Can someone help with my very fidgety 6 mo old PLEASE!!!!!

[vickytxs]

I recently posted on swaddling my son when he was 5 mos old. I was advised to keep on swaddling which I have. I use the miracle blanket. he is now 6 mos old. he still doesnt sleep through the night but being swaddled help keeps him asleep.
i am wanting to know if there are any mothers out there who have had the same problem i am about to talk about with their baby. when he is sleepy and not swaddled (he is starting to try to roll over so i have taken it off a few times, only to have to put it back on), he moves his hands about, pulling at my hair, his hair, the pilow, whatever is nearby, and scratching his ear or head. he has even cut himself when his nails were long. he also rubs his eyes uncontrollably and starts rubbing his face. he was sick this past week with a high fever so i had to unswaddle him and i actually, literally have to hold his arms down at his sides to keep him from doing all of the above and waking himself up! i ended up sleeping with him in our guest room for a few days cause it was just too much and i was exhausted.
why does he do this?!!!! he cannot fall asleep at all without waking himself up unless he is absolutely dog tired and if he does, he doesnt sleep for more than an hour or hour and a half. is there anyone out there who has had anything similar and can make me feel any better??!!!
my mom in law says she things he will outgrow his awkwardness when he sleeps. but im afraid the time is going to come soon when i will have to unswaddle him when he is able to completely roll over and he wont be able to stay asleep cause of his fidgeting!!! does anyone have any helpful advice or hints please, please! i am hoping he will just naturally adjust when he can roll over to sleeping without the swaddle but i dont know, im worried cause he has never been a good sleeper and i am already exhausted as it is!! please help!!! :?

[shem2005]

maybe it is something he just has to get use to. My DD has been unswaddle on and off for about a month. She goes down fine but if i have to resettle her, she flaps around, trys to grab me etc. I just keep her on her back, don't make eye contact and pat her legs.

After a while her arms will just fall by her side and she will start to calm down, can take 40 minutes or so, but this indicates that she is starting to calm and want to go to sleep. It can be hard but just don't let him interact, kind of ignore.

Don't know if it will help or not, but i am sure babies just need to get use to their limbs etc we can't swaddle them forever. But that being said if swaddling does make it easy maybe use it for a bit longer.

[deb]

Couple of crazy ideas: will he sleep on his tummy? I found with Natalie (who's tummy-slept from day one) that it seems to keep her from flailing too much, at least till she figured out how to get on her hands and knees and now pull up on the side of the crib. :? I put Josie down on her tummy when she was maybe a year old and she slept like a LOG that way; made me wish I'd tried it sooner.

Have you tried the Aussie Swaddle? There are links for it here and I think maybe in Props. It's a little complicated, but Josie took to it like a duck to water, and she usually struggled with a tighter swaddle but this suited her as she had a wrapped-up feeling AND some freedom of movement. I had to practice on one of her stuffed toys to get the knack :lol: but it was well-worth the extra effort. Might take a day or two to get him used to it, but might be worth a try.

[cwolff]

I had the same issues as you do.  I posted I don't know how many times about how miserable life was without the swaddle.  We finally went cold turkey for good about a month ago.  It was about 2-3 days and nights of erratic sleep, and tons of wakings.  It was HARD.  But, she got used to it.  It took a long time and she still flails about occasionally, but she can sleep without the swaddle.  There's no point in holding arms and legs down, as my DD just got more frustrated.  You have to leave them to work it out.  Not of course if he's crying, but if he's just all over the place with his hands, you just have to let him work it out on his own.  It's tough, and you need DH's help.  Start on a weekend so you can work in shifts.  Drive around or stroller for a nap or two so he gets some day sleep.  And believe me, it will get better and he will get used to it.

[vickytxs]

thank you all sooo much, i feel a bit better now but still dreading the sleepless nights that lie ahead! i think i am going to first try the aussie swaddle if i can manage it. if i cant or if it doesnt work, im going to try lying him down on his tummy to see what happens. if he doesnt like that, then i will just try to see how he does without it during the day when he naps for starters as cwolff suggested. he will have to get used to it, like you guys say they cant be swaddled forever. im going to give him a week or two since i know he will be rolling over very soon and then dig my heels in and hope for the best. thank you all and i will keep this post updated in case of a miracle!!!

[Katw]

Hi there,

I am in exactly the same boat as you!

Alana has been swaddled since she was 5 weeks old and now its getting too hard as she is too big and keeps pulling her hands out.

If they are anywhere near her face she CANNOT sleep whatsoever, they pull her hair, rub her eyes etc etc.

I think I will be swaddling til she's 18 at this rate!

I would love to be able to unswaddle but can't see it happening as she just can't go to sleep with her hands out.
Good luck with trying and if you have any tips let me know!!

[vickytxs]

i feel better knowing im not the only one! at first i thought maybe something was wrong wih him, but it's as if he just cant keep himself still. im going to keep swaddling until i absolutely just cant anymore.

he has actually got a little cut on his ear from where he just scratches with his little nail when he is sleepy and not swaddled. im wondering about the aussie swaddle though, i might try it, but will it make any difference what swaddle i use since i will have to stop swaddling alltogether when he can roll over?

will they stop being so fidgety when they are more mobile and can crawl? will they have more control over their limbs??

[j89vision]

Oh goodness...I understand.  I was in a panick imagining my child  having to be swaddled the night before she starts Kindergarten if I don't break it now.  Tracy says that some babies  up to 7 to 8 mos of age are still swaddled.  She also says NOT to go cold turkey but do it gradually.  Swaddle the baby and just leave one arm out.  My 5 mos old has scratches on her sweet face too, so I have place her little mits back on her hands...and she really has a terrible go at her ears and the side of her head...BUT, I have found that this mainly happens when she is overtired or when she wakes herself before resettling...be sure to get your LO down before becoming overtired...this should help.  Also, I have good nights and not so good...I have her half swaddled with her legs in and arms out...HOWEVER, if there is a point during the night she cant settle...I reswaddle her..  Baby steps go a long way....OH, for her naps, I keep her completely unswaddled preparing her for night time unswaddling.
So far so good...this too shall pass, HANG IN THERE
AnnaG's mama

[vickytxs]

thanks, i need the encouragement! i do have some good news to report. although he is now flipping over completely, i have managed to get him down in his crib the past two nights in his baby-gro. there are still some wake-ups, but that happened even when he was swaddled. its taken about 20-30 mins to get him down and i have to lightly and gently hold his hands and let him squeeze my finger but then he goes down with both arms up by the sides of his head. i dont know if its the baby-gro that helps or hes just slowly starting to get better. he'll be 7 mos on the 16th.i had a bit of a time trying to get him down for a nap this afternoon though, but i think he may have got a bit overtired so i will try again tomorrow. thanks for all the tips help and encouragment. now if he would just sleep through the night with no wake-ups!!!!