[runnybabbit]

So my baby is one week old, and he seems to really fight being swaddled. If he's not completely and utterly milk drunk and passed out after a feed, he grunts and whimpers as he seemingly struggles to free himself from his swaddle, and then half the time he wakes right up and I feed him back to sleep.

I bought one of those Love to Swaddle Up suits (previously known as Wrap Me Up, I think) and it's the small size for newborns, so I can't get a smaller size. My boy was 3.95 kg at birth, as well, so he's not teeny tiny. I thought he might want his arms up and relatively free, but then today he was waking every 20 minutes in that suit!

So how do you KNOW if you baby really hates being swaddled? Does he maybe like being swaddled with his arms wrapped up but he doesn't think he does? Aaaaaaaaagh. I thought it would be less confusing the second time around.

[fairymagic]

My DS was my first born and he did not like being swaddled. It took me three weeks to realise this. The time he should have been falling to sleep was spent struggling and squirming to get his arms free of the wraps. Once he got to three weeks and we realised this, we put him into a cot (his arms would have constantly been hitting the sides of his bassinette) and he slept beautifully with his arms either straight out to his side or above his head.

I would give it a go during a day sleep or two. Make sure he has plenty of room in whatever bed he is sleeping in so if he swings his arms around during his sleep, he doesn't hit the side of his bed and wake himself up. YOu could try just wrapping him from under his arms down or perhaps try leaving just one arm out and see what he prefers. Some babies just dont want to be wrapped.

[AntiBourgeoisie]

Waking every 20 min is within the spectrum of normal infant behaviour (up to 4-6 months of age). Get a good sling. Let him have his naps in a sling or being held. Some babies just have a greater need to be held than others (in fact, young babies happy to sleep in a cot are the exception).
The Love to Dreams are stellar. I'd persist with it, especially at night time. Only thing they are a bit too narrow around the legs and put the hips in a bad position. When you do it up, leave the bottom half of the zip undone so his knees/hips can flop sideways. This is really only an issue in the smallest size.

[Kay1]

The Love to Dream swaddle was hopeless for my baby. He can't have his hands anywhere near his face or he goes nuts trying to suck on them. And if he does suck on them he goes crazy. He needed and still needs to be wrapped up like a spring roll, arms by his sides or there is no sleep at all.

I'd try a few different ways and see how you go.

[runnybabbit]

Waking every 20 min is within the spectrum of normal infant behaviour (up to 4-6 months of age).

It's just that when he is completely milk drunk and doesn't resist the arms-in swaddle, he'll sleep for up to 2.5 hours straight. I know he's very new and will probably change from day to day. I can't figure out what he prefers!

[~MakkaPakka~]

My 7 week old still grunts and tries to pull his arms out all the time as well.

I realised how much he likes being wrapped when he was overtired and crying and wasn't wrapped, then when I wrapped him up he instantly went quite and closed his eyes. He is that bad that when he goes into his car seat or pram I have to do a sneaky wrap around his arms only or he will throw a tanty because he is not wrapped.

I am only using huge (150cm X 150cm) muslin wraps with DS (he was 4.5kg born so needed huge wraps to try and keep him in) and even then I am still constantly re wrapping him. Mind you I am also using the hudini style wrap with him as well and he still manages to free himself,though it does take him a little while longer to work himself out of it!!

I did buy a peke moe from the trading room, which also has his hands able to move and he kept on waking up all the time (I think it will be better used when he is transitioning from being wrapped to sleeping unwrapped).

I was reading that there are some specific wraps you can buy that holds their arms in tight but I have also read some papers that have said a fair amount of the babies are suffering with hip issues because they are clinging too tight around the babies hips.

One thing I have to add is that DS also likes to sleep with his face covered - so I have to watch him or he will get his hands manipulated so the wrap is across his face.

With DS it was obvious to know he liked his wrap as he was sleeping a lot more with it, and also when he gets overtired and cranky he settles down when I wrap him

[Kay1]

AntiBourgeoisie

Get a good sling. Let him have his naps in a sling or being held.

I generally agree with your posts and your take on baby sleep issues and find your posts great to read - however this advice is not always very helpful. I found slings a lifesaver at times but to suggest a mother carry or hold her baby for all naps is not always practical. For example when she is home with other children to take care of, recovering from a c-section and just wants her baby to sleep for long enough to allow her to take a shower. I know that what you say is correct re sleep cycles etc but it can be rather discouraging and depressing to simply be told to hold/carry your baby all the time. Just something to think about.

[Kay1]

I am only using huge (150cm X 150cm) muslin wraps with DS (he was 4.5kg born so needed huge wraps to try and keep him in) and even then I am still constantly re wrapping him. Mind you I am also using the hudini style wrap with him as well and he still manages to free himself,though it does take him a little while longer to work himself out of it!

I wrap mine in a flanelette wrap (no stretch) and then put an argo cocoon over the top. Its lightweight but it just holds it all together so it doesn't all come loose when he wriggles or I move him around. Might be worth a try.

[Sunnycat]

I think I gave up in the swaddle really early. It made no difference to DS's sleep anyway. I used the Woombie and Love 2 Swaddle Up and they didn't make seem to help him sleep better.

[runnybabbit]

We also don't have air con outside of the bedrooms and it's usually about 32 deg C in the house during the day. I used a Sleepy Wrap a lot with #1 but he was a winter baby and we were in Perth, a summer baby in NQld is a different kettle of fish!

Okay so if he grunts and tries to fight his wrap... but sleeps better with arms wrap than not -- then he likes his arms wrapped but doesn't know it?!