get an oversized one if you can (the big oversized sleepstore ones looked great ) or go for a shaped wrap, something like a swaddleme, a miracle blanket or a cocooi (the shaped wraps are easier for Dads and harder for bubs to break out of). We had a swaddleme which worked well for us but there may be a bit of trial and error with each baby. And again you'll need more than one depending on how often you want to do washing and how spilly your baby is. You're unlikely to need a safe t sleep for a few months - some people don't need them at all - but they're useful for putting bubs to sleep on an ordinary bed. For example we went away camping last weekend and our bubs slept in an ordinary bed in a caravan using one. I see Phil and Teds have brought out their own version, the http://www.philandteds.com/wriggle_wrapper_index.htm - wriggle wrapper , which doubles as a travel highchair once bubs can sit, and is cheaper than a safe t sleep, worth checking out! I should point out lots of people seem to give wraps and that sort of thing as presents when baby arrives, perhaps if people ask you what you want ask for gift vouchers from The Sleepstore. And as jaycee said, check out their website, there's heaps of good info there. Bumpers and duvets aren't recommended for babies due to increased http://sids.org.nz/site/content/information/parents_reducing_the_risks/ - SIDS risk (you don't want anything soft in their cot that might suffocate them, and you want as much air flow around baby as possible, which the bumper interferes with). Don't worry, you might get the use of them later on - once baby is moving around in the cot and constantly bumping their head there's a definite need for them. That is, unless you're using a safe t sleep or similar on a daily basis, in which case they're unnecessary. (Some people are anti safe t sleeps - or for that matter play pens or exersaucers - because they don't think you should restrict baby's movements or put them in any situation they can't get out of - but personally I say whatever works for you is good!) Sleeping bags are useful for later on for when you want to wean the baby off wrapping and to avoid the problem of baby kicking off all their blankets. When JJ was new he went to bed with a woollen singlet and long sleeved bodysuit, he was wrapped, and we layered a couple of woollen aircell blankets on top (but well away from his face). Bottom line - go look at The Sleepstore website, have a read through the info there, and I would probably hold off on buying any sleep props etc until after baby arrives and you can see what you've been given and find out how wriggly baby is! When they're really little you can wrap them in a flat nappy or a cot sheet. Have a hunt on YouTube for swaddling instructions as well, there's heaps of info on there. ------------- 
Mum to JJ, 4 July 2008 & Addie, 28 July 2010 |
Posted By: LeahandJoel
Date Posted: 14 February 2009 at 5:40pm
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We used the safety sleep from 6 weeks as the end of the cot was raised and he (well both actually) kept falling to the end under the blankets We never wrapped Leah....she hated it, Joel loved it from the start. We used flannel wraps (winter) so long as it wasn't stretchy as he could get out of the stretchy ones. In the end we got a miracle wrap and that was great. He was in that till 16 weeks, then I started leaving 1 arm out (hes a thumb sucker now so I don't have to get up for the dummy), then itstarted getting to warm so we ditched the wrap altogether, hes still in the safety sleep but not for much longer, he gets out and wanders around the cot!!!! His legs were wrapped longer than his arms as he flaps his legs up and down to kick the blanket off, when its cooler he is going into a merino sleepsack to keep warm. -------------  
 
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.Posted By: FionaO
Date Posted: 18 February 2009 at 9:57am
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Ok, so I have tried one arm out at his morning and afternoon naps as they only need to be little naps and he goes to sleep ok, he has a cuddly dog he holds with his free hand which is super cute, but not wrapping him means he does wake after 45 mins, wrapping him means he does not.
He does not have his legs out, its just a miracle swaddle and he's way to long for the legs bit, so each arm is wrapped by his side and at night he is also in a bag as he tends to kick - a lot. Is it important to get him off being wrapped or will he grow out of it, he is starting to show signs of thumb sucking but can't quite manage just yet. -------------
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Posted By: pekemoemum
Date Posted: 18 February 2009 at 7:34pm
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if he sleeps better wrapped I would definitely continue!!! why muck up a good thing! :) wait a couple of months then just work on naps again and see how he goes... he just might not be ready yet??...
all the best! :) ------------- Gina, Reef 15/6/03, Tyde 12/2/07 http://www.pekemoe.co.nz - Peke Moe - Unique NZ Made Baby Sleeping bags for babies who get out of swaddle/wrap |
Posted By: kiwikid
Date Posted: 18 February 2009 at 11:01pm
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We started doing one arm out at about 4mths as Hayden seemed desparate to have his fist to suck on and that did work well for us, it might take a little time for bubs to get used to it and sleep longer. We quickly went from one arm out to unswaddled or should I say we quickly attempted to go unswaddled but it was a disaster!!!! So he had one arm out for 2mths and just this week I tried again with both arms out (and feet out so only torso wrapped) and he was just fine so the next sleep I left the miracle wrap off altogether and he has been just fine since.
So as pekemoemum said its really ok if he's not ready yet, he'll get there and being wrapped for a few more months or even longer shouldnt be an issue at all. You might find when he's a bit older you might have to introduce other sleep cues like a sleeping bag before you think about weaning of swaddling so that when you do get him off it he still has cues as to when its nap/bed time. ------------- 
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Posted By: July Mum to be
Date Posted: 20 February 2009 at 3:27pm
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Hi Girls, Hope everyone is doing well :):)
Thanks Weegee & LeahandJoel for your replies. I spent a few hours on that sleepstore site. its great eh. I now have another question? Gogo bag and Gro bag - Which is better and why? What do you girls have and what do you like and dislike about them? Thanks a lot ------------- http://pregnancy.baby-gaga.com/">
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