Baby fights the swaddle

[Abbyw]

Hello.
My LO is 9.5 weeks and I'm starting to implement EASY. My baby is  good sleeper but unfortunately she's gotten used to being rocked to sleep in my or DH's arms. She needs a paci to fall asleep as well. Also once she was asleep I'd swaddle her with a thick blanket but never when she was awake.
I've been using the 4S method to get her to sleep, I only started the process yesterday but have to keep shushing and patting for almost an hour becuase she keeps fighting the swaddle. And have had to keep a firm hand on her hands whole shushing and patting.

I'm ok with her sucking her fists but when she isn't swaddled she keeps rubbing her nose and scatching her face.

Is this normal? Are there any tips out there?
I feel like I can't enjoy my little girl if I'm constantly trying to put her to sleep and failing 

[jessmum46]

Hi Abbyw, congratulations and welcome to BW

Before you started the shh-pat/4S, had things started falling into much of a routine yet or were you more taking each day as it came?  I wonder if perhaps it's just been too much of an abrupt change for her - she is after all still very tiny, and most babies this age need help to settle so please don't feel bad at all about anything you have done so far!   It may just be worth taking a step back, doing a bit of observation for a while, and trying to establish a rough EAS structure first before so she gets used to having that pattern to the day.  You can then work on independent sleep gradually at a pace that suits you both.  Takes the pressure off you too - whilst EASY is hugely helpful in the long run, it doesn't have to be all or nothing from day one, and certainly not at the expense of you enjoying your precious bundle! 

Things that can help - often over tiredness is a big factor in flailing arms and fighting behaviour when trying to settle to sleep.  Average awake time (eyes open to eyes closed, including eating time) at 2 months is only 1h15-20, so we'd suggest winding down from around an hour or so aiming to be in bed with time for settling before she gets past that sleep window.  Some Mums have success with more structured swaddle suits - I believe there are several on the market which can be a bit easier/more secure than a blanket.  But I'd also say that swaddling is not compulsory - I didn't really swaddle mine at all, just tucked them in firmly with a blanket.  They do get better quite quickly at controlling their arms so if you and she are finding the swaddle more annoying than helpful it's just something to bear in mind.

As she's used to falling asleep in your arms, how about beginning with shh pat in your arms to get her used to it and then slowly transitioning to the crib?

I started out by just aiming for one nap a day in the crib, and gradually built up as mine got more used to it.  I also never spent more than about 10-15 mins trying to settle - as I figured once we got past that point, LO was overtired, unlikely to settle easily or be in the right place to really learn settling skills, and therefore 'damage limitation' became more important!  (picked up and cuddled or put in a sling to get to sleep)

I hope something there is helpful for you