Should I reinstate the swaddle?

[MyBella]

Grasping at straws here trying to find a way to get dd to nap more than 30 min.  She's now chronically tired, and I don't know how to break the cycle. 

A few weeks ago we completely abandoned the swaddle.  Reasons: 1) She turns over at night and when her legs are swaddled, can't turn herself back.  So I was trying to leave her legs free to get her to figure out how to get back onto her back.  2) Wanted her to have access to her thumbs to self-soothe.  Well, neither of these has happened.  While she can easily roll over when she's playing, I still have to go in at night and turn her over myself.  And she can't seem to figure out her thumb or a different means for self-soothing. 

So I'm wondering if I should start swaddling again to keep her calm since she's a very alert and active baby.  But she's 28 weeks old today and I feel like she's getting too old to be swaddled.

Any thoughts?

[tylersmommy]

Personally, I don't think babies are ever too old to be swaddled...my 20 mo old still gets his legs wrapped in a blanky for naps!

I'm wondering if there's anything else going on that might be the culprit. What's her routine look like?

[MyBella]

Here's her routine:
6am Wake up
6:30am Breakfast 7 oz Formula and 3 tbsp solids
8:15am - Put down for nap - which is about 20-30 min these days which we then try to extend.  If not, keep in crib for "quiet time".  If she's frustrated, take out and continue w activity
10:30am Second Feed 6 oz Formula and 3 tbsp solids
Here's where things go awry.  If first nap was really short, the second nap has to occur much earlier since she'll be tired sooner and won't be able to stay up as long.  But we'll try for a nap roughly 2 hrs after the last wake up time.  Typically we get another 30 min nap here.
2:30pm Third Feed 6 oz Formula and 4 tbsp solids
3:30 By now super tired, so we try to put down for another nap.  Another 30  min nap these days.
4:30pm Snack 4 tbsp solids
5:00pm Bath & massage
5:30pm Dinner 6 oz formula, Book, Lullaby
6:00pm Asleep

She's been sleeping 12 hr nights since about 8.5 weeks old, but now wakes up at least twice after 2 or 3am and coos and plays for a while before going back to sleep.  I don't go in unless she calls for me, which she only does if she's gotten herself stuck in a position which she can't get back onto her back from.  Even then, I just turn her over and she typically falls back asleep without further assistance.  But I know that net net she's probably only getting about 10.5 hrs sleep at night because of this.

So overall, she's lost on average about 2.5 hrs sleep a day in the last 3 weeks (1 hr from naps and 1.5 from nightime sleep) which is why I think she's now chronically overtired.  We've also had some change, such as weaning from the swaddle, starting solids, more mobility, eliminating DF.  About a week and a half ago, we also started weaning the paci gradually to help her learn to self-soothe more independently hoping that it would help extend the short naps and help resettle at night.

Any thoughts how we can tweak her routine?  She's such a spirited one with lots of curiosity and physical strength.  She's stimulated very easily, highly alert, but overall very sweet tempered. 

Thanks.

[Deb_in_oz]

have you tried moving back her nap time a little bit?  if you try putting her down 10 min earlier and see if she sleeps longer? you can play with it a bit but start with 10 min or so.  My lo is 5 days older and also spirited with sleep.  some days she stay awake 2hr 15 but often it is closer to 2hrs (or less) and althogh we only get a 45 min nap out of her in the am she wakes happy and at least it is a full cycle.  she sleeps 11 1/2 - 12 hours straight at night + 2hr 15 - 3hrs daytime sleep (no matter how i have tried to get her to sleep more).

if she is waking in the night even though she is cooing... she is not staying in her deep sleep.  she could be stuck in a catch 22 of being overtired in the day because she slept poorly overnight and then sleeps erratically overnight because she is so darned overtired by bedtime. all it takes is breakig the cycle and gettigher to get 1 good nap so she is better reste for the next EASY cycle...