night sleeps still unsettled
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Category: Have A Baby?
Forum Name: First baby? Second or more?
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URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=31840
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Topic: night sleeps still unsettled
Posted By: mummymonster
Subject: night sleeps still unsettled
Date Posted: 23 February 2010 at 7:09am
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We need help, and sleep, definitely need more sleep
DS was swaddled for every sleep up till over a week ago. He has also had a dummy for sleeping (not other times) from about 6wks. Now he's rolling we decided it was time to move him to a sleeping bag. We knew we were in for a few days of pain, but it hasn't settled down and no one is getting enough sleep. Swaddled sleep time went like this: swaddle baby, put dummy in. He'd usually be asleep in 5-10 min (except some late afternoon naps). Over night he'd sleep from 7ish till 4ish we'd put the dummy back in and he'd wake again about 5.30, then unsettled till we'd admit it's morning around 6:30/7. Sleeping bag sleep goes like this: in his bag, put dummy in, repeat putting dummy in more times than I care to count. It's taking him up to an hour to go to sleep and overnight we're up almost every hour from mid-night putting the dummy back in. Sometimes we're up multiple times before he goes back to sleep again. What can we do? DH has suggested either letting him CIO or taking away the dummy. I don't like the idea of CIO, and if we give him his dummy at the beginning of sleep then not again isn't that confusing. If we take away the dummy completely - well I guess I'm scared he'll never sleep again. I have no idea how to get him to sleep without it. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Replies:
Posted By: Tigerish
Date Posted: 23 February 2010 at 7:16am
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We moved from the swaddle slowly and if DS wouldn't settle in his sleeping bag, we would just swaddle him for sleeping. Over time, he got more used to being unswaddled and didn't need to be moved into the swaddle. We still do on occasion swaddle him if he's really upset but on the whole he is now sleeping without.
Hope this is some help and good luck! ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: jano1
Date Posted: 23 February 2010 at 7:53am
| We unswaddled slowly too- you can put them in a sleeping bag, then the swaddle over the top and leave an arm or two out. It worked quite well for us- he is probably not used to the freedom of the bag |
Posted By: mummymonster
Date Posted: 23 February 2010 at 8:33am
I thought he'd get used to it after a week 
He's one of those babies who shows his tired signs by rubbing his face, pulling his ears and generally flailing about. Which is why he's been swaddled for so long. I've had to make bigger wraps to contain him. We've tried arms out many times and it's never lead to sleep which is why we decided to go cold turkey. (we've also done that 2 other times but never lasted past 2 days) ------------- http://lilypie.com"> http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: tiptoes
Date Posted: 23 February 2010 at 2:18pm
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What if you just use the sleeping bag during the day and continue to swaddle at night for a bit until the naps are sorted and then switch to sleeping bag at night too after a week or so? ------------- http://alterna-tickers.com">  
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Posted By: noisybaby
Date Posted: 23 February 2010 at 2:37pm
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Hey don't worry if you have to keep swaddling him. We swaddled our DD till she was 13 or 14 months but it was a mission to keep her in them. Just go with what works for you. if he still likes to be swaddled. keep him swaddled. have you tried teaching him to put the dummy back in himself and leave a few dummies in his cot during sleeps, so if it falls out he can find another one to put in, once he can do it himself. he could just feel safe all wrapped up. Try maybe wrapping him over his sleeping bag? ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
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Posted By: millymollymandy
Date Posted: 23 February 2010 at 3:27pm
| We swaddle over the sleeping bag. Works fine. |
Posted By: myfullhouse
Date Posted: 23 February 2010 at 3:36pm
I could have almost written your post except our naps were the worst affected, Ben cut down to xmin naps for weeks. On the weekend I went back to swaddling him for naps and his first nap swaddled was 1.5hrs! I don't swaddle at night because one of the reasons I stopped was I found him one night with it wrapped around his neck  ! Nights are ok, will wait a little longer and see what happens. I figure that he is just not ready to be unswaddled, might try again in a month and see what happens.
Personally I would go back to swaddling him and maybe try again in a month or whenever you are ready. At least then you would all get some sleep ------------- Lindsey 
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Posted By: mummymonster
Date Posted: 23 February 2010 at 6:11pm
I don't think he 'gets' the dummy thing. I mean when his arms are out he plays with it, and sometimes he gets it back in his mouth but mainly I think he thinks it's a toy. Then the more tired he gets the more he just kind of pops it out of his mouth with all the face rubbing. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> http://lilypie.com">
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noisybaby wrote:Posted By: myfullhouse
Date Posted: 23 February 2010 at 7:06pm
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Ben is the same, for a while I was putting socks on his hands as it made it harder for him to pull the dummy out. Or you could try a Pekemoe or similar as someone told me about in http://www.ohbaby.co.nz/Forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=31056&KW=weaning - this thread , it made it harder for Ben to pull the dummy out as well ------------- Lindsey
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Posted By: Tigerish
Date Posted: 23 February 2010 at 9:23pm
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I just remembered, we would swaddle him with one arm out to get him used to having his arms free. It helped! ------------- http://lilypie.com">
http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: mummyofprinces
Date Posted: 23 February 2010 at 10:12pm
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Jake only stopped being swaddled at 9 months as by then he had learnt how to find and put his dummy back in (still doesnt if he wakes at night, but does if he pulls it out before he goes to sleep). He would do the same thing, rub his eyes and knock his dummy out and then not be able to get it back in.... drove me batty so I started swaddling again. Not tight, he was always unwrapped when he woke up, but enough so he knew it was sleep time and he didnt grab at this dummy with his hands covered.
I am torn as to when to wean the dummy.... probably will wait until 2nd trimester and do it then.. I want it long gone before baby arrives. Am a bit worried he will regress and want it back though, so wonder if I should wait. Sorry threadjacking.. as you were LOL -------------   
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