thread: To wrap or not to wrap

  1. #1
    Registered User

    Sep 2006
    951

    Smile To wrap or not to wrap

    hi everyone.....

    In desparate need of some advice / tips please otherwise my sanity is going to go out the window.....................

    Charlotte is the houndini of unwrapping herself!!! I have tried double wrapping, single wrapping, arms out, one out, arms in..... arghhhhhh

    The thing is if her arms are out she wakes herself up by rubbing her face and pulling out a dummy.... if she has one arm out she fights and fights untill both are out... and the same if the are both in until she wakes herself up!!! So then I gave up and tried just a sleeping bag- but her arms are still out!!! SO I have ordered a kidopotamus thingy to see if that will work!!

    Do any of you lovely ladies have any suggestions??????

  2. #2
    Registered User

    Nov 2008
    Perth
    3,686

    Hi Chepie

    That's a tough one! We swaddled DD from birth so I was a bit nervous about putting her in a sleeping bag but she loved it and slept right through AND it was the first night in her cot! We haven't looked back since.

    But seeing your LO is still waking herself with her hands, I can highly recommend the kidopotamus wraps. DD slept really well in hers when she was little. You can also get sleeping bags where their arms are enclosed. Bubbaroo make one called a Joey Swag. Cot sheets are also brilliant from swaddling when they're not so little any more.

    HTH!

  3. #3
    Registered User

    Mar 2009
    Soon to be sunny BRISVEGAS!!!!!
    681

    I tried everything but ended up putting V on her tummy... that way her little arms are pinned. She hates any kind of wrap...I use an angelcare monitor to make sure she is breathing.

    I hope you find a solution..

  4. #4
    Registered User

    May 2008
    Melbourne
    1,838

    You've obviously tried a lot, sounds like you've got a determined little one I use a cot sheet to wrap DS2, i think you'd call what i do the angel wrap but only one arm is in. He will get out of it most of the time but it doesn't really bother him at the age he is. I didn't check but is your LO still quite young? At the age where they don't really have control over what their arms are doing? If that is the case all i could say is it may pass in time and maybe she won't fight the warp so much. Not much help i know but it sounds like you've tried so many different ways of wrapping.

    I'm at the stage where DS is 11 months old and i can't get him out of wanting to be wrapped. Even in this warm weather he still won't go sleep unless he is wrapped and tucked in with a blanket on top. He will wriggle out/loosen up throughout the night and that is fine with him but the initial going off to sleep he has to be nice and snug

    Hope things sort out for you

  5. #5
    Registered User

    Jul 2008
    Brisbane
    592

    We had the exact same problem with our boy. I would have to make sure he was fast asleep (in my arms), then wrap him and then rock him again to make sure he was well and truly asleep otherwise he would Houdini his way out and the whole process would start again. Sleeping bags weren't an option for us either as he would smack himself in the face and wake up as a result - his startle reflex was so strong. It was all doing my head in

    Like nattyfred, the only solution we could find was to sleep him on his tummy. He has always been a strong little boy and he could lift his head easily. It was a tough decision with all the SIDs warning etc. but just seeing our boy actually get some decent sleep on his tummy was what made us stick with it. Now that he is older he has chosen to sleep on his back. I am not advocating tummy sleeping at all and if DS was ok being wrapped we would never have done it. Having said that, it was the only way we could solve the issue.

    I know how hard it is having an escape artist in the house

  6. #6
    Registered User

    Nov 2008
    174

    I can highly recommend the kiddopotomus wraps. I have been using them since birth with my DS. I am using the larger size now but because he is long for his age, he kicks his legs out so I just swaddle his arms. I'm not sure what I will do when he outgrows this one!
    He can still work his way out but not as often as wrapping.
    Good luck!

  7. #7
    Registered User

    Dec 2006
    Gippsland Vic
    1,686

    Try the cot sheet I use the fitted ones, it kind of catches the arms in a little nook, you have more wrap ability so more chance of keeping it (the wrap) tight and snug...
    Good luck.

  8. #8
    Registered User

    Apr 2008
    The Purple House, Sydney
    1,811

    I recommend some huge muslin wraps- at least 1.2 metres long, preferably 1.5. If you're any good at sowing, you can whip some up ourself really easily. I wrap them 'flat'- just popped straight in the middle of the blanket, arms by their sides, then wrap as much fabric round them as you can, and tuck the bottom bit up under their feet HTH

  9. #9
    BellyBelly Life Subscriber & MPM

    Feb 2007
    Melbourne
    5,462

    I hear you! I have a Miss Houdini too! I started a thread a little while ago asking for help. It's HERE if you want to read it.

    The best thing that worked for us is based on a suggestion by Oorki Galoorki in that thread. I use a really long muslin wrap, fold it a little height-wise so it's just a bit longer than the length of her arms. I lie her on top of it and bring one side of the wrap up and over one of her arms, down again, tucking it underneath her body. I then do the same with the other arm. It keeps her arms strapped tightly to her side. THEN I wrap her in a cot sheet, this hold everything in place. It sounds extreme LOL, but it is the only thing that works (most of the time ).

    I hope that description kind of helps. If you Google "Miracle Blanket instructions", and look at the Miracle Blanket website you will see what I mean about tucking her arms down. HTH

  10. #10
    Registered User

    Sep 2005
    In the middle of nowhere
    9,362

    Yeah pretty much the same as the other girls.
    With DD I made my own muslin wraps from 'double muslin' 1.5m across. It's heavier than garden variety muslin but still light enough to be almost stretchy.
    I did try the cot sheets but found them to be too stiff.

    For the Little Guy we used the kiddopotamus snuggle wraps and they were fantastic!

  11. #11
    Registered User

    Sep 2006
    951

    Firstly thank you so much for taking the time to reply ... I appreciate all you your handy hints!!

    Well we recieved our Kiddopotamus in the mail on Monday and I was so excited!! Guess what she got her hands out everytime ... so Trish I followed your advice with the wrapping of the arms and then put her in kiddopotmus wrap and so far so good!! She is sleeping a bit longer and I am hoping will continue to do so...

    So thanks once again ladies you have saved my sanity!!! well until the next hurdle comes up

  12. #12
    BellyBelly Life Subscriber & MPM

    Feb 2007
    Melbourne
    5,462

    Woohoo! Glad it worked for you chepie! I bought a Kiddopotumus initially too and DD got her arms straight out of it LOL, so I did what you did and wrapped her arms then put her in the Kiddopotumus. This worked great for a few weeks until she started kicking her legs out of it then working her arms out . I then resorted to using a cot sheet and it works well most of the time.

    Happy sleeping

  13. #13
    Registered User

    Nov 2008
    174

    I saw in another thread about Woombies. I'm going to look into them a bit further for DS.
    It may be something else to consider?