Teaching to sleep without a wrap?

DS is getting to the stage where he doesn't want to be wrapped anymore, but I don't know how to get rid of it. He is still sleeping with a dummy, so if I don't wrap him, he pulls out the dummy & cries - he won't sleep. I'm not prepared to just let him cry, but he gets so upset when he's not wrapped - but if I do wrap, he gets his arms out anyway & pulls out his dummy/rolls over & cries.

Help!!

PS - I know I posted about this a month ago & then decided just to leave it for a while - but today he's really been getting frustrated (and even rolling over fully wrapped - without removing his arms - but still crying)

Ah Ezz, here we are again! I swear our boys conspire in secret against us!

I'm going through the exact same thing right now - decided to go cold turkey on the wrap. DS wasn't pulling his dummy out or not sleeping, it's just that he's getting way too mobile for it and it's just becoming a pain.

We're up to day 2 now, nights are fine, days are not. He's taking up to 40 mins to go to sleep. i'm not having to go in there, he's eventually putting himself to sleep but it's seriously doing my head in. ONce asleep, he's only averaging about 40 mins to an hour of acutal sleep.

Promised myself I'd give it a week but ARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!

Not sure if I've posted in your threads previously but have you tried gradually removing the wrap by swaddling with one arm free for a few days, then both arms free? I then moved to a sleeping bag. He was only 6 weeks old though, and never had a dummy so I can't offer any ideas there either, sorry...

OMG!!!! I so know what you're talking about! he's only just started rolling but I'm sure it won't be long until the problem becomes more than just an arm getting out and pulling out the dummy but not getting it back in! I tried wrapping him looser and then with one arm out but he just gets agro and wont' sleep, so I'm using a cot sheet still... for now I'll keep doing it but every now and then I freak out at the thought I'll still be wrapping him when he starts school... and then I pull myself together and tell myself to stop being ridiculous!

LOL! I know the feeling LM...sticking with not wrapping for now and hoping this hurdle passes REAL quick!!

I do know a friend of a friend who is still wrapping her 2 y.o.!! But she is quite happy being wrapped (still won't sleep without it.

Willow - what is he doing for the 40 mins before he falls asleep? Is he grizzling or just rolling around?? Every time I have tried not wrapping Calvin, he just cries unless I'm in there patting him.

Curly - I did try the one-arm thing - but the only time he actually went to sleep was when I stayed in there patting him :rolleyes:

I just had a go at putting him in a gro-bag with his dummy & a small bear to hold onto. He waved his arms around (and just waved the bear too). He grizzled & pulled at his face, but eventually went into a light sleep (with some patting, shhh-ing etc). However, he didn't go from the light sleep into the deep sleep - every minute or too, he would wave his arms in the air again. He would then rub his face with his hands & cry (with his eyes closed). I persisted for about half an hour (calming him every time he cried), but then gave up & wrapped his arms. He is now asleep (I think - he's very quiet - I don't want to disturb him!)

Spoke too soon - he's up :(

Willow, you're doing well to get 40 mins!! :lol:

We've had 2 nights in a row where he's woken up saturated, sheet and all... so we're using the biggest of our proper wraps with limited success today and hoping it doesn't rain so the others can dry... otherwise I might have to bite the bullet and try the grobag again, but it didn't work last week... aaaaaaagh... at least we each know we're not alone on this one!

LM - I understand your pain - we only have 2 wraps that fit him (and really, they are big sarongs). It is a comfort to know that there are others going through the same thing - but it does make ne wonder how all these other babies sleep unwrapped from much younger? Is there something "special" about our boys? Or is it just because we've been doing it so long that they find it hard to adjust? Or, is it because other mummys are prepared to go through a few days of screaming to get rid of the wrap?

That sounds exactly like what my DD was like!

I found that a nice warm sleeping bag and then a light blanket over the top helped to settle my DD when she was doing the same thing as you've described. I tucked her little arms down beside her and this seemed to do the trick... although once she was rolling, I got rid of the blanket and she would roll straight over onto her belly and fall asleep like that.

I think the trick is to make them as warm as they would be with the wrap on...

It did take a bit of adjustment though, you will have to allow him to adjust by reassuring him that its o.k...
It is usually the routine of it all that will be hard for him, all he has known in his little world is to be wrapped so it may take time before he gets used to a different routine.
My DD then settled really well and seemed to like her little bag and had more freedom to roll or move then when she was wrapped.

She still sleeps in one... I might have to start a thread on how to get your baby used to not sleeping in a bag!! :lol:

Good luck with everything, I know it is a trying time when they wont settle properly.. :)

It's evil of me but I am glad to see that I am not the only one with wrapping issues!!!

Punky sleeps a-ok at night unwrapped now, although she is in a sleeping bag, for day sleeps we start out unwrapped, try wrapped, then back to unwrapped.... OMG!!

She pulls out her dummy, THROWS it all over the place, rolls over & then cries because she's rolled over... etc, etc...

We are managing to get through the days pretty much wrap free but it has been hard going I tell you! My reprieve today was going out, she slept twice in the ergo & I didn't have to stress about wrapping, not wrapping, napping, not napping...

Just wanted to let you know I feel your pain lol & I fear it's all trial & error but good luck all the same!

I'm thinking I'll wait until we move and then maybe as part of getting settled in the new place we'll do the sleeping bag thing... maybe a whole new bed routine will just be part of moving house... on the other hand it could backfire and be better to wrap him there so something will be familiar? Aaaaagh I have no idea! My best friend couldn't wrap her girls after the first couple of weeks... they just kept escaping, but she's now at the stage where DD2 won't stay in her bed and keeps coming out after bed time, while DD1 is finally going to sleep easily as being a big school girl tires her out! Man I hope this wrapping thing is sorted well before then!

Hey guys, just checking how everyone is doing...

We had our best day yet...two sleeps unwrapped with very little fuss and he slept for an hour this morning, a bit over an hour this afternoon. So I'm not turning back now!! Seriously, if this keeps up I will feel like I escaped pretty easily - not counting my chickens just yet though, we generally don't seem to escape these sleep issues very lightly!

Ezz - he was just babbling to himself, rolling around his cot, playing with his dummy, occasionally grizzling/whinging but never worked up to a cry. After a while, he'd just go off to sleep.

LM - I think it might be worth a shot if you are moving to give up the wrap cold turkey then. Being in a completely different environment sometimes helps when trying to start a new routine. I know of friends who've done this with things like weaning off dummies, bottles etc. Still can't get over how much our boys look alike!!

We've had him in a sleeping bag for a few months now, it gets really cold here overnight so he had the sleeping bag on, and then a light wrap loosely over the top - I'm not sure if it's the sleeping bag that's made the transition easier, because that part of the 'going to sleep' ritual is still the same? :dunno: He's also been unwrapped for most of the night for a long time too because he's always settled so quickly after a feed I just didn't bother with the wrap or the dummy, I'd put him in his cot and he'd go straight off to sleep.

Hang in there girls, this too shall pass!

Man o man... what a night we had last night...

He woke a bit after 2 for a feed and I mean woke... usually he just works up to a loud groan and I know what he wants and he's almost still asleep, but last night he was wide awake. So after the first side i decided to change him, something i tend to avoid if he's sleepy, but this time he was satched through yet again and I had NO spare sheet to wrap him in as they were all in the laundry... omg - I tried the smaller wraps but they just don't fit anymore. So took the plunge and put him in the grobag... 2 hours later I gave up and went into the laundry, woke the dog up in the process and fished the other sheet out of the dryer... thank god it was actually dry...DH eventually got him to sleep as I was exhausted and in tears and completely beside myself...

Moral of the story - always get the spare sheet out of the laundry before the dog goes to bed

hi all;
We went through something similar with dd. In the end what worked for us was that we would lay the wrap in her cot, get her ready for bed (although i still feed to sleep) and then put her in the cot on her side and roll the wrap over her tighty so that she felt the wrap but was not really wrapped in it! it was good enough to trick her into thinking whe was safe, but she had the freedom that she was requiring as she absolutely hates being wrapped under any circumstances!
It might be worth a try anyhow!

last night was worse yet... i haven't had a night like that since he was about a week old! Woke every hour or two... most sleep i got in one stretch was 2 hours:( soooooooo tired and today he's not sleeping well either... cat nap of 30 mins this morning then 40 mins in car and now I've been trying to get him to sleep for the past 30 mins. I feel so guily - i left him to cry this morning while i had a shower... he was fine when i put him down but by the time i came back out he was crying like a newborn, but i was beside myself and just needed to have my little time out. DH has gone back to work today after the school holidays so it made it all that much harder to get through the day:(

LM - Oh dear! How did it go today? Is it possible that your DS is teething or unwell (maybe not just a wrap problem?)

Willow - Great news! Is it still going well?

QueenMab - Your DD sounds like my DS! I love when we go to the shops & he can have a guilt-free sleep in the HAB!

My MCHN suggested wrapping DS with his arms up (I usually wrap them down by his side). This worked well this morning - he was flailing his arms about, but didn't have full range of movement (ie. couldn't stratch his face) and managed to go to sleep. "Beauty!" I thought. "I can wrap him like this for a couple of weeks to get him used to moving his arms, then abandon the wrap altogether." But when I tried it this afternoon, he got his arm out & we were back to square one. I'm going to work on my wrapping technique to see if I can perfect the pocket for his arms (that's what I did this morning - created a pocket that allowed him to move his arms, but not get them out - not sure how I did it though!).

Not good Ezz, not good. Today we were out so he slept in the car, but yesterday was awful!

I spoke to Karitane helpline and they said we've been at it a week, keep going. Give it another week and see what happens. Just soooo over it, was nice to get a break from it today!

Nights still fine, it's just his day naps. I've always wrapped him so that he could move his arms, so that aint gonna help us either! LOL.

last night was better. slept soundly from 7ish when we put him to bed to 10:30 when he woke for feed as usual. then woke at 11:30 and 12:30 then at 2:30 I got him out to feed him and he was soaked through the lot... so that meant changing him and that meant he woke up properly so after changing and feeding and patting he eventually went quiet and not quite asleep at 3:30 so I went back to bed and didn't hear from him til 6:15 when i took him to bed with me but he didn't settle well there so we gave up just before 7.

These last couple of days I've found reasons to get out of the house just to keep myself sane, as if I'm home all day and he only cat naps i find myself losing all sanity...

will be interesting to see how we go tonight - has had his solids earlier so we'll see if that helps. Yep, could be teething - bumps on bottom gum but they're not red, but his cheeks are... have had to use a big piece of fabric to wrap him in today as both sheets were in the wash... which reminds me, they didn't dry on the line so I have to go chuck them in the dryer...

LM - What nappies are you using? Sounds like your DS wets through a lot! I had to give up on the MCNs overnight, because I was sick of washing the wrap, sheets, etc in the morning when DS leaked through. I use a babylove nappy overnight now & it last right through (even when I feed DS at 4am & don't change him). I figure 1 sposie a day isn't too bad...
Like you, I am trying to go out in the day (actually I just got home from a trip to Bunnings). Calvin is only cat-napping during the day & he's grumpy. I wish I could convince him that he would be happier if he slept more than 1 sleep cycle at a time!!

Willow - I'm sorry it's not better yet! It's nice having an excuse to not have to do it isn't it? (sleeping in the car, the pram, the HAB etc). Did Karitane have any other suggestions for you? Are they gentler than Tresillian? (who told me to let him cry it out)

Ezz - yeah, I have found Karitane more gentle in their advice. I don't ring Tresillian anymore (unless I can get hold of the nurse we saw there directly, she's unreal). Karitane told me I was doing everything they would advise, she actually said she couldn't fault me which was nice, but not very helpful! LOL. They said give it till the end of this week and see how he was going then.

Today was better. First nap was in the ergo cause we were out, afternoon nap was pretty good, bit of a protest for maybe 5 mins then slept for about an hour and a half. Went to bed tonight with hardly a peep. Nights aren't a problem for us though, it's his day naps that have been put out.

We'll see what happens tomorrow.

We switched back to sposies a while back because my hands were too sore using the mcn... i think the press stud things and having to pull on them to get them around tight enough were the problem... anyhow, mainly using huggies but sometimes snugglers... seems to be no rhyme nor reason to whether he wets through, but have turned down the heating and leaving a layer off him in bed and that has worked the last couple of nights...

ALTHOUGH... 2 nights ago he went 6 hours without needing any attention... how good is that! BUT last night was back to waking every 1 1/2 to 2 hours!!! Grrrrrr! His bottom gum bumps have gone from pink to whitish so perhaps there's a tooth coming through... who knows? All I know is he's down to 2 day sleeps this last week and I've been out every day between the sleeps just to stay sane.. like you Ezz I've tried to convince him that sleeping longer or at least having that 3rd sleep he'd be happier, but he just doesn't believe me...

Willow - How's it going now?

LM - How is your DS going? Any sign of those teeth? DS has always leaked in the Huggies - but has never leaked through the Babylove or ALDI nappies. (Go figure! I know Huggies are "supposed" to be the best). Anyway, back to the topic at hand - my DS seems to be pushing towards 2 day sleeps too. On Monday he did one 2 hour sleep + one 1.5 hour sleep (I had to resettle him in the middle of that one). Yesterday he did 3 x 40 min naps (because we were out & about - two of those naps were in the car). Today he did a 1.5 hour nap in the morning, and then a short nap this afternoon (40 mins) + a nap in the evening - if he had managed a longer sleep in the afternoon, he wouldn't have needed this evening nap. I guess it might take him a few weeks to settle into a new pattern.

Yeah... first tooth can now be felt so that could explain some of the unsettledness i guess

His arms keep escaping even the biggest cot sheet i have and i end up having to rewrap at least once a night. A few nights ago he just wouldn't calm down, so i unwrapped him thinking it was worth a try, and while he fell asleep in my arms then, the minute i put him down in the cot he woke up and went nuts again, so i wrapped and jiggled until eventually he was ok and went to sleep.. i think that was the night he woke every hour between 9 and 2 then i gave up and took him back to our bed! The last night or two have been back to his 'usual' 4 hourly room service calls - they are sooooo easy to deal with after the onslaught of sleeplessness these past couple of weeks!

Is DS sleeping no probs without his wrap yet willow?

The last couple of nights we have had to re-wrap DS during the night too (which we don't normally - it's usually just a day problem). Last night was awful - woke up at 10-ish, 12-ish, 1-ish, 2-ish (when I fed him), 5-ish & 6-ish (when I fed him again & brought him into bed with me). He then slept until 7:15am & woke up bright as a button - I on the other hand... :(

We had a really bad night last week too - and a couple of days later I noticed a new tooth (#5) - so it's possible that there is another tooth coming.

LM - I have found sarongs are actually bigger than cot sheets, or you could buy some fabric & cut to size? Having said that, DS can eventually wriggle out of a sarong too! How is your DS going now? I feel your pain with the sleep deprivation! I had this naive idea that DS was going to be sleeping through by 6 months!