This is my first time using a forum - I wish I'd thought of it sooner! My little one is almost 7 months, and about to start child care two days a week. I really want to stop wrapping him to make life easy at child care (I think it might be a bit much to expect the carers to keep re-wrapping him if he comes 'undone', but I also want to make sure that he gets some sleep). Grandma will also be looking after him one day a week, and I think she will find it easier if she could just put him down without having to wrap him.
Although he doesn't seem to particularly like being wrapped (he's always pushed against it with his arms - he's wrapped with his arms up which he seems to prefer to having his arms down) it is the only way he'll drop off to sleep, and stay asleep. We've got to a great place with his sleeps - day and night - and I can wrap him and leave him to drop off by himself. He sleeps from 7pm - 7am at night, with just one wake (and not even every night).
But last night I tried a sleeping-bag instead - no wrap - and it was a disaster. He woke up between every sleep cycle, and would start crying through frustration at not being able to get back to sleep because his little arms were flapping. It also took ages for him to drop off, with me constantly rocking / cuddling / patting him. In the end the only way I could get a couple of hours straight out of him was to turn him on his front, but I hated doing that as it goes against the SID's recommendations, and I sat by his cot the whole time to make sure he was ok!!
I've cracked after one night, and he's now sleeping peacefully - wrapped! Can anyone suggest how I can make this transition as painless as possible for him; I guess I'm looking for some magic answer to avoid the upset and tears, but not sure I'm going to find one...
Hi, I wrapped both DD1 & DD2 and it was such a great technique to have them stay asleep!
With DD2, I introduced the sleeping bag at about 6 months but then also wrapped her with a very thin muslin (I bought 2 mtrs of muslin from Spotlight as shop wraps were too small by then!).
Then I set about weaning her from the wrap. Slowly I released the tension of the wrap over the course of a couple of weeks or so. So as she was getting used to the sleeping bag, she also had the wrap but less tight over time. Eventually she was just snuggling the wrap and the startle reflex had gone and she had got used to the sleeping bag as part of the sleep routine. My DD2 was 10 months old when i stopped wrapping her.
Try making the transistions with just his day sleeps only for a week so at least your still getting a good nights sleep. Then you can introduce it over night. I too would try just one arm at a time.
But i wouldn't worry too much I've worked in Early Childhood for over 12 years and we would happily rewrap babies, we try to follow your home routines as closely as possible to make your babies care consitent. I have often had to do the one arm wrap with babies coz this is what mum and dad are doing at home, most carers should want to do it as the care for your son should be very important to them as should be his indivdual routines!!!
Thank you all so much for your really helpful advice, and reassurance about child care! I think I'll try the gradual thing rather than going 'cold turkey', and combining it with the sleeping bag sounds like a great idea. Thanks you!!
If your DS is anything like my DD (who could get out of the tightest wraps like she was Houdini), the 'loosly' wrapping thing didn't work for us. What we did was initally, for her day sleep only, wrap her with just 1 arm out. Once she got used to that (over several days), we got her used to sleeping at night with one arm out. Once she started sleeping better (and it never took more than a sleep or 2), then it was her other arm, but still wrapped her body. Once she was used to having both arms out, for both day and night sleeps, we took the wrap away completley and haven't looked back since!
As another poster said - daycare carers will happily do what you ask to keep bubs in as much of your routine and comfort as possible.
My DS2 has just started this week (2 days a week also) and is still loosely wrapped. My personal opinion on your scenario is dont try and unwrap before he starts care, so he has that familiarity and sleep association whilst he is adjusting. Leave it for a month after he has started and work from there.
My DS loves it - my DS1 did also and was wrapped until 11 months, my DD was around 6 months. As long as he is safe, there is no rush
Georgia loves being wrapped and cannot stay asleep without it but she was getting harder and harder to wrap, so I ended up getting her a woombie - google it to see what its about. You just zip bubs into it and they can put there arms and legs where ever they like. I tried a sleeping bag with georgia too and she hated it. seriously the woombie takes two seconds.
Wrapping advice - help!
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