Wrapping baby...how long did you do it for??

My little man is 4 months old today and still sleeps wrapped. He woke up from his nap earlier and was squirming and kicking so I unwrapped him and gave him a cuddle. he fell back to sleep and I put him into his hammock unwrapped, it has been about half an hour and he is still asleep, do you think he just wants to sleep unwrapped now? He has been waking a lot more at night, maybe he just doesn'tlike being wrapped. I'm too scared to not wrap him at night, thinking that he may wake even more, LOL.

How long did you lovely ladies (and men) wrap your babies for? How did you know when to stop wrapping?

I stopped wrapping Jesse at about 3 months only to have to start again.
I haven't been doing it as much since it started to warm up. I'll have to pay more attention to the nights he's wrapped & the nights he's not to see which is better. If there is a difference.

Thanks bj, let me know if you notice a difference.:D

We started leaving his arms free around 6 weeks, and stopped wrapping completely before 3 months. He slept much better without the wrapping.

We're still wrapping Emily. During the day she can sleep unwrapped, but at night she won't sleep unless she's wrapped. I had tried this week to unwrap her at night, but she woke about a dozen times during the night, so I've gone back to wrapping her.

Still wrapping here! lol. We've tried unwrapping, but it just results in the dummy being pulled out and lost, she just goes off to sleep if I wrap her :) She does work herself out of it by morning, so can sleep unwrapped. Will wean her off it once it gets warmer.

DS was wrapped until about 8 months.

We stopped wrapping a week ago (DS was 15 weeks). DS always got his arms out regardless and a few weeks ago, he started wriggling and would end up at one side of the cot or up the other end! So, now he has been in a sleeping bag for the past week, that way I know if the blankies come off, he is still warm enough. Seems to be working as he is sleeping for longer overnight now so I'm sticking with it :)

my DD2 wanted to be wrapped untill she was around 5 months old, in the end I just began wrapping her a little looser each time and eventually she got use to not having it, I am thinking your DS probably wants to start sleeping without being wrapped but he may not like it straight off as he is not use to it, maybe give it a go next sleep time and see how he goes, otherwise if he doesnt like it start doing it gradually and he will get use to it.

good luck with it all, he is such a cutie

Thanks everyone. Still unsure what I am going to do...and I better decide soon as he goes to bed in about an hour or so, LOL. I might try putting him to bed with arms out of the wrap and see how he goes tonight, I suppose I could always wrap him if he keeps waking up.

Thanks elle....yes he is a cutie, LOL....and cheeky already.:lol:

DD1 was a fussy bub and hated being wrapped stopped around 8 weeks...the same time she began sleeping through!

DD2 was wrapped til about 15 weeks old....

DD was wrapped til 10 weeks then went into a sleepingbag

We stopped wrapping Claire when she was about 5 months old. She started to want to sleep with her arms out and her legs spread out around that time and would squirm her way out of a wrap and cry till we got the wrap off her.

I am ashamed to admit that Ela, who is now 13 months old still sleeps with her arms wrapped.

We lightly wrap her arm when she has her bottle before bed and then we unwrap her when we settle her in her cot. She does not sleep if we don't wrap her. I guess by summer she should be out of it :pray:

Aah.. don't feel ashamed Turkish Delight! You just made me feel a lot better about wrapping as long as I have! hehe. I've found it handy in winter.. I know once DS wasn't being wrapped he wouldn't have a bar of sleeping bags or blankets or anything.. so wrapping in the early winters has been very handy :)

Thanks Marlene for the post as I have been thinking the same thing & my DS is a little older than yours. He hates the process of being wrapped but seems to sleep better once he is wrapped. He is also still in his cradle so the few times I have put him a sleeping bag he plays with the side of the cradle so I have to put him in the cot which I am putting off. Anyway as he is getting bigger then the wrap he is making them looser himself while he sleeps, I don't wrap his legs so much anymore - mainly his arms. I don't wrap him so tight anymore either in an attempt to get him use to the idea of not wrapping him.
Please keep us updated, thanks

well, I tried to put Jack to bed unwrapped last night, he cried and cried until I wrapped him, he then promptly put himself to sleep, LOL. So I don't think the wrapping has anything to do with his sleeping issue at the moment. He was up every couple of hours last night as well.

In my time in childcare I have met lots of little babies who like to be wrapped. 12 months is the longest I've come across. I forget where I read "Don't start wrapping [if you haven't before] after 4 months" whish is fair enough because I think it can freak them out a bit if they're not used to it.

Wrap, wrap and awaaaaaaay!

We are still wrapping, she is starting to not like it so much though wriggling and rolling when i put her down.

Still wrapping... for now...

We wrap until they could get out of it so about 9 months!

Well I'm glad to hear all this feedback because Taj is 4 months and only settles in his cot if he is wrapped... have tried him with his arms out and he just wakes himself up by scratching or rubbing his head..tried a sleeping bag for awhile but to no avail!! Hoping to get him back in the bag by summer!
I just purchased 100% bamboo wraps which are great in any climate so maybe wrapping for awhile longer.
Is there a certain age you should stop wrapping them?

leesha - I think just try it now and then to see if he's ready to be unwrapped. I wouldn't worry about when you 'should' stop wrapping, I'm sure we won't still be wrapping our 2 year olds :) You'll find the way they sleep changes a lot as they go through different ages.

I figure why stop doing something that works? I'm sure he'll let you know if he's had enough of the wrap. :)

Haha I hope I' not still wrapping at 2 years old!!!! Feels like I will be tho!!
Thanks for the feedback tho..I think I won't fix something if it's not broke!!! It's working for now and I get sleep so thats the main thing!!! Just go with the flow I say!!
xoxoxoxox

I stopped wrapping DS at 9 weeks and switched him to sleeping bags. I didnt wrap him of a day, only at night and he went in the no problems. DD i am doing the same.. just am waiting for the stains to soak out of the sleeping bags atm then she'll be in them.
Perhaps you can try it just during the day? But yeh maybe he doesnt want to be wrapped anymore. I know alot of babies like to sleep with their arms above their heads.. being wrapped restricts that.

My Ds started wriggling strait out when he was about 8 weeks.We use a sleeping bag now because he just kicks off whatever is on him then wakes up cold.

i stopped with ashley when he was abt 4 mths,

Two weeks here.

DS had very strong legs straight away and would kick them off.

He's been happily sleeping in a sleeping bag ever since and has been self settling almost all that time.

I think all babies are different. DS1 hated being wrapped so we stopped when he was 1 or 2 weeks old. DS2 on the other hand wouldn't settle unless he was wrapped, until he was about 4 or 5 months old. Then he refused to be wrapped too.

It wouldn't hurt to try him without being wrapped to see what happens.

DD was 1-2 weeks old & DS was 1 week old. I have children who like to sleep with their hands/arms above their heads LOL
DD slept through from 5 days old (13 hours straight from the night we got home from hospital) & DS hasn't been too bad, he sleeps about 8 hours straight which started at about 3 weeks, maybe a little before?
Considering my 2 slept so well without being wrapped I think it just comes down to the individual baby. As we can see from replys in this thread there are all different ages that sleep better or at least settle better being wrapped.
If he sleeps/settles much better being wrapped then I'd stick with it at least for now. Mums need sleep too so do whatever suits you :) He'll be happy as long as he's getting fed & sleeping (& getting lots of kisses & cuddles hehe)
Good luck :)

Thanks for all the replies..

I have tried putting him to sleep unwrapped but it is just impossible. I don't really care how long he is wrapped for, its just the fact that he is such a hot baby...by the time I get him to sleep he is in a lather of sweat. I use really thin muslin wraps and have him in a nappy only and a fan circulating air in the room but he still gets really hot.
I don't know what I'm gonna do in summer.:wall:

are you able to unwrap him once he's asleep? I've done this a couple of times with Kayla recently when I've noticed she's a bit sweaty. Kayla will sleep unwrapped, but we're still working on going to sleep unwrapped.

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its just the fact that he is such a hot baby.... I use really thin muslin wraps and have him in a nappy only and a fan circulating air in the room but he still gets really hot.

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Marlene - Ditto to this comment. DS is a hot bub aswell and like someone else said he likes to sleep with his arms over his head sometimes
(see pic in sig LOL)

I still wrap him at night cause otherwise he is wide awake staring at all his toys beside him. During the day though different story, he doesnt like being wrapped. It's strange hey? I am sticking to what is working for the both of us for now ... that way he gets his sleep and I get mine :)

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I don't know what I'm gonna do in summer.:wall:

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Air Conditioning LOL .... I am seriously considering it for my DS

My DS is only 2 months and I'm still wrapping him, though he does not liked his arms being too restricted, and would wiggle and complain untill he got his hands free.

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I know alot of babies like to sleep with their arms above their heads.. being wrapped restricts that.

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There is a way to wrap so they can have their arms above their heads.
You need to have a larger square wrap, the bamboo ones are good, I know these as musllin wraps. Lay it on a flat surface and fold down one corner, position your babies neck in the centre of the fold. You should have 'pockets' for each hand. Slip one hand into the pocket, then wrap the end across baby and under his/her back, repeat with other side. Splay the mateiral(sp) at foot end, bring it up and behind baby. Your baby will now still be wrapped but have more arm movement.

My DS has taken to this kind of wrapping at night. During the day my DS does not like to go down, but is happy to sleep while on the move, so I just go about my daily activites, DS sleeps in the car, in the baby sling or in the pram therefore generally unwrapped. If I put him down during the day, I find he sleeps better on his tummy, so he does not get wrapped, that way he can lift his head if he needs to. I also have him in the pram so he is never out of my sight.