Breaking Habitual Waking

[Little Bear's Mum]

Hi, my nearly 6month old was always wrapped until about a month ago. Since then I've had most nights unwrapped (but not all) and all days unwrapped. The days are going fine, but the nights, not so fine!

I have discovered if I wrap Daniel it appears that he can and will mostly sleep right through, from 6.30pm - 6amish. BUT if I leave his arms out but still in his sleeping bag, he'll wake at around midnight and 5am. I'm thinking it's habitual waking rather than hunger as he can go right thru when wrapped.

My dilemma is I keep picturing myself sending him off to stay at a friends house when he's 8 years old asking someone to wrap him at night  :oops:  :oops:  :cry:  :cry:

I've tried wrapping him a couple - three nights in a row then unwrapping and he still wakes, so I"m wondering if I wrap for a couple of weeks and he succesfully sleeps all night, then I try unwrapping, will this stop the habitual waking?

I know it's just a matter of me trying it, but has anyone had experience of habitual waking, and if so, once you changed the habit, did it stay changed? Or am I going to have to fix the habit by keeping him unwrapped and deal with the habit by some other means? I've tried letting him resettle by himself but it doesn't usually work. So far I haven't ever done PUPD and too scared to try. :oops: 

Any ideas and thoughts appreciated.

Thanks.

Hayley

[Katet]

If wrapping works, keep doing it, he will eventually break out of probably when he starts crawling, so I'd keep doing it... the other thing is there may actually be something associated with the wrap, that he uses as a comfort item to help him re-settle...
my ds#2 is sort of half wrapped (wrap over his hands, but he can move them & he sucks on the material to go to sleep... so I will be cutting the wrap up into smaller pieces for his "comfort item" soon.

[Nikki~Nathan&Danielle]

Yes, I'd say just keep with it if he's happy.  My 10mth old niece was still wrapped until she started moving around more and I think it was a natural transition/weaning for her.  Another alternative is using a SafeTSleep - of course there can also be sleep disruptions when they're weaned off them, but they can be used right up to toddlerhood. 

Danielle isn't wrapped any longer (but is in a SafeTSleep but with her arms out), but does have a muslin cloth that I lay length wise down the side of her body under the blankets with just the top poking out that I place over her arm and she pushes it into her face to suck on.  So like Kate suggested, maybe it's just his way of feel secure at this stage. 

When he's older he physically won't let a wrap stay on him, so just go with it for now.

[Little Bear's Mum]

Thanks Nikki and Kate. We had a bit of a battle tonight to wrap him, and although I felt sooo mean wrapping him I really wanted to try it again. he wasn't crying or anything, just everytime I tried to get the second side of material acroos he'd get out of the first. It ended up with his hands being near his face under the wrap, which he managed to get there himself. So I don't feel quite so mean now. Then I popped in later and it was nearly out. So I'm thinking he's telling me he really doesn't want to be wrapped, but we'll see what happens tonight.

In thinking about what he does during the day, he grabs the sheet and sucks his hand thru it, so it's kind of a comfort thing. I guess he could be needing the wrap for this at night. I hadn't thought about it that way.

Thanks, I feel better now. I'll keep wrapping for now and just see how we go. He's pretty strong, so I'm sure he'll be free by morning :lol:

[kendallnangie]

By habitual do you mean the same time every night?  If so then try the wake to sleep method....it worked wonders for us. as far as wrapping him up. I stopped cold turkey with that because my DD was going through a rough week anyhow so we went ahead and took the wrap away. A day later, she slept llike an angel!  Today though is a new story :roll:

HTH, Angie

[neet]

Hi there,

we stopped wrapping our little one at 4 months, he didnt have great night sleeps after that for about a week once he got used to his arms flapping about, but that is to be expected.  id say, if you are going stop wrapping him, just do it and expect initial disturbances. he will soon get used to sleeping this way. 

I know what you mean about feeling terrible when you wrap him.  Ethan was the same, he'd fidget and wriggle to get out of it immediately when it was on and i felt awful.  that was when i knew it was time to stop doing it. 

also too, he may be teething, thats why he could be waking at odd hours??  just a thought!

good luck!

neet